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shina913 · 4 months

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Code Blue | KMG

Code Blue

Pairing: PFWeek!Mingyu x Stylist!Fem Reader

Rating: M 🔞; NSFW

Genre: Idol au; hints of FWB; fluff; angst; smut

Warnings: porn with a hint of plot; cussing; fingering; clit play; breast play; oral (F-rcvng); penetrative, unprotected sex; creampie; soft aftercare

Word count: 3.8K words

Summary: Mingyu doesn't want any other stylist--he only wants you.

A/N: The story was prompted by this video clip and title is from The-Dream's song of the same title. I only meant for this to be something quick but the clown car stopped by my house--it was headed to Deluluville so I just got on, ofc. Nothing but horny word vomit featuring Dior/PFW Mingyu. Tiny bit of angst brought on by the song, and also because I'm me, and why the hell not? Enjoy!

It’s fashion week and by some wild coincidence, many of your A-list celebrities are in town and they all have scheduled appearances at the big-ticket shows. Unfortunately, due to the location of a few shows and heavy traffic, you can't personally manage everyone's looks. So, you rely on your trusted assistants to cater to everyone's preferences, under your guidance, of course.

One of the clients you couldn't personally attend to was Mingyu. He called you, disappointed, when he saw your assistant, Monica, standing at his hotel room door with a clothing rack to present him with outfit options for tomorrow's show.

“Why did you send your minion here? I thought you were coming?” You hear the pout in his lowered voice.

“I'm at a fitting with another client at their hotel, and it's running late,” you whisper into the phone, then motion to an intern to approve your client's accessories. “Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call her that. She's my second-in-command, and I trust her judgment. I can't be everywhere at once, so some compromises had to be made.”

Mingyu’s debut appearance at a major fashion show was a big deal for him and his career. Since his appearance was announced, you prepared accordingly, discussing options based on the fashion house's lookbook. Having worked closely with Mingyu for over a year, you're well-versed in his style preferences. Before he left for Paris, you had shortlisted two outfit options, which is why you felt confident leaving Monica in charge.

“So, I’m the one compromised? I heard you’re dressing a couple of people for Chanel and another one for Saint Laurent. You can’t do that for me?” He huffs out.

You hiss through gritted teeth and excuse yourself to take the rest of your call in the bathroom. “There’s no need to be childish! Those two shows are right next to each other, while yours is across town. I can’t reach you in that short timeframe. Have you seen the traffic?”

He eventually concedes, softening his tone. “I’m sorry. I was just…hoping to see you since we're both in town. I thought that maybe we could grab dinner tonight at that restaurant we went to last time?”

You sigh, wishing it could be that simple. Instead of responding to his invitation, you run through tomorrow’s schedule. “I have another fitting tomorrow afternoon and a meeting after that. Olivier is also hosting a party tomorrow night after the Balmain show, so I don’t know—”

“I can meet you after your last event, just tell me where.”

“You can’t just show up randomly. There’s going to be other designers and stylists. You might feel out of place since you won’t know anybody,” you reason.

“You can always introduce me,” he suggests.

“As what?”

He’s silent for a few beats then says, “Your client?”

You chuckle, feeling a hint of embarrassment due to your presumptions. You've never clarified the nature of your relationship. Since you’re part of his team’s regular stylists, you have to stay professional, especially around staff and his other teammates. Occasionally, when he can steal a quiet moment, he whispers what he'd like to do when he gets you alone.

“Gyu—”

“Please? I miss you,” he pleads quietly.

Apart from the occasional sexy video calls, you haven't seen each other in over a month due to your busy work schedules. As much as you try to convince yourself that you don’t feel the same, hearing the need in his voice makes your chest twinge.

You open your mouth to answer but a knock on the bathroom door startles you. It’s the intern, telling you that your client needs your opinion on shoes.

You sigh, cursing under your breath. “I have to go. Just trust Monica, okay?”

You didn't wait for him to respond before you hung up. You didn't want to hear the disappointment in his voice. You wished you could leave all the work to your staff and head off to dinner with Mingyu, then go to bed with him. But there were too many eyes on Paris this week, especially on him.

This wasn’t like one of your clandestine meetings. He was more recognizable now, which meant photos could be snapped of you and him anywhere. When that happens, it’ll be all over.

After that call, you didn't hear from him for the rest of the night.

********

“So, how did you pick your outfit today?”

The question, posed by one of many journalists in the bustling press line of the fashion show’s venue, brings a warm smile to Mingyu's face.

“This outfit?” He took a moment before responding, his eyes had a hint of nostalgia as he revisited the process that eventually led up to the ensemble he was dressed in.

“Ah, well. My team put it together!” His response elicits laughter from both the photographers and the journalist.

“No, but seriously, I like clean, timeless looks with hints of detail and different textures to keep it interesting. My stylist knows me very well, and she has a great eye.” He finishes with that million-dollar smile of his, leaving the journalist flustered.

“Well,” the journalist says, “Sounds like someone out there deserves a nice bonus.”

“Oh, I agree!” He looks straight into the camera and gives a subtle wink at it right before the clip ends.

You chuckle and shake your head at your phone, swiping away to close out of full-screen mode.

Earlier this morning, he texted you a photo of his final look. He had chosen the blue suit and bejeweled button-down shirt, the ensemble you put together, and hoped he would go for. His choice delighted you, despite how sour your phone call ended last night.

You sent a text to Monica, thanking her for the link to Mingyu's interview clip and complimenting her on her first solo styling job.

She responded, saying that you did 90% of the work. She merely pulled together what made sense, and you approved.

You laugh. She's right, but she would at least get credit in the magazines and fashion blogs where Mingyu's photos would appear.

********

It was well past midnight when you got out of the limo with a couple of colleagues and walked into the hotel lobby, coming back from an after-party when your phone rang. You fish it out of your pocket and drunkenly squint your eyes at the caller ID.

It was Mingyu. You slide across your screen to answer it.

“Hey. Where are you?” His voice was gruff, like he had just woken up or maybe had a few drinks.

“I just got in from Olivier’s party.”

“Mm, how was that?”

“Good. We had fun. Nice way to cap off fashion week.”

He hums in response. “Are you back in your room?”

“Not yet but I’m heading up there soon. What’s up?” You step into the elevator and punch your floor number.

He sighs softly on the other line. “Nothing. Just wanted to make sure that you were back safe.”

“Uh-huh,” you say skeptically.

The elevator dings and stops at your floor. You step out and follow the hallway toward your room. “Why don't you tell me what's really going on?”

As you look ahead, you slow down upon seeing someone leaning against your doorway. How did he even… you stop that thought right away, not wanting to know all the details.

“I was hoping to say goodnight to you,” he says into the phone as you stop in front of him.

You glance at your watch and tell him, “But it’s already 2 in the morning.”

“So, good morning then?” he smirked. Then, his eyes rake you from head to toe. “You look nice.”

Judging by what you recall from your reflection in the elevator's mirror, you knew you were anything but. “Thanks. You look…clean.”

He was showered, barefaced, and dressed in sweats, his hair sticking out in every direction. Now this was the version of Mingyu you were used to seeing in private.

“Can I put you to bed?”

You bit your lip as he moved in closer. The thought was tempting, but you were aware that other staff members were staying on the same floor. But it was also late, and they were likely asleep. Perhaps a little nightcap wouldn't be too bad.

Before you can answer, you freeze when the door across the hall opens. Monica pops her head out, her sleep mask perched atop her head. “Oh, hey guys! I thought I heard voices. What are you doing here?” She directs her question at Mingyu.

“We were just talking,” he tells her with an innocent smile, relieved she didn't see him enter your room.

“Oh. Is everything okay?” She looks worried, assuming that Mingyu is there to tell you that she did an awful job, despite reassuring her that she did great filling in for you.

“All good! He and I just ran into each other in the lobby and started discussing an upcoming shoot,” you say apologetically.

“We'll try to keep it down,” Mingyu adds.

“No worries. I have a white noise machine,” Monica replies with a knowing smile. “You can be as loud as you want.”

Your mouth falls open as she casually turns back into her room and closes the door.

Mingyu suppresses a laugh. “You think she knows?”

You smack him on the chest and roll your eyes, making him giggle some more.

“You're lucky I pay her well,” you say, reaching into your purse for your key card. You swipe it on the door sensor and step inside while he's still laughing. “Are you coming in or not?”

He laughs even harder, but he follows you right in.

********

“Did you like Monica’s picks?” you call out from the bathroom, as you finish up your skincare routine.

“You mean what you picked?” he retorts.

“I wasn't even there! That was all her.”

“He snorts at your comment. “You think she pulled those pieces all on her own without your sign-off?” He snacks on a few pomme frites that he ordered from room service during your quick shower.

“I've been training her for a couple of years. She deserves some credit,” you reply as you reenter the room in an oversized shirt, walking towards him on the couch, and taking some fries.

“I mean, she's good, but she doesn't know me that well.” He pauses to watch you settle next to him. “You do, though.”

“Then let her get to know you! Help her out a little.” You suggest, barely looking up from your phone.

“You mean the way I got to know you? Is that what you want?”

You tense up and purse your lips. However, considering you have no claim on Mingyu, you have no right to feel upset.

“I'm just saying—I can't always be where you need me to be and…you’re free to do what you want.” You clear your throat, attempting to sound nonchalant.

He lets out a sigh, pulling your phone down to get your attention. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want anybody else to get to know me.”

You could hear the yearning in his voice, something you didn’t quite expect.

After years in the industry, you told yourself you’d never get involved with a client. And then Mingyu came along. People were naturally drawn to him, and even you weren’t immune to his charms. He was always sweet, and you assumed he treated everyone who worked for him the same way. It wasn’t until after an overseas photoshoot followed by celebratory drinks with him and his staff, that you let your guard down.

What you initially saw as a one-time slip-up gradually became a series of encounters, each growing more intimate than the last. But you couldn’t stay in that mindset. You couldn’t get your hopes up, especially with someone as famous as he was. Not only was it bad for business but it was bad for you.

“I’m not playing games.”

“Neither am I.” He says evenly. “The fact is, I want you and I’m tired of sharing you with other people.”

You scoff at his audacious remark. “Look, it’s my job—”

He shakes his head and interjects. “You know what I mean. I want to make things official…with you. Just you.”

You sigh. “You know that we can’t.” Even though everything in you wants to scream yes.

“You can’t or won’t?”

“I know that you can't,” you counter. He's just too... public. Not only are you concerned about your reputation, but you're mostly worried about the backlash if his fans ever find out about you and him. The stakes are higher for him.

“That’s not true. It’s not like I’m a prisoner.”

You chuckle humorlessly, as if he doesn’t see how this won’t end well for either of you. “I know how this business works, okay?”

“You think I don’t know that either? I just want us to try. I feel that there’s something more between us. And I know you feel it, too.” He reaches out and rests his hand on your bare knee.

Your skin tingles with the warmth of his touch. It’s been too long since you last felt it, and you’re ashamed to admit how much you missed it. Craved it, even.

You stare at his hand, now snaking past the hem of your shirt. “There are a million reasons why we shouldn’t do this.”

“Then let’s do it for the reasons that we should,” he retorts, lifting your chin to meet his gaze. You quickly realize that was a big mistake.

His eyes quietly pleaded, causing the knot in your stomach to tighten. Things weren't going to be easy. A million questions swirled in your head, but he quieted all except one as his face drew closer.

“How would we even do this?” You ask softly.

“Let me worry about that. I just need you to tell me that you want the same thing.”

Your hand lifts to his neck, fingers grazing his jawline, then up his cheek. He sighs softly, melting under your touch.

After a few beats, you cock an eyebrow at him. “You know, part of me feels like I’m letting you off easy. Maybe I should let you work for it a little?”

A smile ghosted his lips. He lowered his head, his voice deep and sexy. “I’ll work for it now.”

Even though you see the kiss coming, it still knocks you out. Mingyu’s lips meet yours, his tongue stroking greedily into your mouth. “C’mere,” he says roughly before urging you onto his lap.

Your phone rings, but you silence it quickly before chucking it, not caring where it lands. You tangle your fingers in Mingyu's hair, holding his head while you kiss him ardently. God, you love kissing him. The feel of his lips and the rough sounds of pleasure he makes are music to your ears. He’s ravenous for you, just as you are for him. He catches one of your wrists and pulls your hand over his chest, pressing it flat so you can feel his heart pounding.

“This all you,” he breathes against your mouth.

And with that, your walls come down. You’re done for.

You tear at each other’s clothing, yanking off each other’s shirts. You’re desperate to feel him, your lips and teeth catching every inch of his golden skin. At this point, you don’t care if other staff hear you throughout this floor.

He urges you backward until you feel the armrest of the couch behind you. Kissing you deeply, he cups one of your breasts in his hand, kneading it before pushing the bra cup down to touch your bare skin.

You fumble with the drawstring of his pants, whilst palming him through the material, feeling how hard he already is. You growl in frustration when he pulls your hands away.

He shakes his head and tuts. “You first.” Clever fingers circle your nipple and roll it, sending shocks of delight straight to your core.

The next moment, that mouth you love to kiss is on your breast, surrounding your tender nipple. His tongue flicks at the tip, his cheeks hollowing as he sucks. His other hand is between your legs, rubbing your aching cleft through your panties, teasing you even more by grinding his length against your thigh.

His scent surrounds you, just as his hands and mouth are all over you. You want some control, but he’s too strong, too quick, sliding lower before you can catch him.

He keeps his gaze on you as he tugs your panties down your legs. Your center clenches at how much that turns you on.

You sit up slightly to unclasp your bra, tossing it while Mingyu scoots back, lifting his hips to shove his sweats and boxer briefs out of the way.

In an instant, he’s on you again–too impatient to strip all the way naked. He pins your hips down, urging your thighs further apart while he lines himself up to your center, and slowly pushes in. Lowering his head, he groans right in your ear, feeling how tight you are for him.

You pant as he burrows deeper. Your nails dig into his back and your legs tighten around his waist. You’re wetter by the moment, rendered helpless by the way his hips move, his body mindlessly seeking a deeper connection to yours.

