Capsule #54 ft. Megan Lawton

Hello hello,

Happy Friday to you all 🖤 

Today’s issue is super varied: I’m walking you through the modern mullet (a trend that’s not slowing down), sharing the most playful looks from men’s fashion week, and sharing some words to live by when you’re feeling a bit off. Hope you enjoy the picks!

The lovely Megan Lawton is also here to share her Hots & Nots with us. 🌹

Have the best weekend,

Holly x

First up…

When the mullet came back around a couple of years ago, I thought it might be a quick flash in the pan. But it wasn’t: it’s still here, it’s evolving, and it’s actually more popular than ever before.

Google search data shows that “modern mullet” reached an all-time high for the fifth consecutive month in May, a trend continuing into June. What started as a brave new trend is now a mainstay of contemporary hairstyling, so I wanted to bring you some excellent recent examples in case your interest has been piqued.

First up: Hayley Williams.

Back from a brief Paramore respite, finished with a 20-year Atlantic Records deal, and ready to go on the Eras Tour. Hayley often uses her hair to denote new phases of her life/career, and the modern mullet is here to usher in the fun. No more contract obligations to fulfil, just a summer of fun bopping around European cities with her best friends and bf.

Also: Greta Lee.

Ms Lee debuted the new look at the Met Gala (where else?) and it instantly made her look better. I think that’s what a good haircut does, we talk about looking and feeling more like yourself, but it’s also a hack to making any outfit look good.

Another great recent example is Maggie Rogers.

Not quite a mullet but not not one either? Maggie’s look coincided with the rollout of her latest album, Don’t Forget Me, and has become quintessential with the era. It also works because her outfits during this time have been 70s-inspired yet timeless: suede and leather jackets, classic jeans, white t-shirts.

And the historic greats (by which I mean anything older than a year): Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Kristen Stewart. It doesn’t get better!!!

Next up!

Coming off the back of our men’s edit last week, the Menswear shows kicked off this week, and I wanted to pull a few references to remind us of the playful side of fashion. First up, Acne Studios. The collection was inspired by superheroes, and, in Vogue’s words, the ways in which clothing can “make us feel more badass.” I’m listening!

Are superheroes inherently sexy? I guess they are! And that’s the core feeling coming through here. Looking at these clothes reminded me that normal life usually calls for practicality and comfort, so it’s easy to lean into clothing that makes you feel safe. And I’m a huge advocate for that! But this collection woke me up a little, reminded me that a huge part of getting dressed is to help you feel more playful, excited, ready for whatever you want to chase that day. Love the tall boots, love the belts, love the bags with charms. Like if the Matrix was at a Berlin club.

Also worth a look: Martine Rose. The menswear designer from North London presented her collection in Milan for the first time, bringing the grit of her hometown to a notoriously polished city. “I wanted it to be a bit of a mess,” she said, for there to be beauty but in a less obvious way. What followed were pencil skirts, fishnet socks, and leather trousers with front zips for "easy access.”

Leather, fishnets, zips - again these are textbook facets of sexiness, and they do the heavy lifting but aren’t the sole reason the collection pops. It’s the silhouettes - the pencil skirts, the Bermuda shorts - that we see daily on women but still absent on the majority of men around us. It’s the spirit of daring to try something different that truly feels sexy, the leather is just the vehicle.

And finally, I loved these football shirts. It’s football season in Europe and I am here for the fashion moments!

Moving on…

I wanted to share a tweet I saw a few weeks ago that I keep thinking about. If you’re the type of person who sometimes finds themselves in a bit of a slump wondering what’s wrong with you, there’s something here for you.

Sometimes life feels like balancing a lot of spinning plates over and over again: just as a few are suspended in the air, one falls, and as you deal with that, another follows in its path, over and over. But there are times when life feels more settled - maybe things are okay, you have a bit of free time, but still somehow you don’t feel 100%. This is where “liking things” comes in. Are you going deep into reading an author’s work and learning about their life and process? Are you making it your mission to do hikes on the weekend? Are you coaxing your friends into playing team sports in the park? The important bit is doing something, enjoying anything, giving yourself permission to have fun.

On a similar theme, this excerpt from Søren Kierkegaard is also doing the rounds:

One person responded to it saying they have a folder on their phone called ‘Glad I walked <3’ where they keep pictures taken of “beautiful things I would not have seen had I not gone.” I can’t think of a better thing to do when you feel in a bit of rut - there’s always somewhere to walk to, there are always things to see.

And finally…

News from the Capsule universe this week:

• Alessandro Michele (formerly Gucci) dropped his first collection at Valentino without warning. The responses ranged from adoration to disappointment at the similarity to his Gucci stuff, but this analysis from @databutmakeitfashion showed that the collection is growing on people

databutmakeitfashion

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• A clip of Ariana Grande changing her voice went viral. She then explained why she does it

• Celebs turned out for Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton menswear show in Paris, including Maya Jama and Stormzy, and Sabrina Carpenter and Central Cee with a Nintendo DS 

• A few weeks ago we shared rumours that Rihanna was going to replace Charlize Theron as the face of Dior J’adore. Now it’s facts!

• Speaking of Rihanna, she’s Charli xcx’s #1 pop star. Bar one special person…

• And speaking of Charli xcx, she just dropped a new version of ‘Girl, so confusing’ with Lorde. We must always remember that artist beef is PR

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

Megan is a freelance entertainment and fashion journalist who recently swapped London for Toronto. She writes about current trends in music and style and is lucky enough to have covered major red carpets and interviewed ✨icons✨ such as Stormzy, Raye and Charli XCX.

📺 Watching: HBO announced a new docuseries: Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood. It’s out today! (Max in the US, Discovery+ in the UK). And this video of Sabrina Carpenter covering Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck Babe’ for the Radio 1 Live Lounge.

📖 Reading: Goodlord by Ella Frears, a book-long email that’s actually a poem. A friend showed this to me this week and I was so impressed.

🎧 Listening to: A lovely new song from The Japanese House called ‘:)’. It sounds a lot like ‘Wintering’ by the 1975 (and is produced by George Daniel from the band). And this episode of Alison Roman’s podcast, Unsolicited Advice, about crying on your birthday (feat Delia Cai!).

Jack doesn’t have any trouble deciding where he wants to go, he simply leaves the house and wanders as he pleases. But he knows that decisions aren’t so simple for the rest of us. That’s why we’re seeing the resurgence of travel agents for millennials and Gen Z, who want to go on holidays but find planning the trip a bit stressful and time consuming. Add this to the list of lost services that we actually miss - it’s not always a joy to have everything at your fingertips.

If you’d like to adopt Jack 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 💋