Capsule #41 ft. Ella Kemp

Hello hello,

Happy officially spring week my loves 🌷🌷🌷 

Today I’m bringing together two unlikely bedfellows, Phoebe Philo and Jack Antonoff, to share something I think we can learn from them both. Plus, the most feel-good thing on the internet right now, and a mini guide on jackets for spring.

Also excited to welcome the brilliant Ella Kemp, who shares her Hot & Not with us. 🥯

There are a few more images in this email than usual (shopping inspo!) so if your email is clipped, click ‘read online’ in the top corner.

Have a beaut Friday and beyond,

Holly x

First up…

This week, all roads lead to following what you enjoy. Let me share the evidence. 

In a rare interview with the New York Times (I recommend reading the whole thing), designer Phoebe Philo spoke about the philosophy behind her namesake brand:

Her whole label is built around this frame of mind. Following her own values, Philo has steered away from seasons, which produce clothes and trends with a finite interest-span, in favour of high-quality, lifetime pieces that aim to “retrain people in how to shop and how to think about what they buy”. But it’s not just the ethics of the industry that drive her - her own lifestyle and fulfilment matter, too. Leaving huge fashion houses (Philo was creative director at Chloé and Celine) helped her affirm that what makes her happy is the smaller stuff: “ baking, galleries, riding, clubbing, her family, her friends.” Now, she balances downtime and discovering inspiration. 

All of this seems to affirm that, if you find your enjoyment and values, the rest will follow. Phoebe Philo the label has hooked the entire fashion industry, but its roots are in a woman following the stuff that brings fulfilment and what feels right. Of course Philo is in a different financial situation to most of us, and lots has gone right to get to this place at 50 years old, but the ethos holds up. 

This notion of prioritising the creation of things you enjoy was also prominent at the first show of the Bleachers tour this week in London. On a few occasions Jack Antonoff addressed the crowd with words along the lines of “a lot of people don’t get Bleachers. Thank you for getting it. This is for you. This is our thing,” and “time and time again I go back to what I love and what makes me feel alive, and it’s this music.” 

Like Phoebe Philo, this is a creative who oft receives criticism (for Antonoff, it’s his influence on pop music, for Philo, it’s the inaccessibility of her clothing) telling us in basic terms why things are the way they are: because that’s what I like and what I want to do. If this feels off, we might do better to ask ourselves: is the point of art to create something that an imagined audience will like? Is such a quest even possible? 

Peter Miles, a designer who worked with Philo at Celine, says of her work: “She has never wanted to give people what they want. Or, rather, she does want to please but not in the way you expect to be pleased.”

So, while we’re not famous fashion designers or Grammy award-winning artists (make yourself known if you are!), the lesson for us here is clear, and something we’ll keep coming back to: start the project or creative work that feels good to you without worrying about a bad faith audience, and the rest may follow.

While we’re on doing things that feel good to you…

One of my favourite things on the internet right now is this extremely sweet retired couple, Aki and Koichi (@akiandkoichi on both Instagram and TikTok). They share their daily fit checks with a signature peace sign at the end. Add to your algorithm immediately! Sometimes they do solo vids too… Papa San looking absolutely fire here, and Mama San here rocking the cardigan of all cardigans. Suddenly not scared of getting old.

@akiandkoichi

saturday fit check 😎 #ootd #style #fashion #fitcheck #outfit

Next up! 

I heard it was officially the first day of spring on Wednesday which is gorgeous. I also looked at some Google search data that gets circulated for journalists and here’s the deal: summer coats for women searches are up +380% over the past week in the UK. So I come bearing some inspiration for you! Some of these picks are more affordable than others, but the collection of ideas is designed to help you find what you like, and guide you with search terms and imagery to aid any Vinted/Depop/eBay searches. 

1. Chore jackets 

Definition: A chore jacket, also known as a chore coat, is a durable jacket typically crafted from sturdy fabrics like denim, heavy cotton drill, or moleskin. It features up to four large front pockets. Originally, this type of jacket was worn as workwear by farm workers and labourers in late 19th-century France.

2. Bomber jackets 

Definition: A short jacket tightly gathered at the waist and cuffs by elasticated bands and typically having a zip front. Evolved from the flight jacket, a casual jacket that was originally created for pilots and eventually became part of popular culture and apparel. 

3. Denim jackets 

Definition: A denim jacket, also called a jean jacket or trucker jacket, is a jacket made from denim. Introduced in the United States in the late 19th century, it has been a popular type of casual apparel with both men and women and has been described as an iconic element of American fashion.

5. Quilted jackets 

Definition: Quilted jacket are characterised by their signature stitching, which creates a unique quilted pattern. They are usually filled with materials like down, wool, or synthetic fibers, offering excellent insulation. The stitching not only holds the insulation in place but also adds to the visual appeal of the jacket.

And finally…

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

• Beyoncé and Dua Lipa both find themselves with white horses, and Azealia Banks has some thoughts on the Cowboy Carter cover 

• I’ve always wondered what divorcées do with their rings. Emily Ratajkowski has a suggestion 

• Dries Van Noten is stepping down from his namesake label 

• We got a first look at Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. Love this but love Miley’s cover of ‘You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’ more 

• Speaking of Miley, Disney just gave her a legend award. Is that an olive branch after “distancing” themselves from her on multiple occasions…

• SSENSE’s new campaign features kids - a top line which immediately made me baulk. Until I saw it…

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

Ella is a writer, broadcaster, and photographer based in London. She is the London Editor at Letterboxd and Head of Editorial at Girls on Tops. Her favourite film is Moulin Rouge! and her favourite word is "verklempt" because it's what she often is.

📺 Watching: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy in the theatre, a Polish film called Feast of Fire (Święto ognia), of which there is not much written but I’m still thinking about, and this video of Kate Berlant sharing her sacred morning rituals, which is well worth your time.

📖 Reading: Diving joyfully into The Story of a New Name, the second book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, and this article about TikTok colour theory (those “how to find your colours” videos where you pop your head in a technicolour wheel).

🎧 Listening to: Tigers Blood, the new Waxahatchee album which is just so good and well worth the wait. Also the new songs from the deluxe version of GUTS. 

If the Cowboy Carter album cover, Dua Lipa’s escapades in Mexico, Bella Hadid’s rodeo romance and conversations with our friends are anything to go off, horses are IN. What does that look like in practice? According to Nugget, getting back in the saddle is a good place to start. Whether that’s a one-hour riding experience outside your city, or a full-blown riding holiday, the horses are ready and waiting. Giddy up, and dress well. 🧲

If you’d like to adopt Nugget 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, please forward on 🥺

See you next week 💋