Capsule #19 ft. Tamara Davison

Hello hello,

Happy Friday 💗 

This week we’re talking about the lessons learnt from having time off, the best thing to come out of fashion month, and why it’s time to start being a Hat Person. 👒

And documentary maker and freediver Tamara Davison is here to share her Hot & Not with us. We love a fellow Mancunian!!!

Have a lovely weekend, and thank you for reading,

Holly x

Beginning with a cliche…

I was in Greece last week (add Naxos to your list ASAP 🥲) and it nourished me in all the ways you’d expect from some time away. I want to relay some of those because I think we forget so easily, especially as the seasons change and we hit this crazy sprint-to-December period.

1. Rest is productive. We all say it but it’s true… Having some downtime from work, other obligations, and being on screens all the time feels like it allows your brain to restore back to its more relaxed, playful state. After a couple of days I felt lighter, my mindset closer to look at all the things I could do, than its usual, shit, look at all these things I have to do.

2. Buy a notebook to bottle the feelings. I caught myself having different thoughts to usual - sometimes expansive and optimistic, sometimes quiet and self aware. I bought a notebook in a museum on my second day to get it down - it’s exactly the stuff you forget about when you’re back to normal life. It’s also where some of your creative sparks will come from later.

3. Recognise the benefits of routine. After you’ve spent some time zoned out, touching grass, etc, it can actually be nice to return to your routine. As I get older I value this more. It can be nice to have a bit less time to think about yourself and how you feel (sending love to fellow overthinkers).

The coolest thing to come out of fashion month…

Pamela Anderson wearing no makeup in Paris. She said: “I’m not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room. It’s freedom. It’s a relief.”

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The caveat is obviously that Pamela is beautiful in a conventional way and has access to the crème de la crème of skincare and other products. But there’s no denying that showing up without her glam is a pretty huge thing to do in her sphere - something we saw for a period of time with Alicia Keys - but is honestly so rare. Nobody wants to be the one to lose - we often adopt beauty ideals because we don’t want to stick out for looking “worse” than our peers.

Pamela’s decision comes at a time when a natural skin movement is emerging and it feels like we’re moving towards a broader acceptance of looking less polished. (I’m not sure this is acceptance, but have you seen those IG accounts like @celebface pointing out celeb surgery and close ups of their natural skin?). Of course there’s always a counter, not just in the ever-growing beauty industry but in microtrends like #howcanibeprettier (primarily American and TikTok based, where teens ask what tweaks they should make to their appearance to get hotter before college). We’ll definitely return to this broad topic in Capsule, but in the meantime, if you want to spend more time thinking about beauty standards in a more critical way - I recommend Jessica DeFino’s newsletter The Unpublishable.

The main vibe at the minute…

Is convincing ourselves that we’re ready for a new season. Leaning into all that winter weather has to offer. Making “cosy” our personality. And one new consideration is hats, or headwear more loosely. It’s time to protect your hair from the elements, and there are so many fun ways to do it. Lil beanies with your oversized androgynous looks. A lace scarf - or any scarf - draped on your head for drama, romance, and fantasy. The beret you got in your Parisian era. A fluffy thing because why not, join the fun. And hairbands, which have honestly saved me a thousand times over in this life.

And finally…

Like everyone else I’m hooked on the wonderful noughties Posh and Becks pics. Conversations off the back of them have pondered who our current day example is. As pointed out by @boymolish, of course it’s Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.

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

Tamara is a freelance journalist and documentary film producer from Manchester. She’s currently reporting from North Africa and the Middle East, and has been writing and living over seas for the most part of seven years for outlets like The Guardian and The Independent. She also rides motorbikes, and when she’s not writing, is training as a freediver so spends a lot of time holding her breath in the ocean. 🌊

📺 Watching: The Beckham documentary with everyone else! Plus Caroline Polachek’s tiny desk. Her voice is literally a machine.

📖 Reading: As mentioned a few weeks back, I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel. At just over 200 pages with short fragmented chapters, this is particularly good for busy people who wish they had more time to dedicate to reading. Through a turbulent affair, it explores status, wealth, and fulfilment, dividing the world into two classes: idols and fans. Who gets to pursue what they love? And who has to settle elsewhere?

🎧 Listening to: The Rest - the second part of the boygenius record. Worshipping at the church of Lucy Dacus, etc.

Friday (named after TGI Fridays 😩) is feeling spooky season creeping in. Fog hangs in the air, and there’s something a bit otherworldly in the chilliness… He foresees that our clothing will also be transported into an equally different realm, one of medieval regality. The prediction for this week is monarchial wear, think blouses with ruffled collars, frills, corsets and pearl chokers. Now might be time to get that balloon-sleeved, lace-trimmed shirt which may seem impractical but can be worn for Halloween (dead pirate or one of Henry VIII’s six wives) and well into the depths of winter.

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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, please forward on 🥺

See you next week 💋