Cherry Red Takes the Win; Colour of the Season

On scarfs, shoes and accessories this winter, one thing is undeniable – the prevalence of cherry red throughout our favourite stores. In the run up to Christmas and the holidays I’ve handpicked some of my favourite effortlessly cool pieces.

Scroll down below to have a look at this holidays’ favourites; If you’re looking to dress up with some flair, look no further than the H&M blazer and skirt combo, or if you’re looking to add a pop of red to your wardrobe the Free People Firecracker Flare jeans are a must!

Bow-detail satin blazer - Dark red - Ladies | H&M GB

Bow-detail satin mini skirt - Dark red - Ladies | H&M GB

BRA WITH CONTRAST TULLE TOP - Red | ZARA United Kingdom

Custom Fit Garment-Dyed Oxford Shirt for Men | Ralph Lauren® UK

We The Free Firecracker Flare Jeans | Free People UK

Retro velvet trainers - Shoes - BSK Teen | Bershka

Lost Cherry Eau de Parfum | TOM FORD BEAUTY

However you incorporate cherry red to your holidays, the Tom Ford Lost Cherry perfume is the perfect finishing touch to any look this winter!

The One That Got Away - Why We Root for Emily in Paris' Gabriel

On the snowy slopes of Megève, our heroine falls, defeated. Abandoned by her boyfriend and unable to ski, she lies in her chic, Audrey Hepburn-esque outfit, flush against the snow. Just as all hope is lost, a hand reaches out, and as the sun flickers, we catch a glimpse of a handsome stranger coming to the rescue. Just one problem—this isn’t our leading man. The hero of this story is Chef Gabriel, who followed his pregnant ex-girlfriend Camille down the mountain.

Since its introduction in 2020, Emily in Paris was first mocked, then beloved! But one thing has always remained steady: the audience’s approval of the hot chef. We first meet Gabriel in season 1 with his long-term girlfriend Camille in tow. Despite this, and the later introduction of Emily’s boyfriend Alfie, we watch the love and attraction between Emily and Gabriel grow in the midst of affairs, exes, and new loves. The finale of Emily in Paris season 3 finally gave our couple a chance. As Camille stands in her family’s church holding Gabriel’s hands, she is unable to take her vows because “it’s always been you and Emily,” and she tearfully leaves the church. And as the dust settles (and Emily’s boyfriend breaks up with her), we’re left with a shot of Emily and Gabriel overlooking a balcony, hoping they get together.

But after four seasons of “will they, won’t they,” aren’t we tired of this by now? The unattainable love interest is a long-beloved trope in rom-coms, often used to propel our heroine into a journey of self-love. Other media similarly glamorizes the unattainable love interest; Sex and the City glamorizes Carrie’s leading man, ‘Big,’ to such an extent that his name is only revealed in the Sex and the City finale (six seasons later!). Where Carrie had her chance to be with sweet, adoring Aidan, she chased after Big despite all the signs that he just wasn’t that into her.

Bridget Jones’s Diary had its Daniel, Bridget’s boss who dumps her after initially pursuing her, prompting her vow to “find a nice, sensible boyfriend and stop forming romantic attachments to any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, sexaholics, commitment-phobics, peeping toms, megalomaniacs, emotional fuckwits, or perverts.” The Holiday had its Iris, who found herself heartbroken after her unrequited love, Jasper, got engaged, prompting her to go to LA and meet Jack Black’s sweet and admiring Miles. Legally Blonde produced one of the most important messages of the 21st century as we see Elle get dumped by her boyfriend, pursue law school, and realize her true potential. If all of these tropes see our heroines develop despite the heartbreak, then why does Emily in Paris refuse to let Emily move on?

No wonder it’s refreshing to see Emily end her relationship with Gabriel in Megève as she states, “You’re always gonna choose her [Camille]!” A sigh of relief runs through us—what if Carrie had made the same decision in season 1? And at what point does a hopeless romance become just hopeless? Gossip Girl similarly had its heroine in Blair Waldorf, a hopeless romantic who thought the show’s ‘bad boy’ Chuck Bass was her soulmate until she realized she deserved better (spoiler: they still end up together).

Time and time again, we see our heroines chasing their male leads, waiting for them to realize that they’re the one because “it’s just meant to be.” He’s Just Not That Into You was the first movie to try to dispel that myth. Following the lives of several couples, we see their different dynamics as Justin Long’s Alex explains that “If he's not calling you, it’s because he doesn’t want to call you. If he’s not asking you out, it’s because he doesn’t want to ask you out. If he’s treating you like he doesn’t give a shit, it’s because he doesn’t give a shit. When a guy is interested in you, he will act like it. And if he doesn’t, he’s just not that into you.”

