Does fashion need TikTok, how important are routines, my favourite one-pot dinner, inside The Row's new store
And my genuine shopping wishlist.
I had the aim to write a short newsletter for this week to tide us over for the weekend — fun, quippy, varied! As I wrote in my Instagram Broadcast Channel (please join and comment when I open up the comment box — I’m experimenting if people are more into the IG one or the Substack one, let me know in the comments!), I used to be one of those smug people who used to be so proud of never getting sick, and now with a small child I have been mildly sick with the flu/cold for months but especially the last fortnight, so, I haven’t been as ONTO IT.
What’s to come: I am going to be doing a new content series next week about personal style. If you have any questions, queries, thought starters, again, please share in the comments below. There will be a lot for paid subscribers.
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EXPLORE: The Row’s new store in Amagansett
I know, everything is blah blah The Row blah blah The Row. I’m sick of hearing myself talk about it. But, it’s a thing, and it’s relevant, and fashion and the almost-mainstream’s obsession says something about ourselves.
I take it you’ve seen the ‘shop review’ about it from the New York Times with images by Theo Wenner, just casually.
The point of the store is the large selection of jewelry, home wares, snacks and skin care by more than 20 brands and artisans that are not the Row. Shampoo from Florence. Beaded necklaces from Greece. A mother-of-pearl caviar set. A bronze lighter carved to resemble tree bark. A packet of dried mango and a jar of raw almonds. Vintage glass candlesticks that can be purchased only in a set of a dozen for $16,000.
It’s sounding a bit like Apartment by The Line, which I was OBSESSED WITH. No, I could not purchase the furniture, but I bought the Khaite jeans there because you want to buy into the whole lifestyle. There’s not many stores like that in Australia, sadly. (If you know of any, please comment them below! Off the top of my head I’m thinking of Pan After and the Hub General Store, both in Melbourne.)
Habitually Chic has also got a Substack about it which I managed to view before it went behind a paywall — here it is.
COOK: Creamy beans with leek, mustard, tarragon, creme fraiche and crispy chicken
I am OBSESSED with this one pot dinner; I prefer making it in a cast iron Dutch oven because you can cook it in the pot, then chuck it in the oven. I’ve made it once a fortnight. It’s so easy and also kid-friendly. I love chicken thigh with bone, and I don’t ordinarily cook with tarragon but this has converted me.
LISTEN: Do you need a routine? With Angela Duckworth with Mike Maughn (Apple podcast link, Spotify)
I feel like when I include these sorts of recommendations in my newsletter, they don’t exactly… fly in terms of hits, BUT I really liked this one because it debunks the need for a consistent routine. I mean, it can help, but if you’re compelled to do something, you’ll do it anyway.
I don’t think I have an incredibly consistent morning routine. Obviously having a dependent means there must be some sort of structure ie I need to look after a small child who needs me — but sometimes I’ll make a coffee at home, sometimes it’ll be a matcha, sometimes I’ll buy one out, sometimes I’ll skip it all together. I don’t have a consistent exercise routine (and okay, that shows).
I’ve been getting asked by aspiring Substack writers how to make it happen. it didn’t happen overnight; I started it in 2021 and more or less wrote for it weekly, regardless if there were any readers or not. I liked doing it. I would still be writing it even if the only readers were my dad, my husband and a handful of friends.
I write how I speak to my friends and cover what I’m interested in: fashion, lifestyle, marketing, brand building, personal style, cooking, behavioural psychology, consumer behaviour, art, books. I’ve noted other Substackers come and go, with many of them going on extended hiatus because the discipline of regular newsletters is not for everyone, or have seen my work/style/coverage/mentions imitated, sometimes within a fortnight! Which is a form of flattery, I suppose, and I’m not reinventing the wheel because they could be getting inspiration from everywhere, but it’s still a bit weird when I see several of the same dots appearing, you’re naturally going to draw a line… In the end, I’d like to think originality is what makes one rise.
And in this podcast Duckworth mentions speaking to a friend of hers who is a prolific book writer on his morning routine — basically, none, but he just enjoys writing so much that he continues doing it. That’s me. And that’s how you get a good Substack. (I’m also naive in thinking if you do good work, readers will come, so I’m also not the best at the promotion part of it or advice on that, admittedly.)
READ: Does fashion need TikTok? By Alexandra Hildreth for Marie Claire US
In the peak of COVID and lockdowns (remember, I lived in Melbourne at the time so I know my lockdowns), I really got into TikTok. Like, seriously got into it; uploading dancing videos (which I’ve since removed because I REALISED HOW CRINGE) and watching it non-stop. I discovered fashion TikTok and was in awe of it; I loved how unvarnished and well, random it was. The unsolicited commentary. The brashness of it all, and occasionally, really interesting analysis on fashion.
