Yes, it’s that time of year again: to absolutely not dress up like a sexy cat. Halloween is the perfect opportunity to go wild on Vinted in a bid to find a costume for your defining pop culture icon of 2023. So who will it be?
Pick from Wednesday Addams, Luigi’s moustache from Super Mario Bros, Rihanna in all her red catsuit, corset and flight suit Super Bowl glory, horror dolly M3gan — or maybe Allan from Barbie. Think left of centre and unexpected — Barbie and Ken are far too obvious. Other options include Carmy from The Bear, Beyoncé in a clam shell during her Renaissance tour, a battered and bruised Catherine from Happy Valley’s denouement, Nineties-era Posh and Becks or even Penny Mordaunt hoisting that sword at the coronation. Go niche or go home!
Time to pop your shirt collar!
Blame the return of rugby shirts or, more likely, the return of Usher, but there’s only one way to wear your collar this season — and you’ve guessed it, that’s popped. Fashion folk are reclaiming crisp vertical collars from the depths of Chelsea and wearing their new autumn shirts standing to attention. At the recent catwalk shows Style spotted upright collars almost as many times as we did Usher, which is saying something. The only question then: how will you pop yours?
Upholstering gets unexpected
Thought cream carpets were impractical? Just you wait for the world of interiors’ latest wheeze: covering everything in fabric. Yes, the new maximalist move is to upholster the unexpected, even mantelpieces. In a recent project Rachel Chudley, the queen of colour and clash, extended the floral headboard fabric on a bed to the bedside tables and even their drawers. Just be sure to keep pens, coffee cups, cereal bowls, make-up, hot hair tools — everything, really — a long way away.
The five new books to read now
Make space on your bookshelf because these new reads are perfect for curling up on the sofa with. First up, Milk Fed’s Melissa Broder is back — and Death Valley (Bloomsbury Circus £16.99, out Tuesday) may well be her best book yet. This darkly funny novel about grief starts with a woman checking into a Best Western hotel and smartly turns into a journey of survival. On November 9 you can get your hands on our columnist Dolly Alderton’s second novel, Good Material (Penguin £18.99), a relatable, laugh-out-loud story of a thirtysomething failed comedian struggling with a break-up. And on November 23 Merky Books publishes Central Places by Delia Cai (£19.99) — a woman returns from living in New York City to the tiny Illinois town she grew up in and finds her life turned upside down as she navigates family tensions and lost friendships. Meanwhile, out now is Afua Hirsch’s Decolonising My Body (Square Peg £20), a fascinating look at the intersection of beauty, ritual and race. And New Millennium Boyz by Alex Kazemi, published on November 9 (Permuted £20), is a coming-of-age tale, in the vein of Twelve by Nick McDonell, that has been praised by Bret Easton Ellis and Douglas Coupland. Plenty to keep your book club going this winter.
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Everyone’s talking about . . . Hale Zero
Get your dancing shoes on, because there’s a new superstar DJ in town. Actually, scratch that, there are three of them: Hale Zero — aka the Brixton-born Haley brothers, Carl, 34, Greg, 31, and Rafael, 29 — have been choosing the choons at some of the fashion and entertainment worlds’ biggest celebrations of late, including Victoria Beckham’s Paris Fashion Week afterparty and a launch by Hailey Bieber’s skincare brand, Rhode, as well as the Brits and Baftas. Having started out as session musicians (playing piano, drums and guitar between them), the trio were “eventually advised by a close friend to focus on the fashion industry”, Carl says. They’ve now worked with everyone from Chloé to Fendi and Louis Vuitton. So, what are the ingredients for a good party? Carl says it’s all about the lighting (it “can’t be too bright”), a fantastic sound system and the bar should “always be in the same room as the dancefloor to keep the energy in one place”. And if you want to get the fashion crowd popping, what’s the best track to blast out? “Right now Afrobeat rules the world and is requested at every party we play, so anything by Burna Boy or Wizkid is always a good shout. Also early 2000s Neptunes productions never fail to get the crowd going.”
Why retro pudding dishes are cool again
Are you craving a baked Alaska? Could you kill for a knickerbocker glory? Pud nostalgia is a trend we can get behind with great gusto. But where to find the best vintage and retro glass dishes to showcase your jam roly-poly and custard? The homewares marketplace app Narchie has a mouthwatering menu of vintage dessert dishes: we found a harlequin (mismatched) set of sundae glasses for £12 a pair and seven frilly art deco green glass coupes for £45. Fancy more of an aesthetic sugar rush? Marie-Rose Kahane, founder of Yali Glass, has created pretty frosted Murano glass sundae bowls (£275 each, yaliglass.com), or there’s H&M Home’s stripy dessert bowl (£10, hm.com). Or if you’re feeling flush, invest in the hand-cut crystal Madison bowl by the cool Danish brand Reflections Copenhagen (£405, matchesfashion.com). We say: let them eat sherry trifle.
Additional words: Phoebe McDowell, Roisin Kelly, Karen Dacre and Katrina Burroughs
Photographs: Alamy, Getty Images, Netflix, @coperni, @passingfancies.bar, @subwaytakes
