Welcome to The Specials List! This is a new series of pop culture-related thoughts designed to dig deeper into what is hot and what is not. We’ll break these out whenever we need a fresh selection of topics to sip on. Enjoy!
the kelly rutherford effect
There was a time when someone heard that Blake Lively doesn’t work with a stylist that fact was met with “oohs” and “ahhs,” whereas now it would be received with “yeah I can tells” and “maybe she should rethink thats.”
In 2007, I certainly didn’t think I’d someday have Lily van der Woodsen on my moodboard, while Serena was far, far away from it. But Kelly Rutherford has become one of the buzziest IYKYK style sources, and it all came about by simply snapping a picture of her daily outfits in her mirrored elevator.
It’s the pureness of its origins that makes her renaissance such a delight; according to a recent interview with Vogue, Kelly was dressing and documenting her style for herself. When she started posting her outfit pics to Instagram a few years ago it was a means to connect with other people. The resulting outcome has been hundreds of thousands of likes, new followers, and a (incredibly good) new campaign for Tommy Hilfiger.
The difference in her approach to style vs. Blake’s is Kelly’s ability to achieve that “effortless” look we all strive for. It’s tailored where it needs to be tailored, oversized where it needs to be oversized, undone, dressed up, played up, reigned in where necessary. If anything, she’s reminded me of the importance of the mirror pic and how it can evolve your style and confidence.
long live physical media
As streaming service accessibility declines, the importance of physical media becomes more and more apparent. Full seasons of shows made for streaming are getting removed from their platforms of origin, and the list of streamers that are kicking users off accounts (and charging us more in the process) is getting longer. Somehow the way my mom feels about liner notes and record sleeves, I now feel about DVD extras and drearily waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of the navigation page playing the same track on a loop.
As the mass market has abandoned physical releases of print, audio, and video, the demand continues to grow, particularly in the secondhand market. DW guest writer, Callie recently invested in a real and true genuine old-fashioned DVD player to binge Mad Men which she’s been sourcing season by season via thrift stores and eBay. I, myself, just picked up two seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at my local used bookstore for a dollar each to add to my collection.
As someone whose lifeforce depends on rewatching my favorite movies and shows periodically throughout the year, why should I be limited to when Moonstruck is available on Hulu? Is spending fifteen minutes searching across 5 different streamers for what to watch really so convenient?
Recently I was thinking of what to do with my afternoon, and I had the most passive thought that I would finish up work and head over to Blockbuster to pick out something to watch. It was the strangest feeling to remember something I’d done as a kid and then have to be reminded of its extinction. The least I can do is build up my own library.
trends vs. trends
At a recent Tory Burch show, influencers in attendance were asked what trends were out for this year. While most correctly responded by essentially saying if you like something, it will always be cool, another panned the prevailing bow and ballerina-core trends as “done.”
This may be unpopular to admit, but I’m not anti-trend. I think they can be really fun vehicles to connect with fashion and signal to others your cultural awareness, that is, when trends are mixed into your personal style. Otherwise, it can have adverse effects when you’re basing your wardrobe on what is in and what is out.
Heather Hurst aka pigmami made a video on her TikTok explaining that you should be adopting trends as if they are on a sushi conveyor belt; you select the ones that suit you and leave the rest. That’s what keeps our personal styles fresh and interesting. You don’t have to be entirely individualistic in order to have good style, but the goal isn’t to be a fashion-tok drone either.
But here’s my final thing: bows can’t be done. Just like leopard print can’t be in. They are prevalent aspects of fashion that may trend more or less popular during a given period of time, but as long as you’re wearing them in a way that feels true to you, there is no such thing as “in or out.”
The time spent to chase a movie you think of watching across your streaming channels to give up and buy on iTunes is a lot. Is that the strategy?