What I'm wearing, what I'm watching

During this last fortnight I have resolutely decided that I simply cannot party like I used to. And when I say party I mean: even go out past 10.30. I had some friends in town and there were four consecutive days of being social - dinners, bars, I even hosted a thing in our garden. I cannot do it anymore. My body was crying out for a night in front of the TV and bed by 8. I have no idea how I used to go out five days a week, every week. The thought sends a chill through me.

My son also turned four. Four! After consecutive years of birthday cake cock ups, this time I made my own chocolate cake and it was perfect. I am embarrassed to say that it has taken me til 43 to admit that you really do need two tins when making a cake. Armed with this information, I am now obviously ready for Bake Off. Foolproof and delicious recipe here (with an unholy buttercream).

Today I have some style shares and some TV and film recs…

• I went to an event dressed up as a cute bottle of red wine in this silk co-ord from Leset* in shade ‘merlot’. This is how I want to dress up in my early forties! Looking forward to separating the set and wearing the trousers with a white tee and the top with some long denim shorts this summer too.

  I’ve also been loving Leset’s black Yoko pull-on pants - with pockets - that come in the floatiest, lightest cotton that fall so nicely and are so damn comfortable (they’re also a JLaw favourite). While the LA-based label has a loyal following worldwide, I’d say that it’s a little less well-known in the UK. I’m a total convert.

And for good measure, here are a few other cute summer co-ords I’ve found…

• I had the best time at the Tame Impala concert at the O2 recently. With the crazy laser light show and confetti cannons, it fully descended into one big dance party. The UK and Ireland tour has just wrapped up but it’ll be touring the States from July and Australia later this year. Can’t recommend enough: go. Pure joy! Incidentally, Dua Lipa came out to perform a couple of songs and I totally fell in love with the Arthur Rimbaud t-shirt she was wearing (tied to the book Rimbaud, le voyou by Benjamin Fondane). I’m always here for a niche literary reference tee. Unclear where she procured hers but I found one on Etsy. Customise away.

• If you’re in the UK you’ll know the weather has been BANANAS recently but it’s supposed to be getting nice again later this week, which has me thinking about summer sandals. Fuck it, I’m even getting a pedicure in preparation. These are my current favourites this year.

Sezane sandals. Demure and Parisian.
Vince jelly mules. This is a fun updated jelly shoe that will guarantee long legs.
M&S rope sandals. With apologies to Miu Miu.
COS fisherman sandals. Love these in the summer. Great for work.
A.EMERY leather flip flops. Genuinely think these are the most elegant flip flops.
Khaite suede sandals. Dreamy.

• I read in The Times that, according to a 2025 survey by the Natural Diamond Council, 63 per cent of couples said they chose their engagement ring together. I get it. It has to sit on your finger, hopefully for the rest of your life. But this strikes me as rather unromantic. I was so nervous when my husband pulled out the ring and honestly it took a couple of days for me to fully evaluate my feelings about it. I can now say with total conviction that it is my favourite piece of jewellery I’ve ever owned and I wouldn’t change it ever. It’s a 1920s toi et moi ring (ie two main stones symbolising two people) with two larger diamonds and then a smattering of smaller diamonds and knowing that he picked it out all by himself makes me love it even more. It’s risky, sure, but you could always change it if you hate it.

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I’ve been watching a lot of stuff over the last couple of weeks. Blame the weather. Here’s what’s good.

• I raced through the available episodes of series two of Your Friend and Neighbours on Apple TV, mainly because, as well as being a thriller about former hedge fund manager Jon Hamm stealing from the homes of his wealthy friends, this season has become a rather astute meditation on ageing. Amanda Peet’s character Mel is grappling with perimenopause and dreading the incoming empty nest, while Hamm’s Coop is feeling physically let down by his body and dealing with older parents. Episode 6 (no spoilers), with its poignant rendition of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart”, practically wrecked me (but then that song always does). It seems season two is exploring how men and women view ageing differently with regards to looks, sex and power. Most interestingly, the writers even seem to be asking some existential questions about ageing and wealth. When does chasing money lose its allure? When does one simply have enough? And at what age should you finally accept that your life will never be filled with the kind of wealth you’d hoped for? I’m enjoying all the criminal activity going on but it’s the meaningful commentary on ageing - that really does feel fresh, particularly with regards to finances - that is keeping me coming back for more. Also James Marsden’s cocky new character Ashe is just brilliant.

