btw
what's good
I have been made aware that it confuses the people who keep up with me mainly via social media, that I am actually at home in Sydney and not constantly overseas as it may appear on my instagram.
In part it is because I am completely useless at posting in real time, which is due to needing time to reflect and get my thoughts (and photos, and maps, and links; those things take me hours to collate) in order before I can post, but I also realised — especially writing about London somewhat recently — that my recommendations are so late they’re literally out of date. RIP Lyles.
So, in between the belated travel posts — I still have to regale you with tales of our time in Mexico and California — I thought we could do a little interlude of something a bit more … relevant ?
read
this essay about the hoodie — and subsequently everything she’s ever written, I’m hooked — by Marian Park
Empire of the Elite by Michael M. Grynbaum (me, and every cool girl at fashion week)
When the Going Was Good by Graydon Carter (a theme is emerging)
this substack about overconsumption: You're overspending because you lack values by Sherry Ning
Stronger values make you spend more mindfully because they shift the axis of desire. When you know what you worship—what you actually stand for and who you want to become—everything gets tested against that vision. Values act like a sieve: they filter out the empty cravings that come from comparison and they let through only the things that genuinely serve your spirit. Without values, desires lead you astray by following ads and algorithms and the envy of friends—a state commonly known as “being distracted”.
The New Age of Sexism by Laura Bates
everything from Post-Culture by Sibling Studio — a substack well worth your time, especially if you’re interested in cultural analysis that is well written and punctuated with memes. Start with this one on cringe.
eat
I’ve been obsessed with making what I have dubbed the “Rainbow Salad” which is a spin (salad pun) on those dense bean salads that were making the rounds on tiktok. While I will always be on the protein train I am also a Big Fibre Girl because fibre is very important for a long and healthy life. Also this is a very easy salad to make and it looks pretty. Here’s the recipe.
rainbow salad:
using a mandolin, shred:
1/4 purple cabbage
1/4 white cabbage
a handful of brussels sprouts
a handful of radishes
juilenne:
1 large carrot / 2-3 small carrots
chop:
1/2 a bunch of spring onions
blanch:
a bag of edamame
— drain, pod, and salt.
dressing:
garlic and onion powder
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
greek yoghurt
lemon juice
dijon mustard
— measure with your heart, bung it all in a jar, shake hard.
Throw this all together and voila ! The most delicious, colourful salad that is an excellent base for a meal, just add your protein of choice. I usually do Issy’s Secret Recipe Chicken Tenders. The salad itself lasts for ages, and I dress it as I go. Sometimes I also add some broccoli, and I imagine it would also be really nice with some roasted pepitas, if you’re into that kind of thing.
listen
Crushed - No Scope is brand new stuff from my favourite dream pop duo from Los Angeles. They remind me of Massive Attack / Evanescence (complimentary) / Sneaker Pimps / Mazzy Star / Garbage.
I was a tiny bit worried they’d get second album syndrome but they did not. It is, in fact, a triumph. My favourite song from the new album is oneshot which has a very 2000s almost-country-music-emo-pop thing happening and it’s just delicious. Also I think Bre Morell makes really interesting vocal choices and this song is a really good example of that.
Now I just need them to tour Australia …
Militarie Gun - the new album from these guys is coming soon but the singles they’ve released so far are epic. We saw them for the second time recently at Manning Bar and they’re astonishingly good live. Unfortunately, the security at this show were being wet blankets so it wasn’t quite as good as the first time we saw them at the Lansdowne which was pretty wild. B A D I D E A is almost constantly stuck in my head and I am not mad about it A T A L L.
