Pardon my mini hiatus… I just haven’t felt moved to write anything recently. Even with huge events in fashion that normally spark blog after blog like red carpet season, resort shows, the Met, the Devil Wears Prada 2, yet… nothing.

Until SS26 by Charli XCX, a brutally honest and serious take on the state of the world from the lens of fashion. A song documenting how it feels when what used to be the spark of life for creatives now feels like a commercial and capital stunt before anything. Exactly what we don’t need in the current state of the world. When it feels like the world is ending how can we focus on making art and focusing on what used to be an outlet, a form of expression and sanctity, instead of just getting through each day and staying afloat.Until SS26 by Charli XCX, a brutally honest and serious take on the state of the world from the lens of fashion. A song documenting how it feels when what used to be the spark of life for creatives now feels like a commercial and capital stunt before anything. Exactly what we don’t need in the current state of the world. When it feels like the world is ending how can we focus on making art and focusing on what used to be an outlet, a form of expression and sanctity, instead of just getting through each day and staying afloat.

“nothing’s gonna save us - not music, fashion, or film”

music: We’ll circle back…

fashion: This might just be a personal take, but this year’s met gala had very little lasting emotional impact on me in comparison to last year’s. Don’t get me wrong there were some beautiful looks and art pieces done by many designers, but as a whole I didn't get the same feeling as I did from Superfine last year. I wasn’t emotional, I didn’t want to scream from the rooftops how good Zac Posen, and I wasn’t left thinking about the looks for weeks on end while admiring what a beautiful and touching space the fashion world CAN be. It just fell short.

film: Now there have been many releases in the film sphere of course, but the most relevant and most anticipated for me was a 20 year return to Runway Magazine. With The Devil Wears Prada being one of my favorite movies of all time, The Devil Wears Prada 2 was probably my most anticipated sequel ever. Especially having recently moved to NYC to work in fashion, I was over the moon to be able to watch the sequel now living the life I’ve always dreamed of. It held so much promise and hope and joy but fell short in so many ways. While the cute fashion montages and the original cast return all made me giddy, the overarching story and theme lacked the depth it needed to be able to assuage the message they were fighting against. One that hits a little TOO close to home as a creative in fashion.

music (circling back): Now here’s where I think Charli may have proved herself wrong. This song in and of itself I think is what might save us. Or help us feel like it at least. Charli’s serious take on being vulnerable and open about how what we usually turn to for our inspiration, joy, and an escape can feel lackluster and superfluous when everything feels like it’s going up in flames and a doomscroll awaits you every time you check your phone stopped me in my tracks. She put exactly what I’ve been feeling and simultaneously suppressing just to keep going on a daily basis into a deep, evocative, and addicting song that I can’t stop listening to. Just feeling heard and seen and like I'm not the only one feeling like the faith in what has always been a guiding light for me is slipping was what I needed to wake up and really sit with it.

Turning your back to one or the other isn’t the answer. I think in times like these, the worst thing we can do is live in the belief that everything is hopeless and there’s no point in creating or doing what you’ve always loved and cared about because it now feels tainted by the modern plagues of society. It also isn’t right to completely ignore a chaotic and scary world scape we find ourselves in and focus entirely on a fake dreamscape we create. We can’t live in one sole reality, we need to find a mix of both, art as a meaningful and deep form of expression that still feels grounded in reality. Find what moves you and makes you feel something whether it’s hope, vulnerability, or feeling like you’re not the only one feeling a certain way (like this song does for me). Those sparks of true feeling and emotion brought on by music, fashion, and film are what keep us going to create and share hope and at the end of the day are all we really have in the grand scheme of things.