ON PARTIES I'M LATE TO
And one or two I'll never attend
Maybe you saw this viral, sassy-but-true social media quote floating around in the past few months. I now obviously can’t find the screenshot, but I saw it enough times for it to sink in.
It went something like this:
“Hating popular things doesn’t make you an interesting person”.
I take this to be a defence of stuff that’s great but kinda basic. And I guess it went viral because it’s calling out people who try to give themselves a personality by going against the popular grain just for the sake of it. Or maybe it’s just saying “don’t diss Taylor Swift!” Fair enough. Though admittedly, on first reading it, I thought back to my tweet about Harry Styles a few months ago. I never tweet so it’s easy to remember them, and I have no Twitter followers so it feels easier to say what I really think in the heat of the moment.
Oh wait don’t I mean “X”? Well, it was still called “Twitter” at the time and I’d rather this post be vaguely legible, so no.
My feelings towards Styles’ music notwithstanding —and let’s face it, he’ll be just fine without me—I have been thinking about how there is something to be said for taking a deep breath and indulging in the zeitgeist for all it’s worth. Because if everyone’s going on about something and spending their time and money on it, there’s usually a reason. Or at least something great about it. Harry Styles, for example, is great because he’s cute and unique in the manner in which he pushes the barriers of traditional masculinity. I think people are confusing that stuff with being a good musician but whatevs.
So while I can’t claim to fully appreciate K-Pop or Dua Lipa yet, I’m now *open to them*. And I do like the latter’s new French Vogue cover.
Here are a few examples of things people have been obsessing about for yonks; things that I somehow missed the point of, then recently came around to and realised were totally awesome. Many of these were revealed to me during my longest trip to Canada in the past several years. A literal and cultural homecoming! We were lucky enough to stay three glorious weeks with my sister and her husband, who despite both being successful tech entrepreneurs, are refreshingly un-snobby in their tastes.
They put me onto a bunch of these revelations, though some of the most random I admit I came to entirely on my own…
COUNTRY MUSIC
I never disliked country music. I just veered more towards alt-rock/folk for many years. Ie. The National on loop for the better part of a decade. Though thinking back, I did have a brief but intense fling in my twenties with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals —that’s country, isn’t it?
Tangentially everyone should listen to Ryan Adams’ cover album of Swift’s 1989. I found it exceptional at its release and continue to. Particularly in that it made me realise the extent to which Swift is a brilliant singer/songwriter. In Adams’ rawer, toned-down style, her songs emerge as universal, wise beyond their years, and kinda… haunting? Particularly Out of the Woods.
And yes I know Adams was semi-cancelled recently but then, half the artists in history probably deserve to be, so at this point I’m just gonna re-read Roland Barthes and separate an author from his work.
Anyway, thanks partly to Laurel Pantin’s contagious ode to Dolly Parton on Fanfare, and thanks in large part to my sister and her husband’s love of country songs, I am now in deep. I just can’t get over how catchy it is. Turns out people of all walks of life love it cause it’s great. A delight. Uplifting everyman ballads. Parton, Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, Chris Stapleton, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain… Instant remedies to your existential urban malaise, I promise.
CHINESE FOOD
I had a foodie ex-bf in London who was obsessed with going to this Dim Sum place called Royal China for hungover Sunday brunch. It was admittedly delicious. But I was never totally drinking the Chinese food Kool Aid (was more into sushi) until trying Mimi’s Chinese in Toronto the other day. I literally drank the spicy vinaigrette there. As you may have seen on Insta. Their sister restaurant Sunny’s is also a great tip for Toronto folk. Very cool spots.
EVERLANE
Another one my sister has been going on about for ages. Indulged in her grey half-zip Everlane sweatshirt then couldn’t take it off.
And it’s not just the butter-soft sweats. The New Heritage collection from Everlane’s fall Edition series is full of elegant, pared back, sophisticated California-inspired essentials.
Speaking of sweatshirts, same goes for the Roots ones (and they’ve recently brought back the old school Beaver Canoe collection!) These I’ve been consistently obsessed with for years, but still, worth a mention given the number of sportswear-adjacent brands now imitating this style.
