Loose Threads: March
A skydiving couturier, a 91-year-old painter wearing skate shoes, Comme conundrums and remembering Ryuichi
Happy April Fool’s Day! I’m currently deciding whether to get this Comme des Garçons skirt/jeans situation from ARO Archive’s annual sale. Please vote on the poll below:
Here’s what else I got up to in March:
Talking:
The main event was my event! I already wrote a whole newsletter about it, so just click that link if you want to hear more/ watch it back.
A few days later, I got my greasy paws on another mic, this time at Sarabande (the foundation set up by Alexander McQueen to support new talent). I was invited to interview the legendary Dutch couturier Iris van Herpen for their ‘Inspired’ series - we discussed skydiving (one of her hobbies) how she comes up with her futuristic ideas (she reads a lot of scientific books and doesn’t doomscroll) and whether she considers herself a feminist (yes).
We also released the final two episodes of the Beauty Briefing series I’ve been hosting and producing for Liberty. In episode 3, I chatted to the patron saint of scent Lyn Harris (of Perfumer H fame) and ex-Aesop brand savant Daniel Bense, founder of the Iliad-inspired To My Ships. Watch it here.
Episode 4 is a juicy look under the hood of how to build a beauty business (and how much it costs!) with Vanita Parti, Blink Brow Bar founder, and Charlotte Semler, co-founder of natural skincare brands Votary and Verden. Watch here.
Going:
I often describe myself as an ‘outside person’ because I’d probably go to the opening of a crisp packet if I was invited (maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s FOMO).
To kick off the month, I went to Brodie Kaman’s book launch - Brodie is a graphic designer whose work has appeared on album covers for everyone from Mark Ronson to Sega Bodega to Lady Gaga. The party was held at Unified Goods, a rare bookstore in Soho that also has some great vintage tees.
Afterwards, I pottered down the road to Dover Street Market for Stone Island’s launch with Dave. I forgot to take any pictures because I got completely absorbed in conversation with a Glaswegian florist about why Glasgow is so great.
One sunny Saturday I got the train to Margate, where I went to the opening of my friend Ezekiel’s new exhibition at Crate Space (remember this series we did together?) I also ate some delicious seafood at Dory’s, where the waiter sat us next to Tracey Emin. Need to see her show at the Tate.
Speaking of inimitable women artists, yesterday I peeled myself out of bed early for a breakfast at the Royal Academy, followed by a tour of their new Rose Wylie exhibition. Coincidentally, I first encountered her work at the Turner Contemporary in Margate (of which Tracey Emin is a patron - she’s originally from Margate) back in 2016.
I remember seeing a film of Rose talking about how she likes to dress - she often scrunches up newspaper and puts it in the shoulders of her jackets to give herself a more imposing shape. She also works in paint-splattered skate shoes, the kind I wore when I was 12 and obsessed with Avril Lavigne.
The show was spectacular - I love how random her references are. Nicole Kidman on one canvas, a gigantic omelette on the next. Flock Together founder Ollie Olanipekun was also there - naturally he enjoyed how many birds were in the paintings.
I also saw Ollie at my friend Dan Comrie’s dinner to mark 2 years of his consultancy (Dan and I met when he arranged my ToC episode with Raven Smith). I drank too many martinis and ended up at Ellie’s Bar, where Charli XCX went after getting married. Sign of a good time.
Continuining my relentless schmooze, I also attended Positive Retail’s event at their secondhand store in Dalston, in celebration of B-Corp month. I then headed over to newly-opened bookstore Studio Nocturne to raise a negroni for Camille Bidault-Waddington’s new book.
Titled ‘The Office’, it comprises a series of behind-the-scenes iPhone snaps, taken on shoots with some of the stylist’s longstanding collaborators, including former ToC podcast guest Larissa Hofmann.
Listening:
Ten years ago I got an email from i-D Japan, inviting me to interview the music icon Ryuichi Sakamoto. At the time, I didn’t even know who he was. Since that day, I feel like I’ve lived the story in reverse - Sakamoto keeps creeping into my life in different ways, always connecting me with interesting people and teaching me something new.
This time it was via an incredible documentary series called ‘A Century In Sound’, directed by New Zealand-born, Toyko-based filmmaker Nick Dwyer. I interviewed him for a piece on listening bars I wrote back in 2024, and afterwards he sent me the first episode of a 6-part series he’s been working on for over a decade, documenting jazz kissa culture in Japan.
Last week, he premiered the first 3 episodes as a film, and hosted a series of events and talks in various listening bars across London. I went to one at Jumbi (founded by DJ Bradley Zero), where Nick interviewed legendary producer Dennis Bovell about the album he made with Sakamoto, with particular focus on the track ‘Riot in Lagos’, which had a huge influence on electronic music. I also picked up a ‘Deep Dive’ zine on Sakamoto, created by DJ and mega-fan Anu. I’ve been reading it whilst listening to the accompanying NTS mix.
I’m also hunting for a gift link to read Jia Tolentino’s piece about Robyn and her new album, Sexistential. I love the creative direction by SJ Todd, definitely a talent to watch.
Reading:
“She’s a radical woman, you’ll like her” my godfather once told me, recommending a writer I might enjoy. He was right, I love radical women - especially those who write, and this month I read books by two of them.
The first was an advance copy of Lydia Pang’s new memoir Eat Bitter. It’s told via 8 recipes (mostly derived from her Chinese Hakka heritage) and it tracks the messy guts beneath her incredible career as a creative director and founder. I laughed and cried!
The second one I haven’t finished yet, but it’s Zadie Smith’s new essay collection ‘Dead and Alive’. Plenty of radical women in there - I particularly enjoyed the essays on Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, painter Celia Paul and Lydia Tàr.
I also enjoyed this quote from Martin Amis, describing his readers: “People who stare at me very intensely, as if I have some particular message for them. As if I must know that they’ve been reading me, that this dyad or symbiosis of reader and writer has been so intense that I must somehow know about it.” I’m sure that’s exactly how I’d behave if I ever met Zadie.
Wearing:
This Junya Watanabe SS13 skirt I got at one of my favourite secondhand stores in London, whose details I will one day reveal (behind a paywall).
Gifting:
Perhaps this section feels gratuitious or braggy, but I’m lucky to get sent some good stuff from brands (I always refuse things I wouldn’t genuinely wear or use - like the slimming swimsuit offered to me recently. Read the room!) I want to be transparent about getting it for free, but I also want to show you the things I like. So here goes, hope you don’t hate me.
A slinky, skin-friendly black dress from Sylva, who I first discovered when writing this piece about the growing trend for healing textiles.
My current pair of everyday black sneakers have air pockets in the sole. One of them burst, which means they now make a loud hissing noise with each step.
Luckily, Merrell came to the rescue with some aptly timed new shooz. They’re a bit like climbing shoes - the snug fit is very comfortable and makes me want to dart around like a ninja. Also when the side laces come untied, they don’t trip you up. Smart design for clumsy people! (me)
That’s all from me this month! Hope it’s sunny where you are. Feeling extremely lucky to be able to continue talking/ thinking about these comparatively trivial and joyful things when so many others don’t have that luxury right now.
Don’t forget to catch up on the Threads of Conversation podcast - previous guests include Lyas, Brenda Hashtag, Alexander Fury and Jessica Willis.
You can also find the podcast on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts and follow along on Instagram and TikTok. Subscribe below for more episodes, essays and interviews.
Last thing - what’s best/ worst April Fools you’ve seen today? Can be from a brand or a person.
A very good round-up, thanks for joining us at Positive Retail <3<3