Ladies and gentlemen … she got him. This weekend, Deuxmoi broke the news:
Doja Cat and Joseph Quinn are dating.
This is like when your most delusional friend actually lands the thing they’ve been making insane scenarios about. Or when the most embarrassing person you know pops up in a functioning relationship. This is proof that if they can do it, anyone can. And the lore with the pop hitmaker and the
Stranger Things star is so deep that I can’t help but wish this odd couple well.
If you aren’t chronically online with a brain that’s merely a Rolodex of pop culture facts (it’s getting to be a problem for me — my obsession with Deuxmoi’s Sunday Spotteds has eaten up years of my life at this point and don’t even get me started on my screen time), here’s the rundown on their lore — which started two years ago.
It might seem like a millennium has passed since the last season of the
Netflix smash hitStranger Things dropped, but it's only been two years. With the season’s release, Quinn shot to popularity as the lovable outcast Eddie. Doja Cat was one of many admirers, brazenly tweeting that she thought he was “fine as sh*t.”
The since-deleted tweet is the first record of their courtship. It’s her version of Gatsby throwing a party in hopes that Daisy will attend. She was shooting her shot. It feels crazy that Doja Cat — a viral superstar who inspired a song by none other than other British heartthrob Central Cee — pulls the same tactics as I do by posting strategic Instagram stories. Celebs really are just like us.
However, for a minute there, it looked like the two would never get to this point. In her quest to get her man, Doja didn’t stop at a tweet. She slid into the DMs … of Quinn’s 17-year-old costar, Noah Schnapp.
“Noah can you tell Joseph to hit me up,” Doja asked Schnapp. “Wait no. does he have a gf?” Of course, as a 17-year-old, Noah Schnapp immediately posted this message on TikTok. Despite the familiar tone of her message, it turns out the two didn’t know each other at all — so why was Doja asking him for favors? And asking a teenage boy to be your matchmaker, especially one who barely had any scenes with Quinn, is a strange move — the things we do for love.
This weird moment obviously went viral and resulted in a short feud between Schnapp and the “
Say So” star. Doja accused the teenager of “bullying” her, calling it “degrading,” “exploitative,” and “super embarrassing.” However, after a few TikToks and livestream rants, Schnapp claimed everything was “all good” between them.
We all thought that was the end of it — until recently, when Quinn and Doja Cat were seen strolling arm-in-arm around London. Talk about the long game.
It seems the songstress has been cozying around with the Hawkins heartthrob for weeks. I mean, who would have thought that the brooding, mysterious Eddie Munson from
Stranger Things and the bold, boundary-pushing Doja Cat would make such an iconic pair? But you know what they say - opposites attract, and these two are proof that you can manifest anything.
Fans have even started referencing that original tweet to manifest their own dreams — from other celebrities to jobs and even “Mike Faist employment” by calling them “fine as sh*t.” If it worked for Doja, universe, just know I think a
Challengers sequel would be fine as sh*t.
A London boy and a pop princess, coming together to create pop culture magic — we’ve seen this story before. Let’s hope this pairing lasts. But even if it doesn't, the two have started a movement that the internet is calling “
London Boy Fall.”
From Tom Holland and Zendaya to Olivia Rodrigo and Louis Partridge — plus Gracie Abrams and Paul Mescal (yes, we know he’s Irish but the two have been cozying it up around London) — I’m looking up flights to London as we speak.
What’s next for the two stars, time can only tell. Quinn is about to set off on his press tour for
Gladiator II (and filming Stranger Things 5, I hope), but the two of them are enjoying a London summer while ushering up London Boy Fall.
Blake Lively has managed to pull off the impossible. It used to be rare for a television star to make the crossover to movie stardom. From George Clooney to Will Smith, few actors in the 90s pulled off that feat. And while it’s a bit more common now, only a select group have soared from teen drama to A-List status.
In recent years, we can point to stars like
Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Charles Melton as proof that there’s life beyond the soapy high school drama. But let’s be honest: they’d be nothing and nowhere without the original cast of Gossip Girl.
The 2000s drama was ahead of the curve. Shows like
Succession and White Lotus have taken up its mantle by commenting on the lives of the elite from the inside but those prep school kids blazed the trail. And leading the pack, forever changing what we think of Grand Central Station, is Blake Lively.
Decades later, she’s still on top. She’s a beloved A-Lister with an enviable marriage, an even more enviable friend group (Taylor, if you’re looking for more besties look no further), and a thriving career.
But how did she go from preppy headbands to Hollywood royalty? And, even more recently, why does her career feel like it’s always on an insane upward trajectory? Especially when, if we have to admit it, she’s not the
greatest actress around. Likability and beauty can get you far — but Blake’s career is astounding. Is she really all that or is she just... really pretty?
Blake Lively's Rise to Fame
Before she was Blake Lively: Hollywood Icon™, she was still the coolest girl on our screens. Her role in
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was pivotal for millennials everywhere. Alongside America Ferrera (Hey Barbie!), Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, this ultimate girl gang rivaled her current Swift squad. We all wanted to be them. We all wanted to wear her pants.