You gasp when he slides in deeper, your hips fighting his hold, needing to arch upward.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” he moans, pulling back an inch and thrusting again.

He pulls out abruptly, leaving you empty and aching, but not for long. His mouth is there between your legs, licking, sucking on your clit, and fluttering over the bundle of nerves. Your hands fist at the cushions, eyes rolling to the back of your head. You went from zero to sixty so fast that your orgasm takes you by surprise.

“Oh, fuck,” you breathe out.

Shivers of pleasure course through you as you suck in air. He keeps your legs spread wide with his shoulders, holding you in place, as he slips two fingers inside. He moves them in and out slowly, circling your clit in between. He teases you a few more times, edging you, making you desperate for his cock.

The instant he shifts to slide over you again, you seize the moment to push him to the other end of the couch. He doesn’t put up a fight as you move to straddle his hips. He simply leans back, his eyes wide, cheeks flushed from arousal, waiting for your next move.

You reach for his cock under you, fisting it slowly. He fights to keep his eyes open but the pleasure you give him feels too good. His chest heaves and he lets out a drawn-out groan.

Fuck, he was hot. And the way his hands grip your hips tightly as you position him to your center drives you insane with the need to ride him hard.

You slide the tip between your folds, coating him with your slick before your hips sink in one swift move. Your mouths fall open when your ass hits the tops of his thighs, both of you relishing in the sensation. You rest your hands on his shoulders for leverage and roll your hips toward him slowly. His neck arches, letting out a groan of pleasure between clenched teeth.

His hands reach up to cup your breasts, palming them, and pinching your nipples, making you hiss at the perfect combination of pain and pleasure. “Ah…Mingyu...fuck, yes…”

Once you find your rhythm, he thrusts upward, meeting your hips. You push your fingers into his hair, cupping the back of his head to hold him close.

He nuzzles against your temple. “You want this?”

Your nodding wasn’t enough for him.

“Say it.”

So you say it loud and clear for him. “Yes, I want this. I want you.”

With a shift of his hips, the tip of his cock notches into your opening. Pressure builds as he fucks into you. Slow, easy thrusts that work him into you with every lunge. Your entire body tenses, as he sinks deep into your core. You feel yourself inch closer and closer to your climax.

Your grip on him tightens, and you grind your hips, matching his every move to direct him into where it feels good.

“Kiss me,” you gasp.

Soon after his mouth makes contact with yours, your body surrenders to him. Tears sting your eyes when the tension in you breaks, and you come harder than you did the first time.

The pulsing only deepens as Mingyu continues to pound into you, chasing his own climax. His teeth sink into your shoulder as he finally reaches it, tethering his orgasm to yours.

It's one of the most intense sensations you've ever felt. Despite your body's natural instinct to pull away, your mind resists. The steady thrum of your heartbeat soothes you, and you stay there, quietly relishing the comfort in each other's arms.

********

Reluctantly, you take a second shower, with him doing most of the work cleaning you up. Afterwards, you crawl into bed. You watch him, carefully tucking you in, mildly annoyed that he can move and think clearly while you're still stuck in a post-orgasmic haze.

When he finally flops into bed beside you, you turn to face him. “How are you still moving around?”

He props his head in his hand and grins, his fingers running lightly down your cleavage. “Did you forget the ten minutes it took me to get up?”

“I’m making sure you’re down for the count next time,” you pout playfully.

“Hmm...” Leaning over you, he presses his lips to yours. “I’m just happy there’s a next time.”

You nod, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. “Lots of next times.”

Reaching up, you brush his hair back from his forehead. His post-sex look is even more breathtaking. His face is softer, his eyes are brighter, and that smile… you sigh deeply. He looks so happy that it twists your heart to think that you had a hand in that without even really trying. Yet, this also worries you, knowing it would be devastating if that smile ever faded.

“I’m scared, you know,” you confess.

He lifts your hand and presses his lips to it. A few moments of silence pass before he replies, “Yeah. Me too.” You don’t even want to think about how the staff will react when they see him walk out of your room in a few hours.

His facial expression tenses, and you immediately regret bringing it up. You pull him closer, holding him tightly as a silent apology.

“Can we agree not to bring anything but us into bed?” he murmurs, running his nose along your cheek before pulling away slightly to look at you. “I just want us to have some place where nothing else matters but you and me.”

“Okay.” You nod, your hands stroking up and down his back. Burying your face in his chest, you breathe in, letting the familiar scent of his skin ground you in the moment.

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amphtaminedreams · 2 months

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Sitting Front Row at my Big 10 of the Decade (Still on a Budget, Obviously): Lookbook No.21

HiIiIi,

If you are reading, thank you for continuing to have a mild passing interest in my nonsense in 2024!!

I want to start this post off by stating that it’s been 7 months since Israel’s genocide of Palestinians began. This isn’t to say what followed October 7th is a new phenomenon/that Israel began this offensive without having perpetrated violence against Palestinians in the past. I am talking about this unprecedentedly aggressive and relentless campaign specifically following the incident on 7/10. The Palestinian death toll at the time of writing is upwards of 30,000, though this figure only pertains to confirmed deaths. There is not one single hospital in Gaza still standing. The real number is likely even higher when we take this into account.

I know this is completely unrelated to the post my title suggests, and I know that this isn’t the only humanitarian crisis going on in the world, but this genocide is something that our government here in the UK and many other Western countries have played a clear-cut, active role in accelerating. With that being said, until we see the commencement of some meaningful intervention, I'll start every post this way. I’m sure 99% of people who come across my posts will scroll right on past but they might read the first few sentences before they do and this is something we can’t lose sight of.

Israel has purposely targeted journalists (in itself proof that if it was just Hamas operatives the IDF wanted to take out, they could have done that rather than indiscriminately bombing civilians for almost 6 months) so there seems to be fewer updates on the situation on social media, but it would be misguided to think the kind of atrocities we first saw circulating when the IDF began this particular campaign have slowed down. Many of the individuals who were exposing the horrific things that have been happening in Gaza and the West Bank are dead, and that is the awful reality. These independent journalists were our only window to the truth about what is happening, and in their absence, the mainstream media seem determined to maintain a kind of ambiguity which avoids directly attributing the mass murder to Zionist ideology. It is no surprise that the worldwide elite are so devoid of empathy as to condone Israel’s actions but I don’t think anyone thought it would stretch to them pushing the narrative that “a government murdering thousands of people is morally wrong” is a controversial, bigoted statement.

Yet here we are, being gaslit by the Western media and Israeli propaganda into believing that this mass slaughter of Palestinians is just part and parcel of “war”, a necessity in response to a great chaotic evil that represents a threat to Western society at large. The Hamas attack at a festival in Tel Aviv, Israel tell the world, was an unprecedented, inexplicable, unexpected attack by a group motivated purely by extremist ideology and hatred of Jewish people, who are barbaric for the sake of being barbaric, and that Palestinian people harbour these terrorists because they share the same hatred-fuelled beliefs. We’ve seen major media outlets worldwide spend the last 7 months bombarding us with this version of events, politicians with no explicit ties (their entirely predictable undeclared financial ones notwithstanding of course) to the region go out of their way to state criticism of Israel’s actions equates to resenting the defence of Jewish people’s safety; the absurdity of this rhetoric is that, much like the IDF’s bombing of the sites they suspect hostages are being held at, it does the exact opposite of what it claims to do. Promoting the idea that just by being Jewish one must have a stake in Israel’s existence, and the brutality over Palestinians this necessitates, points the finger at innocent Jewish people who have no ties to Netanyahu’s agenda and falsely asserts their complicity, fuelling antisemitism.

The media, owned and controlled by the elite group of individuals whose money undermines every part of our democracy, is not purporting Israel's narrative to uphold principles of truth or justice. If this were true, if mainstream journalism and politicians were interested in holding anyone to account, why in the years preceding this have major media outlets neglected to cover the oppressive tactics and violence used by the Israeli government in the 50 years leading up to 7/10? If they had been reporting on the kinds of human rights atrocities the state of Israel depends on, people would be much quicker to grasp the reality of the current situation.

The average person would quickly see through the claims that the Israeli government’s conduct since October 2023 has been an unavoidable, begrudged response to a terrifying and unexpected level of threat. They’d see this situation as it truly is: a long-awaited, and entirely predictable, press-ready justification to accelerate what is at best, a campaign of displacement of native Palestinians, and at worst, a prolonged Holocaust. The lack of context when our politicians discuss the issue is completely intentional, because if they were to acknowledge the events preceding the 7/10 attacks, the parallels to what happened to Jewish people during the Second World War would be crystal clear, and the hypocrisy would speak for itself. Any calls for a ceasefire only now that several European aid workers have been targeted would be seen as the nails in their coffins at the next election(s), representative of their disregard for those whose lives do not affect their political careers; if it had not already been made blindingly obvious by their domestic policies, the self-absorption, lack of integrity and empathy, insincerity and callousness of all but a handful of British politicians, has been laid bare for all to see. The same can be said of a staggering number of politicians across the “developed” world.

If we unilaterally came to this understanding, and furthermore, had some kind of collective awakening to the fact that mainstream media is only an extension of self-aggrandising, self-serving narratives built on lies of omission and deceptive framing which are purported by the same morally corrupt 1% monopolising big business and democracy, perhaps the figureheads of these institutions wouldn’t be so bold as to confidently justify their support of Israel’s actions. It is shit that you have to wade full of a river of crap to find anything resembling a factual, contextualised account of the truth, but this is the world we live in, and it is intentionally structured this way so the 1% can keep preserving their own interests regardless of the suffering it inflicts on others.

Here in the UK, if we weren’t so accustomed to lies, the rhetoric surrounding peaceful protestors which labels them as “antisemitic” would be laughable, rather than something the Prime Minister could stand on a podium outside 12 Downing Street and repeat with a straight face. But it is, of course, in his and many of his peers’ interest that we don’t take issue with their complicity in Israel’s ethnic cleansing. However much the continued shows of institutional deference towards the George Bushes and Tony Blairs of the world points to the life of a retired war criminal being a relatively cushy one, Biden, Sunak, Trudea, Starmer and many other morally abhorrent “public servants” don’t seem to want to abandon their ego trips just yet and clearly depend on public approval to maintain their leadership positions, hence their dedication to the Israeli government’s “self-defence” narrative. If we want to see them withdraw their support, we have to decisively, disruptively, consistently dismantle their lies. We have to make it known that our ego-stroking can quite easily be transferred to someone else who is, whilst probably equally undeserving of it, willing to push to stop Israel’s terrorisation of Palestinians. After all, the recent historically Labour voting constituents of Rochdale unexpectedly elected an independent candidate, a vocal critic of Keir Starmer’s pro-Israel stance.

The following is the fact-based truth which in this confusing af world is the very least we can extend to one another. Western leaders who fail to meaningfully fight for Palestine refuse to speak that language because it would undermine their regurgitation of the Israeli government’s simplistic, deceitful narrative to justify their support.

Israel’s attack of Gaza and the West Bank are illegal under international law. There’s a reason Keir Starmer, whose past career as a human rights lawyer would make him fully aware of that, chooses not to elaborate on the reasons for his pro-Israel stance. He, and other intelligent people like him, avoid accusations of hypocrisy by ignoring these simple facts. Whilst they purport the lie that Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the West Bank were ever permissible because they’ve been in “self-defence” in response to the Hamas attack of 07/10, this right to “self-defence” is negated by their obligation as the occupying force in Palestinian territory to uphold the safety of the civilians living there. Bombing Palestinians’ homes, schools, hospitals, their entire neighbourhoods, clearly violates this clause.

It also violates international law forbidding collective punishment, I.E the actions of Hamas, regardless of whether they democratically represent Palestinians, can never be responded to by way of violence against the demographic group the hostile force is associated with, even if they reside amongst them.

Though Israel’s attack on Gaza is predominantly referred to as a “war”, this is not a legitimate characterisation of events, acting only to suggest those Palestinian casualties voluntarily put themselves at risk. None of the criteria for Oppenheim’s definition of war are met; this decrees war as being a conflict between two forces intended for one force to impose their version of peace over the other. Not only do Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank lack their own independent wing of armed forces akin to the IDF, but they are also already living under the conditions Israel have imposed upon them. If the argument to be made is that the Hamas attack was a disturbance of the peace in Israeli territory, then appropriate conduct suggests the IDF deal with the threat inside their territory, not to attack Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank. Whilst support for Hamas amongst Palestinians is understandable, based on their demands for liberation from oppressive Israeli occupation, it still does not constitute affiliation or responsibility for their actions. Targeting civilians in the absence of concrete evidence of involvement in Hamas perceived “act of war”, based on shared ethnicity with the group responsible, amounts to ethnic cleansing. Their deaths cannot be classed as “casualties of war”. The only disruptions of peace in the West Bank and Gaza are those incited by the unnecessary brutality of the IDF themselves, resulting from the reasonable fatigue of living under an oppressive regime.

All our support and arming of Israel has done is aid them in their violation of international law, which is to rid the Israel-Palestine region of the native Arab population, a far from elusive goal of theirs which began with the Nakba over 50 years ago. Israel’s conduct since October 2023 and the Western World’s complicity is far from a break with tradition.

From the state of Israel’s earliest inception, British war time mandate has been used to permit wealthy predominantly European settlers of Jewish descent to confiscate Palestinian property and belongings. Unsurprisingly, the British government were also heavily involved in the fragmentation of what is now the Israel-Palestine region. This fragmentation not only prevented Palestinian refugees returning to their land after the war, but also forced 750,000 of the Palestinian population who remained out of their communities, as 78% of the entire Palestine region was allocated to the growing Jewish settler population. Of the entire region which previously comprised of 90% privately-owned Palestinian property, the native Palestinian population were forced into the remaining 22% of land within the region, split between the two opposing shoreline zones of Gaza and the West Bank. They were forbidden from returning to their former homes, and from leaving their zone or the region altogether by military checkpoints. Whilst 900 new exclusively Jewish communities have been developed since Israel’s inception, not one new build community has been developed for native Palestinians, many of whom Israel still classify as “stateless” refugees. They are legally forbidden from returning to their ancestral homes, and physically confined to small enclaves where structural disadvantages, inevitable overcrowding and purposeful lack of access to natural recourses have created inevitable, inescapable pockets of poverty.

