Capsule 73 ft. Jamie Windust

Hello hello,

I know absolutely no one comes to Capsule for political analysis so I’ll spare you that. But I do know we have readers in New York and the rest of the US, who’ll be feeling a certain way, and readers here in the UK and beyond thinking about global repercussions and what might happen over the next few years. And we’re all sat sifting through pages and pages of content, trying to decipher what’s good quality, what feel real, what’s viral for the wrong reasons.

I don’t know exactly how this will pan out, none of us do really, but I do know that spending excessive amounts of time looking at tweets and letting a barrage of short form videos wash over you doesn’t feel good. It’s now Friday, and you’re allowed to divert your energy for a little bit - even if it’s just to enjoy this newsletter with a cup of tea.

This week’s edition is here to offer you a few routes out of doomscrolling. I hope you enjoy it. 🖤

The wonderful Jamie Windust is also here to share their Hot & Not list. Don’t miss it!

Holly x

First route out…

A conversation starter to have with your friends IRL. The accessory that keeps popping up: lighters. Earlier this year, Charli xcx famously included a lighter in her list of brat essentials:

Then last week, Gabbriette sold lighters with her face on at her pop-up at Heavn by Marc Jacobs in London, and this week, Dua Lipa posted a selfie with lighter hair clips. It also feels right to point out the iconic Lana Del Rey brass lighters that have been around for a while now.

I think Dua’s clips are these by Corrina Goutos, made in Germany and sold for €170. Anyway! And it’s not just lighters in isolation, but a renewed advocacy for smoking, too. The photos of Dua Lipa and Callum Turner at Glastonbury come to mind, as do the ones of Rosalía and Jeremy Allen White, and Rosalía’s cigarette bouquet. Culturally, we’ve swung so anti-vape that smoking feels logical, and has regained it’s position as a fashion accessory again. Of course people have always smoked. But the accessories make a stronger statement, and there are plenty of comments sharing admiration.

In some ways it might seem surprising to see smoking come up again, especially during a time when our interest in health and wellness has never been higher (or at least that’s what the sheer number of products would lead you to believe), the same too with the focus on anti-ageing. But for every teenager buying Drunk Elephant skincare products, under 25-year-old getting preventative Botox, or the release of a new Lemme gummy, there are counterparts: reaching for cigarettes, late nights, rallying against all that is clean. I know more people who smoke today than I did 5-10 years ago, which isn’t the way the trend was expected to go, and makes you think the rise is symbolic and points to something more. There’s a growing appetite for not thinking about long-term consequences, for not always opting for the new wellness thing, for going analogue-mode instead of a clean-girl, shiny technological future.

Second route out…

Next up: an activity to do at home instead of sitting on your phone or watching the news on loop: tile painting. My friend has started hosting craft afternoons (crafternoons?) and aside from showing that we’re all growing up, they are fast becoming one of the best parts of autumn. Indoors, with a pot of hot tea, an ambient activity through which to have your life chats. Something to focus on with a clear outcome.

Painting tiles is cheaper and more accessible than you’d expect. All you need are some basic white tiles, which are so cheap, and some ceramic paints. Paint your design, leave it to dry for 24 hours, then put it in the oven according to paint instructions to properly cure the surface. Now you have a lovely tile, you’ve spent a chunk of time only using your screen to look at tile inspiration on Pinterest, and you have a novel thing to ask your friends to do with you. Very nice.

Third route out…

The boots roundup you asked for! In last week’s poll, you said you wanted a guide on boots, then tights/socks, then winter coats. Please enjoy your first instalment.

Starting off with knee-high boots. Some inspiration pics:

Of course knee-high boots really shine with a skirt or a dress. If you’re looking for something to wear under jeans, you’re better off with an ankle boot anyway. With that in mind, you can afford some space in the shaft so the boot can stand up properly. But the hardest thing with knee-high boots is the shaft width - some brands offer a wider version, others are just made really made for teeny calves. You kind of have to try them, make a note of the measurement if they are too small, and shop around on that basis. I recently found that Vagabond are more generous than Alohas, for example, and I know that lots of people struggle with width on Miista boots.

Some knee-high options:

Links: Free People, Alohas, Miista, Vagabond, Vagabond, Dr Martens 

And now for ankle boots, which do get more points for practicality. Some inspiration pics:

And some ankle-boot options:

Links: Camper, ASRA, Dr Martens, Russell & Bromley, SOREL x Proenza Schouler, Miista

And finally…

News from the Capsule universe you may have missed this week:

• Beyoncé’s Halloween photoshoot turned out to be from set of the music video for ‘Bodyguard’

• Glastonbury is adding a randomised queue to it’s ticket buying process

• The ripple effect of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike competition wages on… this time with a Paul Mescal edition in Dublin

• Speaking of Paul Mescal, he wants people to stop referring to films as c******

• We got a rare sighting of Phoebe Bridgers in a cute little bonnet 

• Jacquemus is known for marketing stunts. Here are the next set for the holiday period

• Another great Charli xcx look at the LACMA Art & Film Gala in LA, this time in custom Gucci

• And the new Skims Christmas advert feels like M&S. The comments are a pretty good indicator of the range of feelings across the US at the moment

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

Jamie is a freelance writer, author and creator specialising in LGBTQ+ culture, news, TV and film. As a former speaker at TEDxLondon and The Oxford Union, they continue to share their humour filled message of inclusivity through their written work and video content. They write for publications such as Men's Health, Metro, GAY TIMES and Digital Spy.

📺 Watching: Anora in the cinema, and if you need to really switch off, Paddington in Peru also just came out. Also Rivals on Disney+.

📖 Reading: This widely-forwarded piece from Moya Lothian-McLean on the current dating landscape in London. I also enjoyed this newsletter from Adrienne Adhami, which presented a pretty compelling argument on burnout: “You don’t need more time - you need to do less.” And this take on why the left can’t compete with right-wing influencers.

🎧 Listening to: Evergreen, the new Soccer Mommy album, the Channel Tres remix of ‘Fantasy’, the latest JADE song, and the new songs on the deluxe version of the Gracie Abrams album. I was also pulled in by Ariana Grande on Las Culturistas.

Two top trends from this week: “jellycats,” which reached an all-time high this month and over the past week, and “grounding techniques for anxiety,” which also spiked 140% this week. You could get a jellycat to cheer yourself up of course, or, you could adopt Levi, who is always up for a cuddle.

If you’d like to adopt Levi 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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