It feels embarrassingly British to begin by talking about the weather, but summer is definitely over! In just a few days, the infamous London grisaille has returned. Last night I wore a jacket I haven’t touched since May.
I also got my first fashion show invite from a French comms agency, which can only mean one thing: The OOO season is drawing to a close, and its time for those Europeans to peel off their salty swimsuits and stub out their languorous cigarettes. Back to work, bébé!
As a swan song to the halcyon days of summer, here’s everything I got up to in August.
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Places I went
I began the month in Tbilisi, Georgia. I’d been wanting to go for years, and not just for selfie opportunities (although of course I took a lot of photos of things with my name on it). From a fashion perspective, I remember in my first job at Browns Fashion, we carried some great Georgian brands including Materiel and Aleksandre Akhalkatsishvili. David Koma is also from the region, as is Situationist. And of course, Demna.
The trip wasn’t very fashion-focused though - instead we spent most of the time exploring the city and its fabulous architecture. I’d read a lot about this in one of my favourite coffee table books, ‘Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed’, which documents many of the civic buildings which were constructed across the region during the Cold War period. To paraphrase the book’s introduction, Soviet architects were unable to study classical models, so instead they looked to space travel and sci fi for inspiration. This resulted in some completely unique buildings, which even today have an incredible retro-futuristic feel.
I did stumble across one great boutique, a shop called Archived where they had a lot of vintage Christian Lacroix, Chanel suiting, and then a smaller selection of 90s/00s favourites like Ann D, Marc Jacobs and Comme.
At the end of the month, I also visited my friend Leonie in Berlin. She took me to a cute store called RDV in Mitte where they stock Sari’s jewellery brand, Räthel + Wolf. I also discovered some beautiful ceramics by Jana Francke - the one below reminded me of the Comme des Garçons lumps and bumps collection.
I also caught up with photographer Bastian Thiery, who told me he was just starting to cast his 2026 ‘Dogs of Weserhalle’ calendar. I asked him what he looks for in his models and he told me: “First I‘m looking for that sparkle in the eye and dogs with an attitude. I also try to find a diverse range of dogs. But we believe all dogs are good dogs so it’s hard to make the cut.”
I also really enjoy Bastian’s newsletter, ‘Visions, Repetitions ’ where he talks through the process behind his creative projects.
Whilst I really really want to gatekeep this one, in the spirit of this newsletter I must share one of the best archival fashion spots I’ve visited in a while. It was recommended to me by my friend Anna Santangelo, jewellery designer and person with the best taste ever (also archive fashion queen - you can shop her finds via Hot Dips).
The store is called Pineapple Factory Express. Only four people are allowed in at one time, and you can’t take photos. I wasn’t intending to shop, but two pieces stole my heart - a chunky cropped Yohji knit and a technical jacket by Marithé + François Girbaud. I convinced myself they were winter essentials, and walked out with both. It helped that they also had a copy of Christian Stemmler’s book on their shelf - a sign, surely?
A weird trend I noticed
I know I’ve featured a lot of pregnant women on 3 Minute Threads lately, but I also keep seeing fake pregnancies everywhere…
First there was Anitta’s music video for her song ‘Sao Pãulo’, then FKA twigs pulled a similar stunt for her new video. I also spotted one on Jordanluca’s feed, followed by Anna Malygon’s Britney-esque take. Then there was this weird wedding picture on Artifaxing and MSCHF’s teaser for their latest artwork. I know there’s a think piece in here (I just don’t have time to write it… yet.)
Where I partied
Anyone who knows me knows that nothing makes me happier than setting my nearly-6-foot-2 of limb loose on a writhing dancefloor. For anyone keen to dismiss club culture as simply a sport for hedonists, I encourage you to read Sharmadean Reid’s essay about why these spaces and communities are so important. (Whilst you’re at it, why not listen to her Threads of Conversation podcast episode?)
One of my favourite New York DJs, Akanbi, played an amazing set at the Colour Factory in Hackney Wick. He also runs a party called Groovy Groovy which has a great logo and merch. I got these shorts:
I also returned to a festival I went to last year called Field Manuevers, whose tagline is ‘worst rave ever’ (lol). It’s always the best for costume-watching - and I’m not talking the kind of unicorn-coded Coachella glitter girls or Burning Man Mad Max cosplay.
FM’s outfits are hilarious, silly and above all, completely committed. One group all dressed as Transport For London staff, including custom hi-vis. I also saw a guy dancing in a full nightgown and matching nightcap, inexplicably holding a giant spoon, plus a girl wearing a bra and earrings made of a desktop keyboard. My favourite surprise was meeting Dale, who recognized me from this newsletter I wrote last year. Long live the Threads of Conversation meet cutes!