Though the Israeli government formerly suspended military rule in 1966, approximately 1,800 of laws that came under the mandate remain, and IDF forces remain even in the significantly smaller regions where Palestinians are permitted to reside in. Despite comprising 30% of the population, of all public land, 3% is now controlled by Palestinian authorities. Even in these Palestinian regions, even though it violates rulings of the Geneva Convention, Israelis are still free to develop their own communities.

To be clear: if any state can claim self-defence, it is not Israel. Over the last half century, they have stolen land, businesses, recourses, goods, and infrastructure from Palestinians. They have forcibly confined them into overcrowded, intentionally undeveloped townships where they use military powers to prevent them from leaving. They have responded to Palestinian dissent with brutal violence; water cannons, grenades, and tasers are all commonly used against peaceful protestors. They use indefinite confinement on childrenfor “crimes” as minimal as throwing stones, and refuse to abide by the internationally recognised proceedings necessary to ensure detainees a fair trial.

Unlike Israelis, Palestinians cannot leave their designated enclaves without (rarely granted) permission from Israeli forces. They cannot even leave the country without permission from Israeli forces. They cannot marry outside their zone without permission from Israeli forces. Acquire business permits. Obtain land. Move goods in or out of their designated zone. Those who stayed in Jewish territory when the new regional borders were drawn out, who had not fled during the war, were effectively forced into ghettos, and denied citizenship. Across the region, Palestinians are robbed of their self-determination, freedom and of basic human rights to recourses as basic as drinking water; Jewish farmers in the Jordan Valley, which takes up only 30% of the West Bank, are allocated 18 times the amount of water made available to Palestinian citizens across the entire West Bank.

In context, there are no “two sides”, no state of events where what is unfolding can be seen as a mutually agreed upon conflict between two free agents. Israel chooses to eliminate Palestinians, and all they are doing is attempting to survive. Their systematic oppression has left them disempowered to the extent that I am sure they would be aware of the amount of destruction Israel would inflict upon them if they did ever collectively declare their hostility.

Upwards of 30,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered in less than 7 months, and this is probably what they have always feared. What they likely did not expect was that something so horrific could ever be globally perceived as an event they are active participants in, or are reaping some benefit from.

We cannot possibly assume that every one of the thousands of Palestinians murdered by Israel, funded by American politicians, with weapons we have produced in this country and which our politicians have willingly provided, played any role in Hamas attacks. Even without context, the statistics do not reflect the typical pattern of casualties of war. Israel claims 10,000 fatalities, though they cannot produce any evidence of these numbers. By their own admittance, the fatalities they can confirm are predominately those of IDF soldiers. The story in Gaza is wildly different; 70% of the deceased are women and children. These are not fighters. They are predominantly mothers and children, the latter too young to what it even means to align themselves with a "terrorist" group. And even if they did. When peaceful resistance is repeatedly met with violence, resistance becomes violent. The formation of groups like Hamas are not novel phenomena, they are an inevitability of a population grown sick of being stepped on.

Hamas don’t claim to stand for gratuitous violence or the erasure of the entire Jewish population worldwide as the Israeli propaganda machine claim. There are many Israeli hostages who initially stated they were treated decently by Hamas operatives before criticism of Israel’s actions required a perpetuation of Hamas brutality, so as not to have Israel’s attacks deemed “disproportionate”. But regardless, let’s say the worst is all true. For a second, we ignore the context which makes Hamas existence entirely predictable. It still does not justify the violence of the Israeli government. Support for a fringe political group, however unreasonable their principles supposedly are, does not justify the group’s supporters’ murder.

Palestinians have been forced into ghettos, structurally bound poverty, robbed of their history and possessions, and now killed and starved en masse. The Israeli government is full of fervent Zionists who have always wanted the country to be rid of the native Arab population, and voted for by wealthy Israelis who, when polled, consistently express the view that Palestinians are inferior and unwelcome in their country (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/3/10/poll-half-of-israeli-jews-want-palestinians-expelled). This isn’t about “rescuing hostages”, the Israeli PM has refused Hamas offer to return them time and time again where a ceasefire has been a condition of the agreement. Some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s closest political associates have spoken of “burning Gaza to the ground”. Already, they are advertising flattened Palestinian communities as available space for new Israeli property developments. This isn’t about “eliminating Hamas”, nor is there the evidence Israeli operatives believe this is a “kill or be killed” situation; the IDF have shown that they are perfectly capable of singling out and targeting specific individuals, but instead predominantly opted to bomb civilian safe zones, hospitals even, en masse. Whilst almost all civilians in Gaza have been forced to flee their homes for safe zones only to become victims of IDF attacks there too, and drone footage shows the area they fled has been all but flattened, Israeli civilians, free to leave the country at any time, choose to remain, with many young Israelis broadcasting the continuation of their normal, comfortable lives in candid social media posts, mocking the death of Palestinians while they’re at it. The narrative around 7/10 which the Israeli government use as justification for their actions, initially parroted by politicians in Western nations too, is riddled with conflicting evidence. Stories of beheaded babies and widespread sexual violence, which have since been questioned based on the lack of accompanying evidence and the questionable journalistic integrity of the original sources, play into the worst nightmares of Islamophobes worldwide, stitched together to position Hamas as an inexplicable, medieval force of evil whose existences threatens the entire Western world and way of life. What there is evidence for is Palestinian civilians being shot with their hands tied behind their backs then buried in mass graves, little girls and boys' bodies ripped to shreds by IDF attacks, and doctors executed whilst trying to save the lives of newborn babies and children.

We have to keep repeating the facts, which we actually have, you know, the evidence! for: the illegality of what Israel are doing, the murder of children, the circumstances under which a group like Hamas would emerge, the way recent events fit into a bigger long documented picture of the Israeli government’s expulsion, oppression and dehumanisation of the native Palestinian population.

We can’t stop challenging the idea that this is a “war”, that anything goes, that we can only shrug our shoulders at Israeli citizen’s makeshift blockade of aid into Gaza as if the famine occurring isn’t just as much a part of Netanyahu’s plan as the bombing campaign is. We have to make our representative's aware that we see exactly what Israel is doing, and that we won’t allow politicians in this country to continue their careers whilst they champion Israel’s campaign of deceit.

WE NEED TO KEEP BOYCOTTING, TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING, ATTENDING PROTESTS WHERE WE CAN, LET OUR REPRESENTATIVES KNOW THEY WILL FEEL OUR ANGER TOWARDS THEIR INDIFFERENCE AND/OR SUPPORT AT THE POLLS THIS YEAR!

There are more and more examples of these boycotts and protests working every day as an increasing number of world leaders come out in condemnation of Israel.

I know it’s going to be really jarring for me to just go into fashion chat after this but I just don’t want to waste any opportunity to repeat the truth which so many Palestinians have lost their lives for trying to get out there. For reference, here is the 2022 Amnesty report I referred to for guidance when writing this section, which offers an in depth account of Israel’s development of an apartheid state:

It’s a really helpful and comprehensive article. But there are undoubtedly people who break down the issue far better than I can. I’m going to try and find a post I can reblog with all the best sources of information to follow this up with as soon as possible.

Onto the far less important bit. If you don’t care about fashion and have 0 interest in a stranger’s online rambles, nor want to be distracted from what I am fully aware are some immeasurably more significant issues going on in the world rn feel free to stop reading here because that makes complete sense! If you, like myself, are trying to appreciate the life we are fortunate enough to have by indulging in our silly little passions, and one of them IS fashion, hi:-)

Keep reading??? I guess?? If you fancy it??

Despite all the horrible stuff going on in the world rn I feel optimistic about being 25 in 2024, and along with the rest of us seasonally depressed lot, summer approaching. This new year, which coincided within a week of my 25th (idk why I phrased that like my birthday isn’t on the same day every year tehe), gave me the sense of a fresh start I needed to throw myself fully into eating disorder recovery and practice what I’ve learned in treatment for anorexia, which I am so lucky to have had access to through the NHS. Not sure why but the significance of 25 years as a quarter of a century and it being a year that ends in an even number feels correct. The even years always feel better (ignoring the shitstorm of a year that was 2020 ofc, lmao), or is that just me? Like 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018? Come on now. I can’t even remember the others nor do I want to tbh, lol.

I decided my goals for this year are to be less rigid with counting calories, on guard for unnecessary self-shaming about my body and eating habits, & ultimately, to be intentional in prioritising my creative drive over the tediously bitchy little disordered eating voice in my brain:) only by practising mindfulness towards how I distribute my attention have the first 2 goals become possible. Most importantly, only once I became physically healthy was my brain capable of that mindfulness, which is something that has obviously necessitates weight gain! I say this in case someone who stumbles across this post needs to hear that because I know there’s a lot of people who want to recover from anorexia who are held back by the belief they can do this without putting on weight, or ever “giving in” to extreme hunger. To be brutally honest, it can’t be done, but that stage of fear and shame and feeling out of control does end. It’s been 8 months of extreme hunger and a year of therapy but I’m here! I’ve got normal hunger signals back! Yay! And I can trust that they come from a place of my body wanting to keep itself healthy. That safety within myself is a nice feeling. I’m going totally off topic here which I said I wouldn’t do but again, these thoughts feel like something I don’t want to waste the opportunity to say, just in case it does make someone reconsider things. It feels appropriate to put here:

-trigger warning: this post contains images which may be uncomfortable for those struggling with an ED-

Please DM me if you are reading this and feel this is a subject you need to vent to someone about, I promise I wont try and force advice on anyone, I just know how lonely an eating disorder is and want to listen if that helps:)

Going back to the post, it’s come from being in the right headspace to dedicate to things that are way more fulfilling than anything to do with body image satisfaction or binge eating. I won’t go on about it any more but I will I do an update dedicated to recovery in a recap of the second half of 2023 soon. What I’ve said about recovery is oversimplified here because I just wanted to drop a bit of context. It’s important because physically recovering from anorexia is what allowed me to get enthusiastic about things again, and when you’re in that danger zone, you forget about all the other things you find purpose in doing.

Because I’ve been struggling with body image I haven’t been making the effort to put outfits together like I used to. Being “into” fashion was probably the one thing I didn’t lose in AN because honestly, an online shopping spree and successive outfit planning was an immediate, low-effort mood boost. It was not good for my bank account, the climate, or my conscience, lmao. Definitely not glorifying it. It was just all I had to delude myself into thinking starvation was worth it at the time. When my body changed, I lost interest in trying to put outfits together, and whilst this was good for curbing impulse purchasing, the revolving line up of trackies, pyjamas, and work clothes I have become somewhat dependent on does my confidence 0 favours either. For that reason, I’ve been forcing myself to make the effort now and again to plan something to wear outside the house, but with a renewed focus on sustainable shopping habits and the prioritisation of comfort in my outfits, which means reflecting on whether my feeling “safe” in a piece of clothing is dependent on the state of my body image. Like if there’s a skirt that I think “shit, I can’t wear that when I’m bloated”, I’m gonna leave that one in the basket or the Vinted Favourites for the time being. Instead I’ve been slowly building up second hand basics in bigger sizes which have the versatility to go with anything.

This has kinda necessitated me reconfiguring my personal style. That, and feeling a lil creative, is what brought me back to this lookbook I started in April last year. 2nd year uni struggle, AN brain and shitty life stuff relegated it to the drafts, but here it is, a WHOLE FUCKING YEARRR later:D

I’ve gone back and forth on whether I should be returning to it at all because I was in the very early days of treatment when I took the photos and I don’t want it to be a promotion of this being a normal, sustainable way to look. At the end of the day, however, this is something I have suffered with on and off for 10+ years of my life and there havebeen times where I looked unhealthy at both ends of the spectrum-I’m not going to erase any proof of my existence during those times. What I just want to reiterate is that mentally and physically I had to feel like shit to be this weight and I don’t think for 99.9% of the population there’s any way of being this weight without this shit experience alongside it. This is why I get so het up about the majority of runway models being severely underweight but that’s a whole other post. The fashion industry & body image have an utterly fucked relationship but things are changing, even if the pace of that change is frustratingly slow!

My point is that although I was unhealthy, (and so I’ll reiterate here: trigger warning for eating disorders), I really was super happy with the way the outfits came out, as well as the end result of all the fun I had editing on photoshop, lol. I’m in my “Kate Middleton”/Kensington Palace PR intern era, you could say. So ultimately, I’ve decided over the past couple of months to go ahead and finish the bloody post! It’s a second edition of the “Sitting in the Front Row at…” post I did a couple of years ago (original here: https://amphtaminedreams.tumblr.com/post/649892714333257728/sitting-front-row-aton-a-budget-obvs), which I cannot take any credit for coming up with the idea for. Yes, I admit it, there are some good things to come out of TikTok! And this look-book format was one of them, which was picking up traction on that platform at the time of my first post. This time round, however, rather than picking brands that have the most clear-cut and recognisable aesthetic which is kinda what I did before, these 10 outfits were inspired by brands which have/had had the biggest influence on my personal style. Like I said, it’s been helpful to go back to as I try to remind myself that I can still enjoy putting a cute outfit together. I do not need to be runway model malnourished for that shit:-) With all that exposition out of the way, I’m gonna go ahead and get on with it! Let me unleash my shitty collages onto the world! I had fun doing them:D

Rokh

So I’ve actually done a post dedicated to Rokh before (link here: https://amphtaminedreams.tumblr.com/post/666281480350203904/currently-obsessing-over-debrief-no1-rokh-yes) which is why I won’t include many photos of their collections in this little bit.

But what I will do is express my love for them all over again!

