Capsule #114 ft. Marianne Eloise

Hello!

This week’s issue brings some snippets of New York Fashion Week to you, including the recurring motifs, a concept worth seeing, and a bit of philosophy we should get behind. I’ve tried to translate the distant, high fashion world into something more tangible for us all and I hope you get something out of it!

Scroll as ever for your news from the week, weekend recs, and a great Hot & Not from Marianne Eloise.

Holly x

✄┈┈ NYFW debrief ⋆.🪡 𐙚 ˚

I will be honest, scrolling through New York Fashion Week runway photos and surrounding content all felt quite familiar this season. Just like last time, I felt like the styling at Coach was one of the best bits, I wondered how commercially viable the depths of Sandy Liang’s girlhood would continue to be, and I spotted recurring motifs that I was already accustomed to seeing because they’ve been peppered across high streets and Pinterest boards for the past 12 months. It also felt like there were a few different archetypes of woman to choose from: the bougie minimalist, the desert aunt, the chaotic Gen Zer. Neatly packaged and ready to sell.

I don’t believe in newness for the sake of it, but these familiar motifs made me wonder whether designers were a) trying to slow down the trend cycle or b) hoping to create collections that were more palatable to increase sales (i.e. less risk taking). Both make sense, but it does make you question fashion week more broadly and the high demands of new collections and shows and fuss.

Below I’ve picked out the recurring motifs to share with you, plus an interesting concepts and a philosophy from a designer worth hearing.

Recurring motifs ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

1. Funnel neck jackets

Funnel neck coats, as well as being one of the core features of the Topshop relaunch, are all over the high street right now for autumn/winter. They also repeatedly popped up in spring collections in New York this week, which made me feel like they might be a good investment after all. Ideal if you like doing the hair tuck thing. Ideal if you like to feel cosy. Ideal if you want to feel a little bit more bad ass than usual.

2. Polka dots

The topic of every “don’t buy this trend it’ll be in landfill next month” video found its way to the SS26 shows. I was surprised; I know polka dots are timeless in theory but they’ve become so buzzy right now that I expected to see them retired for a little bit. The Altuzarra dress below is great I think, because the pattern doesn’t overpower the model or the silhouette.

3. Ties

The girls love to wear a tie. I contributed to an article on this topic earlier this year; the trend isn’t going anywhere, it’s an affordable way (always go vintage or borrow from someone close to you) to add more effort without feeling uncomfortable. Ties will always be good.

4. Pendant necklaces

In the same breath as noticing that sunglasses have been getting bigger recently, another trend pendulum swing has been from chokers towards longer pendant necklaces. This post from Threads Styling was early to point it out, and the SS26 runway shows were full of long dangling pendants. Common motifs were shells (because of course) and little coin purses (novel).

5. Hip belts

The return of low-rise brought with it lower swung belts, and these were all over the runway in New York. These have had more lasting power than I think most of us expected, and I genuinely think Charli xcx and her stylist Chris Horan have done a lot for the movement.

6. Bandanas

Alongside polka dots and flip flops, bandanas were in Capsule’s ‘Summer Uniform’ roundup for this year. That trend is continuing on if the SS26 shows in New York are anything to go off, with Calvin Klein, Anna Sui and Sandy Liang all taking part. Bandanas are eternally chic, a lifesaver for greasy hair, and the best way to shield your scalp from the sun on a hot day.

A concept worth seeing ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Collina Strada sent each look down the runway with it’s “shadow” - an all black counterpart with the same silhouette. Like the LA Barbie house / goth house meme. This is smart because a) Jungian psychology is popular now and lots of regular people know what the concept of the shadow means, and b) most of us do just want to buy things in black. Tapping into popular academia and commerciality is a wise strategy for the current moment.

A philosophy we should get behind ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Wiederhoeft skipped fashion week in February to spend more time on the SS26 collection. Designer Jackson Wiederhoeft told reporters before the show:

The result is a collection more narrow in focus and tighter in concept than previous ones (although I still adore the lace dresses of SS25). Titled ‘Lost Works,’ the collection was mainly corseted dresses and occasion wear, with a focus on materials and details. One fabric, for example, was made of georgette woven with a mix of vintage and new metallic threads and took 10 months to develop (see the first photo above). That title, Lost Works, feels like picking up all the loose threads of notes and ideas over the years and finally tying them into something you’ve been putting off.

Wiederhoeft’s slower approach this season reminds me of that Lorde quote to which we keep returning. It’s okay to free yourself from doing more and more all the time. It’s okay to leave stuff on the table. It won’t be forever and the space is actually vital if you want to sustain yourself long term.

The best dressed guest ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

Solange obviously. So exciting when she steps out.

And finally…

News from the broader Capsule universe this week:

• A big collective sigh this week

• This is why Paul Mescal won’t talk about Gracie

• Another ad campaign leaning into the nostalgic and the physical

• Sweetest man of the week award

• Not news just Alexa Chung wearing a perfect black dress

• And while we’re here, a lot of people have looked great in black lately

• A very pregnant Rihanna magazine cover

• Really struggling to get behind this format

• A fun Hannah Montana callback from Miley

• Speaking of Miley, it looks like she’s headed for the Super Bowl

• The first Instagram dump from Charli’s Sicily wedding weekend is here

• And Lorde’s Ultrasound Tour has kicked off. Really trying not to ruin it with all the videos 🥲

This week, Marianne Eloise popped into Capsule to share what’s 🔥hot🔥 and what’s not 🙅‍♀️ …

Marianne is the author of essay collection Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking. She swims a lot, lives by the beach and writes about nature, music and disability.

📺 Watching: Happyend in the cinema, this great Lorde interview from Berlin, and for anyone pulled in by this exact sort of vlog content: Keelin Moncrieff on why she moved to rural France.

📖 Reading: The big GQ series on what makes Britain good, the Mrs Prada and Raf Simons interview (some great quotes in there), and this Substack from Sherry Ning to which I’m sure we’ll return: “you’re overspending because you lack values.”

🎧 Listening to: Bleeds, the new Wednesday album, Altar, the new NewDad album, ‘Secrets,’ the new Miley song with Fleetwood Mac, and ‘Reminds Me,’ the new very lovely Sarah McLachlan song with Katie Gavin.

Ahead of London Fashion Week starting today, River is here to share the most searched shows via Google. In order, they are H&M, Roksanda, Victoria Beckham, Harris Reed, Burberry. Big names and high street brands tell us a lot about what most people think about fashion week — either that they want to see something more accessible for them, or are curious what the big “famous” talking points will be. Let’s see how it pans out!

If you’d like to adopt River or one of his friends, click here to learn more.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how you’re finding Capsule - let me know here. And if you have a friend who might like it, do refer them! 🥺

See you next week 💋

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