Capsule #30 ft. Carina Santos

Hello!

Happy New Year 🥰🥰🥰

Of course we’re spending some time in this issue thinking about resolutions and goals, how we want to feel, what we don’t want to fall into, and so on. I’ve selected some snippets from different people who I think are worth listening to, in hope that you can choose something for you in your own little way. This is a newsletter about fashion, culture, and trends, yes, but it’s designed for regular, busy people who have equally busy minds to deal with. I hope the slices of wellness or feel-good adjacent stuff helps you navigate your life.

We’re also looking at hair accessories for men, a chic designer brought to us via Kendall Jenner’s vacay pics, and once more giving the middle finger to anti-ageing products.

Thank you for being here… super excited for more conversations in 2024 🖤 

Holly x

On resolutions and goals…

You may be filled to the brim already with writing on New Year’s resolutions, whether that’s your own phone notes, a new journal, or the many articles that have been published this week. People often fall into two camps - the goal setters and the free wheelers - but I think there are some sweet spots in the middle worth exploring. We don’t need to stress about changing who we are in January, but welcoming in the new year with some reflections isn’t so bad either. Here are some bits you might take something away from: 

1. In this newsletter, Heather Havrilesky advises on starting the year by reflecting on 2023 with some prompts: 

This might come to life in the form of 4-5 moments over the past 12 months that stand out to you for their emotional resonance - it could be the night you felt fully free to enjoy yourself (why was that?), the career move that was supposed to feel good but didn’t, the conversation you were worried to have but have never regretted since. If nothing else, this is a nice way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning, either on your sofa or in a cafe, with your warm drink of choice and a few deep breaths. 

2. The Guardian published a piece this week sharing 100 tiny changes to transform your life. Read at your leisure (you’ll figure out the ones that are made possible by flexible work structures or very little work at all), and note down 2-3 that resonate with you. I enjoyed this from our modern day deity, Adriene Mishler (Yoga with Adriene):

You know how it feels when you resent someone because you went ahead with something you weren’t comfortable with, and the net result is bad for both of you. 

3. Yeldā Ali, an Afghan artist based in Brooklyn, shared some words I think a lot of us feel: 

It’s cool if springtime or September is when you feel propelled to grow or shift. It’s totally fine to be hibernating and just getting by right now. Also get some vitamin D supplements! 

4. Fashion influencer Hollie Mercedes shared this reflection on her AMA this week: 

This is the type of thing that lots of us know but need reminding: when stuff looks good from the outside, or you’re pursuing stuff for external validation, it’s often the case that you aren’t feeling great yourself. If you’re setting goals, keep in mind what actually has a track record of making you feel good.  

Moving on! Repeat after me: ageing is a privilege… 

A new year also seems like a good time to remind ourselves that getting older is a wonderful thing that we’re lucky to do, and we don’t need to waste our hours (and money) on finding ways to keep looking younger. I dived into the discourse about “why millennials look younger than Gen Z” this week, which is mostly not worth your time, except for the recognition that people are being told that they need specialist skincare at younger and younger ages each year to prevent signs of ageing (see: tweens using Drunk Elephant skincare). Vicky Spratt has written a nice counter to all of this in a column on not buying into anti-ageing. After years of splashing out on serums and treatments, she now knows the following to be true: some people with incredible skin do nothing at all to it, a Refinery29 report found that there are really no creams or potions that can “actually achieve anti-ageing”, and a world-leading doctor explained that there are no large-scale studies to prove that Botox works preventatively. What to do instead? In Vicky’s words, “focus on what we might gain and not what we might lose as we age. Because no matter what anyone tries to tell you or sell you, you can’t buy time.” Onwards! 

A moment for the boys…

Last year we saw the little pearly and beaded necklaces hit the mainstream, in no small part due to Harry Styles and his stylist Harry Lambert. Some trend forecasters agree that we may see this vibe extend into hair accessories this year, with hair clips, Alice bands, and fun bobbles adopted more widely by masc people. Inspiration has been set by A$AP Rocky and Offset, so keep an eye out for more instances soon…

And finally…

It’s been hard not to swipe through Kendall Jenner’s and Hailey Bieber’s NYE photos from their Barbados trip and fantasise about living a different life… I also could not take my eyes off Kendall’s dress, which is from a boutique Swedish brand called Helsa Studio. 

Although most of us aren’t spending January on a tropical island, the brand’s lookbooks are beautiful, and provide some really nice inspiration for dressing in cooler climes, too. The layering, the mixing of structured and free flowing pieces, and the power of a belt. I’ve pulled some ideas for us to dip into and recreate with our Uniqlo versions… 

This week, Carina Santos (@presidents) popped into Capsule to share what’s 🔥hot🔥 and what’s not 🙅‍♀️ …

Carina is an artist and writer from Manila, moonlighting as a graphic designer in London. She’s done a lot of things in her life, but hopes to do more. You can find her on Instagram, newsletter, and on her blog (ca. 2009). She paints and does some other neat stuff, which you can find here.

📺 Watching: The Royal Caribbean’s nine-month cruise via the hashtag #UltimateWorldCruise on TikTok. People are watching and making content around it like a reality TV show, and if you’re also not vibing with January I recommend diving in!

📖 Reading: This article from Capsule fave Melissa Febos about why we should adjust our emailing habits/how to prioritise the work that matters, and this piece from Lauren O’Neill on why the music industry owes women a lot (after the British Phonographic Institute found that 2023 was the most successful year for women in the UK charts since the charts began).

🎧 Listening to: ‘Happy Ending (A.G. remix)’ by Kelela, ‘Portrait’ by Hovvdy, and To Learn, More, the extended version of Leith Ross’s debut album.

Having reached peak micro bag last year, not just the tiny Jacquemus bags but the actual microscopic bag from MSCHF, Lila foresees a turn to biiiiig bags. The type you can throw your whole life into, plus some dog treats, because it matters.

If you’d like to adopt Lila 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. And if you have a friend who might like it, please forward on 🥺

See you next week 💋