FROZEN
For years I couldn’t understand why actual adults kept banging on about a kids’ princess movie. Cue me as glued to the screen as my daughter and niece. Casually genius, non-alienating musical feminist fun abounds, as your probably already know.“Let it Go!” is also an excellent mantra for my 2.5 year old for obvious reasons.
ANKLETS
Are cool. (?) For a chill beach-y summer girl vibe, I reckon. Discuss. Anyway, I’ve been wearing one by Titya Ravi all summer and am loathe to take it off. You can spot it in the photo of me below.
BLOWDRYS
This is going to sound contradictory to my whole love of natural French beauty with its unbrushed hair vibes, but once in a while, blowdrying your hair properly, as in, piece by piece, with the correct amount of heat, actually makes it look so thick and smooth, doesn’t it?? Not just a rough quick tumble dry like I normally do quickly in winter so I don’t get a cold, but a proper blow dry. Plus it makes it clean for SO. MUCH.LONGER. A real return on investment time-wise, it turns out.
BUSTIER DRESSES
Maybe D&G’s designers’ deservedly horrible reputation was holding me back all this time. But I think it was also a larger aversion to what I perceived as overtly-sexy try-hard dressing. Now that I’ve had two babies and know what it’s like to feel truly unsexy, then come out the other end of the tunnel, I am somehow much more inclined to wear something like this. Spaghetti straps and bustier tops? Yes please. Very kind to the bigger breasted among us too. Nothing like a lil’ support and lift built into your dress. Plus, if you buy them vintage, you’re not handing your money directly to the designers anyway. Or just go to Reformation.
BOUNCY CASTLES
If you have outdoor space and small children, invest in one of these things. I’m telling you. You have an embarrassment of sudden free time to gain. Plus they shake their sillies out and are happy-tired and ready for bed afterwards.
TEVAS
Or at least Teva shaped, Teva-insipred footwear. I fell off a bike and twisted my ankle earlier this summer and had no choice but to seek out new options for extra-comfortable footwear. Even The Row make them, darling. But so do Arizona Love, and of course, Teva themselves, who are still going strong. You feel like you’re walking on air. Plus they’re excellent for wild swimming, or at least the part where you have to get out whilst scaling a rock without looking ditsy.
REFORMER PILATES
SO IT TURNS OUT YOU CAN GET A WORK OUT AND STRETCH AT THE SAME TIME.
BASKET BAGS
For summer. Groundbreaking. I was kind of allergic to them on account of gross over-copying of Jane Birkin’s style.
But look at this chic little number by Metier. Delightful, is it not? Goes with everything and gives an estival vibe to any look. I may be back at my desk in Paris but I’ll definitely be integrating this into my evening looks until late September.
SUCCESSION. Duh.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Convinced this is (/was, sob,) the best writing on television and in hindsight it’s hilarious how long I procrastinated on starting it. It’s almost weird how often I think about it. Only You’ve Got Mail competes this hard for the film/TV category of my headspace.
PARTIES I HEREBY VOW NEVER TO ATTEND, BY THE WAY:
BOSSY MENUS
As tiresome as you may find it when people pick apart and sub-in elements of a menu in front of an entire table of hungry people and make up fake gluten allergies because they’re avoiding carbs (diet on your own time!!), the equal-and-opposite reaction of restaurants not allowing you to order something you really want, even though you know they know you know they have it is just wrong. You may have seen my recent story on a trendy new overpriced Paris establishment which refused to let my friends and I order plain wine or champagne because, it seems, of desperately wanting to show off their cocktail prowess. Add some too-sweet mint syrup and charge me an extra 15 euros why don’t you. Insupportable!
LIP FILLERS
I totally get wanting to maintain one’s internal magnificence via external appearances etc, I just don’t understand why you would want to look like a cartoon depiction of a fish.
TARAMASALATA
Speaking of fish. I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.
It’s back to school time and I’m whipping out my bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils…
If you have fall fashion-related topics you’d like to suggest for my next posts, don’t hesitate in the comments section below! Or not fashion, even. Hit me with your burning questions!
Thanks for putting a smile on my face!
Tim McGraw’s “where the green grass grows” is my go to when I need a break from city livin’ 😂