You know when you’ve been having a conversation about something and then a related ad pops up on Facebook or Instagram or whatever and you’re like…hang on, Apple…were you..listening in? You want to be mad about the potential surveillance but you see the clothes you're being recommended and infuriatingly, the overwhelming thought is, shit…they got me good. I just wish whilst they’re at it, harvesting my preferences etc., they’d take account of my complaints about their piece of shit phones becoming increasingly redundant every time they push a software update for the new iPhone model, and give me some of that sweet settlement money to shut me up. Some of us can’t afford that yearly purchase x

Anyway, I set up that example because I’m starting to feel the exact same way about Rok Hwang. The brand’s Korean-born designer is so consistent in his ability to bring my dream wardrobe to life, if I were to develop severe enough a case of main character syndrome, I’d probably start to wonder if been in my head this whole time note-taking, ears pricking up for the mental commentary which ensues when I open up Vogue Runway, X/Y/Z celebrity’s street style dedicated fan Instagram, costume design analysis YouTuber’s video essay etc. If it were possible to develop an algorithm which amalgamates every clothing-related thought that enters a person’s brain to create their perfect fashion designer, this genius of a man would pop out at the end for me.

Hwang represents just one of the many East Asian fashion designers who are consistently ahead of the curve. Along with designers like ShuShu/Tong and Susan Fang, which are two of my newly discovered favourite brands, and Sandy Liang, he has helped repopularise the celebration of cute, kitsch, and girlhood in fashion; that designers of such heritage would excel in engineering the meeting of cute with high fashion makes sense given the region sits at the epicentre of the aesthetic’s commercialisation. Where Hwang and the others reimagining of the aesthetic cues inextricably linked to stereotypical feminine youth (school playground plaid, blouses and blazers, as well as bows, ribbons & ruffles, to name a few) have trickled down, been filtered through the lens of social media, and then encompassed by the Western World’s need to label and market EVERYTHINGGG, I would argue that many of the “aesthetics” which solidified the popularity of this new approach to discussing fashion, owe a lot to these designers' output on the runway. “Coquette”, “balletcore”, “dark academia”, we’d recognise touches of them all throughout Rokh’s last few collections, but most noticeable of all is the harmony with which he brings so many contrasting “aesthetics” together to create Rokh's distinctive look.

-top to bottom, clockwise L-R: RTW S/S23, F/W23, S/S24, F/W22, pre-fall 2022-

This Rokh look is one which caters perfectly to the niche of my personal style which I hope to bring to life through my outfit on my best days:-) that is to say, I want to wear something that embodies the soft, daydreaming, girly-girl in me but does so with reference to the darker, harsher, more provocative cultural movements and media that inspire me too. That sounds really really pretentious, don’t worry, I’m fully aware! I suppose these days the term “fairy grunge” encapsulates what I mean but being the special little snowflake I am I don’t warm to the term, probably because I associate the whole micro trend labelling system with bringing about yet another acceleration in the pace of the fast fashion cycle. Outfits which I see defined by that name usually do hit my sweet spot, they always have, it’s just unfortunate that I feel compelled to go all “iT’s nOt a phAsE, mOM!” after saying that because TikTok has ruined it for me!

That’s not to say Rok Hwang’s collections are really “fairy grunge”. They’re a bit darker, witchier, but equally more streamlined and “put together” than that, which is more tailored towards a runway than an Instagram reel. What they have in common is that Hwang’s collections and the aesthetic label are top tier examples of the girly/grungy balancing act. He does what I love, in taking something dainty or preppy looking, potentially grannyish, and then sprinkling in something a bit tougher so it doesn’t feel like I’m totally infantilising myself, basically working the kinds of things we felt pretty in as little girls into the wardrobe of a grown woman who just wants to be left alone to get on with life! I am a princess at heart, yes, but I also know the way the world is and I have the spirit of the wannabe riotgrrrl in me too, lol.

In terms of the specifics of a Rokh outfit, though, and how Rok Hwang actually achieves that look, there’s a few key elements of the blueprint that came to mind when I was going over the clothes I have in my own wardrobe. Longline coats, trench coats especially, pleats, plaid, metal hardware, and lace are all recurring details throughout his work and are something I’ve always considered staples in my own wardrobe, so that makes his styling feel much more accessible to me. There is a hint of Burberry in his work (obvs only the brand at its very best considering how hit-or-miss it's been of late) but where Daniel Roseberry takes his collections down a more androgynous route, Rokh to me, although dark, is a distinctly feminine, and ultimately really elegant take on that workwear to street wear vibe.

So, yes, I of course included a trench coat! This one, off the top of my head (I know I have referenced it another post at some point) is I think from a charity shop? And then the cut-out blazer is custom made from @Numb&Dumb on Depop. The tartan skirt was part of one of my biannual fast fashion shops, from Urban Renewal @ Urban Outfitters, and the lace bralet from ASOS. Finally, this adorable fluffy white bag was a 2022 Christmas present also from ASOS and the patent boots I’ve had for years now, I think bought from Missguided (again, I have defo confirmed whether this is correct in past look books because I know they have been a go-to in these things for ages). As always, I’m just specifying these things because although it’s unlikely they’re still sold on the original site, you might be able to find them second hand! I once managed to find something I saw in the Brighton Urban Outfitters, and regretted not buying at the time, on Depop 2 years later so if you’ve got that kind of commitment to the fit, you might have the same luck, lol.

Blumarine

The first Blumarine collection since Nicola Brognano’s departure, debuted at Milan Fashion Week, BROKE MY HEART. Completely unrecognisable from the brand Nicola has done the most incredible job in establishing over the past few years. His work has had an undeniable hold on me from the get-go. I never thought I’d see the day I became partial to revisiting the 2000s, as I always had that in mind mind as a dark, dark period for fashion, lmao, but he did that. I can quite confidently say Nicola Brognano did for Y2K, Miu Miu did for prissy academia, and it’s him we owe credit to for the era’s resurgence in popularity.

Browsing through one of his Blumarine collections appealed to both my current self and my inner child in the most fabulous way. That’s to say that somehow, he managed to translate the wardrobes of the animated Bratz Rock Angelz intro irl outfits, and in recent years brought this mystical quality to his collections too, which elevated the brand even further. He took the fun, less offensive elements of Y2K fashion which were present in Blumarine founder Anna Molinari’s work, and revived them for a new era of fashion. Whilst making Blumarine a lot cooler and “grown up”, Nicola still managed to maintain Molinari’s hyper feminine aesthetic, incorporating subtle nods to her original designs. The tendency to close her runway presentations with dresses featuring ethereal, flowing silhouettes, as well her inclusion of youthful, coquettish motifs throughout her work, the reoccurring focus on butterflies and florals to cite the obvious examples, are all staples of early Blumarine that Nicola built upon as creative director. Whilst he developed a version of the brand which was at a glance, wildly different, it was still full to the brim with subtle references to Blumarine’s beginnings.

He didn’t lose these elements, he just made them a lot more interesting. Under Nicola Brognano’s direction, Anna Molinari’s Y2K Barbie girls went all Monster High, with a bit of Paris Hilton/Nicole Richie style post-party, late night sleaze. You could see this as the flip side of the prom Disney pop girl era which Molinari’s collections leaned into at the time. In that sense, Nicola gave brand continuity, but catered to the modern woman, who is trying her best despite the lingering hostility of older generations to embrace and express a wilder, uninhibited side without shame. Blumarine under Nicola championed revealing the inner siren rather than playing demure about it and letting it out on cue in accordance with patriarchal expectations. The tiered chiffon, oft ruffled, mini skirts, for example, which were a reoccurring feature in Molinari’s Blumarine collections, evolved into the ultra low rise pleated micro mini under Nicola. Whilst the colour palette and fit and flare silhouette remained, the ripples were sharpened to become harsh pleats sitting below the more tapered top half of the skirt. To play into the Y2K party girl vibe, Nicola’s skirts pushed the limits of what we’ll call the pre-third wave feminism purity threshold, likely the governing force behind the amount of leg Molinari’s skirts ever revealed, with her minis, whilst typically sitting above the knee, only ever teasing at being “indecent”.

-1st row, l-r: RTW F/W13, S/S13, F/W15, S/S15, 2nd row: RTW S/S16, F/W14, S/S14, F/W16, row 3 to 5, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S17, S/S18, F/W18, F/W17, F/W19, resort 2019-

Then there’s the ditsy, delicate details and prints, a definitive staple of the early collections, which under the helm of Nicola Brognano’s direction evolved into blueprints for the silhouettes of his garments, accessories in particular, or were splashed across barely-there mesh in a way that reads more like lightly tattooed skin on wearers than overpowering, chintzy fabrics. Rather than draping clothes in the materials which constituted the entirety of the garment back in Molinari’s day, Nicola got aggressive with all that lace and chiffon, often using them torn or frayed, wrapping these ribbon-like strips around his models’ glowing skin in a way which highlighted and complimented the stripped back female form rather than as a means of obscuring it. You could believe that once upon a time the women Nicola styled for his runway presentations were dressed a bit like the early Blumarine girls, sure, but only in the context that they’d worn those same clothes throughout an entire decade of non-stop partying, mosh pitting, and watching too many reruns of the Simple Life in the interim, forced a la Drag Race sewing challenge to make something new from the leftovers for Nicola’s show. Seeing the end result, i think most of us are in agreement that if this were the case, every look on that runaway would be worthy of a challenge win. Not a hot glue gun in sight. Pure cunt.

If it weren’t for Nicola’s direction of Blumarine, I don’t know if we’d see brands like Diesel or LoveShackFancy getting the kind of hype they’re getting right now, so I have to thank him not just for his own work but these gifts too. I didn’t think any designer would be able to make me reconsider my vehement hatred for Y2K fashion but he did it. Next on the list of fashion eras in need of a complete reimagining is 80s fashion. Though my heart is BROKEN! Seeing what they’ve done to Blumarine since Nicola Brognano has stepped down as the brands creative director, this could be a huge opportunity for him to start his own label and keep on doing what he’s doing, reinventing revolting fashion trends and making them fucking gorgeoussss. If I were capable of planting thoughts in other people’s minds I’d be giving him an 80s fixation as we speak.

When it came to putting an outfit influenced by Nicola Brognano’s Blumarine together, this grey to khaki fade ultra mini skirt from Minga London was the obvious choice. It was, however, also something I needed to work out how I’d be comfortable wearing; although the style is adorable, my underwear collection isn’t the cute coordinated kind that would make flashing everyone in the vicinity feel like a fun, cheeky thing to do on a night out. If you, unlike myself, are the kind of person that so sufficiently has their shit together they wear pretty matching sets, you won’t have this dilemma, however, trousers under skirts is another 2000s trend I’m surprisingly into as of late. Who would’ve thought we’d bring back the combination we spent several years bashing Ashley Tisdsle for when she did it on the HSM red carpet, smh.

-row 1 to 3, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S20, resort 2022, RTW F/W21, pre-fall 2022, RTW S/S22, 4th row clockwise l-r: RTW F/W22, F/W23, pre-fall 2023, pre-fall 2024, resort 2024, RTW S/S24, resort 2023, RTW S/S23-

For that reason, and also to stay in theme with the somewhat arcane motifs peppered throughout Nicola’s recent collections (his use of crucifixes, the windswept, mermaid-like hair, and the decorative angel wings all being good examples), I chose to wear a pair of celestial/tarot print flared mesh trousers I brought from Urban Outfitters a couple of years ago underneath the skirt. I went for a velvet wrap around detail cropped top which I bought from ASOS in early 2023, in a khaki green that Nicola used a lot over the last few years. IDK whether to put that creative choice down to him referencing the popularity of camouflage print in the 2000s or to signalling that Blumarine, under his direction, would be tougher, more nomadic and free spirited than flirtatious and elegant as it had been under Molinari, but regardless. I’m just happy for a green moment, anything that might reverse the effects of Michelle Visage’s green hate campaign, because it’s such an underrated colour for clothes imo!

Gucci

It will be a surprise to absolutely no one who’s ever read more than one fashion post of mine (if such a person exists, lol) that I will repeat my first “In the Front Row at…” post and include a Gucci inspired outfit again, because I never miss a chance to yap on about how much I adore Alessandro Michele’s work. Don’t get me wrong, Gucci F/W24 this Milan Fashion Week was a big improvement from S/S24 but it’s still not a patch on any of the frequently groundbreaking work Michele showcased whilst he was creative director. Whilst he doesn’t seem the natural choice to take over Valentino from Pierpaolo Piccioli, I am just so excited to be seeing his work on the runway again. Don’t get me wrong, I can admit there were times when his styling was a bit much, like charity shop mannequin dressed in the dark levels of discord going on, but 70% of the time, the outfits we saw on the runway were examples of creative brilliance. A particular stand out is his RTW F/W20 collection, which on god, changed my life, or personal style trajectory at the very least. BDSM style harnesses, structuring plucked right out of the French rococo period, and Wes Anderson-esque co-ords. Who tf would’ve thought that would work? Before anything else, Alessandro’s time as Gucci’s creative director showcased his explorative spirit, which separated him from the many designers playing safe and adhering to the typical formulas of the fashion world, knowing that their stuff will sell based on the reputation of the label alone. We don’t see as much appreciation for the art of curating a unique outfit as in past decades when fashion had to be revolutionary in some way to be taken seriously, and that is why Alessandro’s work was so mesmerising. I’m sure there are many who disagree but it never felt like he was quirky for the sake of being quirky. The mish-mash always seemed purposeful, as though intended to translate the evolution of some sharp dressing, well-travelled, particularly eccentric individual’s wardrobe into a collection of wearable snapshots.

I say this in the sense that Michele made weaving together various periods of fashion history in seem effortless, the styling consistent in painting a picture of the kind of person who would pick out the pieces, in love with glamour and opulence but also drawn to the disruptive and discomforting, craving a bit of dramatic flair and misadventure in their life. His unique eye for complementary prints, shapes and colours made his vision for Gucci consistently shine through the various eras featured, and it went from your run-of-the-mill predictable prestige fashion house (I’m thinking Chanel, YSL, dare I say it Prada…like can we please stop pretending a lot of their collections of late are not completely interchangeable) to one that was always unexpected, exciting and inventive.