  

• Marty: Life is Short was gorgeous. Gorgeous. I hardly knew much about Martin Short beyond Father of the Bride and Three Amigos (being English, I didn’t grow up with him on TV and I don’t now watch Only Murders In The Building). The Netflix doc tells the story of the Canadian comedian’s rise to fame but it’s the behind the scenes stuff that really touched me; the love story with his beloved wife Nancy, the camaraderie with other comedians and actors (there is a lot of truly excellent ‘80s/’90s home footage of barbecues with Catherine O’Hara, Goldie Hawn, Eugene Levy etc). I found it charming, sweet, funny and moving… and I’m barely familiar with the fella. The whole thing was a balm. I especially enjoyed when Steve Martin tells the camera that if you are throwing a dinner party and Marty tells you he can’t make it, then you simply must cancel the party. Imagine being that beloved.

• I don’t even know where to begin with Sirāt, the Spanish movie nominated for best foreign film at this year’s Oscars. Maybe: wtf? A father, along with his young son, infiltrates a rave in the Morrocan Sahara in search of his missing daughter, asking around if anyone has seen her. They end up leaving in their minivan, driving in convoy with some aged nomadic Spanish ravers, in search of another mythical dance festival where the family believes they might find her. Things then take a wildly shocking turn as difficult terrain, food and gas shortages, and mysterious social unrest play out on their journey. It’s not a horror film but I definitely shrieked a few times like it was. Some parts are almost unbearable to watch; I found myself completely gripped (sicko), while my husband walked out after one particular scene, saying “Nope, not doing it” (he came back). Most reviews of the film seem to point to it being totally divisive and, honestly, I still can’t decide if I loved or loathed it. But I’m definitely still thinking about it. Currently showing on MUBI.

• I haven’t read Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles and I probably wouldn’t have bothered with the Apple TV miniseries based on it but I thought I’d get the most out of my subscription while I watch Your Friends and Neighbours. Plus, you know, the aforementioned weather. Margo (Elle Fanning) is an English lit student at a California community college when she becomes pregnant after having an affair with her married professor and decides to have the child, a turn of events that surely requires most viewers to suspend disbelief. Anyway, she is fired from her waitressing job and then two of her roommates, unable to study with a crying baby in the house, move out, and so begins Margo’s money troubles. She launches a freaky OnlyFans to make ends meet (initial boob pics make way for arty alien set pieces) which is all going quite well until her real life identity is exposed online. Then things escalate. Much more interesting than the (for me) quite dull - but obviously necessary for the storyline - OnlyFans arc are the complicated family dynamics with her former Hooters waitress mother Shayanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), who wants a better life for Margo, and the sweet relationship with her previously absent, pro-wrestler father Jinx (Nick Offerman), who steps up in his new role as grandfather. It just means it takes a few episodes to get going. It has the sort of kooky, eccentric characters that, when done well in a book, really come alive but can feel a little forced on screen. But it’s a fun and fluffy watch, with real moments of human connection and fallibility, but I kinda wish I’d read the (supposedly excellent) book first. Always read the book first!

• Speaking of which: get on East of Eden ahead of the Florence Pugh-starring adaptation coming this autumn (the trailer’s just been released). You won’t be sorry. In March, I wrote that East of Eden deserved “the Wuthering Heights effect” and now Vulture is calling it ‘Steinbeck Summer’. Love.

  

• And saving the worst for last… The Devil Wears Prada 2. I’m sorry but, as a fan of the original, this really didn’t do it for me. Oh c’mon it was fine I suppose but you can’t tell me this was worth the millions of dollars spent on the production, the incessant promotion of it (my feed was assaulted by the film for weeks), and the endless think pieces. My full review: criminally average. Although, Emily Blunt’s Emily was a treat, as ever. Perhaps a spin-off starring her would have made a better film, even if it wouldn’t have triumphed at the box office quite so much. And this sequel was only ever about the box office.

See you soon! Enjoy the sunshine, it’s coming!

Gillian