Capsule #34 ft. Rhys Thomas

Hello hello!

Happy Friday 🫶

Here we are for another issue, this time ready to unpack that Margiela couture show. 

There’s also lots going on in the celeb world this week: Dua Lipa has a man (or does she?), Ashley Benson shared mob wife pregnancy announcement pics, and Lana Del Rey is our next country queen. I’m also spending a disproportionate amount of time trying to predict who this year’s Glastonbury headliners will be. If you have any inclinations (or indeed that one friend who knows someone who works on the lineup) do reply to this email to let me know! My latest thoughts are that there must be a star so huge that we’re waiting on other parts of their comms around an album/song to launch before the festival can say anything. But I’m worried I’ve just jinxed it for another Ed Sheeran. 

Do scroll for your weekend recs and a brilliant Hot & Not from Rhys Thomas! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Holly x

Unpacking Margiela

This time last week, clips and images from the Maison Margiela couture show were popping up all over our feeds. I want you to know it’s not too late to dive into it, even if the chatter has died down and our algorithm is onto the next thing. I encourage you to watch the whole show, where you’ll see why short snippets cannot do the whole thing justice. Make it full screen and reduce your background noise… 

Watching the show in full brings the concept into sharper relief than mini clips can afford us. We’re in the Parisian underworld, inspired by Brassaï, the photographer who documented nightlife in city in the 1920s and 30s. Corsets are tightening, lights are low, shards of glass lead us into discomfort. And discomfort is a key thing, here - these clothes and this environment are a far cry from the neutrals and cosiness that have become synonymous with modernity. The show is an invitation to leave our comfort zones, to say yes to the lure of the late night, to wear the complicated thing, because we’re strong enough to do so. Wading through the unknown propels us forwards, offering experiences we’d avoid unless we dare to go there.

With porcelain doll-like makeup from Pat McGrath, coloured mesh that marbles like watercolours, and gauzy fabrics, many of the looks looked like paintings. And the feeling of observing a piece of art was heightened further by the audiences’ proximity to, and role in, the show. Some guests were sat around tables to fill the bar setting, and others faced direct interaction from models who stopped for them. The most moving part here, for me, was watching the facial expressions of the audience - there’s one man who I probably should recognise but don’t (older, suit, glasses) who just looks so gleeful. He’s done it, it’s happening, I imagine he thinks. In this moment, ‘it’ means making fashion that moves people.

I watched the show with my boyfriend who doesn’t usually engage with this sort of thing, and his observations neatly highlighted the aspects that made this it special: “they don’t usually walk like that”, “they are like, acting”, and “it’s a proper performance.” These things are true - Galliano’s models were not uniform, blank canvases on which to project the clothing, they are part of the theatre. The casting for this show is what made it so special - from Leon Dame’s role as the leading man, to Gwendoline Christie’s closing look. This article from Jocelyn Silver on casting is excellent.

The main thing this show did for me was remind me of what it felt like to be 15 years old. At that time, I didn’t use social media in the same way I do now. I followed people like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus on Twitter, and spent the rest of the time trying to keep up with the cast of The Hills. My screen time was largely spent looking at fashion - videos of shows, building Pinterest boards, blogging, and scrolling through collections on style.com (which would later become Vogue Runway). The internet felt like a more creative space, where magazine pages were brought to life, and browsing unlocked secret passageways to discover new things. Not in the algorithm way, in a well done for reading this, here is a portal to your next level way. It was during this time I really ‘got into’ fashion, sucked in by the theatre of Alexander McQueen. If the Margiela show piqued your interest, I recommend watching his runway shows, including S/S 1999 “No. 13” (Shalom Harlow spray paint dress), S/S 2001 “Voss”, and A/W 2006 “The Widows of Culloden” (Kate Moss hologram). I invite us all to yearn for more.

Next up! More internet…

If you can cope with the TikTok poetry of it all, I thought this video (sent to me by your friend and mine, Clodagh Griffin) was very Capsule. 

@gelsey.latonio

how to become that girl 🔍 #girlhood #lowvisualweight #highvisualweight #cleangirlaesthetic #mobwifeaesthetic #thatgirl #howto #silvergirl ... See more

We say it often but it’s okay, in fact encouraged, to sit out of trends unless they light you up. Getting dressed shouldn’t feel like a burden, and your instincts for what you like, based on years of experiences and interactions with art and the world around you, are more special than a fleeting ‘core’ will ever be. That’s not to say we’ll never partake, but rather pause before throwing cash at whatever his our feeds. We’ll keep reminding you of this, even as we dissect trend culture.

Dula Peep news

Dua Lipa and Callum Turner: new love or PR stunt? 

As my friend said, they’re both actors, and yes it looks like they called the cameras. But why do they capture the air of new love so well? It’s the uncomplicated comfort of jeans and a vest top - no sleeves slipping off shoulders or skirts to hoist up, just clean, easy dressing. The ponytail too. And a hands-free shoulder bag. That woman is unburdened, nothing is ruining her vibe. So with that, she’s either giving new romance or the first week post-period. They aren’t that different. 

And finally…

A couple of things that feel important to note as we close the week. First, Lana Del Rey announced her next album will be country and called Lasso. boygenius announced at a secret LA gig that they’d be taking a break for a while (new solo albums are the upside here). And I saw this cute little illustration to remind us that the deepest darkest days of winter are over. Well done to us. Photo dump time is it…

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

Rhys is a writer, editor and consultant for publications and brands including GQ, The Guardian, The i, New York Magazine, Vice, Time Out, Mr Porter, and loaded. He’s from west Wales and based in London. His first book, The Future of Wales, is out February 22 with Melville House, and he is also working on fiction and other non-fiction books.

📺 Watching: American Fiction in the cinema and Ayo Edebiri’s old standup on YouTube. Also here is a link to get an online pass to watch Sundance films if you are so inclined!

📖 Reading: This article from Rebecca Jennings, Vox’s culture writer, on the labour of self-promotion and brand building. If you feel pressured to start a TikTok to promote your work, there’s something in here for you. Also reading Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend, 10 years later than everyone else, and loving it.

🎧 Listening to: Spotify desperately wants me to like The Last Dinner Party so I’ll give the album a spin, plus ‘What’s Love?’ the new Empress Of song with MUNA.

Like all of us, Bellatrix is loving Ayo Edebiri’s recent looks. And a new shot of her with a leather tie just felt simple yet special. You know where this is going. Leather ties are coming.

If you’d like to adopt Bellatrix 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 💋