She retained that mantle of being unattainably cool in her pivotal role:
Gossip Girl.
As Serena van der Woodsen, Lively became the ultimate It Girl. Just like her character, she was the epitome of elite 2000s girlhood. She was like Paris and Nicole with an old-money sophistication. She was all bandage dresses and blowouts both on screen and off. Who didn’t try to recreate at least one of Serena's outfits — and with disastrous results! — in the show’s heyday?
Post
Gossip Girl, Blake faced the stingy choices available to young female stars once their adolescent drama rolled its final credits. For women, the desire to grow up in the public’s eyes leads to a string of sexualized roles. Or, the need to branch out manifests in less-than-successful career pivots — sorry to Leighton Meester’s one song.
While Blake didn’t go any of these routes, she didn’t make the splash she yearned for, either. She did a string of subpar movies that are not worth the watch. She starred as a perpetually beautiful woman who didn’t age in
The Age of Adaline — kind of a reverse Benjamin Button except her biggest problem was staying hot forever. Then she starred in the clunky, Gone Girl-esque thriller A Simple Favor alongside Anna Kendrick. Though critics panned it for its nonsensical plot, confusing characters, and flat acting, it found cult fans on streaming and is even an iconic role for many fans — even recently announcing a sequel (we’ll get to that).
She also had forgettable roles as the hot love interest in films like
The Town, a cult Boston crime film for which she put on an okay Boston accent, and Savages, a movie recently revived by Netflix.
As her most notable works post
Gossip Girl, this isn’t the most robust resume. Yet Blake has retained A-List status. I wouldn’t call her an It-Girl, she’s not out partying or having abrat summer, but every time she steps out, she makes headlines. At this point, she’s known as much for her idyllic marriage with Ryan Reynolds and her friendship with Taylor Swift. Her daughter even has a feature in Taylor Swift’s “Gorgeous” — probably a bigger career credit than anything Blake has appeared in since Gossip Girl.
Meanwhile, many of her
Gossip Girl castmates have found success beyond the series. Penn Badgley stars as the creepy serial killer Joe in Netflix’s You. As one of the streamer’s biggest shows, Penn has been catapulted back into the hearts of audiences everywhere — even if his character isn’t the typical heartthrob. Chace Crawford is subverting his pretty-boy looks in The Boys on Amazon, another smash hit series. His character, The Deep, is disturbed and dumb, and played with a brilliant blend of criticism and compassion by Crawford, who doesn’t merely rely on his looks … though he definitely could.
Not to mention her
Sisterhood co-star America Ferrera starring in Barbie, the hottest movie of last summer, and being nominated for an Academy Award. Not her first award buzz, never forget Ferrera’s Emmy-nominated turn as Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty, one of the most addictive shows of the 2000s.
With everyone else in her orbit going on to transcend their roots and prove their actual talent, why hasn’t Blake done the same? And however has she managed to stay the most relevant? So the question is: Is she actually a solid actress, or are we all just distracted by how outrageously gorgeous she is? It's like when your crush says something and you laugh even though it wasn't funny. Are we all just crushing on Blake Lively?
Blake Lively Is The Queen of the Met Gala: Why did she skip Met 2024?
Testament to her enduring A-List status, Lively is one of the people’s favorites at The Met Gala, which she generally attends with her husband year after year. As one of the biggest and most exclusive annual events on the planet, only a handful of celebrities are invited to the Met steps each and every year. Blake is one of the lucky few.
Usually, the invite list is determined by who was most relevant that year. Whose press tour dominated culture and fashion headlines? What musicians were everywhere? Who were the industry It-Girls? Lively hasn’t fit that bill since the 2010s, yet there she is, smiling on the Met Steps each and every year.
It makes some sense when you consider how viral Lively’s looks go every year. She’s an easy muse — so designers never miss when dressing her. Therefore her absence at the
2024 Met Gala was remarkable. Many were hoping she’d revive the success of her most memorable gown from the Heavenly Bodies exhibit. But alas, nothing. Some speculated a falling out with Anna. Others, another pregnancy. Or was Blake finally just … uninvited?
Turns out, she was just busy being a mom and working on her various projects. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I heard this. What projects? Lively’s biggest projects are The Met and
Kansas Chief’s games. Sometimes I think she’s as much of a nepo bestie as Travis Kelce is a nepo boyfriend. But I recently ate my words. Blake Lively has a stacked Q2 — proving we too can finish the year strong even if we were lagging in the first half.
Blake's Been Busy: Everything Blake Lively has been up to in 2024
So what are all these projects Lively is so busy with? Surprisingly, a slate of blockbuster films and a brand new business. She’s already embarked upon various press tours, which is why she’s everywhere right now.
Her most prominent, and controversial, venture for the year: starring in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s blockbuster
It Ends With Us. This BookTok favorite is divisive to say the least. While Colleen Hoover’s genre of easy-to-read romantic fiction went viral, the literati aren’t a fan. The main point of contention: the writing is stinko. But to each their own. And on this particular book, Hoover’s critics are accusing of profiting from abuse and trauma because the film romanticizes an abusive relationship.