Fashion TikTok has since, to put it politely, evolved. It doesn’t pull me in as much, because now it’s a whirlwind of creators trying to dub new trends or spruiking some terrible fashion hack in a bid to go viral. Ergh, the wish to go viral — as you may have gleaned from above, perhaps it rose-tinted glasses of me but I think something will go viral if there’s an authenticity to it and true resonance, not if it’s planned.
But this article goes into the consequences of what will actually happen to fashion if TikTok really did disappear from the US, undoubtedly one of its largest markets.
The potential ban raises numerous questions about how TikTok's absence will affect the industry. Namely, how will brands readjust to a new platform (yet again), where will all the content creators go, and what will happen to the trend cycle we've known over the last six years? As for the app's users who've found comfort within its virtual fashion communities, where will they turn to next for outfit inspiration and judgment-free style advice?
Puck News fashion reporter Lauren Sherman says, "[TikTok] has made it a lot easier for brands who have a lot less resources than big fast fashion labels to pick up on all of these micro-trends that have been officially named [by TikTok].” These independent brands that create for clicks, like the once-viral House of Sunny, would likely fall to the wayside without TikTok’s discoverability. No other apps have placed such a heavy emphasis on non-follower content and a primary explore page. According to Social Insider, even accounts with under 5,000 followers will reach peak discoverability 16 days after posting on TikTok, allowing a much wider reach than an exponentially larger audience than their Instagram's following.
Back in the day brands would be discovered on Instagram; I’m thinking of Glossier in the US, or even Self-Portrait in the UK. Nowadays it’s so much harder for brands to break through on Instagram, and I’m noticing that I’m finding out about new brands through TikTok like Queensland-based Arcina Ori, or beauty brand Youthforia.
As with everything, the industry will evolve, and there will inevitably another way for brands to make headway. It might not be Instagram; it could be something entirely new, or, revolutionarily enough, maybe not even a digital platform.
Some argue that TikTok’s format will inevitably carry over to another platform, but there’s little evidence to show that the same strategies—fashion hot takes, vulnerable vlogs, and daily coined trends—can strike twice on a different or existing app. “Instagram Reels is just as good for sharing runway videos, behind-the-scenes content, and fashion history,” says Timothy Chernyaev, a fashion stylist who shares criticism and runway recaps on TikTok. “But I think the comments section on TikTok is where trends [actually] start. A viral style post on TikTok can get thousands of comments, but on Instagram Reels, [the comments are] ads and spam.” To Chernyaev, Reels lacks the organic, community-centric user pool that's become instrumental to TikTok's unique success.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in branding, fashion business, marketing and/or internet culture.
SHOP:
With so many sales out there, even I’m overwhelmed. I’m a bit loathe to just recommend random stuff because you get enough of that with everyone trying to shill to get their affiliate links, so, instead I’m sharing you my genuine wish list.
If I was in the market for a new designer bag, it would be the Bottega Veneta Sardine. Yes, I am aware it has been out for a while, but I like to make sure I REALLY like it and I’m not just getting sucked into the hypey trend of it all. I watched a Dianna Cohen (of haircare brand Crowne Affair, which I bought when it first landed at MECCA just recently and love it, even though it is pricey) who bought a YSL Mombasa off The Real Real instead which is a similar look but for, well, a better price. It’s not a bad idea!
Here’s a YSL Mombasa from The Real Real.
Speaking of The Real Real, if you’ve been in my Instagram Broadcast Channel, you may have read that I’m just not into the current fashion around at the moment. It’s just a bit boring for me. I’m sad that Dries Van Noten will no longer be designing because there’s no one else making interesting, wearable clothes like him (I posted about this on IG, post below) so I’m trawling the internet for his vintage pieces. I’m drawn to the print of this Dries Van Noten silk printed dress from The Real Real but not sure if I can make it work — I think with the sleeves ruched up and maybe worn more open with a sheer black cami underneath and with shorts, it could work? Thoughts?
An incredibly price for a Khaite trench coat with faux fur, on The Real Real. Buy it so I don’t!
A
A mid-90s era suede Prada tote from Vestiaire. I like how there’s no distinguishable logo. I never get logos, unless it’s done in a humorous way. (I don’t find Jeremy Scott-Moschino humorous though.)
As above, I’m into a lush suede tote. This one from Yu Mei is nice — they’ve collaborated with Beare Park on some pieces too and there are some scrumptious suede ones.
WHAT I’ve just realised this P Johnson Femme windbreaker is sold out in my size!
Alimentari Goods
I can't stop thinking about "the shampoo from Florence" from The Row's new store. Does anyone know the brand?