Gentlewoman style: the Essēn demi-dressy summer flat



Essen Mary Jane mules

You know how I feel about mules. But I’m, willing to make a one-time exception for this very elegant, comfortable-looking and not badly priced Mary Jane mule from Melbourne-based brand, Essēn.

The toe is elegantly chiselled, with the merest suggestion of toe cleavage. The heel is a city-friendly 5mm, but the killer detail is the delicate strap that sits high on the instep, so from the front you barely know it’s a mule and it seems to secure the shoe in place, while still exposing plenty of ankle. (more…)



See this: summer watch list



Asteroid City Wes Anderson

Everyone’s talking about Barbie, the movie, but I’m probably going to give that a miss. Instead, I’m looking forward to Wes Anderson’s latest kookfest, Asteroid City (above), with its usual stellar cast line-up, and BlackBerry, a satirical biopic of the tech company to satisfy my chronic nostalgia-itis. (more…)



The culture of fashion: Pharrell x Louis Vuitton SS24



 Pharrell x Louis Vuitton ss24

All the Substacks and TikTokers have hit ‘post’ on their Pharrell x Louis Vuitton SS24 hot takes.

So, here’s mine.

I was expecting to hate the show and collection. (more…)



Grace Wales Bonner style



Grace Wales Bonner by Scott Schuman

I stopped following The Sartorialist a while ago when he started concentrating more on fashion industry influencers people than regular nobodies.

But I just came across this shot and realised the error of my ways. (more…)