Yet, the power of BookTok compelled the studios to adapt this novel into a big budget movie starring Lively alongside Justin Baldwin, known for
Jane The Virgin. For a minute, thanks to last year’s succession of strikes, it looked as though the movie might be scrapped. Call it Lively’s luck, but production continued against all odds and here we are: moments away from its big premiere.
Watch the Trailer for It Ends With Us here:
But that’s not the only press tour Blake is on. She joined her husband Ryan Reynolds on the press tour for
Deadpool and Wolverine, even upstaging Reynolds and his co-star Hugh Jackman with her look for the final premiere.
Alongside Gigi Hadid, she appeared on the red carpet at
Lady Deadpool. Little did we know, this was a hint of things to come. In case you forgot (I definitely did) Lively had a brief role as Lady Deadpool in the canonically awful Green Lantern films. She kind of reprised the role as the voice of Lady Deadpool in this new movie — just one of many cameos and Easter eggs in Marvel’s latest bloated action flick.
When not campaigning for wife-of-the-year, bestie of the year, or promoting
It Ends With Us, she’s been filming the much-awaited sequel to A Simple Favor. She and Anna Kendrick have reprised their roles: mysterious Hot Mom (Lively, obviously) and Bored Mommy Blogger (Kendrick in an abundance of floral sundresses and wedges).
This sequel comes so long after the original because, despite the initial bad reviews, it found another life on streaming platforms. So, get ready to comfort-watch or hate-watch when it comes out — I'll be doing both.
But Blake isn’t only trying to pump some much needed life back into her acting career. She’s enetered her Business Mogul Era. She’s already founded the brands Betty Buzz and Betty Booze and now she’s branching into beauty. Known for her scorching flowing locks, why
wouldn’t she make a haircare brand?
The collection is called Blake Brown Beauty after her maiden name — which Reynolds joked he only just found out. Priced at $25 and under, Blake Brown Beauty is launching exclusively in Target to corner the affordable haircare market. The line consists of shampoos, masks and styling product. If there's one thing the world needs more of, it's celebrity beauty brands, right?
Promising to give the world that Blake Lively shine, the brand is a departure form many DTC celebrity beauty ventures, such as Cecred by Beyonce, Rate Beauty by Selena Gomez, or Hailey Bieber’s rhode. Instead, Blake is doing what she does best: going for mass appeal. It’s worked so far, might as well bet the house (or the hair) on it. But let's be real, unless her shampoos come with a personal stylist and a Hollywood paycheck, we might just be setting ourselves up for disappointment.
This approach is similar to another celebrity whose success Blake takes major cues from: Jennifer Aniston. Before there was Serena, there was Rachel. From inspiring trends to becoming the people’s princess, Aniston and Lively have a lot in common. Namely that they’ve built gigantic careers on an average amount of talent. Pretty privilege is really kind to some.
Now, I’m no hater. I love looking at beautiful people as much as the next person. But as we brace ourselves for a Blake resurgence, someone
has to say it: she’s prettier than she is talented.
The truth is, Blake Lively, like Jennifer Aniston, has found her niche. She's good at being likable, at being the girl next door (if the girl next door lived in a mansion and was married to Deadpool). And in Hollywood, that's a skill in itself.
So, is Blake Lively overrated? Maybe. Is she the second coming of Meryl Streep? Probably not. But is she good at what she does? Absolutely.
At the end of the day, Blake Lively is like that really pretty, really nice girl from high school who you want to hate but simply can't. She's not changing the world, but she's not trying to. She's just out here, living her best life, making us all wish we could pull off headbands and making Ryan Reynolds Instagram posts slightly more tolerable.
So here's to you, Blake Lively. You may not be perfect, you may not be revolutionary, but damn it, you're doing your thing. And sometimes, that's enough.
So while I won’t be tuning into her latest slate of films or buying her beauty brand, I’ll be enjoying her press tour simply for the opportunity to decide which of her looks hit, and which of them miss.
The first installment of Bridgerton Season 3 left me wanting. Namely, wanting more from Colin (Luke Newton), wanting more for Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), and wanting more groveling. Thankfully, part 2 delivered on all but the groveling — but I’ll take it.
SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this article contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3: Part 2
The moment the trailer for part 2 dropped, I set my hopes for the season on those final four episodes. After a lackluster start and the tepid union between the main couple — sorry, no amount of Pitbull could make that carriage scene interesting and no amount of charm could make that proposal romantic — the season was riding on its second part for redemption. But did it wholly deliver?
What promised to set the second half apart from part 1 was higher stakes. The season opened with an inexplicably still-lovelorn Penelope and hot-pirate Colin engaged in a Cyrano plot. Though it felt like lots was happening, none of it really moved the characters forward. Season 1 saw Simon wrestle with the weight of his father’s legacy while Daphne confronts the truths of life and marriage. Season 2 saw Anthony wrestle with the weight of his duty as Kate also wrestled with hers. While Penelope has the real challenge of trying to find a husband so she can escape her family, what does Colin want? To be a pirate? Even should-be momentous events like their first kiss did nothing to push them closer to each other.
