The Great Mid-Winter Mid-Year Check In

You know how much I like a list. Well, no, I suppose if you have a life, you probably don’t know. But let’s do a mid-year trend check-in anyway…

Especially a mid-winter one, when we’re all feeling slightly bleak about the gloomy weather and bored about staying indoors while the Eurozone is just slipping into its spaghetti-strapped slip dresses. The colour of apricot fuzz if you’re Sienna Miller, paired with a scarlet slick of lippie. I mean, yay for you guys and all that, but really… It’s just rude to be soaking up the sun in Venice, sipping on a zingy Aperol Spritz, when we’re legging it off to work in the rain-soaked dark.

1. Tennis: So Hot RN

What is the sexiest sport? And why is it tennis? It’s a collective outpouring that involves Zendaya’s new film, Challengers, which is 🔥🔥🔥 together with its male leads, also 🔥 and its soundtrack, also, yes, fire. According to Tiktok, Zendaya’s character is loosely based on Roger Fed’s wife who gave up her pro tennis career to coach him after she was injured. Couple this with Zendaya’s press tour for the film, swiftly followed by the start of the French Open and not just the best weekend of tennis in an absolute age – yoh! Who watched?! - but also the return of Naomi Osaka, but also the dominance of the young guns like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud. Don your crispest whites, limiest greens and invest in Woolies strawberries and cream in anticipation of Wimbledon, which starts on July 1. And keep the Challengers playlist on repeat. PS, my 90s girls, Trent Reznor composed the film’s soundtrack and you’ll remember him from Nine Inch Nails. PPS Just last night it was revealed that Zendaya is the new face of Swiss athletics brand, On - and yes, they do tennis too.

2. 90s Are Still Winning

Need more proof? Loewe designed Challengers’ costumes for the film, including the iconic I Told Ya t-shirt. Do you know its provenance? Zendaya has since worn it as part of the press tour, but the tee was originally spotted on JFK Jnr – arguably one of the most iconic faces of the 90s – while playing frisbee with his dog. As Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Loewe, alludes, this look was American Wasp-meets-athleisure at its finest and this aesthetic still continues to dominate the tennis world.

3. Not Ready For Tees Quite Yet?

Pulling on a knit is a daily ritual by this time of year, but that’s a good thing since the fash pack has dubbed this The Season of Joyful Jumpers. Cheer up and add colour to your chunky cable knit neutrals… Patterns and textures are the business. Tutti fruity, ice-creamy, flashy or golden, everything is up for grabs! And its cheery, cheery, dopamine-heady stuff! I should know - I bought a mega gold-dipped khaki knit from Tribute Store that I am living in.

4. Need More Cheering

Forget the espresso martini, the hottest (literally) new take on an after-dark drink that is actually more of a dessert than a nightcap? It’s a Custardo – thanks foodie Instagram. This is a take on an affogato, but instead of gelato, the ice-cream is replaced with crème anglaise or custard, cut through with a shot of espresso. Erm, yes please and thank you. I’ll try that.

5. Custard Is Having A Moment

Given that it is the shade of optimism and sunshine, your winter can only improve with the addition of custard to the drinks, the menu and the wardrobe. Say ola to pasteis de nata, the baked custardy treat of a pastry that has its origins in Lisbon, but is taking the world by storm. Serve them with coffee at your next dinner party. We love the classics from Vardas Bakery - find them at OZFM every weekend - but they do hot takes on new flavours too.

6. Did Someone Say Dinner Party?

No reason not to bring the summer into your winter dinners. According to the Pinterest Trend Report, tropical as an escapist aesthetic (yes please) means that whether it’s the food, the mocktails, the pink umbrellas or the sand between your toes that you’re after, it’s all on. Crushed pineapple upside down cake saw searches soar by 50%, we’re obvs already on board with custard and now it’s time again for tropical Mexican cocktails to really have their moment in the, erm, sun.

7. Tequila, da rum da da da da da dah! 🍸

Hey there, Tequila! You are poised to overtake vodka as Americaʼs favourite spirit, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US. In Tequila, Mexico, yes it’s an actual place, the owner of the world’s most infamous tequila bar -La Capila - Don Javier Delgado Corona has resurrected his original 1961 recipe for a Batanga and crowned it the drink of the season… With just a few classic ingredients, it’s super simple… tequila, cola, fresh-squeezed lime juice, a pinch of salt, and a salt-rimmed glass. So, yes, a little bit of a tweak on our classic branders-en-Coke, but hey ho tjommies!

Having said that, it is World Gin Day tomorrow, June 8, so enjoy a sneaky G&T on me!

8. Get Back To Work

Enough fun cocktails for you, my lass! Has post-lockdown life made the concept of office dressing utterly redundant? I think it might have… Much as we want to still look halfway decent when we’re rolling off to meetings or rolling into work, globally almost no one – I swear this fact is true without any statistical substantiation – wants to get all suited and booted every damn day. And hybrid working has added to this conundrum as we just don’t have as many boots and suits as we used to. Anyway! We have cute leggings and fluffy Birkenstocks and cashmere socks instead. The big trend is a bit of half-an’-half that is smarter than your jim-jams but not nearly as dressy as you would have attempted back in early 2020. It’s the Jeans And A Going Out Top of workwear. And it can even look like this…

