Abbrieviated Holiday Special Edition
We had planned, Dames Nation, to take this Friday-between-July-4th-and-the-weekend off, as is our God Given Right. But then I, Dame Margaret, (1) had to work at my ACTUAL job and (2) realized I never said in our LAST email that we WERE taking today off, and the idea of you all on your lovely vacations desperately refreshing your inboxes, grasping for ANYTHING to distract you from your families, coming up empty-handed again and again— it just about broke my heart. So I realized I had to send you at least a tiny little missive that’s one part SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY and other parts… other things.
OTHER THING THE FIRST: Taylor! Swift!! Fracas!!!
Honestly kind of disappointed that Scooter Braun didn’t send a tweet referencing this Iconic Line in response to Taylor’s initial post. He could have won this whole game in one.
As you may or may not be aware, a man named Scooter Braun, who used to manage Kanye West and still manages Justin Bieber (and a number of other noteworthy pop stars), bought Taylor Swift’s old record label and, as a result, now owns the master recordings of her six existing albums. A business transaction of which Taylor did NOT approve! This resulted in kind of an incredible music industry celebrity civil war and is the sort of thing about which I feel honor-bound to share some highlights.
As usual, if you want a thorough-yet-concise summary of any celebrity fracas, you want to head to Lainey Gossip. She has written a typically incisive post stating the basic information, letting you know which celebrities have fallen where, and analyzing how Taylor’s messaging has and has not worked.
If you’re looking to go a little deeper and you want to do so with jokes, The Ringer’s new celebrity gossip podcast network Ringer Dish released a very serviceable summary of events first thing on Monday.
If you want something of similar depth, but heavier on music industry analysis, The New York Times’ Popcast put out a great and deeply informative episode on the kerfuffle that adds even more historical context to the discussion. It was also a great way to remember that Taylor Swift used to affect a Southern drawl in her songs! The amount of image adjustment she does while still insisting on artless authenticity will always dazzle me.
And finally, if you want to go somewhat off the deep end about this whole thing, the Comments by Celebs podcast has you covered. Their 1 hour and 20 minute episode is a fascinating listen not least for the way it highlights how ANXIOUS negative interactions with Taylor Swift’s fanbase have left them.
OTHER THING THE SECOND: Cute Things I Found While Searching for an Outfit Suitable for the Carly Rae Jepsen Concert I Am Attending in 11 Days
I happened to find two EXCELLENT plus-size jumpsuits today while browsing ASOS (in the wake of buying myself this VERY good striped dress, also available in plus sizes) and felt like I’d be doing all of you a disservice NOT to share them.
First off, there’s this abstract-patterned black and white one (pictured above) that’s A Lot of Look, but in a way that, if it works, will work like GANGBUSTERS.
Then, there’s this much more accessible light blue and white striped one that’s SUPER wearable and forgiving. An excellent jumpsuit for those who are a bit gun shy of the more outlandish ones.
In a related vein, am I contemplating buying this Strategist-approved $25 tulle skirt from Amazon to wear to Carly Rae Jepsen? The answer is obviously yes. The only things giving me pause: what would I wear WITH it? And which color should I get????? If you have any opinions about either, please DO @ me.
And finally, let me share my new most dangerous search phrase on Etsy: deadstock belts. It is a great, affordable way to increase the number of belts in your wardrobe, thus making your whole wardrobe better! It is a truth universally acknowledged, after all, that nearly every garment sold with a matching belt looks better with a contrasting one. And what faster way to accept that truth into your heart than with a vintage 1980s obi belt?
OTHER THING THE THIRD: The End!
Have a happy holiday weekend, Dames Nationals! We’ll be back again next week.