Penelope remained cripplingly insecure, and Colin’s remained aggravatingly inept. There was the makeover — which didn’t really work on anyone but Colin — the useless courtship lessons — which also didn’t work on anyone but Colin — and the almost-proposal from Lord Debling to the tune of Nick Jonas’s “Jealous.” Yet, the characters never experienced any major growth in these moments. Penelope was once again crying because a man didn’t want her, and Colin failed to even risk telling her his feelings until after the ball. That Debling didn’t propose was just sheer Bridgerton luck, making it easy for him to propose to Pen competition-free.
With the marriage proposal secured, Penelope and Colin have to create a life together as a couple — with the secret of her authorly identity looming over them. Like the balloon in episode 3, this was surely going to go haywire. But, like the balloon in episode 3, I was along for the ride. Especially with the promise of a Lady Whistledown hunt spurred by Queen Charlotte herself.
Does Colin find out Penelope is Lady Bridgerton in Season 3?
Finally, Colin finds out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown in Season 3, part 2. But it’s not how Penelope wishes it to come about. After proclaiming all season that he despises Lady Whistledown and wants to see her pay for what she has said about his family (and a particularly cutting passage about his own transformation), Colin is thrilled at the prospect that someone will root out the writer thanks to the Queen’s challenge. But when he discovers his own soon-to-be wife is herself the scribe, he has an existential crisis.
Gone are his sanctimonious claims of concern for his family and the dignity of the Ton — or whatever. Poor Colin Bridgerton is just embarrassed his fiancée is a better writer than he is. Plus, since we’re primed to choose Penelope’s side, having known her secret for two seasons, Colin’s ire just doesn’t hit. Especially since it comes from a place of jealousy.
But this revelation does have one surprising consequence: how it changes Penelope. For a moment, it seems like Penelope is going to give up her column. “Women don’t have dreams,” says the iconic (for better or worse) Lady Featherington. “They have husbands.” So, while she didn’t cease her writing even when she lost her best friend and even when the queen was hunting her down, she vowed to stop for Colin — after all, wasn’t he her biggest dream?
But after speaking to Madame Delacroix, fellow girlboss and lowkey scammer (we have to stan), she realizes that Whistledown isn’t separate from her, it’s part of her. Not even a clandestine kiss with her husband-to-be can change her mind this time. So, instead of cowering in front of Colin after the Queen crashes their wedding breakfast, she refuses to give up.
This is the first time we see Penelope standing up for herself in real life, not just in her column. Prior to this, she oscillates between people-pleasing and lashing out in bitterness — a vicious cycle and a clear sign of low self-esteem. Now, she’s finally found herself. And she did it without Colin’s help.
While this season has its share of girlboss and Barbie feminism, this quiet change in our female lead is the most impactful moment of the season. Because it lasts. From this moment on, Pen metamorphoses before our eyes. More than her makeover in part 1, her self-acceptance and refusal to give up her identity even for Colin transforms her from a wallflower to the powerful, capable woman she’s been all along.
In this moment, I see a future for Pen where she is the “girl husband.” Colin might be a nepo-baby, but Pen is the one bringing home the bacon and clocking in with her column. She’s the problem solver. She’s the one with power and personality — something Colin lacks. Like Zendaya in Challengers, I picture her cradling Colin on her lap and telling him to step it up. I picture her leaving vicious — but loving — notes on his book. I picture her telling that man to stop whining and step it up. Quite simply: I picture her replicating Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) in her relationship with Viscount and Chief Simp, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). Girl husbands for the win!
How does Bridgerton Season 3 end?
Bridgerton Season 3, ultimately, starts and ends with a whimper. It feels like an unfulfilling heist movie, where the stakes are high, the expectations raised, but the characters get out fine without any surprises or obstacles. The show felt as though it was going through the motions: introduce a problem, have the characters fight, have them make up and make out, repeat.
Even with the introduction of actual problems, Penelope gets through them unscathed — with everything she’s ever wanted in tow. And, in the end, she achieves it simply by telling the truth … which she could have done the whole time? I do appreciate, however, the writer’s refusal to paint Penelope as a damsel in distress. Though Colin tries to save her, he fails. And ultimately, the biggest-best love confession in this season comes from her. “Just love me,” she pleads. Although personally, I’d rather fall to ruin than beg my husband to love me — but that’s just me.
In the end, Penelope fixes her problems and everyone else’s: she comes out as Lady Whistledown (happy Pride, I guess?), throws the fraud investigators off her mother’s scent, and prevents the ruination of the Bridgerton name. In a flash forward to a year later, she has a baby, Colin writes his book, and Lady Whistledown is allowed to continue in the light. Happy, yes. Boring? Also, yes.
What’s more interesting is the development of the secondary characters. As Polin plods along, the other Bridgertons and members of the Ton grow more rounded as characters than the season’s protagonists. While all these extra storylines felt like distractions in the first half of the season, in the second half, they relieve the pressure off Polin’s lackluster love story and give us other characters to root for — or against.
