Welcome to Curated & Saved, a personal collection of things I’m loving right now.
Currently Consuming
📺Watching: The Bear (Season 4)
Reading took a little backseat this week as the heatwave set in and I decided to binge the latest season of The Bear. I know this show is a bit hit and miss with a lot of people, but aside from my own fascination with the restaurant industry and all the satisfying presentation of the food itself, I think my favourite thing about this series is the messy yet natural development of each character.
📚 In Progress: Mythica by Emily Hauser1, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
🎶Listening to: Virgin, Lorde
Aside from re-listening to a lot of Olivia Rodrigo, I did take some time out to work my way through Lorde’s new album and it’s safe to say I’ve had it on repeat all week.
I know comparisons to Melodrama feel cliche at this point, but it really does feel like the Virgin’s grown up older sister. Personal favourites are currently Broken Glass, Hammer, and Current Affairs. I think what’s so impressive about the album is the Lorde’s restraint. It’s only 11 songs and each one has some much space to breath. In a world of overly stimulating music and adrenaline inducing beats, it feels like Lorde is unafraid to pause, reflect and take her time.
🎭Watching: Back to the Future: The Musical
My partner got a hold of some rush tickets on a whim last Saturday so we escaped the heat and popped along to the Adelphi Theatre for a night at the theatre. Back To The Future is probably one of my favourite films of all time and holds a great amount of nostalgia for me, so it’s safe to say my expectations were high. I need not have worried. I think they did a brilliant job of adapting the movie for the stage! The few tweaks they did worked really well and felt like they were done in the spirit of the original movie itself. Caden Brauch was a wonderfully charismatic Marty (a hard feat to match up to Michael J. Fox) and his chemistry with Lee Ormsby (who was understudying Doc Brown) felt so wholesome. I was also pleasantly surprised with how well the new songs melded with the original score - unsurprising considering Alan Silvestri (who scored the original films) was brought back to work on the musical. Overall, it was a fun, feel-good evening out in the West End.
📱Scrolling through: Olivia Rodrigo at BST Hyde Park & Glastonbury
The post-BST Hyde Park concert blues have definitely hit this week. Luckily there are clips a-plenty all over socials of both BST as well as her headlining set at Glastonbury. I’m feeling incredibly smug at all the praise Olivia is getting for her Glasto performance. Despite her absolute superstar status I feel like the announcement that she was headlining definitely came as a surprise. But after finally witnessing her shining star power it’s hard to deny that she is one of our biggest and brightest popstars on the planet.
The Long Form
What is the future of art? (Answer in Progress)
I’m sure you don’t need another AI related video in your feeds but despite my aversion to this particular technological advancement, I do think its important to trying and think critically about its uses. Answer In Progress are one of my favourite YouTube channels and they recently posted a video about AI in relation to the value (and future) or art. I think Sabrina poses some great questions here about where we derive value when it comes to art (her exploration of how this is done in modern art is particularly interesting!). Ironically I don’t think there are any solid answers in the video, but as always I enjoyed thinking about the arguments both for and against the use of AI in relation to creativity.
The Backlist
Nikita Gill’s Poetry
After watching Nikita Gill expertly moderate V.E. Schwab’s event at Union Chapel I felt compelled to pick up her poetry again. I have a few Nikita Gill collections but as a Greek mythology girlie Great Goddesses is my probably favourite. I also remember just how comforting her words in Where Hope Comes From were during various stages of lockdown. If you haven’t read any of her work, I highly recommend delving in. I find her incredibly accessible even to those who aren’t poetry-heads like me!
On The Wish List
JW Anderson x Dior Book Tote
When fashion and books collide my ears certainly prick up! What can I say, I’m easily pleased and when Jonathan Anderson debuted his first collection as Creative Director at Dior I sat up and paid attention. There are some exciting pieces in the most recent men’s collection from the experimental designer, but I want to spotlight the bags. Notably the take on the iconic book tote…with literal book covers.
They remind me a little of the Olympia Le-Tan book clutches that were all the rage a while back. I am of course obsessed with the images of Rihanna carrying around a Dracula tote and equally excited to see what other books he’ll be taking on. There’s also a part of me that’s hunting for clues within the choice in books. Are they hints towards the feel of his debut womenswear collection for the brand?
Thanks for checking out this week’s Curated & Saved! I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you’ve got any hidden gems to share.
Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld, and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book