🍸 OFF-MENU 007 🍸: And So Is Love

What I'm loving this week: tulle gloves, a Joy Williams short story, and lots of spiced carrot muffins

Hello, sailor. Welcome back to OFF-MENU, a Friday round-up of the seven things I’ve been thinking about this past week, from oyster rings to Robert Altman’s Nashville, along with new things I’ve discovered (as recommended by you!).

Thank you, as always, for the endlessly thoughtful responses to the Tuesday essay on sexuality vs. sensuality in fashion, as well as Gloss Tournament. Obviously two equally important topics. I feel like the former, in a circuitous way, was somewhat of a subconscious response to that essay I wrote about cool-girl underwear brands. I just want fashion to be genuinely SEXY again!

Speaking of which: the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. To borrow the infamous Lauren Oyler headline: Ha ha! Ha ha! I posted about style being more important than beauty, but to elaborate a little — I disagree with the numerous critics suggesting we, as an “enlightened” culture, have moved past the need for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Based on the insane demands for clubwear that I spoke of earlier this week, people obviously want to wear (and look at!) sexy clothing, including lingerie. (Whether that jibes with feminist thought is another question.) The formula for a gangbusters show is this: Beautiful People + Beautiful Clothes + Beautiful Atmosphere = Success. But Victoria's Secret has tried to rearrange or shirk elements of that formula altogether. Women don't want to see other women — of all sizes — in boring garments. Going back to the lacy, baroque lingerie while cheapening the budget was not the way to fix things. The way to fix things would be through following an admittedly very easy template. This week's show was not Beautiful People + Beautiful Clothes + Beautiful Atmosphere but Beautiful People (Who Look Cold and Uncomfortable) + Halloween Costumes + The Mall Food Court.

Anyways! For some of my favorite things…