When it comes to the fashion climate over the last 10 years (have your internal monologue prepare to impersonate Aquaria here), the word eclectic has not define Gucci, rather Gucci has defined eclectic. Alessandro Michele gave the impression of a determined contrarian, dedicated to proving you can take two wildly different, seemingly clashing trends or period pieces, and bring them together into one singular visual symbiosis, like they were an intuitive match all along; whilst the rest of us were understandably losing our minds during the pandemic, he successfully combined Old Hollywood style cocktail dresses with equestrian gear like it was nbd. I’ll say something along these lines a million times in this post, and I’m sure I have on several occasions already, but he does that thing I love where he adds just the right amount of edge to a piece that’s otherwise paper doll delicate so as to have you believing it would never looked finished or lived in any other way. Alessandro never appeared scared of his Gucci collections being “too” extravagant or costume-y, so I don’t think he’d know the rule of “take one thing off before you leave the house” if it hit him in the face. Instead, he displayed a niche for storytelling, his method of styling his collections in fitting with those of the owner of a bottomless trunk of vintage pieces built up over several decades. We’re talking a person influenced by every subculture and encounter with luxury they’ve had in their lifetime, who couldn’t care less what piece came from where and if some specific fusion of past and present trend made “sense", just that once all dressed up, the contrasting aesthetics were in balance. In my very biased eyes, his constant aversion towards the fashion industry’s boxes established Alessandro Michele as a champion of modern punk on the runway.

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: RTW F/W15, pre-fall 2013, RTW F/W21, F/W22, resort 2023, RTW F/W23, S/S15, S/S14, F/W13, row 3 to 4, clockwise l-r: resort 2021, RTW F/W20, F/W19, S/S20, resort 2020, row 5 to 8, clockwise L-R: resort 2019, pre-fall 2019, pre-fall 2018, RTW S/S18, F/W18, S/S19-

SO, how do you even begin to try and replicate that? I felt that since I did my last Gucci inspired outfit, the range of Michele’s references had extended even further. The theming of the Love Parade collection went all the way from cowboy to cabaret, lol. Sooo, I went back to the basics and focussed on my favourite recurrent features defining his time at Gucci: fur, latex, lace, bold colours, cyberpunk influences, bohemian silhouettes, and (deep breath) the spiritual motifs, which I know is a little vague but by which I mean his use of religious iconography and mysticism as jumping off points for the details he employs in his work, crucifixes and celestial prints being quite prominent ones to give a couple of examples. Fur was a convenient starting point because I had this NastyGal coat I bought from Vinted sitting around waiting to be worn, which I was aware back in April 2023 when I took these photos would otherwise be shoved into the back of my wardrobe until at least mid-February 2024. I overshot a bit because we went to Paris for 2 days at the beginning of January and the -2 degree weather made this wearable yeti acceptable much earlier than planned, but it was right choice for a Gucci inspired outfit in the meantime.

Falling into the same category of things this lookbook gave me an excuse to wear that I otherwise wouldn’t have dare to leave the house in was the faux leather star shaped harness. Why I ever bought this from one of those festival girlie Depop shops as if I would ever be bold enough to actually take it to a festival, idk, but what I did know was that it ticked 3 of my Alessandro Michele Gucci staple boxes: close enough to latex, resting on the threshold between cyberpunk tech-wear and dominatrix (I am sincerely hoping the fact I wore it over something else gets across that I know I would be entirely unsuited to that kind of work), and celestial, in the most literal sense of the word, lol! You can’t do an Alessandro Michele inspired outfit and not have some layering going on, which gave me a reason beyond “I feel…silly:(“ to wear the harness OVER the rest of my outfit rather than just on its own. The rest of the outfit was a very cool lightweight maxi skirt from Collusion covered in some kind of renaissance era biblical scene, which felt right as a way of incorporating Alessandro’s reverence for traditional religious art and symbology. Honestly, coming back to the photos I took in this outfit was also a helpful reminder that I need to budget a sewing machine into my next paycheck too, before I lose all the confidence I developed from a beginner’s lesson I had in January, at any rate. This skirt is one of a handful of unique and treasured items of clothing I don’t wanna let go of since growing out of them and really wanna try and alter instead:(

But anyway, with that noted, just a generic white laced corset, pink fedora (which offsets the cream coat and cool toned skirt in a way I think Alessandro would approve of if I do say so myself) and lace dress over the top remain. If you’re looking to scour Vinted/Depop for either of them, both the hat and skirt were brought from ASOS in early 2023. The dress is Reclaimed Vintage & the hat I’m 99% sure is ASOS Design. I think the dress is still on ASOS but I still have it’s and it’s not gonna fit me anytime soon so if you’re interested, feel free to PM me. If I can make the bad shopping choices I made to try and fill the void left by all the foods I was craving into a victory for sustainable fashion instead...yeah, that would certainly lift my guilt a little-_-

-clockwise l-r: resort 2018, RTW F/W17, pre-fall 2017, RTW F/W16, pre-fall 2016, resort 2016, RTW S/S17, F/W14, S/S16, resort 2017-

Lastly, I chucked on a potentially tacky rhinestone crucifix choker and earrings because there has been a lot of sparkly shit sprinkled throughout the last few Gucci shows. I know the way I’ve phrased it makes it seem as though I’m not a fan of this resurgence in magpie-baiting. I 1000% am. The sequin loving 7 year old within me is still here! I’m just saying that because I am clueless in distinguishing those kind of things. Swarovski crystals, girl? Perhaps. Actual diamonds? Maybe. I really don’t know what the difference is. But Alessandro was throwing sparkles out left right and centre in his last couple of years at Gucci and these 4+ year old pieces of costume jewellery from Dolls Kill, whilst unfortunately being completely incomparable in terms of their price, are an ode to this. I hope he keeps throwing those crystals in alllll the way to the fashion history books where I think it should be duly noted that he deserves a page. Their presence certainly won’t be frowned upon at Valentino so here’s hoping!

Versace

When I say I think Donatella Versace’s interpretation of her brother’s aesthetic is the definition of the term“power dressing”, I know the implication. I see what the dreaded…#girlboss…has become and let it be known, I am not here to slander the good Donatella name like that. I do not see Versace as the uniform of the Facebook MLM Yummy Mummies or as emblematic of the soulless late-stage capitalists disguised as tortured poets (on god, if it’s been 6 months without any signs of life, send help, because fans of the second category probably got me) it wouldn’t be in this post. What I mean is that a Versace outfit has...big dick energy? Do we still say that? Spice. Sophistication. Smarts. More S words I can’t think of. Wanna say sexy secretary without implying the Versace woman is anything other than the CEO. Or using the word “core”. I’ll stop now.

What I think I’m getting at is that Donatella reimagines power dressing for outside of the stereotypical corporate workplace environment. For the splashy, extravagant parties implicitly designed for “networking” but taken as an opportunity by the wearer to have fun dressing to the nines and test the limits of what might constitute a company scandal, for example. Essentially, we’re talking someone who would fit right in if said corporate environment was the HQ of a fashion magazine, but get fired for an unapologetic violation of the dress code at a Forbes 500 company. A woman I’m sure many of us want to be, but cannot, because we are broke, and so instead will allow our workplaces to completely strip us of our dignity and tolerate flagrant disregard for employee rights before we do something that might risk our paycheck. I say “us” but maybe that’s just me. I can’t afford a HR issue and am far too much of a compulsive people pleaser to risk pissing off my boss, tehe! Lovin’ life! xo

Like her brother before her, Donatella exceeds at taking everything that's boring from elite society's understanding of how a "sophisticated woman" should dress and turning it on its head, without completely losing the elegance immediately (and sometimes unjustifiably, if anyone’s seen a Dior collection recently) associated with luxury clothing. Not afraid to include elements that may be viewed as audacious or "new money", Donatella designs for the post-high school prom queen who thrives on every look of disapproval that comes their way when they enter a room of generational wealth, fully aware that for every head shake there’s another modestly dressed onlooker suppressing their desire to similarly indulge their curiosity in provocative, forward-looking, pop culture influenced fashion too.

All that being said, there few scenarios we would expect to see a rich girl that Donatella hasn’t covered. A winter at boarding school, a day on the tennis courts, a week in St.Tropez, out on fucking safari!!! A scenario relatable to the masses, ofc!!!! But that last one is a great example of how Donatella is also comfortable leaning into camp. RTW S/S21 for example, started with what felt like a 80s Miami Beach street style parade and ended in the vein of the mermaid edition of a Victoria’s Secret show. If there’s one designer who is great at using styling to recreate the effortless sex appeal that '90s supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Gisele Bundchen, Elle Mcphearson etc. brought to the runway, it’s Donatella, who honours her brother’s legacy to this day. Regardless of the model or the theme, the finished product of a Versace runway has you feeling like you’re watching a conveyor belt of Barbie-Bratz doll hybrids, unattainable and aspirational, even if up close you see a few uneven hems. Just do a DW and pretend you cannot see it, lol, and you’ll enjoy yourself. I think it’s doing a disservice, however, to make Versace sound confined to cookie-cutter traditional feminine ideals. Versace wouldn’t be Versace without a hint of sexual intrigue. At the beginning, Gianni’s ability to design garments that removed the male gaze from the equation of what makes a woman “sexy”, instead finally centring what made the actual women around him feel confident and powerful in his translation of concept to clothing, is one of the things that set him apart. This means from the offset, neither Gianni nor Donatella have been boxed in by what’s socially acceptable or “pretty”. Donatella has named Vivienne Westwood as an inspiration, so when I say she does know how to embrace a bit of rock and roll, go down the bad girl route, I’m not speculating, I am just the messenger! I know Versace is far from anti-establishment, but this hasn’t stopped Donatella from being influenced by those aesthetics over the years, cheeky little winks carefully placed in amongst the head-turning sleekness the brand is known for.

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: Atelier Versace haute couture F/W16, S/S16, F/W15, S/S17, F/W17, row 3 to 4, clockwise l-r: Versace RTW F/W17, F/W15, pre-fall 2019, RTW S/S19, resort 2019, RTW F/W18, S/S18, S/S16, row 5 to 6, top to bottom: RTW F/W19, S/S21-

So, when we’re talking about what makes an outfit Versace inspired, what is the answer? Because I’d say that despite the varying muses Donatella seems to have had, it’s pretty recognisable and cohesive as a brand. You see the same silhouettes and materials and accessories popping up over the years which I guess explains a lot of it, but is not any kind of dig at her designs being repetitive (though I was a bit bored by the FW24 collection, truth be told) because she otherwise mixes it up, and a lot of these elements are often justifiable nods to Gianni. I tried to include a few of these in my outfit.

This old Boohoo blouse was a good minimal base to go underneath my favourite part of the outfit which is this faux leather snake print corset, bought from ASOS in early 2023; the corset immediately came to mind as ticking several of the checkboxes I’d mentally include on a list of Versace's aesthetic cues. Bold print, faux leather, emphasised silhouette…I’ll tentatively link the significance of the corset structure back to Gianni’s tongue in cheek exploration of that S&M, dominatrix kind of look which has made similarly fitting garments a recurring feature throughout the brand’s history. I say tentatively, because I don’t want to convey the idea I can really pull that vibe off myself, lmao, but I think that’s why I threw the more professional shirt on underneath. I feel like, conveniently, it worked out pretty well because the combination has what I’ll call the private school princess vibe which appears to be a popular choice when it comes to Donatella's way of stying her designs; just see the latest F/W24 collection and, one of my all time favourites for casual outfit inspiration, the Resort 2019 look book for reference. To bring together the slightly collegiate vibe the blouse under the corset creates, in contrast to these sheer stockings I had lying around, I referred back to that same resort collection where berets were used as a finishing touch for the preppier looking outfits. An old faux leather one I bought from Ebay (I think?) felt more in line with the essence of the brand than a felt/wool blend version of the style.

Just like Gianni did in the early years, Donatella uses classical tailoring and opulent fabrics as a jumping off point to infuse raunchier details more representative of the hyper-glamorous Miami party scene the brand found its footing in. Over the years, we’ve seen sartorial choices likely once controversial to the luxury buyer help solidify Versace’s cultural status. PVC and leather bases, shocks of colour splashed across typically restrained fabrics (such as vinyl and fur, often seen as inherently “statement” aspects of a garment), attention-grabbing prints are all brand signatures, but only in conjunction with the simple, flattering details which made existing high price mark garments aspirational in the early days of runway. To channel this part of the brand identity, I added one of the coats I like to think of as the GOAT when it comes to my excessive outerwear collection, this pink PVC coat with equally shocking pink fur trim, bought from Topshop a couple of years ago.

My regret of the outfit is for sure the green metallic platform heels, which I saw last minute at Primark the day before I planned to take the photos. They were £6 on sale, in my head seemed the closest I could get to Versace’s instantly iconic Aevita pumps for the price, but also something I have never worn again thus sincerely regret buying ever since. Firstly, because I try to avoid participating in trade with a shop whose ethical practices are notoriously questionable (despite their recent greenwashing campaign, I doubt the rises in their prices has anything to do with better employment and environmental protocols, lol) where I can, and secondly, because there is a visually displeasing imbalance between the chonk of the heel & garishness of their green reflective plastic wrap with the actual height they add. If you’ve got statement girth and statement colour, I feel like you need statement height too, lol! They are not the Versace inspired platform Mary Janes they resembled on the shelf once on my actual bloody feet. Lesson learned: you will almost always be disappointed by Primark, and by your own purchasing habits, when you “pop in” there.

-clockwise l-r: Versace resort 22, pre-fall 2022, resort 2021, RTW S/S20, resort 2020, pre-fall 2024, RTW F/W20, pre-fall 2021-

There’s quite the list of brand hallmarks that came to mind when picking my outfit beyond what I’ve already mentioned but if I haven’t dropped it in already, metallics make a frequent appearance throughout the Versace archives, stemming from Gianni’s fascination with both Greek mythology and the baroque period; precious metals are centred as a universal, much-desired symbol of luxury throughout both, and so it follows that Gianni could conceive of nothing more magical than to have models walk the runway dripping in the stuff. To this end, he went so far as to invent his own lightweight chainmail fabric called Oroton, which is so ingenious and definitely not spoken about enough because wtf!? I had no idea about this until I wrote this post! Is this not common knowledge or am I just clueless? This internal debate is a frequent if not daily one so I can live with the fact I probably can’t gauge a general consensus in response to that question, fashion students who beat the odds and stumble across this, pls don’t lecture me:( Obviously, I can’t get hands on something like that myself, lol, but I knew I needed something in that arena to finish off the outfit, which left alone would be facilitating my penchant for throwing on a million rings and necklaces running amok. I had to think carefully!! The closest I could get was to pile on the chain necklaces, and include this chainmail rhinestoned belt I got years ago from Brandy Melville, on top of the rest of my outfit. Plus, the inclusion of metallics as a core element of Versace arguably allowed for the exploration and incorporation of the ways metal is featured in other, less glamour focussed ways of dressing, which also factored into the skirt I chose. An example: Gianni’s use of embellishments and his experiment with safety pins as a means of structuring his dresses paved the way for an entire collection inspired by the punk movement of the '90s (RTW S/S94 in particular). In the last decade, Donatella has paid homage to the theme more than once (notably the RTW F/W 2012, F/W13, F/W17, F/W12, pre-fall 2019, and F/W20 collections ), which is no surprise, given her vocal admiration for Vivienne I mentioned earlier. I can’t lie, punk Versace is my absolute favourite, and definitely the biggest influence on my choice of outfit here. Over and above the faux leather and its classic A-line fit, I picked this ASOS skirt I bought early last year for this outfit because of the safety pin detailing which holds it together.

It’s seemingly not just Gianni’s interpretation of punk that influenced Donatella’s designs, and there are a number of face value similarities between her work, Westwood’s, and Gianni’s, that have her exploration of the style feel, and look, both seamless and organic: the shared unashamed emphases on the feminine shape, use of colourful silks and satins to evoke the desirability of historical muses, the boudoir inspired touches from lace and suspenders to lingerie worn as casual wear and barely there slip-dresses dotted throughout, all of which made for bold declarations of encouragement for women wishing to reclaim the innate power of female sensuality. Compare the form fitting Versace dresses to Vivienne’s famous corsets, the ethereal fabrics used to accentuate the body whilst keeping the actual revelation of it to one’s own discretion, for example. The frequent inclusion of leather (both faux and otherwise) and similar looking wet-look, high sheen fabrics in both, along with heavy duty outerwear, is just another clear point of overlap between the Versace look and the tough, armour-like pieces popularised by the boundary-pushing punk movement. Leather jackets, platform heels, and the occasional dip into attention-grabbing, high-contrast colour palettes sprinkled in amongst a deluge of black were perhaps intended in both cases to grab and dominate everyone’s attention.

The bigger take away here though is that it seems Donatella recognises the value of adaptability in the fashion world, and by extension, the application of this principle to the mass market. It would follow that the relative subtlety Donatella has deployed when translating Versace’s central components into its products of late is impressively tactical; I mention “subtlety” not to imply these characteristics have been sparse, but rather to describe the nature of the translation, which sees the brand’s signatures appear in the form of simple, accessible and, most importantly, versatile garments. Frequently generic enough for high street retailers to produce in mass quantities and variations making them both popular with the average consumer, I have to assume this is critical to the continued interest in the brand even amongst those who argue there’s been a stark decline in garment quality under Donatella.

-row 1 to 4, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S13, S/S15, S/S14, F/W13, row 5 & 6, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S23, F/W21, resort 2023, pre-fall 2013, resort 2014-

The Aevita platform pumps are just one of many instances of widely duplicated trends which have first (not very first, before anyone kicks up a fuss and argues I’m trying to claim Donatella created Mary-Janes) appeared on the Versace runway and diffused down to high street stores and back into our collective consciousness. The headscarves we saw models wearing in the F/W21 RTW collection, however, are another good example of a Versace signature (bold coloured/printed silks and satins) being translated to a more accessible, crowd-pleasing product. It’s this widespread appeal perhaps, as well as recent debate about the ethical conduct of certain brands, which makes Versace one of a handful of examples of the established big-name fashion houses left that retains its cultural relevance. It’s debatable whether the statement can be extended to fashion industry experts, since I know a lot of people criticise Donatella too (for the shoddy hemlines in particular, lol) but whilst the general consensus is that Maria Grazia Chiuri and Virginie Viard have ran Dior and Chanel into the ground, it seems there are a crowd of us who still get excited for a Versace collection. It’s definitely got something to do with its popularity amongst current household names like Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa, but imo, it’s because the brand is one of the remaining prominent names in fashion which we rely on to reliably pump out modern takes on the classics. From my perspective, Donatella knows how to appeal to both those familiar with the brand’s archival content, those most enthused by a fresh but recognisable take on the label’s classic look, as well as the mass consumer audience, which ranks it high on my list of anticipated, and influential, shows when fashion week comes around.

Simone Rocha

Simone is another designer with a very clear vision and brand. Similarly to Rokh and Gucci, she is incredible at combining dainty, intricate, youthful feminine pieces that take inspiration from her heritage with edge. The bones of a Simone Rocha look is all precious, doll-like silhouettes, oversized collars, ruffles, and in general, lots of elements which hark back to an era when women were supposed to look pretty and do not much else. But subverting this ideal, Simone combines these features with typically masculine grunge and metal influenced touches, such as oversized bike jackets, platform boots, and harnesses, all of which wouldn’t be out of place at a Blink 182 concert in the 2000s.

When I think of the end result, of head to toe Simone Rocha, I think of a present day retelling of a myth where some goddess is punished for her beauty and grace by a bunch of horny men who think she wronged them, but this Tim round gets to come back and fuck them all up:-) so I’m sure Simone has been commended for creating the uniform of the modern warrior goddess already, but if it hasn’t been mentioned in a while, this is a reminder of what it is she does so brilliantly. She has created a wardrobe for a woman who has not by any measure lost touch with, nor wishes to diminish, the softness associated with femininity. Instead, she continually updates parts of this look for both practical purposes and in order to reflect the inherent strength that leaning into womanhood often requires you to have in the face of constant underestimation by patriarchal society.

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S16, F/W15, F/W17, F/W14, S/S17, S/S15, F/W16, S/S19, row 3 to 8, clockwise l-r: RTW F/W18, S/S18, S/S20, S/S21, F/W20, F/W19-

She loves to layer, and in this way, all the softness of the individual pieces come together to create a bit of bulk, which underlies the disruptive presence a Simone Rocha styled model has on the runway. Naturally, I had to layer, layer, layer too and god knows I love a bit of layering:D SO as a base, I just went with one of my favourite white blouses, which is a slightly chintzy charity shop number. I don’t tend to wear it as is, but more for when I want a white collar to pop over something or to poke out at the end of my sleeves, which it does very well because it’s a few sizes too big for me. TBH, I kind of lean towards going with the most oversized version of a piece of clothing I can find, especially atm, and Simone Rocha’s aesthetic leans firmly in that direction too. A lot of Simone garments look like something you’d see on a vintage China doll, blown up to just about get over the head of a tall man, though really suited to a more petite woman. She tends to drape her signature gossamer babydoll dress over the top of more refined, utilitarian pieces and it’s that combination which modernises the whole look.

In that vein, I had the white shirt, and for the next part of the outfit, I took my time to mentally run through the dresses I already own because as you can probably tell from this post, I acknowledge was not doing well in my goal of shopping sustainably in early 2023. I can’t lie, my head was all over the place pretty much the entirety of last year, I had to defer every single one of my uni deadlines (lol), spent weekends coming home just to work my retail job like a headless chicken for 18 hours straight, and had just started anorexia treatment. Not to yap on about it and make excuses, but impulse purchasing was my unfortunate substitute for comfort eating. I still regret it now, especially since none of that shit I bought will ever fit me again, lol, but we move! I tell myself!

Back to the outfit though! I knew I had a lot of dress which resembled the Simone silhouette already but they were lacking a little character, something along the lines of the abstract floral outlines and embroidery that recur throughout her work. So what did I do? I was a sneaky lil bitch and borrowed an old dress of my mum’s from Coast. The volume of the skirt and the abstract monochromatic floral embroidery felt very in keeping with Simone Rocha’s subdued, stripped back colour palette. She does tend to throw in some light pastels and earthy tones too though, which makes sense, and feels like a means of embracing the delicate sides of nature. For this reason, and the sake of further layering, I wore a semi-sheer pink chiffon smock I got from Vinted, originally from Weekday, over the top. The final touches of a Simone look though, the tougher, rawer elements which aid in creating that look of protective armour around the fragile, doll-like base of the outfit, I knew would be best channelled through footwear and accessories. I love a platform shoe, definitely have way too many of them, but my collection came in useful here, and on top of a pair of sheer thigh high socks I wore these beloved ASOS clomp the house down Mary-Janes which in hindsight, probs would’ve been a better finishing touch to my Versace inspired outfit too. Although I decided on an old (but fake ofc) pearl necklace and headband, I used these harnesses I got from eBay a while back, to toughen the outfit up a bit in the way Simone does so well. I am sooOoo gassed that she's been made the creative director at Jean Paul Gaultier, and her debut haute couture collection for the label was a perfect meeting of her own vision with the brand’s existing iconography.

-clockwise l-r: RTW F/W21, S/S22, F/W22, S/S23-

Alessandra Rich

I’ve always loved Alessandra Rich’s vision, a celebration of the glamour embodied by every rich bitch It Girl of the last century. She channels the fictional: Cher Horowitz, the Heathers, Fallon Carrington, and yes, under appreciated icon Chanel Oberlin (whom I’m sure would be far more appreciated if we could collectively agree to pretend the second season of Scream Queens never happened, lol). But she also nods to the real: Princess Diana, Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, and my modern day nominee, Julia Hobbs. I may be biased in saying Julia because I want her life, lol, as she doesn’t really apply when it comes to what makes Alessandra’s aesthetic hit the spot for me; I think it’s all about the way she takes these women’s famously revered sense of elegance and polish and reimagines that style in alignment with an agenda to rebel against the prim and proper standards their styles were confined by. I say Julia Hobbs is the exception because she’s already out here living her best life in the kinds of ridiculously mini Miu Miu mini skirts that would’ve got Jackie O forced out of D.C, and you know what? I can only dream of having the nerve to pull that off, lol.

In other words, whilst an Alessandra Rich looks screams “I’m fucking loaded” (can’t relate on that one but can defo be inspired, tehe), it also appeals to the black sheep of that kind of wealthy, established old money family, which makes for a very cool good girl gone bad aesthetic. Think the Posh Totties from St.Trinians. Remember them? I know it might be 15 years too late but I would love a spin off revolving purely around their lives, lol. I truly aspired to be them when I was older, which I maintain the delusional belief could still happen, as I am in some ways mentally stuck at 14.

-clockwise l-r: RTW F/W20, S/S21 pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W17, F/W18, F/W22, S/S22, resort 2022, F/W 21-

Alessandra gives us 90s Chanel-esque co-ords, pearl necklaces, bows, several staple features in keeping with this current coquette craze, but then throws in a bold print, some suspenders, impractically high heels, some contrarian touch that makes an outfit previously wearable to a White House correspondents dinner suddenly way too scandalous. Can I just add here that wearing Alessandra Rich whilst doing so would be the perfect addition to the act of torching that building to the ground after said dinner. A timeless fashion moment, bc LORD! LORDD! I am tired of references to the J-Lo Versace dress. Just saying xx

Though the white lace dress I got from @babi_fus on Depop, originally Urban Outfitters, was a good base for an Alessandra Rich outfit, given white and lace both crop up at some point in almost all of her collections, the halter neck cut didn’t really fit in with the dressy, afternoon tea feel her designs seem to be a twist on. I had to layer. I had to do it! I'll admit I find any excuse to pile it on anyway but in this case it was a must:-)

For that reason, I used this Zara ruffled crop top I bought from Depop to go underneath as a formal touch. Similarly, the argyle pattern of the sheer ASOS knee highs I felt had that St.Trinians vibe Alessandra encapsulates. Unlikely style inspiration, perhaps? I don’t know. I remember being a little bit obsessed with those looks from the get-go. Like I said, even 9 year old me recognised those Posh Totties were the shit.

-clockwise l-r: RTW F/W16, S/S19, F/W19, S/S20, S/S16-

To build on the ‘90s grunge aesthetic Alessandra seems to have been exploring in recent years, I finished things off with my favourite 2000s Avril Lavigne inspired belt (full disclosure, she was another childhood icon, truly wanted to be that woman til I grew up and realised I can’t sing for shit xo) on top of a Tammy Girl sheer lace up cardi from ASOS, and a velvet choker I’ve had for far too long to remember where I bought it from! Probably EBay again, lol! The little chiffon rose is just a hair clip from Amazon I added on top, and finally, the oversized blazer which I have no doubt I’ve relied on in past lookbooks, is from @ccooks on Depop.

Rodarte

Kate and Laura Mulleavy know what the wannabe fashion girls want: an ethereal, other-worldly princess moment but one that still subverts that norm a bit too. Rodarte F/W23, which is the perfect example of this, was the dark fairytale inspired collection which spoke to those of us who have one foot in the past where we, as little girly girls, idolised Disney Princesses, Flower Fairies and prima ballerinas etc etc., but also one foot in the present where we are enthralled by portrayals of dark, gothic femininity and avant-garde fashion. Their dresses are beautiful but underlying their collections are a sense of fun, freedom, and refusal to conform to that quiet, polite, male-gaze focussed respectable princess.

They are designed with women in mind, not necessarily what is considered “sexy” which is what we are always made to feel is the ultimate compliment, but instead drawing from beauty as we see it in the natural world, making floral motifs, flowing silhouettes, and an emphasis on detail key features of the brand. I think these women are as intelligent and thoughtful in their design work as those more abstract names in fashion who are typical commended for these feats. A Rodarte collection never looks rushed, and despite the fairly simple design ethos, manages to remain fresh, interesting, and innovative. Ultimately, in the same vein as is apparent in Simone Rocha’s work, Kate and Laura understand how to convey a sense of both breathtaking elegance and at the same time, strength, power, fierce command of one’s self.

This outfit was comparatively fairly simple. This stunninggg dress was from Urban Outfitters, and I just knew the colour, fit and fabric made it the natural starting point for a Rodarte inspired look. I will say that this dress is one thing I’m finding it hard to part with in recovery, because I never actually ended up wearing it out before it got too small for me, and I felt so magical in it on this occasion when it did still fit-_-

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: pre-fall 2023, RTW F/W14, F/W22, S/S23, F/W19, F/W21, F/W15, F/W13, row 3 to 8, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S19, S/S20, S/S22, F/W16, F/W23, F/W20-

-TW: discussion of eating disorder recovery-

It took me some time to accept that recovery meant I would never fit into most of my clothes again because I’m sure anyone who’s gone through it will agree that AN still feels a part of you for a long time, to the extent that you have rose tinted glasses on, and feel like returning to that weight is the only way you can feel at home again. Accepting that your current body is your home, not some temporary, uncomfortable accommodation you are forced to stay in ‘til you work out how to get back to what you’ve convinced yourself is a kind of “safe place”, is some of the hardest work you have to do. To truly affirm to yourself that you will never feel safe in your body when your worth is contingent on something as volatile as your weight, requires you to let go of anything that suggests changing yourself to become any specific weight, especially one which involves making yourself unhealthy all over again, is a viable solution to any future problems. Like, take it out of your fucking tool kit!

It’s not easy at all. When comparing your body with AN to your body at a healthy weight, it takes a long time to differentiate between “this is how I should look” and “this is how I looked with an illness that I’m fortunate enough to be overcoming” if that makes sense. I definitely still struggle with it, but it has for sure got easier since I started selling and donating clothes which trigger that unhelpful process of mental comparison.

-TW finishes here-

A lot of the stuff I sold or donated I just wasn’t as fond of anymore anyway, or was basic enough that there will always be something similar out there in the future. A lot of it I couldn’t see myself still liking in a few years anyway. Like I can’t see myself being 30 thinking "shit, I wish I still had that neon pink fishnet crop top!" if ya get me.

I have a few really unique things, however, that I hope I’ll be able to up-cycle at some point, once I finally get a sewing machine. This dress is one of them! I mention this here because this is one of the pieces I’m not sure whether I’m being realistic about, lmao.

So, here’s my question for any sewing experts who might see this before I continue: I am being moronic in thinking there’s some way a beginner could alter this dress? The material is somewhere between cheesecloth and chiffon but if any of you are reading this and would be so kind enough to signpost me, a DM would be amazing! IDK how helpful my guess at the fabric is but OFC I can investigate the inner label for specifics. I ask just because it seems it would be too delicate to withstand being taken apart and restitched without tearing in the process. Or if not a beginner, would a tailor do something like that for an affordable price (i.e for less than the £60 I paid for at full price, lol)? Or do I just let the bloody thing go? idk!

-clockwise l-r: RTW S/S17, F/W18, S/S24, S/S21, S/S15, S/S16-

In terms of details for the outfits, anyways (before I go further off topic as I am very aware of my tendency to do that LOL), my aim was to replicate that gothic fairytale vibe Laura and Kate capture in many of their collections. These sheer black gloves, for example, had me feeling a little bit witchy, as did the black flower crown (finally validating my choice to hold onto the bloody thing long after the time any respectable person would wear a flower crown out of the house) and the velvet choker. The choker is the same one from my Alessandra Rich outfit, but I’m pretty sure (and it would make sense, lol) that this flower crown was handmade by someo ne on Etsy. I will do a little bit of browsing of my past orders and add the shop if I can find it but I don’t know if my order history goes as far back as the Vanessa Hudgens Coachella Queen era. Yeah, let that rush of nostalgia hit you like a truck too, join me in my yearning for that simpler time:( If my spluttering at her PR team’s statement addressing the photograph of her gumming white powder from a baggie at the same festival a couple of years later (essentially “Vanessa is diabetic and she needs to micro dose herself with sugar frequently”) didn’t set the stage for my 4 months and counting long obsession with Kensington Palace’s wild attempts to control the KateGate narrative, I don’t know what did.

Speaking of mysterious deaths though (I am joking, I am not that far down the conspiracy hole yet), I didn’t want it to look too much like I was at a funeral. In my mind, I wanted there to just be a couple of points of contrast against the yellow, extremely fairy coded dress. I was going for forest nymph. You know, playful, whimsical, but potentially a bit sinister too, with the black, high society Victorian era widow inspired details my (perhaps questionable) interpretation of this. I mean, given the fact that pretty much anything exclusive to the wealthy was considered “fashion” regardless of how ugly, it is really no surprise that elbow length gloves retained their association with quiet elegance, still making an appearance in haute couture collections, and frequently in Rodarte shows, to this day. Anything theatrically melancholic, anything resembling a garm Queen Victoria might have picked out after her husband died, is always going to have connotations with romantic tragedy, yearning, the discomforting disruption of fantasy by reality, all of which are concepts I think Laura and Kate have embodied through their collections at one point or another. To honour this, I disrupted the perfect Rodarte outfit with the knock-off Versace Primark heels! To my surprise, the end result exceeded my expectations! Woo! Not SUCH a waste of £6 after all. Like I actually think they look better with this outfit. Let’s just call it a plot twist that they worked better for Rodarte than Versace. An unintentional ode to the way Rodarte reimagines the fantasy wardrobes we mentally drafted in girlhood and through a process of refinement, the incorporation of both practical and avant garde elements here and there, makes it relevant to modern fashion. To own something Rodarte is still just as much of a fantasy, don’t get me wrong, but their brand continuity means I can at least produce my own cheap take on their vision.

Mugler

Writing out this post, and trying to explain why I find each of these brands inspiring, I’m noticing a heavily recurring theme, lol; the creative directors I admire the most are those who simultaneously embrace and subvert classical notions of femininity. In other words, whilst silhouettes and fabrics usually associated with fragility, elegance, sensuality, and romanticism, are at the core of the collections, the designers I’ve spoken about do not shy away from references to “masculine” or an androgynous ways of dressing. This explorative approach varies in its manifestation depending on the creative director. Every one I’ve mentioned here possesses a level of talent in doing that I can likely only ever dream of successfully replicating! But all the same I’m inspired by their tactics to the extent that I don’t ever question I'll be satisfied with my attempts at imitation, I.e my subconscious tells me some outfit combination looks a little Gucci inspired, I’m wearing it.

Bottom line, I think my obsessive following of the designers I’ve waffled on about has infiltrated my subconscious; without acknowledging the fact, their blueprints are the guiding force in my striving for a “feminine”/“masculine” balance in my outfit. Whether this is through including details deemed provocative or ostentatious, or, most frequently, experimenting with what patriarchal ideals might deem “ugly” on a woman, the brands I’ve included have definitely given me the confidence to trust my instincts. I have been insulted many a time by little man babies for groovy hats, chunky shoes, and oversized trousers, and honestly, it’s probably only through following the create directors I’ve mentioned over the years that I feel unfazed by their unsolicited opinions, lol! Unless I respect their sense of style first, I’m happy to say I couldn’t give less of a fuck what their take is and when it comes to self-expression, I think that’s the best way to be.

The collections that have been released by Mugler over the years are a masterclass in this balancing act. Though the burlesque inspired designs, at first glance, appear geared towards highlighting what may be traditionally thought of as a woman’s sex appeal, they go beyond the simple sexualisation of the female body. Over the years, Mugler’s various creative directors have followed the lead of Thierry who drew his inspiration from a wide range of gender neutral references, all the way from science fiction characters, comic book heroes and villains, to mythical warriors and biker gangs. Over and above perpetuating the idea that a woman’s body must fit into some rigid hourglass shape, Mugler designs transform in accordance with all kinds of women’s body types, taking the lines and curves female worth has historically been judged on and through his tailoring, morphing the wearer’s form into a powerful structure upon and around which an entire outfit can be created. Some kind of boning or contrast stitching embedded into a garment, typically running parallel to the edges of the body is one of Mugler’s defining aesthetic cues, and the reason why I felt like the ASOS faux leather co-ord was the right choice for the centre point of a Mugler inspired outfit! When I said in my Rodarte section about things I had to let go of, I’d place this in the love-it-right-now-but-would-probs-rather-walk-on-hot-coals-then-wear-it-publicly-in-five-years-time category. Like… I think…it’s a serve? It is in my eyes anyway! That being said, I also think outside of a night out in London, you’re going to get asked if you’re going to a Totally Spies costume party. But look, in the outfit Venn diagram, memorable fashion moment and things that would make you the subject of public ridicule in my hometown are certainly not mutually exclusive categories:-)

-clockwise l-r: RTW F/W21, F/W19, resort 2021, RTW S/S19, S/S24, pre-fall 2024, RTW S/S22, F/W20-

Mugler’s designs, for me, have highlighted the power of tailoring (I acknowledge that sounds an incredibly fancy word to describe the skin tight fit of an ASOS purchase, but pls be aware I use this in the context of its similarities to Mugler pieces in general lol!) which showcases and uplifts the duality of the feminine, which tips the hat towards an orientation to detail, appreciation for beauty, and interest in an object’s visual appeal that for wayyyy! too! fucking! long! has been conflated with being “shallow”, but does so with the practicalities of the modern world in mind; Mugler designs aren’t made for sitting around and looking pretty, they are made for movement and longevity, which goes hand in hand with the frequent use of leather in the brand’s collections. Like something is not “skin tight” for the sake of male fantasy, but instead fits to the skin to highlight the grace and fluidity inherent to the maneuverer of the body, constructed from sleek fabric armour which dips and flows in contrast to the natural hue of the brand’s eternally glowing runway models.

Fabrics and silhouettes aren’t the be-all and end-all of the Mugler “look” however. For as much as the pieces we see transform the body into semi-robotic works of art, this has never translated to the typical “futuristic” colour palette. Whilst white, grey, black and metallics are definitely heavily featured in Mugler’s work, colour is just as essential, especially for David Koma’s (whom I have to say, whilst I have this chance, is so so so underrated!) incarnation of the brand. I know minimalism, and the resulting tilt towards muted colour palettes, has dominated luxury fashion over the past decade, but from the start, Mugler’s tendency to take inspiration from comic books, pop art, and cabaret have set the standard for his successive creative directors to avoid the confines of a monochromatic palette. In his eyes, leaning into womanhood should never obligate us to hiding demurely in the corner, and there are few better ways to assert one’s presence than by blinding everyone in the room with a neon. Well, not necessarily neon, nobody wants to replicate the wardrobe of an '80s aerobics fanatic, but just bold, bright colours in general. You get me!

There’s nothing wrong with restricting yourself to blacks, whites, greys, neutrals; they epitomise the concept of the “staple” piece after all, and I know I’d personally be pretty fucked if I didn’t have so many go-to black pieces, since they go with almost everything! That being said, I could just never get on board with a brand lacking in colour. Colour is fun! I think we are soOoo lucky to be able to witness their natural harmony in nature! They are central to some of the things I marvel at in the world. Like think about it: magnificent sunsets, gorgeously arranged bouquet of flowers, the combination of a person’s skin tone, hair, and eye colour that every so often stops you in your tracks and has you thinking how stunning they are! Sorry to be cheesy, but why not! I feel like we should appreciate nature as much as me can while we can, because soon enough we’ll have destroyed the planet anyway at this rate-_- For all these years I’ve felt like a basic bitch for not being able to sit through old movies but now…is this my justification? The lack of colour?

I get that for a lot of revered designers, e.g. Yohji Yamamoto, Ann Demeulemeester, the muted tones are key to the brand’s identity, and I’m not shitting on them, but I suppose I am just like a little hyperactive child in that I my eyes are drawn to whatever is most visually stimulating, lol. For that reason, I’m a huge fan of the colour blocking, shocking pinks, blues, and reds, and futuristic, oil-spill like blending of complementary shades dotted throughout a Mugler collection, and the way they are used sporadically to demand my attention.

-top to bottom: RTW S/S21, S/S20, F/W22-

This is something I really wanted to incorporate, and hopefully semi-successfully did by way of the sheer tie-dye Topshop top I wore underneath a vintage black blazer. I think the inbuilt shoulder pads were why I went with that; the slightly exaggerated, angular nature of the sleeves the shoulder pads create made meant this jacket felt the closest I could get to the kind of sharp, crisply defined outerwear Mugler has rolled out over the years. My other option was a black PVC trench coat I’ve whipped out for many a past lookbook, and it does have a bit of a Matrix/Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia/potential school shooter vibe (whichever of those you pick probably depends on how you feel about the coats lmao), the first of which would make it appropriate for a Mugler look. I decided against it though, in the end, because with the faux leather co-ord I did feel like it’d be a little bit overkill, too far in the direction of a Russian spy or a sci-fi villain, ya know. The black high sheen heeled boots (an old pair from Missguided, definitely specified in a previous post!) and the black gloves (EBay!) tied it all together well enough that the colours truly did feel like a pop rather than the focus of the outfit, without being overpowering. Gloves are a big thing in Mugler collections, so I couldn’t not include them in my outfit, especially because they were having their moment when I did this lookbook anyway. Where is the inspiration coming from there? Burlesque? Comic book heroes/villains? IDK. But like I said, they’ve been popular on and off for long enough that now I feel they’ll always belong to the realm of the fashion world.

Kim Shui

When I was thinking of designers to do outfits inspired by, Kim Shui immediately came to mind. I’ve loved her collections since I first saw the details from one of them posted on HF Twitter a few years ago and have since eagerly awaited her shows every NYFW. It wasn’t immediately apparent to me why her brand would come to mind along with the likes of Gucci and Rokh, for example, who have been a lot more consistent in terms of their spots in my fashion week top 10s, but the more I thought about it, the more I recognised that as much as the brands that had come to mind already were my favourites, they also had an aesthetic which I was subconsciously linking to distinct items in my wardrobe. In that way, I realised that this isn’t so much a set of outfits inspired by my all time top 10 brands, but more a set of outfits encapsulating the range of brands which have had the most significant influence in my personal style over the last decade. I guess this post is kinda like a little tribute to the designers whose work I think of as the most significant embodiment of each individual component I could single out if I were to dissect the mishmash of inspirational forces in my version of what we call “personal style”. Like I could include Zimmerman and Cavalli, two brands I really love, but the clear intersection they have with Etro as the ruling force behind my gravitational pull towards anything I can conceive of as being worn by Stevie Nicks in her heyday would’ve resulted in this lookbook containing 3 very similar outfits. Etro is the one I remember first being enthralled by, and the one which continues to have the strongest association with the compartment in my brain where all the images of ‘70s bohemian disco and decadence, of Cher, Bianca Jagger, and Diana Ross, are stored, which is why I chose to do what I’m sure you’re thinking is “that old chestnut” again.