9. Pyjama Pants Every Damn Day

Striped pyjama bottoms have made it out of the bedroom, if not quite into the boardroom. They are the casual bottoms of 2024, The Pants Of The Day… Wear them with a tee and a blazer and sneaks for a casual lewk that is bang on trend. Add kitten heels or a slingback and some chains for a slightly ritzier take that’ll see you out on the town. They are comfy beyond, super cool and very… Of. The. Moment. Two local labels doing them beautifully and in an array of striped colours are: Loskop and Happy Hour Wear

10. The Return Of The Trad Wife

Hop over to TikTok and can’t help but notice the number of hot, young things dishing domestic content in perfectly glossed lips and a killer outfit. Head girl of this clan is Nala Smith, a model-turned-TikTok influencer married to a model-turned-TikTok inlfuencer who – fun fact! – actually hails from Bloemfontein! Although you wouldn’t know that to watch her vids or listen to her… She is a young mom and she makes everything – and I do mean everything – from scratch, including cereal, chewing gum and various other didn’t-know-you-could-actually-make-this foodie essentials. Obvs she’s spawned a gazillion spoof accounts too, but jirre, mos, fork feminism. Her viral videos of baking ‘natural’ Oreos from scratch and spoon-feeding her rather delish husband are wild – and wildly popular! So, for all the 90s and 00s gals who were watching Sex And The City and wanting to work Manhattan in a pair of spindly Manolos and a Cosmo, there’s a whole new gen who thinks you’re quite mad and who’d rather be baking their own cereal in the countryside.

11. File Under: Always On

Sneakers might be season-less, but by the Cape Town winter, you might have to avoid the puddles - your suede Adidas Spezials aren’t exactly Hunter wellies. Its Adidas Samba that was the shoe of the year -  half of the materials in this style are recycled and according to StockX, searches for the style increased 485%. Love a stat. That said, it’s the new Adidas SL72 that is set to be the next hottest shoe. Originally launched in 1972 to coincide with the Olympic Games that year, it’s back baby! Just in time for the Olympics and our sporty dress codes for the rest of the year. A streamlined silhouette and neutral colour palette makes these a win. Love the brown version. So does everyone else. Get your hands on them, quick!

12. Talking Olympics

Did we mention all eyes will be on sport this Euro summer? Roll from French Open into Wimbledon, short break to catch your breath, finish eating your out-of-season strawberries and then its off to Paris, France, for the Summer Olympics. Time to brush up your French. And by that I mean, Verve Cliquot, Moet et Chandon, Chanel, Clarins, L’Oreal, Roquefort, Courvoisier, Baguette, Baguette et Jamon, Brie, Camembert… What other essentials am I missing? Burgundy?

13. All The Single (Ladies)

Or Dudes…. You’re all welcome! Pack away your phones, ditch Tinder for a hot minute, turns out that run clubs are the hot new dating trend. Just have a look on social media, where you’ll find thousands of running clubs, plenty of which have acted as inadvertent matchmaking services. In the US, there’s Venice Run Club in California, which has been documenting its relationship success stories on TikTok. It makes sense, no? You’re pumped full of endorphins, the connection is consistent, there’s a shared goal and a chance to get to know one another.

This is something all of us could do with more of, particularly in our hyper-online era where, outside of the workplace, there are very few places where you might come across the same group of people over and over again. We have it as children in the school playground and as students on university campuses, but beyond that, as adults we have to go out of our way to meet new people and foster relationships, romantic or otherwise. Particularly when we’ve become so accustomed to dating online, the concept of approaching people in real life can feel entirely alien. – The Independent

14. The Internet’s Boyfriend

If you can’t find you SO at a run club just yet, fear not. The baby girl to take over from Jacob Elordi is Nicholas Galitzine and you’ll see him everywhere this year. He’s just played Anne Hathaway’s young, pop star lover in The Idea Of You… Honestly, flame emojis. My menopause is still in recovery it had so many hot flushes in one sitting. He’s about to star in Mary & George with Juliette Moore, a raunchy period piece. As Vanity Fair says: history is so boring. At least, it can be when told in the stiff cadences of a traditional costume drama—all drab rooms and clopping hooves and loaded looks. But wait! What if everyone was gay? Or bisexual, or whatever? Even more compellingly, it’s based on what is, in fact, somewhat settled history: King James VI and I (so-called for his reigns over both England and Scotland) preferred the company of men, most especially a gorgeous young courtier named George Villiers. Anyway, this George is gorgeous. His mother is conniving, but also gorgeous. And if you haven’t yet watched the book adaptation of Red White & Royal Blue then there’s that too for more Nicholas. It’s fabulous!

15. New Sally Rooney Incoming

I’m not one to tell you to watch romcoms and then follow it up with such a slow burner. Or am I? Salley Rooney’s books will beguile and frustrate you in equal measure as they ache for each other across pages of prose. You’ll have binged Normal People in both its book and mini-series form, and you’ve probably also binged her most recent book, Beautiful World Where Are You? You must have because it sold more than 40 000 copies in its first five days of release. Intermezzo, her new novel, is due later this year! The cover art has just been released and it trended on Twitter. Not a usual occurrence for any book, by the way. The narrative is set to feature two brother navigating their relationships in the wake of their father’s death. Sounds suitably Rooneyesque. Get into the mood by watching Normal People. It’s still on Amazon Prime. Stars Paul Mescal. Need I say more, fan club?

Alrighty then?! Feeling warmer? Off you go! Tick these off your Winter To Do List and let me know how you get on! PS I am launching a new mid-week newsy, simply called 3 Of The Best so look out for it in the next week or so. It’ll land in your inbox.

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