Capsule #62 ft. Arabella Peterson

Hello hello,

Unless your name is Molly Mae, Blake Lively or Katy Perry, it’s been a pretty quiet week. It’s August, people are away, we’re enjoying the last of the summer lull before September arrives with its new projects, fashion month, and all those post-summer chaser emails.

I wanted to use this time to talk about taking a pause on buying and wanting new things - something we can all benefit from being more mindful about. Plus, why the return of football feels exciting, and some great recs for your weekend.

We also have Arabella Peterson here to share her Hot & Not 🖤

Have a great weekend!

Holly x

P.s. if you enjoy the newsletter, the link to refer your friends (and get rewarded for doing so) is at the end of the email 🫶

During a time of ultra fast fashion and algorithm-fuelled microtrends, it makes sense that there would be a growing interest in buying less. We don’t have enough time (or money) to keep up, and constantly chasing new things makes us feel like we don’t have a sense of who we are at our core. See: all the chat this week about people moving from ‘brat’ to ‘demure’. (If you missed it, a new interest in looking and being “demure” comes from this video, which creator Jools Lebron defines as being modest, mindful and respectful, especially at work.)

The microtrend cycle seems to have slowed down lately - remember how quickly we jumped from cottagecore to fairycore to Barbiecore and beyond a couple of years ago - but moodboard and shopping inspiration content in this vein still persists. In response, more people have been talking about ‘underconsumptioncore’ online, which is exactly what you’d expect, pulling back against the need to always get new stuff. The ethos is spreading, too - this summer, “buy nothing” was the top trending trend on Google for a week in June, and search interest in “buy nothing groups near me” has nearly tripled.

It’s worth pointing out that some of the #underconsumptioncore content shows behaviours that are super normal: using all of a product before moving onto another, wearing shoes until they wear out, reusing sturdy shopping bags for other errands. But on the whole, this concept pulls our attention spans away from lofty, expensive ideals, and down into the regular conditions of our lives. It feels healthy. In a similar point of reflection on how much we shop and the things we decide to buy, I am reminded of this video, in which a girl admits that she “hates her Sambas now,” after mindlessly hopping on the trend.

@nuri_rstm

The video references the stylist Allison Bornstein, whose work offers a helpful framework against overconsumption. Bornstein is a real advocate for figuring out what you really like - her ‘3 word method’ is really popular and worth checking out if you haven’t already.

A recent Bornstein video offers a helpful counter to the “hate my Sambas now” dilemma – in it, she explains that it’s not specific pieces that are the issue, it’s how we style them. Like the white prairie skirts, which may feel a bit tired worn in the same way over and over again, but feel fresh and interesting if you layer them differently with a jumper or blazer.

@allisonbornstein6

#trendy #fashiontiktok #maxiskirt #fashioninspo #style #styletips #stylist

In a similar vein, I also enjoyed this recent issue of Anna Newton’s The Wardrobe Edit on things you can do with your closet instead of buying more stuff. Newton argues that the best way to resist the urge to spend is to organise your wardrobe. I couldn’t agree more — half the problem is the gap between the polished ideals we save on Pinterest and Instagram, compared to our messy drawers and overfilled cupboards that fail to show anything in its best light. I recently found a pair of shorts I had completely forgotten about in the bottom of my drawers, and styling them with a more recent t-shirt and this summer’s shell jewellery made them feel brand new. As we drift towards a new season, let’s not panic buy something we’ll forget about in a few months’ time, and instead start to organise for what’s to come.

Speaking of new seasons…

The Premier League is back today and while this isn’t a football newsletter, the joy of the Euros and the general interest in football in fashion recently has left me more excited than usual for the game to return.

This week, Adidas also announced new third kits for a range of European clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, and Real Madrid. The promo videos tapped football legends and actors of the moment to star in a set of short films that are genuinely worth a watch.

Barry Keoghan stars in the Manchester United one, with the sort of narrative that leaves you thinking stuff like “it’s cool to care about things and things really matter.” Watch it here:

Adidas tapped Will Poulter for the Arsenal video, playing a chef who introduces us to a range of pre-match traditions and fans of the club. Again, it reminds you that football is an excuse to have a thing to get dressed for, something to plan your meals around, an activity to pitch to your friends. Aren’t those our favourite things? The fact that there’s historic lore and contemporary drama around it all is just a bonus.

And finally…

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

• Katy Perry is in trouble for dancing on dunes without permission

• Kylie Jenner is on the cover of British Vogue’s September issue. She talks about postpartum depression and being a mother

• Ice Spice was criticised for showing ads between songs at her tour. End times…

• Kim K has signed a deal with Disney’s 20th Television to develop scripted shows. Here is what the first show will be…

• Addison Rae and Mel Ottenberg (creative director of the Diet Pepsi video) shared their references for the video

• Ilana Glazer shared that her pregnancy experience helped her realise she was nonbinary

• We might get a glimpse of new Rihanna music when the full J’adore Dior campaign drops

• Taylor Swift wore an outfit that her fans said would suit her back in March. Is she tuning into advice?

• And the British girlies turned up for Molly Mae this week after she announced her sudden split from Tommy Fury

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

Arabella is a writer, editor and film curator currently based in London. She has a weekly career(ish) newsletter called The Foreword, which you can sign up to here!

📺 Watching: Babes, the new film starring comedians Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau, which refashions your average romcom into a story about the complications of adult best-friendship. Come for the shroom trips with milk-projecting nips, stay for the warmly comic observations about womanhood and friendship.

📖 Reading: This difficult but important read on the life and death of John Balson, a true crime reporter whose work had a massive toll on his health.

Also this article about Phoebe Philo’s new label and the difficulties of running a startup. Shortly after reading I saw this tweet, which led me to the Glassdoor, which speaks for itself…

🎧 Listening to: Who Am I, the debut studio album from Trinidad-born, London-based musician Berwyn. ‘Neighbours’ is so good.

Callie foresees us turning towards savoury flavours when we opt for our next drink. Last year, Snaxshot predicted that the reign of sweet cocktails was coming to an end, with an interest in savoury flavours like chicken broth martinis and kale mimosas emerging. This week, Kin Euphorics (Bella Hadid’s drinks brand) launched their “Picklesecco,” hinting that we might be there. Are you down? 🥒

If you’d like to adopt Carrie 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, do refer them! 🥺

See you next week 💋