Greet Death - Die In Love is still in the lead for number one best album of 2025 for me. It’s a perfect album, no skips, moody and vibey. There’s a bit in Love Me When You Leave Me that is so good it gives me the shivers every time. Lyrically, they remind me a bit of Neutral Milk Hotel, I think because they are surreal but really vivid and kind of folk-y but without any of the awkward twee earnestness. And even though they’re from Flint, Michigan, the warmth / tone / energy of the album reminds me so much of Hollywood. We all know how I feel about LA (j’adore, take me back, etc. etc.) …
Interesting fact (to me): bandmates Logan and Harper first bonded over Blink 182 which is one of my all time favourite bands and even though they sound nothing like the pop-punk trio, it kind of contextualises the music for me in a way that is very satisfying.
Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud - this is sort of a watch as well as a listen.
Hosted by Isobel Lucia Freud, London based fashion designer, Sigmund’s great granddaughter, and Lucian Freud’s daughter, she interviews interesting people about their sartorial lives. It’s lovely background noise.
Push Down and Turn - a bit of a talking heads podcast, this one is hosted by the lead singer of Militarie Gun, Ian Shelton, and his mate and lead singer of the band Public Record (who I have not listened to) Kevin Hart (not that one) and they basically just talk about whatever they want and I really enjoy it.
In sort of listen and read related news I got to meet Dave Rowntree who is most notably — to me — the drummer of Blur. I know Song 2 was kind of supposed to be satire but I love it the most none the less.
Incidentally, Militarie Gun covered it at the Lansdowne show and it’s the goal music when the Senators score in the NHL.
Anyway Rowntree was in Sydney at BTWNLNS in Marrickville to promote his book of photos No One You Know: Dave Rowntree’s Early Blur Photos and we had a little chat and I made him laugh. Making famous people laugh is honestly my greatest pleasure in life so that was excellent. Then I randomly bumped into one of the nice girls I went to high school with who I hadn’t seen in years, so that was a very good Wednesday night.
If you’re going to buy it, please go to an independent book store for the love of god. Thank you.
misc
I know no one asked and I am in no way a beauty blogger but I’ve been using the biologique recherche products for almost a year now and my skin (which was so bad a little while ago that I hated leaving the house) is so much better:
this very pleasant outcome.
And; the happy skin, coupled with being in an office four days a week (P.S. I got a job !) has lead to enjoying wearing makeup again.
Makeup wise, it’s usually pretty simple — I have used the skin tint in a g8 (summer) or a g10 (winter) since Glossier came out with it ten years ago. I used to get it shipped from America via the now defunct AusPost international parcel redirection service, RIP, but now I pay too much for it at Mecca. A convenience tax, if you will. Then, Boy Brow in Dark Brown, also Glossier, and this Byredo mascara, and that’s pretty much it.
But I am rather interested in this stuff as a potential alternate, after putting some on at the Chanel concession stand in David Jones recently and discovering that it was actually really nice. And, after smearing it on the back of my hand in public at the Big Mecca in the city, I bought this cheek stuff in shade “nectarine”. I love it so much I’ve actually almost nearly finished it.
Speaking of Isamaya I am desperate to get my hands on her eyeshadow palettes but I can’t work out how to get them to Australia.
Eyebrows are by Jules.
Tabs I have open include but are not limited to: google docs, YouTube, Pitchfork, my calendar (the rest of this year is BUSY), pinterest — always — a bunch of substacks to remind me to read them, and some furniture websites including Bazaa and the IKEA website because, drum roll … after 12 months of spending almost every Saturday mornings at kind-of-depressing inspections — tiny, too expensive (that’s all of them), too small, terribly renovated, haunted, dark, and one very memorable apartment that featured the primary bedroom inside a glass box … Aidan and I have secured ourselves an apartment; which is totally pinch-me-surreal.
We are insanely crazy lucky and my gosh, we bloody know it. It means we’re moving in November, and well, maybe this is the place to share the process of commissioning a bed frame and finding the perfect vintage 70s chrome and smoked glass dining table and chairs / a vintage bar cart, etc.
Any and all advice / suggestions more than welcome.
Okay ! That’ll do for now. Talk soon, love you, bye.
Now I am up to date!