Cressida’s arc from villain to sympathetic heroine to villain again makes me curious about what’s next for her. Eloise’s adventures in the Scottish Highlands promise to let her finally go beyond talk and actually live her life. Benedict really was having a jolly pride, and I am excited to see his newfound bisexuality explored in upcoming seasons. But I’m most excited for the invisible Bridgerton, Francesca.
After disappearing for most of the previous seasons, Francesca was a nonentity at the beginning of Season 3. Played by the exquisite Hannah Dodd, Francesca was constantly away visiting relatives in Bath and always playing that damn pianoforte. But over the course of the season, we watched her blossom from the Queen’s reluctant sparkler, waiting passively for an acceptable match, to standing up for herself and declaring her love for the equally awkward Lord Kilmartin.
And while some may be confused — does Francesca’s marriage in this Season mean she won’t have one on her own? — eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed the instant romantic spark with her husband’s cousin, Michaela. The introduction of another queer relationship is surprising and highly anticipated for many viewers. Especially fans of the book who might recognize this character as “Michael” in the Julia Quinn novels.
Bridgerton has already been renewed for Season 4. All that’s left to do is wait.
We’ve reached peak quiet luxury. Maybe that happened quickly, when influencers flooded the TL with that stunningly resilient trend striving to convince you that all you need to look like you stepped out of Succession was .. Zara? But now, with Stealth-Wealth and Recessioncore still topics of major interest, strange sartorial ephemera of the rich are emerging as piecemeal trends.
From tennis bracelets (and tennis, but that’s thanks to Challengers) to Van Cleef necklaces, it’s the details that become the most unlikely trends. But it’s all about how you wear them. When paired with Gen Z’s Y2K style, they become emblematic. When paired with a Zara set on a West Village girl, she’s taking it seriously.
But you’re not real if you’ve seen what I’ve seen: an army of Prep school teenagers carelessly tossing on jewelry that costs as much as their private school tuition merely to accessorize their school uniforms. And what shoes did they wear with those Spence skirts and Dalton blazers? Boat shoes, of course.
It’s an evil convergence. Prep’s stubborn return to the zeitgeist — Rowing Blazers, I’ll never forgive you — and Sofia Richie’s impact on the skyrocketing interest in Stealth-Wealth. This means people are hungrier than ever to take a peek into the lives of the rich — then steal into their walk-in closets as big as a football field and try on their clothes.
The Sofia Richie effect
It’s been a year since the iconic Richie-Grainge wedding that sparked the Gen Z obsession with old money. Since that year, we’ve slowly been creeping into territory that sends a chill down my spine.
At first I thought it was just one more microtrend. However, I was soon proven so wrong. Instead of moving on, people everywhere made Sofia Richie their style icon. For good reason — she’s a Virgo, her taste is impeccable. But just like fellow nepo-baby Hailey Baldwin-Bieber’s wedding, the stylish ceremony sparked a chain reaction I never could have predicted.
Let’s use Hailey as a case study. After she wore Nike Air Force Ones to her reception, the shoe was ubiquitous. Sorority houses didn’t know peace for years. And it didn’t stop there. Signature pieces of Hailey’s off-duty style became biblical references. Her leather jackets, baggy jeans, and Clean Look vibe were everywhere.
But once a Supreme dies, a new queen must take her place. Sofia Richie answered the call.
While her so-called “old money” looks are actually new — new and custom Chanel, she’s become the face of Stealth-Wealth. It’s worth mentioning that Sofia Richie is a nepo-baby whose money and prestige comes from her father, Black pop singer Lionel Richie. She’s not the old money heiress this trend is supposed to harken back to — which, to me, feels subversive.
Nevertheless, the masses are eating it up. Sofia’s transformation from trendy party girl to Stealth-Wealth wife and mother is inspiring to all of us. Though most will never grace the rooms with those who are decked out in Loro Piana and Brunello, we can wear a cashmere (blend) sweater and pretend.
This summer, the Stealth-Wealth status symbol is a surprising one: the boat shoe.
Why boat shoes?
Think about it: what says privilege like owning a boat and constantly sailing or a lake or on the sea? Boat shoes hint at an old-money lifestyle. They say you’re always prepared to be onboard a sailboat, yacht or sloop, that you have a tight jaw, and frequent clubs and restaurants that don’t allow sneakers, and you went to a prep school that has a biz-caz dress code.
I can tick the last box, which is why this trend makes me physically ill. At the sight of boat shoes — Sperry topsiders in particular — I’m transported back to high school. And no one wants that.
I can almost see the hoard of preppy kids in salmon garb and monogrammed backpacks, with their Sperrys as the cherry on top of their Brooks Brothers and Vineyard Vines outfit combinations.
Now, the fashionable set has appropriated the shoe. Pairing them with trendy prep-inspired brands like Rowing Blazers and Aime Leon Dore, they’re taking back Prep.
Unlike hipster yuppies who took over Williamsburg and Portland in 2013, this isn’t playfully-ironic. It’s serious. You’ll see boat shoes with summer dresses, Gen Z oversized denim, and carpenter pants. What an unlikely pairing — workwear and Prep, the opposite of workwear. Talk about high-low juxtaposition.