So, if Emily and Gabriel are meant to be, why does it take so long for them to get together? And why do they then break up so easily as Gabriel leaves her behind? The underlying understanding of rooting for your favourite couples is that, despite the ups and downs they might face, there’s comfort in knowing they will end up together. But what if they don’t? What if Carrie and Big never got married and Carrie spent years chasing after him? What if Chuck never realized Blair was the one for him? When we are so obsessed with waiting for the “ones that got away,” we miss the Marcellos of the world—the ones ready to be in our present. And as Marcello takes Emily’s hand, we hope for a new era in Emily’s life; we hope for Emily in Rome.

Strawberry Makeup and the Gen Z Identity Crisis

Beauty TikTok hit me hard. I’ve been a dedicated scroller and avid watcher of the tiktok beauty world ever since the app came out (how else am I supposed to know my colour season?). But ever since Hailey Beiber’s famous ‘strawberry girl’ makeup selfie lit the beauty world on fire, my for your page has been abuzz with different beauty aesthetics. Do I fit the clean girl aesthetic or the vanilla girl aesthetic? and what’s the difference? I ask my friends trying not to sound too old, who casually look up from their phones, shrug and say ‘neither’. An interaction I’m slightly ashamed to say had me questioning my identity also got me thinking, where have these aesthetics come from, and why are we so invested in them?

Gone are the days of clean girl aesthetic, 2024 is the year of micro trends. Blueberry nails, vanilla girl makeup, mob wife aesthetic, the options are endless, and you are left to choose like you’re Cady Heron picking a table for lunch. Choose one, and you fear you won’t be welcome in the other, choose the wrong one, and you’ve spent hundreds of pounds on the Pilates princess starter pack. Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing wrong with a trend, putting a bow in your hair can put a spring in your step, and wearing a milkmaid dress to a picnic is a great way to dress it up, regardless of the coquette or cottage core aesthetics; sometimes an accessory is just that.   But now more than ever there seems to be an outpouring of trends, with mob wife aesthetic gaining 2.2 billion views on tiktok, slightly overshadowed by latte girl makeup at 210 million views. Where 2016 brings us a strange sense of nostalgia with its heavier makeup topped with the kylie lip kits and the not so far gone past of 2020 was the era of glossier and slick back buns, what, if any trends will be strong enough to define 2024?

And more importantly in a world where we can identify with an aesthetic based on the colour of our blush, is there even a need for self-reflection? Where previous trends seemed to add onto our lives and be used as a way to express our personalities, the aesthetics of today have expanded to be lifestyles in their own right. Consider the Pilates princess aesthetic which along with its pink lululemon outfits encourages Pilates on a regular basis; instead of simply an accessory, the Pilates princess aesthetic advocates for a certain lifestyle. The trad wife aesthetic which has recently gained momentum (and controversy) on tiktok is specifically aimed towards women and advocates for traditional gender roles and marriages, again, instead of an aesthetic adding to our lives, these aesthetics begin to bend our lives around them in order to create a lifestyle.

These aesthetics begin to sway the ways we dress, the things we do and value; but can anyone afford that? The simple coquette aesthetic can be topped with just a bow, but more modern aesthetics require an arsenal of outfits, equipment and accessories to be able to live that aspirational lifestyle. The Pilates princess has its Lululemon, the old money aesthetic has it’s Loro Piano and Ralph Lauren, even the coastal granddaughter aesthetic has a whole wardrobe reminiscent of Brandy Melville. More than that, the time required to adhere to these aesthetics is  privilege in itself; Nara Smith famously makes food from scratch on tiktok, a labour that’s romanticised to some because she has the time to do so.

More worryingly still is what happens when you adhere to an aesthetic without realising its implications, as tiktok pointed out, mob wife makeup was designed to be so heavily applied to hide the violence those women may have faced. The office siren aesthetic faces a similar vein of controversy, as people argue that while the aesthetic – with its short skirts and messily tied up hair is fun – it’s not actually appropriate for the workplace.

And while It’s important to recognize that nobody is enforcing these aesthetics on you, when the media we consume bombards you with different aesthetics, is it any wonder we try to fit ourselves into a box? The sudden rise of popularity amongst these different trends also suggests a lack of stable identity within ourselves, if we can be so easily swayed from aesthetic to another. Another explanation for the rise of these aesthetics is the aspirational lifestyle we associate with them; we want to be like Hailey Bieber so we buy the products for a strawberry makeup routine, we want to exercise regularly so we buy outfits from lululemon.

And while our priorities and personalities shift and evolve its important that your aesthetic aligns with who you actually are as a person and add to your personality; instead of letting these aesthetics blend into your identity, its important to adopt the qualities we identity with already and aspire to in the future. So whether it’s a swash of bright pink on your cheeks, or a lululemon wardrobe that you gravitate towards, let yourself playfully slip into these new trends to figure out what suits you best.