Similarly, Kim Shui is probably the first brand I saw on the runway that explicitly blended East Asian culture with Western high fashion paradigms. I don’t know the extent to which her popularity encouraged appreciation for other East Asian owned brands, or contributed to the deserved increase in acknowledgement of Shanghai Fashion Week, for example, but there’s got to be at least a little bit of a link there.

I should note, I’m not claiming for one second this blending of cultures hasn’t been done by other Asian designers before Kim Shui or that cheap takes on traditional Asian styles haven't been co-opted by European brands since the dawn of time. I’m just noting that Kim Shui was the first designer I personally became aware of to authentically embrace her heritage as a core element of her brand’s aesthetic (rather than as a fleeting trend) in such a bold, subversive way, so as to leave a lasting impact on my personal style.

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S20, S/S23, F/W21, S/S21, S/S19, row 3 to 6, clockwise l-r: RTW F/W20, F/W22, F/W23, S/S24, S/S22-

Like I mentioned, designers of East Asian heritage, whilst under recognised given the frequent, unacknowledged diffusion of their work into that of western designers, are not totally absent from the high fashion scene I’m familiar with (the typical New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion week biannual cycle which dominates fashion discourse). What caught my eye about Kim’s work, however, was the way she blended her heritage with a handful of other, less traditionally “conservative” Western ways of dressing, which she recalls being influenced by whilst living in Italy and New York.

Recognisable influences on her work include the decadence and brashness of what she refers to as “Eurotrash”, a controversial term referring to wealthy European socialites in American cities (particularly New York), and their unapologetically extravagant, often provocative way of dressing. Typically popular amongst this group were high fashion brands of Southern European origin like Versace, Dolce & Gabanna but also the Parisian atelier Jean Paul Gaultier, and the adoption of obnoxiously loud print, rich and varied colour palettes, luxurious fabrics, and more often than not, minimal coverage, lol. That is to say, teeny tiny skin tight dresses, plunging necklines, and the incorporation of the boudoir influenced “underwear as outerwear” trend, were all as much a part of the Eurotrash stereotype as bleach blonde hair, late night partying, and fondness for German techno (and accordingly, the daring, futuristic, liberal displays of sexuality associated with the clothing worn in the underground rave scene). Essentially, the prototypical “Eurotrash” woman was the scandalous, more “exotic” version of hyper-feminine, Barbie-esque Y2K It girls like Paris, Britney, and Nicole, who by the same standards could be characterised as somewhat subdued. Though its influence on Kim’s work has arguably lessened since her earliest collections, the urban street wear trends she would’ve been exposed to during her time in New York, such as relaxed, laid back silhouettes and experimentation with graphic print, seemingly influenced by the personalised, custom look associated with the branding of '80s and '90s hip-hop icons, also appear to have informed her work.

The genius comes from the way she cancels out the arguably “tacky” or overly casual elements of such styles through the incorporation of her heritage and love of abstract art, producing designs which act as a collage of the places and people she has encountered throughout her lifetime. Kim embraces statement prints, overt glamour, micro minis and vivid colours, just to name a few examples, evoking the nostalgia associated with Eurotrash and the famous Y2K socialite scene, and capturing the flirtatious, magnetic energy of the headline grabbing wild child in the process. Simultaneously, however, she brings a more intricate, ornate kind of maximalism to the table. Logomania becomes detailed prints referencing traditional Chinese artwork and artists like Kandinsky, hem and necklines are not simply short and deep but points of interest inspired by classic cultural tailoring, and colours, whilst remaining rich and varied in tone, have a thoughtful, ethereal quality to them which bear semblance to mythological illustrations and showcase her admiration for the purposeful selection of complementary hues by pioneers of modern art. Though they’re not exactly Kandisky, these Weekday trousers I chose for the bottom half of the outfit seemed like the kind of nod to his work Kim would approve of; I’d wager a guess that his use of watercolours might have played a role in the prominence of tie dye in earlier Kim Shui collections. Conveniently, the blended pastel tones of the trousers were also the perfect match with this lilac ASOS butterfly hem halter-neck, which had just the right amount of glitter to pay my due respects to the iconic Y2K princesses and ditsy girlish pieces they typically paired with all that Cartier. I say Cartier, but wtf do I know about expensive jewellery. Those who are knowledgeable see my reference to it as a way of saying flashy high-value necklaces, earrings, and bracelets of unknown but likely prestigious origin, lol!

My equivalent was just some silver, grungier (or at the very least, grimier, as far as the discrepancy between my costume jewellery and real precious metal based accessories are concerned) details.

Alone, I wouldn’t necessarily associate a halter top with Kim Shui; Y2K was everywhere in 2023, after all, and to be honest, it’s not the defining feature of her work. My impulse purchasing habit, exhaustion, and general mental chaos last year meant I had far too many of these kinds of tops become sacrificial lambs by way of my inability to follow through on plans to go “out-out”. “Anorexia will end up isolating you!” the therapist I saw a few years ago said, “couldn’t be me!” I thought, channelling the same silly energy of Mr.Birling when he calls the Titanic “unsinkable” in An Inspector Calls for all my fellow British 20-somethings who did that play in GCSE English, lmao. But anyway, the point is, I had a lot of these glitzy little things to choose from-_- This one stood out because I knew in the back of my mind that this lilac spandex crop top from Urban Outfitters in exactly the same colour with a mandarin collar and keyhole cut out was lurking somewhere in my wardrobe. Its inclusion was an obvious choice for this outfit, given a typical Kim Shui collection would be incomplete without one of these necklines, prominent throughout traditional Chinese garments. As a final detail, I wore these pastel pink PVC platform boots from ASOS, which again, I knew deep down I would probably be incapable of mustering the strength to wear outside the house, but was constantly searching for a reason to wear so I could indulge in my ABBA fantasy for just a minute. IDK if go-go boots are necessarily associated with the Eurotrash aesthetic, but they (and platform knee/thigh high boots in general) are heavily featured throughout Kim’s work, so I seized the opportunity to get these bad girls out. I’m not going to research whether that link exists, btw. The least European settlers could do is bring their appreciation for 70s ABBA over to the US with them. Considering the last commodity they imported along with themselves was smallpox and genocidal intentions, a Swiss Euro pop band is a major improvement so…look, I know ABBA was popular there already. I just wanted to make a dig at Western Imperialism. You know, poke tiny little holes in biased historical narratives where I can. It’s the history drop-out in me.

Etro

Is she including Etro again? Though the odds of someone reading both this and my original In the Front Row lookbook are close to non-existent, if you’re out there, I’m sure was your first thought. But yes, don’t say I didn’t prepare you for it! Of course I’m including Etro again. I’ll repeat it: this brand used to be my everything, lol.

Whilst I’ve branched out a bit, and tbh, so has the brand’s creative designers of late, there will still always be a place in my heart for the earthy bohemian feel Etro excelled at. Just as much as I feel drawn to the 90s kinderwhore (I think that term is seen as misogynistic now because it was thought to be “undermining” female grunge enthusiasts at the time but in hindsight I feel that aesthetic is thought of as a legitimate subtype of grunge…so essentially I’m arguing we reclaim it?) movement as exemplified by figures like Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland, I also love the bohemian style associated with 70s psychedelic and folk rock, to which icons like Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, and attendees to Woodstock 1969 were quintessential in time stamping to the decade that followed. Similarly, I’m totally enamoured with the way bohemian fashion evolved during the 70s, culminating in its influence on the disco trend in the latter half of the decade, epitomised by fashion icons like Diana Ross, Bianca Jagger, and Cher, in attendance at the infamous Studio 54. At this time, bohemian silhouettes, colours and materials were just a starting point which evolved to become glitzier, raunchier, and more expensive looking. If the traditional bohemian style craze had an other worldly feel to it, by the time disco came around, the women at the pinnacle of the trend were practically goddesses.

Etro, over the years, has covered all that ground, early bohemian, disco, even the bohemian renaissance of the 2000s, and modernised it, communicating the free spirited essence of that period in a practical, more subtle way, catered towards the more minimalistic, functional mode of dressing we see now. Veronica retains the dreamy patterns, billowing shapes, decorative embroidery and stitching, and rich mixing of textures that defined the bohemian movement. At the same time, she does this in a measured, careful way, that is mindful of the preference for stripped back, androgynous, scandi-influenced fashion by many who have adapted to this new, fast-paced way of life. Yay, rampant late stage capitalism:D I type this fully aware that against my better judgement I was a fervent consumer of fast fashion this time last year and I let myself get very sloppy, lol. But, like I said, I shall declare my errors because by this time, you could probably find them on Vinted/Depop!

-row 1 & 2, clockwise l-r: RTW S/S19, F/W19, S/S21, F/W16, S/S22, pre-fall 2021, RTW F/W18, F/W21, row 3 & 4, l-r: RTW S/S20, resort 2023, row 5 to 6, clockwise l-r: RTW F/W20, S/S17, S/S18, S/S16, pre-fall 2024-

I’ve seen a tonne of listings for the cream Urban Outfitters Afghan coat I chose for this outfit, for example, in all different shades and for decent prices too. I can’t speak for Depop because I can’t sell SHIT on it these days so I barely use it, but yeah, Vinted is your best friend. So is this coat! I do have it in green as well, because it is so comfy and versatile, but the cream felt like the right shade for the UO Paisley print playsuit. The chiffon, faux suede, and fur, and the combination of the bright, spring appropriate tones of the playsuit with the neutral colour of the coat made these two pieces slot perfectly into Etro’s outfit formula. To finish it off, I went with a chunky Regal Rose choker, a pair of faux snake skin knee high boots, and this teal wide brim hat, both of which I brought from EBay, and all of which contribute to the nomadic feel of the look, seeming to borrow from nature in some way. Whilst the floral detail of the choker fill that second brief, I also feel like the weight and sand toned shade of (fake, ofc) gold of the jewellery gives it a slightly antique look, like the very disappointing buried treasure one might stumble across in the middle of a desert. Imagine they also found a shedded snake to turn a pair of sick boots. And brought with them the hat to shield their eyes from the sun. That’s the Etro girl. Flower power Lara Croft, lol. Copywriting that x

-clockwise l-r: RTW F/W23, pre-fall 2023, RTW S/S23, F/W22, resort 2024-

Brands like Etro are a breath of fresh air in amongst this endless parade of branded neutrals we find ourselves in, where donning a basic logo on a beige knitted jumper is considered sufficient to crown someone as being at the top of their fashion game. Boo to Kanye West and his fashion line for this, which I am loath to say pales amongst all the other questionable things he’s done. Imagine. You say so much fucking stupid shit that sucking the fun out of fashion in the 2010s is your most minor offence, lol. Anyway, I have definitely noticed Etro leaning more into branding the past couple of years, and their collections haven’t necessarily been my standouts, especially over the past year. The FW24 collection debuted at the most recent Milan Fashion Week, however, has reassured me that I am totally right in saying Etro is criminally underrated, and holding it dear to my heart.

So, in summary! Thank you for reading/viewing if you got to this part. I’m gonna keep it short, because I don’t have much to say other than that writing this was one of my small distractions each day for the past couple of weeks, and if it was anybody else’s to read that’s fab:)

But on the matter of something important and much more worth your time, I want to end the post with a few links to pages set up by those leading the way in aiding and amplifying the voices of citizens in Gaza. I know the switch back and forth, going from me chatting shit about clothes to discussing horrific real world events, is jarring but it’s like that. Rounding up this post, suddenly everything I’ve talked about seems sick and shallow when we consider the mass murders occurring every day. I’ve been sitting with the fact that we think of the worst kind of evil as some abstract thing that we can’t know the depths of but there cannot possibly be anything more evil occurring in the world right now than this. When you break down the individual suffering, and then multiply it by tens of thousands, and then think we are expected to sit here and dismiss it and all those lives just to preserve an economic relationship, it is the sickest and most depraved humans can get. We’re existing at the same time as it happens and I don’t know if acknowledging it in a completely unrelated post like this in depth is the right or wrong thing to do. There is no way to go on with things, both in real life but especially online, as normal when that level of evil is being perpetrated and government and regulatory bodies are using their power to shut even acknowledgement of it down. So I definitely don’t want to waste any moment of anyone’s attention without signposting towards sources which keep us informed on the issue. Before I include the links below I wanna say thanks again, my DMS are always open, and all the best:) Lauren x

Website for Decolonize Palestine, an online collection of recourses including introductory articles explaining the history of Israel’s oppression of Palestinian people and debunking myths perpetrated about the crisis by the Israeli government: https://decolonizepalestine.com/

Recourse for locating nearby demonstrations against Israel’s attack on Palestine: https://palestinecampaign.org/events/

Website of International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, an organisation founded by a group of lawyers, politicians and academics, who recently presented evidence of Israeli war crimes to the MET: https://www.icjpalestine.com/

Twitter thread by @noor_noorash of emergency gofundme campaigns set up to facilitate the provision of aid and recourses for evacuation to Palestinians: https://twitter.com/noor_noorash/status/1783838318100439403

Instagram post by @adventuresofchefleila which tags the accounts of several groups working directly in Palestine to ensure food and basic needs are accessible: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6KDactrzSR/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D

Webpage set up by UNICEF to facilitate donations to their preexisting team in Gaza: https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/children-in-gaza-crisis-appeal/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Zak76fghQMVSZJQBh1b0gVcEAAYASAAEgLxW_D_BwE

Website of the Click for Palestine campaign, where a click can be made once a day to make a small donation: https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/#google_vignette

Website for eSims for Gaza, a campaign set up to direct individuals in purchasing an eSim which can be used by the recipient in Gaza to get internet access: https://gazaesims.com/

Website for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions organisation (BDS) which, amongst other ways to get involved, lists the companies where consumer boycotts will place the most pressure on the Israeli government: https://bdsmovement.net/

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