How to style boat shoes for summer?
If you’re planning on styling boat shoes for the summer, keep this in mind. Styling boat shoes correctly means achieving a balance between embracing new-age Prep without looking like a Prep school dweeb.
Do not go full quiet luxury with them. Put down the striped sweater and definitely don’t drape it around your shoulder. You’ll look like you’re cosplaying as someone in an ivy-league a cappella group.
Instead, pair unexpected styles and aesthetics with boat shoes. They’re this summer’s cowboy boot. You’ll see them with flowy white maxi skirts and threadbare vintage tees. You’ll see them with ripped denim and oversized pants. You’ll definitely see them at the US Open, but you’ll also see them in the club. Don’t believe me? If the office siren aesthetic made it to the club, so will this.
The one benefit of this trend: unlike many other microtrends, boat shoes are usually made to be worn to death. They’re practical, comfortable, and easy to slip on while still being dressy. They’re a less casual option of Birkenstock Bostons and a counterpart to the loafer trend. No wonder Gen Z-loved brands like Miu Miu made their own and Saks is selling their distressed leather boat shoes for $925 a pair! Outrageous.
As they grow more high fashion, it’s a clear sign that boat shoes are here to stay. But they’re not your grandmother’s boat shoes, not my prep-school nightmare. They’re something else entirely. It just depends on how you style them.
Whether you’re in love with quiet luxury or eager to experiment with the next trend, you can wear boat shoes with any aesthetic. I just won’t be joining you. God forbid, if LL Bean boots are in for fall, I’m abandoning everything and giving it all up for a beige capsule wardrobe.
For now, I’ll watch timidly as everyone dons a shoe I disavowed in my youth — and they’ll look good while doing it.
If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s a film with a love triangle. We’ve tirelessly argued over Team Edward versus Team Jacob, Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, Team Stefan or Team Damon, Team (insert attractive young male star) or Team (insert second attractive young male star).
So, when Luca Guadagnino’s latest homoerotic cinematic masterpiece —
Challengers — debuted, you knew the world would be hooked. Not only does Challengers offer up steamy scenes, but it includes a recipe for instant success: Zendaya as the female lead, and two rapidly rising young leading men — Josh O’Connor (Patrick Zweig) and Mike Faist (Art Donaldson) — for the world to fawn over.
Yes, it’s Zendaya’s time to be the
villain as Tashi Duncan — although the internet’s still debating whether she’s a feminist icon or just plain evil. Already receiving high praise as one of the best movies of 2024 so far — our review was pretty glowing, too.
But I couldn’t help but notice that
Challengers solidifies a major shift in the fashion trendscape. Zendaya and her stylist — Law Roach — are known for their emblematic looks that set trends for the following year — and years to come. The verdict is in…luxury athleisure has never been more popular.
Similar to
Quiet Luxury made popular by shows like SuccessionSuccessionand It-Girls like Sofia Richie, luxury athleisure gives a money vibe…without the display of labels. Challengers is all about looking like an old-money tennis pro.
Zendaya’s been delivering some killer serves (get it?) in the name of
Challengers and Tashi Duncan lately…so she’s our resident style icon for building your luxury athleisure closet.
What Is Luxury Athleisure?
The ultimate goal in fashion of late is to look effortlessly sophisticated and filthy rich, without screaming that you’re trying too hard. That means an emphasis on quality and durability as well as an absence of logo and branding. Black and white color blocking is back in a big way, as are neutrals.
You must don luxury athleisure as if you’re an off-duty professional athlete. But only an athlete in an elite sport like tennis, horseback riding, or something posh like croquet.
It’s about that sweater tied over your shoulders and the wide headband pushing back your blowout. The polo shirt and the pleated skort. Tube socks and crisp whites. Getting the picture?
You see luxury athleisure outfits throughout Zendaya’s
Challengers press tour, with clean girl tennis skirt sets and bouncy ponytails. You can perfectly picture her as Tashi Duncan but also catch a glimpse of how to achieve the luxury athleisure trend yourself.
Zendaya’s Challengers Style
The
Barbie movie emphasized how fun it can be — and good for ratings — when the lead actress cosplays her character — Tashi Duncan — for press shoots. Margot Robbie constantly churned out Barbie look after Barbie look for every premiere, press opportunity, and awards show.
So when Zendaya followed suit and debuted Tashi Duncan-esque fits…we
knew we had a hit on our hands. Some of the style is a literal homage to the sport — tennis ball Loewe heels paired with a custom Loewe V-neck bedazzled dress…or a Thom Browne gown with racquet appliques.
But her other appearances alongside Tom Holland at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells or the Monte Carlo Masters give us insight on the ultimate Tennis-Core closet.
Many of her looks are reminiscent of the 50s and 60s fashion that’s growing ever-popular this
spring. Hoop skirts and Jackie O inspired skirt suits have been stellar on the press tour. And then there’s the power jumpsuits that are the epitome of office chic.
