Capsule #13 ft. Claire Tadokoro

Hiiiii 🫂

Happy September 🥺 

This week we gave ‘August’ by Taylor Swift its final spin then bid farewell to one of our weirdest summers in living memory. Weather? Strange. Vibes? Sometimes off. A bit of a non-starter. But also, quite nice? Kind of calm? Could have been way worse.

In today’s issue, we’re channelling back to school vibes as we analyse fashion’s relationship to the literary world (it’s reading season!) and listen to a fashion history podcast that I promise is really fun. Plus, a cute trend and some uplifting stuff because it’s a Friday and this is Capsule, darling.

We’ve also got comedian and content creator, Claire Tadokoro here to tell you her Hot and Not 🐌

Enjoy your weekends! I’m moving house and feeling all transitional. More on that next week I am sure.

Holly x

P.S. Can I ask a favour? I’d love to know which other newsletters you enjoy. Reply to this email to let me know 💌

People are talking quite literally about…

Beauty and brains. A recent Zadie Smith profile for British Vogue got people talking about just how chic the author is, with particular attention given to her Tabis. For the uninitiated, Tabis are thonged footwear. In the words of Rachel Tashjian, “[Tabis] are to the art world what Allbirds are to tech: a delightfully hideous uniform of belonging.” (The style dates back to 15th century Japan, but became a contemporary cult item due to Maison Margiela’s design.) The peeping split-toe in Zadie’s photoshoot (and the rest of her maximalist looks) were warmly received, and encouraged us to think about other instances of author-fashion serves.

Novelist Otessa Moshfegh (Eileen, My Year of Rest and Relaxation) walked the runway at fellow Iranian Maryam Nassir Zadeh’s show at New York Fashion Week last year. Joan Didion and Fran Lebowitz are the blueprints, found on Pinterest boards far and wide. And most recently, eyes have been on Merve Emre, a literary critic, author and scholar who looks less like a dusty Dumbledore (love you) and more like an actress of the moment, soon to announce that she’s the next face of, say, Valentino.

As Tashjian outlines, the relationship between fashion and literature is nothing new. But the link has been less prevalent in the 21st century - Zadie Smith is pulled out because she feels like an exception. Our fashion icons are models, influencers, actors, and socialites - not academics. But in our current landscape, with the rise of BookTok, and a broad acceptance that reading is good for you and screens are bad, the literary world has an extra charm. We aspire to read more, feed our brains, and, because the aesthetic of anything is so vital when we’re conditioned to photograph it, look chic while doing it. Just look at the many paparazzi shots of Kendall Jenner reading…

Speaking of charms…

It’s time to dig out yours. Whether it’s Hailey Bieber, Hollie Mercedes, or cult brand Beepy Bella, charms are everywhere. Mushrooms, strawberries, smilies, padlocks, hearts, crystals, butterflies - the more the merrier. And for those of us who collected Pandora pieces or Juicy Couture in the 2000s, it might be time to pull them out for round two. If you have a penchant for something specific, like butterflies, just type it into Etsy. The treasures will find you.

For those of you taking a sunny trip now that we’re out of school holidays…

I want to share these words from Jenna Wortham, who describes the transformative experience of wearing a tiny little bikini. I’m sharing this to counter so much of the heavy stuff we might feel (and read) about body image and swimwear.

And finally…

There were so many good takes on the lack of outfit synergy in the Bieber household this week, but I’ll leave you with this: a short story from influencer Harry Hill, who felt inspired to craft a Notes app narrative. (Zoom if you are reading on mobile! Sorry this is dense!)

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

Claire is a content creator and comedian based in Harlem, New York. She aspires to hit a screen time daily average of < 4 hours. Check out her TikTok!

📺 Watching: Theater Camp - uplifting, funny, lots of I Think You Should Leave actors. Plus, Miley’s TikTok series off the back of her new single, ‘Used To Be Young’. Never considered her wild routine when I watched Hannah Montana after school every day.

📖 Reading: Big Swiss! A novel given to me by a friend who reads more than anyone I know. For fans of In The Dream House and Three Women, soon to be made into a TV series by the excellent Kayleigh Llewellyn, starring Jodie Comer.

🎧 Listening to: The episode of The Rest Is History about Sixties Fashion. My bf loves history and the rec came from him. I’ll say that I was sceptical (I thought it might be a bit flat?) but I loved it so much and proceeded to listen to more (like the one on the 70s blackout in NYC). It also inspired me to text my Nanna who was a teenager at the time, to talk about miniskirts and Teddy Boys and mischief.

In light of our chat about the literary world and fashion, Luna predicts that the ‘dark academia’ trend will ramp up again in the next few weeks. Long coats, dark woollens, glasses regardless of whether you need them or not. Like lots of recurrent trends, this one’s super practical, making it more likely to stick around.

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

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how you’re finding Capsule - let me know here. See you next week 💋