Fashion, Fame & Faraway Places
Vol. 1 Issue 5 – 27th April 2024
Tick tock ⏳🥀
No, this isn’t about Tiktok, the short-form video app, that may soon be banned in the US like it has been in India for similar reasons since 2021. Instead, we are tick-tocking towards one of the biggest fashion/art events on the calendar; the Met Gala, and the theme and dress code chosen for this year heavily emphasises the concept of time. The theme of the costume institute’s new exhibition at the Met is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ and the dress code for the gala, hosted by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth, is ‘The Garden of Time’. So, to be well-equipped to judge all the red carpet looks through our phone screens and decide if the celebs did the theme justice, here’s a brief crash course in order to be well-versed on the topic by the time the first Monday of May comes around.
The ‘Sleeping Beauties’ theme goes back to the costume institute's core purpose: preserving and conserving clothing articles from throughout time, spanning centuries. The exhibit will showcase pieces that encompass 400 years of history, from an Elizabethan-era bodice from the 17th century to the designs of 21st-century modern masters like Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli. These clothes are akin to paintings and art displayed in museums and have been painstakingly restored and preserved over the years, hence displaying them in a new environment is a huge feat and an ode to those working behind the scenes contributing to our understanding of history through fashion.
The theme of the actual gala takes loose inspiration from this theme but can be interpreted in many ways, as is the case with every Met Gala theme. ‘The Garden of Time’ is a book by J.G.Ballard wherein a count and countess are in possession of crystal flowers that help them reverse time to protect them from mob attacks. This idea of time reversal connects back to the exhibit where the conservation of clothes is, in a way, repelling time and nature as well. As for the execution of this dress code, a lot of reference to florals and clock/time motifs might be seen (albeit a little too on the nose), but those who will do their homework may show up in archival and vintage pieces of the fashion houses they are guests of. Designers could also craft new pieces with inspiration from, or replicating, some iconic moments of fashion history. Either way, we are all for recycling fashion in this era of thrifting and sustainability, and can’t wait to see how the attendees take on this (if no one else, at least we can count on co-chair Zendaya to come through).
Haven’t you heard
Speaking of celebrities, David Beckham posted a video from his wife, Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday party, on Instagram featuring a Spice Girls reunion! Victoria with her ex-bandmates performed their song ‘Stop’, while Tom Cruise (currently filming the next Mission Impossible movie in the UK) gave a show-stopping breakdance routine, which sadly wasn’t caught on camera (they were banned at the party unless you’re the birthday girl’s husband, of course).
Across the pond in the US, Meghan Markle is launching her own lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (if you weren’t aware, it could be because she launched its’ Instagram account the same week the entire Internet was wondering where Kate Middleton had disappeared to, and debunking certain photoshopped pictures). While we still don’t know the products that will be up for sale, Meghan is sending out limited edition jars of her strawberry jam as gifts to her close friends including Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner. P.S. Speaking of the Jenners, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics is now available at Sephora India!
Crossing over from the American Riviera to Riviera Maya in Mexico, host of one of the most popular podcasts, ‘Call Her Daddy’, Alex Cooper got married to co-founder and co-CEO of their company Trending Media, Matthew Kaplan. Her outfits and the laid-back Mexico beach wedding vibes looked like a dream!!
In other news, North of the Americas, in Toronto, Canada, 17-year old Indian chess prodigy, Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest player to claim the men’s Candidates Tournament! Ranked 16 in the world by FIDE, he will be taking on world champion Ding Liren of China soon.
One for the books
If you’re looking for your next fiction read, then Emily Henry's highly anticipated new novel, Funny Story, is out! EmHen fans know there’s no one who does candid banter and witty jokes better than her. And given the premise of Funny Story (Daphne and Peter are a couple. Miles and Petra are a couple. Peter and Petra leave their partners for each other. So, Daphne and Miles become roommates and pretend to be dating to get back at their exes. Simple.), it’s no doubt going to be full of Emily Henry’s signature witty jokes, vivid writing and unforgettable characters.
Another release I’m looking forward to is Ana Huang’s next instalment in her King of Sin series, King of Sloth. This is the fourth book and each book in this series is based on one of the seven sins. Given the name/sin and the hints Ana has dropped in the previous books, the male main character is the easy-going Xavier Castillo paired against the go-getter Sloane Kensington. It has been so fascinating to see Ana bring this unique concept to life in the three previous books and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one!
Wanderlust ✈️
According to a new study, millennials would rather choose to travel than advance their careers, own a home, pay off debts or start a family! Travel is the new milestone.
The way millennials, and Gen Z, are the generations that have not only spent a lot of their youth online but also been forced to stay in, locked down, for a few years, it’s no surprise that we are craving the great outdoors, especially when we have access to the knowledge of all the different places and experiences the world has to offer thanks to the abundance of vacation vlogs and travel recommendations on our feeds.
But we don’t just want to travel for posterity or to seek validation. From what I have noticed, the inspiration we take from online content is more so we can fit in and experience different places as locals do, rather than ticking off tourist traps. A one-size-fits-all trip doesn’t do it for us, we are reshaping travel.
And so, some good news for any Indian travellers looking to explore more of Europe. Under new regulations, Indians can now obtain a 2-year multi-entry Schengen visa, if in the past 3 years they have utilised 2 Schengen visas! After using the 2-year visa, travellers would also be eligible for a 5-year Schengen visa!
Watch out / Sound off
Our first full look at Deadpool & Wolverine is here! The third Deadpool movie (this time under the Marvel banner, post Disney buying Fox) releases on July 26th!
And this weekend you can finally catch the Zendaya starrer tennis drama, Challengers, in a theatre near you. Did you know, all the actresses who have played Spiderman’s love interest (Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, Zendaya) have gone on to play tennis players on the big screen!
But if you want something of the scary variety, also in theatres is Abigail 🧛🏻♀️
Or you could binge-watch the much-talked-about miniseries Baby Reindeer on Netflix. The drama-thriller, black comedy is based on a real-life story.
And finally, as I said in the last issue, I have now spent a week with the 31-track spectacle called The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift. While I still wake up every morning with a different song stuck in my head and the meanings of some lyrics are unravelling and clicking at random times throughout the day, here are my current top 5.
Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)
Guilty as Sin?
The Alchemy
The Albatross
The Bolter
And while you’re listening to these on Spotify, if you have a premium subscription, check out the new ‘sound capsule’ feature by clicking on your profile in the top left corner. Now you don’t have to wait for the end-of-year Spotify Wrapped to know all about your listening habits and stats!
Reminders
Mother’s Day is coming up on the 12th of May, so start planning your gift!
Vote in the Indian general elections if you are eligible! Find out if your name is in the electoral roll, where your polling booth is and who your candidates are.
so excited for this year's MET looks! also, have you read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow yet? if you haven't, i'd highly recommend, it's beautiful.