Are You Also Talking About The Queue?

I am. And I am currently 13 000kms away from its end point at London's Westminster, give or take a city block.

The buzz is that we have reached the end of the second Elizabethan Era, which sounds like I should be living in a busty yellow frock and swanning around balls in Bridgerton, but is also factually correct. As the world prepares for Elizabeth II’s state funeral, what’s trending visually – aside from her family (but more on that later) – is her embodiment of quiet luxury and slowed-down style. Also obvs: sustainability, sturdy shoes, cottagecore, stoicism, an uncomplaining sense of duty and a timeless sophistication. And what will happen to her Corgis. And The Queue.

The Queue. It has taken on a life of its own, an identity. What queue, you ask? The one that is now spoken about in capital letters. The one to pay respects to the Queen lying in state. Fuelled by Pringles, lemon sherbets and doughnuts, David Becks himself spent thirteen hours queuing and keeping fans entertained and fed as they all quietly moved through London. He told The UK Times:

“To be honest, it’s what we all envisioned. We all want to be there together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen.”

By late afternoon Friday, the estimated queueing time was 24 hours, with mourners undeterred by the wait time. There is a live tracker on where to join the back of the queue and as I write this, the queue ends at Southwark Park, snaking five miles from Westminster Cathedral. Inside Westminster, Her Majesty’s children and grandchildren hold silent vigil around her casket until her funeral on Monday. It’s a sight to behold.

While David Beckham was sharing his Pringles with waiting mourners, researchers have also descended on The Queue to study collective grief. Of course, half the reason we all also want to watch old vids of William dancing; Charles moving things around in his new throne room and Meghan Markle hugging teens along the Windsor Walk is, according to the experts, a way of processing grief and perfectly bloody normal.

You know how I love a fun fact, so here’s one – the Queen met with 15 British prime ministers during her reign – the first one was born in 1874 and the most recent one in 1975. Think about the sheer scope her job entailed and the changes in culture that she witnessed. Its mind boggling. I will be watching on Monday, will you?

In Other News (Is There Any Other News?)…

Madonna and Lourdes hit NYFW. I’ll leave you to discuss (process?) Madge 2.0 in your own time.

And Gap Took The Hint…

… And took note of the shots fired at Adidas, dissolving their partnership with Kanye West. Kanye is on a rampage, if you haven’t been following… He’s resuscitated his Insta account to go after Kris Jenner, Adidas, Gap, Kim… It’s non-stop. And it is wild! To get you up to speed in one whizz-through…. According to Kanye Of Late: Kris Jenner orchestrated the sex tape leak that originally put Kimmy on the map; Adidas is now ripping off his designs without him and doing it badly; Gap needs to watch out, because he gave them much-needed street cred too; Kim is not allowing him to send his kids to Donda Academy, the mysterious new private school he has just opened. Say it with me: yikes. Also say this…

Kanye’s Opened A School?!

Say what now? Why yes, Kanye has opened a school, with: ‘Parkour classes, a code of silence, and a principal with no apparent formal teaching experience,’ according to Rolling Stone. Headquartered in Cali and named after his late mother, the mission, according to its website, is to ‘prepare students to become the next generation of leaders’ through ‘an ethic of integrity and care.’ Students are decked out in school uniforms consisting entirely of his Yeezy and Gap and prospective parents have to sign NDAs. I meannnn, of course they do, right?

Mood Of The Week

I wish it was still this, Chris Pine in Venice… Mainly because I was really looking forward to discussing his new lewk - is he morphing into Jeff Bridges? Because I am here for all of it… From his snazzy shoes to his snazzier pants to his silly shirts to his bobbed hair.