finding Summer's Muse
the LQQK for summer is: a Hellenistic goddess? The Most Beautiful Boy in the World? Almodóvar’s women?
The weather warms and I am back on my bullshit: designing characters to externalize all my little thoughts and feelings. If you are not sure who/what/how you will be this summer, let me cook for you! Here are some personas I have collected to serve as Summer’s Muse. I hope one will speak to your aesthetic soul.
Diana the Huntress
Maybe it’s fatigue from too many years of being Chronically Online or maybe it’s due to my summer plans to flee to a cabin in the woods (…maybe those are both symptoms of the same disease), but my inspiration folder is currently full of paintings of the goddess Diana. She is the superlative metaphysical guide for any woman burnt out on the vicissitudes of urban life, as she is considered patroness of the countryside and nature, hunters, wildlife, crossroads, the night, and the Moon. Diana is often depicted naked, and if clothed, her garments seem to wilt and disintegrate gossamer in the wind, gracefully unveiling her strong femininity. The effect we are after is having run feral through the chaparral, commanding a loyal dog. Sounds like a Joanna Newsom lyric, but ok…
A few of the pieces from Marc Jacobs Runway have this ephemeral gauziness down pat, but my humble purse prefers the following options: The Baserange Autem bra has the ideal bramble-ribboned trim. Plein Sud knows good raunch, and this cobwebby cinnamon tube top is all coquettish dangling straps and peeking areolae. Luna del Pinal's spliced skirt is made from orange peel fibre and cotton crochet and liberates the legs to lope and gambol, whereas this linen cotton blend maxi will fold and gather in all the right places no matter how statuesque your frame.
To conjure Diana, we want the spiritual equivalent of bare feet… but in a shoe. Every newsletter worth its salt recommended these Ancient Greek jellies, but have you encountered the Monfaradi Mare Beach Ballerina? A formidable option to keep you feeling quite literally grounded, but also useful for tackling a rocky beach. The barefoot sensation originates with the Vibram Five Finger, which may make you squeamish, but I am seriously considering a pair in this mesh ballerina style. They are in stock on the website in burgundy. Alaia, eat your heart out. If you are the type to run in heels, these straw Giuseppe Zanotti sandals serve pastoral wantonness. Gyouree Kim Pixie heels are another, more animalic possibility.
In lieu of a quiver, this shop carries big slouchy totes made of mulberry silk velvet. I’m partial to the grey blue. Come evening, an Emanuel Ungaro tasseled brocade reticule bag will hold your arrows and your lipstick.
Tadzio-core
When Visconti’s Death In Venice was released in 1971, it was panned by Time Magazine, who called it “corrupt and distorted”. For viewers of the 2021 documentary following Björn Andrésen, the actor who played Tadzio, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, that may ring true. Objectified far too young and subject to undisclosed indiscretions by older men, Andrésen seemed diminished by the experience; a story we have heard countless times from female actors. Despite its unpleasant subject matter, the aesthetics of Visconti’s film are undeniable: the crumbling decadence of Venice set against opulent interiors and period costume. I recommend watching both films, as they are stirring and complex portrayals of ruinous desire.
An adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novel, Death In Venice tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, who travels to Venice to stay at the Grande Hôtel des Bains. There he is transfixed by the beauty of a young boy, Tadzio. Von Aschenbach spends the duration of the film gazing at Tadzio like a fiend in dining rooms, on the fondamenta, and by the ocean as Mahler’s symphonies rage, until finally succumbing to cholera in his beach chair.
The perhaps too-obvious metric of style inspiration here is Edwardian sailor style, which was abundant in the film. We covered sailor collars in the Maritime Law issue of this blog, but it bears repeating: adding one to an oversized white tee makes for a very romantic look. You may consider Ciao Lucia’s voluminous sailor skirt, on sale here at 100% Silk Shop, for a breezy summer option. I have also fallen madly in love with this cotton-linen blend sailor sweater from J Crew.
However, there is one look that captivates me most of all, glimpsed for but a moment. Tadzio enters the dining room of the Hotel des Bains wearing simple black trousers, a belt slung low and loose around the untucked hem of a white tunic. There is a serenity to the plainness. Here is how I would reproduce it: relaxed wide leg cotton pants (these ones are from Deiji Studio), a poetically proportioned blouse (this vintage Costume National number), and a belt with just enough (but not too much!) pizzazz (this vintage Stephanie Krishner is the ticket).
If you won’t be spending your summer suffering on the Venetian Lido, you can still take an olfactive cruise through the eponymous ‘Tadzio’ fragrance by Gini. I am not often drawn to aquatic scents, and have not sniffed this, but the notes carry descriptors like “INSTINCT AND IMPETUS OF THE YOUTH”, “THE FATAL BEAUTY THAT PERCEIVES ITSELF” and “REFLECTED FOOTPRINTS ARE THE ONLY MEMORY”, which is dramatic enough to pique my curiosity.
Almodóvar’s Women
Pedro Almodóvar has a special connection to women. “I do find at least in Spanish culture, women to be more vivacious, more direct, more expressive, with a lot less of a sense of being fearful of making a fool of themselves.” His admiration shows through in his incandescent female characters, portrayed by actresses like Penelope Cruz, Rossy de Palma and Verónica Forqué, but also in the care with which he dresses them. It’s rare to see a director maintain such clear dialogue with their costume designer, and the work of Jose Maria de Cossío and more recently Sonia Grande, shows time and dedication from both parties. Pop art color palettes! Tomato red! Moka pot earrings! Collaborations with Gaultier and Versace! Almodovar’s movies are an IV drip of high (and low!) fashion. In Kika (1993), Victoria Abril delivers a monologue in a Gaultier original referencing Madonna’s cone bra: a high-neck velvet and sequin gown with two holes slashed in the front, exposing large (plastic) breasts. Penelope Cruz plays a leading lady in Broken Embraces (2009), donning both archival Chanel and Alaia as the film switches time periods. Tilda Swinton’s character in The Human Voice (2020) wears a turquoise Balenciaga suit to buy an axe. This is how passionate women dress!
Don’t hesitate, EXPRESS: pair a floral silk chiffon slipdress with a leopard print handbag and Christian Lacroix baroque sandals. You can buy replicas of the Women on The Verge moka pot earrings, but the scale is off, which kind of ruins the vibe. Instead, can you dig these red enamel shoulder dusters? They would really complement this sleeveless Ferragamo button up blouse, worn with, oh I don’t know, a polka dot circle skirt, diamond applique belt and Chinese embroidered silk mules with fur trim?
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Your inspirations are a sight for sore eyes. You are wonderful, congratulations 💜💜💜