Honourable mention to a super chic new clubhouse bar, Roses of Elagabalus, where I caught up with fellow Substack gal Panayiota Soutis. She writes a great newsletter called ‘The Goal is to Eat’ full of juicy gossip about the intersection of fashion and food. I sipped a dark chocolate cocktail and tried some tomato and olive oil ice cream from the BaoBae pop-up.
Speaking of food and fashion, I also attended the opening of MØRNING’s new office space, which was catered by Nil Mutluer aka. HealGoblin (regular readers will also recognize the work of MØRNING mother Lydia Pang). Nil served us a suitably glamorous, gothic affair, documented beautifully on her Instagram here. By the time I arrived, the spread had been demolished - which kind of made it even better?
What I read
I wrote these reviews on my Instagram and saved them in the ‘BOOKS 2024’ highlight. But if you have really good eyesight then I’ve screenshotted them below!
Outline by Rachel Cusk:
Orbital by Samantha Harvey:
What I watched
On Friday night I ordered a pizza and watched Tom Ford’s 2009 directorial debut, A Single Man. My friend described it as ‘architecture porn’ and she was right. Here’s an article about George’s insanely beautiful mid-century house.
Meanwhile, I got her up to speed on last year’s Tom-Ford-the-brand /creative director tea. In short, when Tom Ford announced he was retiring from fashion to focus on film, he promoted his long-time design director Peter Hawkings to lead the brand. Hawkings had spent 25 years as Ford’s right hand man, and so it felt like he was the natural heir. But alas! Never a dull moment in fashion land. After less than a year, Hawkings was ousted, and now Haider Ackermann has taken his place. Rumours started swirling when Tom Ford showed up at the 2024 Met Ball wearing Saint Laurent by Antony Vacarello, instead of Hawkings’ design.
Projects I worked on
Most excitingly THE NEW SEASON OF THE THREADS OF CONVERSATION PODCAST!! First episode drops tomorrow, I really hope you love it. All episodes will be video (unless I run out of money in which case they will go back to being audio, hehe. Email me if you want to sponsor the pod! georgia@threads-of-conversation.com.)
I also spent the summer running around London with the Liberty’s iconic Beauty Advent Calendar, creating a teaser campaign ahead of the official launch. The calendar needs time off, just like the rest of us, so we captured it making a splash at Tooting Bec Lido and rowing in Battersea Park. Stay tuned for more…
The final major project I completed this summer sits closest to my heart. My brother and I spent months planning a very special evening for my beloved godfather, an actor and director called Giles Havergal.
From 1969-2003, Giles was the artistic director of one of Scotland’s most legendary theatres, The Citizens in Glasgow. There, he was part of a creative triumvirate which included designer Philip Prowse and playwright Robert David MacDonald. The productions they put on were radical, stylish, and daring. The trio were renowned for their reinvention of classic European plays and their spectacular costumes and stage design - all of which they executed on a limited budget.
The evening was a celebration of Giles’ life and work. My brother and I interviewed him on stage for an audience of friends, colleagues and fans, and Giles also performed monologues from two of his most famous shows. Even aged 87, he still had us in the palm of his hand.
The evening was not intended to be a living memorial for Giles, but tragically that is how it will be remembered. Whilst I was in Berlin, I got the news that Giles had died suddenly, just a few weeks after the event. Needless to say I was, and am, devastated. Giles was a central character in my life - witty, stylish, charming and inspirational beyond measure. Whilst no words can do him justice, I would encourage you to read the two brilliant obituaries published this week - the first in The Guardian, and the other from The Scotsman.
Here is a photograph from that evening:
I suppose it makes sense to briefly touch on what we are wearing, as each outfit has a story to tell - that is the ethos of this newsletter after all.
My brother Ivo is dressed in orange, because he is a comedian, and his new show (debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival earlier this month) is called ‘Orange Crush’. As part of the bit, he began wearing exclusively orange clothes in the lead up, and even dyed his hair. When I asked him if he was planning to wear orange to Giles’ event, he said “yes, but a more muted orange”. I think he looks great, but he regrets not letting me steam his shirt before the show.
As for me, I wanted to do justice to the Citizens’ legacy, particularly designer Philip Prowse’s fabulous costumes. I wore a satin Zac Posen jacket that I’d bought at Beacon’s Closet in New York earlier this year, paired with a Roland Mouret pencil skirt I got at a secondhand market here in London.
The outfit was a nod to The Citizens’ famous 1970 production of Hamlet, which caused a huge uproar, horrifying and delighting audiences in equal measure thanks to its nearly-nude, all-male cast, homoerotic undertones, and its seductive stage design, made entirely of black parachute silk.
As for Giles, he looks crisp and dapper as ever. Perennially chic, never overdone, always the most elegant and interesting person in any room. Just as I will always remember him.
Start your own Thread
What did you get up to this month? Let me know in the comments.
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Yay! And gassed for the pod
So nice to see you xx