And it’s not just Zendaya who has leaned into Tennis Core…it’s one of
Taylor Swift’s go-to style moments. TheTortured Poets Department singer loves a good pleated skort…and she’s well known for her cardigans.
In short, Tennis-Core is a mix of Taylor Swift, Zendaya — esp. in
Challengers — and Sofia Richie’s style all-in-one. It’s about looking luxurious while being comfy. It’s to convey a highly active lifestyle that pays well. It’s to convey an air of money.
What You Need To Dress Like Tashi Duncan
So now that we want to dress — and live? — like Tashi Duncan, it’s important to emphasize elevated basics that will last you a few years. Luxury athleisure isn’t about fast fashion, it’s about high-quality, luxe materials.
If you want to embody the baller that is Tashi, here are the items you simply
must have in your closet.
Cable Knit Sweaters
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If there’s one staple item you need to complete the #TennisCore trend, it’s an oversized cable knit sweater. Nothing says old money quite like a collared cable knit. It’s giving “I know how to sail my father’s yacht…and I weekend in the Hamptons.”
Zendaya pairs the cable knit with a white maxi skirt…but these seriously go with anything. I like to combine the classic chunky sweater with a pair of wide-leg linen trousers.
While you don’t necessarily need a notch neck collar in your cable knit sweater…it’s essential for a luxe athleisure look. And luckily, a lot of athleisure brands are throwing collars on dresses, crop tops, and more.
I’m a fan of the oversized collared shirts that you can pull on at any moment.
If you’re a Swiftie, you know that a pleated skort is Taylor’s go-to. For someone with long legs, nothing shows them off better than a skort with some detailing.
Everyone is on the pleated skort trend lately, so you better not miss out.
Skorts also solve the problem of accidental indecent exposure that skirts pose. With comfy shorts — and often a handy pocket — underneath, you’ll never wear a real skirt again.
This is all about accessorizing. Thick, sporty headbands are in — hello
Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf. And, yes, I think the headband is a marvelous alternative to pulling your hair back with damaging elastics or claw clips.
But the headband isn’t the be-all and end-all. Mules and Mary Jane flats have come back to add a preppy flare…what’s next? Sperry’s?
If you want a few preppy accessories, here are my picks:
Let’s be honest. These two brands dominated the court in
Challengers. If it wasn’t a Loewe look, the actors were sporting Uniqlo. And the good news is that Uniqlo is super affordable.
If you need some UNIQLO moments, here are the best luxury athleisure pieces:
It’s been a fun and flirty few weeks for film releases. Last year’s surprise summer romance Anything But You finally came to streaming and is sitting pretty on Netflix’s Top 10. Zendaya and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers is all sweat, sex, scorn, and some truly fine tennis — no wonder it’s the number-one movie at the box office.
And now, the long-awaited Amazon Prime Video drama
The Idea of You is finally-finally out...and the internet can't get enough.
After months of promo — and
a viral trailer that garnered over 125 million global views across all social media platforms, breaking the record for the most watched trailer for any original streaming movie — Anne Hathaway’s turn as a single mother who falls in love with the most famous popstar on the planet is. Finally. Here.
Any clip of the film reveal what’s at its core: sizzling chemistry, Hathaway’s unfailing charm, and a sudden tenderness that reveals that The Idea of You is not just one more spicy mommy movie (sorry, Fifty Shades of Grey). It’s a character study of Solène, Hathaway’s character, who turns 40 and is a woman in search of herself. Where does she find herself? In the arms of a 20-something-year-old rockstar based loosely on Harry Styles.
Is The Idea of You based on a true story?
Directed by Michael Showalter,
The Idea of You is based on Robinne Lee’s best-selling novel of the same name. The book’s now cult-like devotees slowly but surely gained momentum. The novel found a feral fanbase during those cold and lonely months of the early pandemic when everyone had the “Watermelon Sugar” music video on repeat simply to recall what outside air and human touch felt like.
But the book initially published way back in 2017 — doesn’t that feel like the Paleolithic Era? — just about a month to the
day after Harry Styles released his debut album. This is significant because, in the years that followed, the book seems to predict certain events and themes in the popstar’s relationships — specifically his headline-grabbing love affair with Olivia Wilde.
The pretty much predictive elements of the book are proof of why Lee’s novel is so compelling. It’s not just about the fantasy. And it’s not, she insists, a fan-fiction — though she has admitted it’s based on Harry Styles as well as Prince Harry and Eddie Redmayne … interesting mix. It’s about love. It’s about women. And it’s about coming of age or coming into your sexuality, at a time when society has put you on the shelf.
Is The Idea of You good?
The
Idea of You is bringing back the rom-com. Watching the film, I couldn’t help but say aloud: “we’re so back.” From a classic awkward-but-charming meet-cute to the sexy montages of relationship bliss set to upbeat music, The Idea of You does everything you want a rom-com to do. And because it’s been so long since we’ve seen a high-budget romantic comedy of this caliber — with Anne Hathaway no less! — it doesn’t feel trite, it feels refreshing. Invigorating. Addictive.
