44 Words for Breathing

Talking through the Peter Do news + a rainy autumn playlist.

Hi, sailors. As a way to say thank you to paid members both new and old, I’m dropping a subscriber-only playlist below — one I’ve been listening to on repeat for the past few weeks, inspired by what’s outside my bedroom window this time of year: a long lea of pale green grass poxed with wet leaves, massive tulip trees and honey locusts turning gold, the pavement and the country fence soaked in rainwater.

Before I go, a couple of fashion things I want to talk about:

• ICYMI, I interviewed Harris Reed (and the London-based, Goop-approved wallcovering atelier Fromental) for L’Officiel’s November issue. I like that he’s thinking about expanding into interiors — the designers who stick around (Marc! Ralph! Tory!) are the ones who are unafraid to be entrepreneurial and consider fashion just one door in a larger design universe.

• Peter Do is out at Helmut Lang. I wasn’t surprised by this news — Do is very innovative and earnest, and Helmut Lang as a brand was borne out of a midcentury seriousness that chafes against sentimentality. It wasn’t a good match to begin with. But I do think, as I mentioned yesterday, that Do’s dismissal sets a poor precedent. Companies and conglomerates are looking to replicate a Jonathan Anderson at Loewe or god forbid a Tom Ford at Gucci, these lightning-in-a-bottle partnerships that revitalize brands through young, creative insolence. I think there’s a way to demand excellence from a young designer while letting their more fecund ideas incubate. Firing Do when he was just getting good at HL (I thought his last collection, Resort 2025, was really lovely) is disappointing, to say the least. Unless Fast Retailing sunsets the brand, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dion Lee or Glenn Martens (both out of a job) get tapped to take over.

• As always, I’m open for pitches at HALOSCOPE, ideally both quick stories and larger December/January pieces. My only major pitch stipulations are (A) email me, don’t DM me! and (B) please don’t send over anything pre-written. Feel free to shoot me an email at savannahedenbradley@gmail.com or refer to our in-house pitch guide.

OK! Now, for the playlist — featuring Neil Young, k.d. lang, Vashti Bunyan, and more: