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1. Fashion is dead. Long live fashion? Irina Aleksander’s “Sweatpants Forever” story for New York Times Magazine gave us an insightful retrospective and overview on the fashion industry’s seismic, ongoing fallout. There’s no doubt that the industry itself is in an ever-deepening crisis, but the idea that fashion is dead is total BS (to me). More of us are wearing sweatpants and leggings these days because we’ve been cloistered in our homes, but what happens when we’re ready to go out into the world again? Irrelevant of cost and commerce, self-expression through what we wear is an enduring and fundamental human condition (just look at the gamut of individual face masks on the street). The question isn’t, Is fashion dead? It’s: What do we want from fashion now, and how do we achieve that? 2. Speaking of creative expression, the ballet world’s seamless pivot to digital performances only adds to the historical thread that troubled times can be wellsprings for our imaginations. Especially remarkable are the pieces that directly respond to the current state of the world, from the Paris Opera Ballet’s “Dire Merci,” a glorious tribute to French health care workers (I love the cameos by some of the dancers’ children), to the San Francisco Ballet’s “Dance of Dreams,” which debuts today. 3. There have been some dark moments these last few months, when I lost confidence in the very idea of laughter, let alone comedy deliberately designed for that purpose. And yet these are the times when humor is often its most palliative. Now, when I laugh out loud and unexpectedly, I feel it throughout my entire body. My newest LOL discovery is Nivea, a fictional esthetician “helping you look your gorgeousness,” conjured up by the actress Lauren Blumenfeld. Watch her direct, but slightly confused, “but cool, but very strong,” delivery on #ChallengeAccepted. (It’s funny because it’s true.) 4. Would you spend $12 on a box of breakfast cereal? What if it also changed the milk in your bowl to cold brew coffee? This original, new brand from Emily Miller (who literally wrote THE breakfast cookbook), features memorable, kook-a-dook cartoon mascots created in partnership with Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One, and puts as much emphasis on design as its unique ingredients and flavors. 5. As someone who’s tested out a cacophonous array of unpleasantly-odored beauty serums, creams, and cleansers, I dove right into this story about the psychology behind skin-care product scents, and why we assume the foulest-smelling ones are often the most effective. It made me second-guess why I’m still working my way through a questionably-scented serum containing fermented radish root as its all-natural preservative. “Funky” doesn’t even begin to describe it. Oh and, regarding visions of the future…Bryce, please come home soon. The compost needs your help.
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