This is due in no small part to the stunningly sensual performances by Hathaway and her leading man, Nicholas Galitzine (
Bottoms and Red, White, and Royal Blue), who plays Hayes Campbell. Hathaway raves about her co-star's ability to create chemistry with anyone. So, paired with an Oscar-winning actress, of course, the sparks were flying.
If you didn’t believe in the characters' chemistry, the film would fall apart. The tension between them must be strong enough to withstand a world tour, societal judgments, and Sol’s own self-doubts. And this pair delivers. As you watch, you’ll fall in love with Galitzine, too. In interviews, he’s got the same quintessential British charm of a young Hugh Grant. On-screen, he’s every bit the magnetic rockstar that easily packs a stadium full of girls hoping to catch his eye and his heart.
For her part, Hathaway plays the somewhat farfetched role with grounded authenticity. She’s not the typical someone who gets swept away by this young rockstar. She’s a complex character who allows herself to take a risk. To meet her complexity, Galitzine has to imbue his own character with far more than rock’n’roll, fake tattoos, and that one little earring. He crafts exactly the kind of dream boy you hope is underneath your fave heartthrobs. Sensitive and boyish, but full of depth, Galitzine’s Hayes Campbell plays perfectly against Hathaway’s Solene —
literally.
I get what Anything But You is trying to say — but did it get there?
For what it is, this film is spectacular. Give it a Teen Choice Award, a People’s Choice Award,
and a VMA for the promotional August Moon visuals. It’s certified Fresh with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. For too long, the genre’s been handed paltry budgets for trite storylines and left in the dust. But after years of being underinvested in and undervalued by the gatekeepers of cinema, The Idea of You proves why we should bet on character-driven movies about women.
Though we still adore many of those heroines from the rom-com heyday — that includes Anne Hathaway as Andy in
The Devil Wears Prada or The Princess Diaries — there’s one notable difference between this story and the films of yore. Our protagonists’s age.
Despite Hathaway’s youthful appearance, Solène isn’t just some ingenue. She’s not a 20-year-old trying to make it in the big city. She’s not a naive Manic Pixie Dream Girl from a small town whose purpose is to introduce all the beauty in the world to a jaded man. And she’s certainly not a corporate Girlboss who just needs a man to show her there’s more to life. No, Solène’s a divorced mother and gallerist who is on her journey to self-discovery.
We meet her as she’s embarking on a camping trip in an attempt to find herself in nature. But when that camping trip morphs into a chaperoning expedition to Coachella, Solène is thrust into the giddy world of being a rockstar girlfriend for a man more than 15 years her junior.
Anne Hathaway says this age dynamic is part of why she wanted to take on this role. Some skeptics have asked why Hathaway is already being relegated to mom roles or why she took on a fluffy film, the hidden complexity is what drew her to it.
“For some reason, we talk about coming-of-age stories as being something that happens to you in the earliest part of your life, and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I keep blooming,” Hathaway said at the film’s
SXSW premiere.
Indeed, the film focuses on Sol’s age from many different angles. There are the establishing shots of Sol forced to make lackluster conversation with men her age at her birthday party. There’s her toxic dynamic with her ex-husband and the sense that she’s trying to emerge whole from the shell of a bad marriage. There’s of course, the contrast between her teenage daughter (Ella Rudin) insisting she’s too old for the group August Moon while Sol herself has a steamy affair with its lead singer. But most of the focus on her age is external.
The Idea of You tackles society’s expectations and constraints of middle-aged women. It parrots back outdated attitudes slamdunk debunks them — by showing you that Sol is still sexy, thank you very much.
While looking like Anne Hathaway and being attractive to a 24-year-old shouldn’t be the metrics for one’s worth, they don’t hurt. But in Sol’s case, we don’t see much of her personal development beyond this brief tryst. What we do see, is the people in her life grappling with the external pressures thrust upon them by hyperbolic headlines and social media abuse.
“It’s because you’re a woman,” Rudin’s character plainly states. Yet, the film doesn’t get more nuanced than that. But does it have to? After all, we’ve seen this familiar trope play out in real life. Namely, with Olivia Wilde during the
Don’t Worry Darling press tour firestorm. And I worry any further extrapolation would have resulted in a Barbie-type monologue.
At its core,
The Idea of You is a step above fan-fiction but it achieves what the best fan-fics do: validate your fantasies. It says, hey [your name], you, too, deserve love. Love in this case is the attention of a Coachella performer (Sabrina Carpenter, call me), but it’s also the belief that you’re worthy of that attention. And watching that sort of lavish affection bestowed on a woman over 25 on screen is refreshing and thrilling.
Even more, it’s proof that the female gaze is ruling cinema and it’s here to stay.
How to watch The Idea of You
The Idea of You is streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting May 2nd.
Like all rom-coms, this movie is just as good if you watch it alone in your room, giggling and kicking your feet as if you’re watching it sleepover-style with all your besties. It’s also screening at a select number of theaters. So, check your local showtimes for tickets, take your blankets to the cinema, and giggle and gasp along with the crowd as you all fall in love with Nicholas Galitzine together.
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