I’ve been in a slump, not writing these for most of the summer (yes I know we’re mid-fall). There hasn’t been that much in the way of pop culture or fashion discourse, but of course that changed this week. Unless you haven’t logged onto this site, or any site for that matter, you’d know Taylor Swift came out with her latest album & for the fashion girls, Jonathan Anderson debuted his collection for Dior. I’m sure none of you came here for a think piece & I’m not going to give you one - but I’m sure you might be wondering how these two things are even related, so I’ll clue you in.
I’ve already seen the think pieces on JA’s collection - apparently very polarizing. Some loved it, some hated it. JA is a BIG deal. Any fashion head will tell you that. He turned Loewe around, had major celebrities wearing it all the time, people obsessed with his puzzle bags & everyone coveting tomato merch. So people (again fashion heads) were very excited for his Dior debut & btw he did already put a men’s collection down the runway, with overall positive reviews.
If anyone was paying attention for the men’s collection, they could have predicted what was coming for his women’s collection so who knows why they are upset?! But anyway people were not into it. To me - it was FINE. It was cute, relatable, wearable. Nothing blew it out of the park, but sometimes that happens. The guy didn’t start at Dior that long ago, so let’s give him a chance to find his rhythm.
Ok so this leads me to Taylor’s new album. It is also FINE. But you bet there are going to be a million think pieces on how it’s the best or worst album ever heard. & why? for clicks mostly I assume. This isn’t Taylor’s best album 1000% but it’s also not THAT bad. However, I do think she should take the advice I gave you all about JA & maybe sit out for a bit. I’ve been a Taylor fan for (honestly) too long. & I used to make people listen to certain songs she’d release as reasons for proving she really is a great songwriter and can deliver a bop (Blank Space, I Knew You Were Trouble, etc) but I probably wouldn’t do that with this album. The writing isn’t her best, the tunes aren’t that catchy - like there is no ‘ESPRESSO’ or ‘CRUEL SUMMER’ to be found in that album. & dare I say Ariana’s Eternal Sunshine was much better? Ariana worked on that w/ Max Martin as well, which is why it even comes to mind. But again it’s really FINE - I will turn this on when I need to bob my head while getting some work done (aka what I’ll be doing later today).
It’s interesting because her vault tracks on her older albums felt much stronger than this new album - I bring that up because 1989 specifically is very POP. I don’t know how you produce that 2 years ago & then this now? Except maybe I do - I think maybe she has too many yes men around her, just saying things are great. She also is a BUSINESS. & I do think Taylor the BUSINESS reigns over Taylor the MUSICIAN at this point in her career - which wasn’t always the case. Taylor isn’t just raking that $$$ for herself, she has (what I’m assuming is) a huge team behind her that needs a paycheck as well. So the business probably does assume it’s better to rush an album you wrote during 6 weeks in the summer while on tour & put it out. People are going to buy it. Why not? But if I had to give her advice, which we know I never will :) I’d say take a break, sit out for a bit. Find your rhythm because the songs she put out at the start of her career far surpass her last 2 albums, which are (and I say this with love) kind of a mess.
P.S. - ‘Actually Romantic’ is obviously a response to Charli’s ‘Sympathy is a Knife’ --no speculation needed. But last time I checked these two weren’t on a Real Housewives franchise so I need them to move on. You’re in your mid 30s there’s really no reason for it.
OK that’s it for this week but I’ll leave you with this - is Cancelled! about Blake Lively? That’s what I took from it - LMKK in the comments <3