June: A Diary Entry, Sale Shopping, & The Fetishisation of the Working Class Hero
It's fair to say that it's a mixed bag for the June round up.
The Diary entry
Hello, good day, and happy Sunday one and all. Today we have the June round up, which, for the benefit of new subscribers, is a recap of life in the previous month. It is written with the intention to share and connect, maybe to inspire, but also to provoke thought and who knows, maybe even discourse. It is not in the interest of being a Showy Susan, as is always my fear, so please judge me kindly on that. Anyways…
It was perhaps unavoidable after all the birthday festivities, but I’ve found the latter part of this month quite the struggle, despite what you may infer from my account below. It’s like life has had a sharp edge, and I do wish I could feel less and think less than I do. Maybe everyone wishes that for themselves sometimes. It will pass, and there is a lot to be chipper about, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been feeling the sharp edges a bit.
But enough of the Debbie Downering. Here is the craic:
Where I’ve Been
If birthday season has taught me anything, it has reminded me of how incredibly lucky I am to have some damned good people around. People who leave me on an upswing after leaving them. I’ve been treated to birthday dinner in Brinkleys (THE place to people watch in Chelsea), La Delizia (an authentic, neighbourhood Italian, again in Chelsea. Think low buzzy chatter permeated by the lively Italian banter of waiting staff. Good energy all around) and a delightful Vietnamese in Soho - Pho and Bun - Bao buns and gyoza, steamy windows and wine that anywhere else might not taste so good but everything is buoyed by the pre-theatre atmosphere in that part of town.
Still on the birthday theme, here’s how NOT to do birthday drinks: summons everyone you know (wild exaggeration) to the pub (Aragon House, Fulham, FYI) for 2pm, get too excited, drink too much, Irish exit your own party at 6pm and waken up at 10pm wondering what has taken place. Not my finest hour, and honestly, you’d think I’d know better at this stage, but here we are. I’ve written about my previous party angst here so in light of that I am still hailing it a kind of success? I can’t decide if the fact that most of my nearest and dearest, when I couldn’t be found, knew exactly what I had done is a beautiful demonstration of them accepting me for who I am, or a catalyst for the decision for future me to not sidle off home without telling anyone... maybe both!
For the beauty that was the Montenegrin landscape, I was not ready. I spent 5 days in early June here, with 5 friends. Montenegro represents what I imagine the French Riviera was 20 years ago - stunningly beautiful with great seafood and wine, sophisticated, but as yet unspoilt, and certainly not overrun as Cote d’Azur now is. It’s fair to say that the country’s culture hasn’t nailed some aspects - it is hard to get around, and navigating via taxi feels a bit frantic at times. Service ranges from over eager to nonchalant - but that in itself isn’t without some sort of charm. Do take a visit, if you can. Oh, and a few more holiday snaps can be found here
After touching down back in London, mid month, I took a trip out East for an evening in conversation with Polly Vernon and Jo Elvin. They shot the breeze, had the craic, spilt the tea, and their team were incredibly welcoming. No pretension, no grandeur - just straight talking, old fashioned, mainly clean, fun. Both ladies write on Substack and are oodles better than I’ll ever be - check them out! (*note to self - get better at taking pictures at events. I took one - of the exterior of the goody bag. Not exactly demonstrative of the good time that this evening was).
Like a lot of big cities, London can be pretty transient and in my time here people have come and gone. One of the absolute best passers through and her family left for their native New York last year, and this month came back to pay this city a visit. She talked about the differences between London and New York, and adapting to making both her home. It gave me moment to pause and think firstly I LOVE AND MISS HER ENERGY and secondly how much this area of London feels like my home, now.
Another one of the good passers through RUDELY left last year to move back to Scotland. She was back in town for a quick turnaround and I was delighted that she was able to squeeze me in for brunch (The Ivy, Kensington) only just long enough for me to warm myself in her glow, and those sharp edges of life felt less sharp, for a while.
This month also saw a trip to Soho to see a comedian - Jazz Emu. If you like your comedy a bit weird and very, very abstract, this guy is worth checking out. With astute observations delivered in the most self effacing of ways it was my second time seeing him, and I have no hesitation saying that I would go again. (*note to self - as before re: picture taking).
One late addition - yesterday I had lunch in The Ned. A six and a half hour long lunch. There was sushi and there were cocktails. There was live music all day long. It was relaxed and it was elegant. And it was a very good time.
The monthly 3*3
For this month’s 3*3 I have focused solely on the Net-A-Porter sale. I was going to focus on the last of the Matches (RIP, sniff, I hope it joins Topshop in great-stores-that-are-no-longer-with-us heaven) sale, but the stock is moving so quickly that it really wouldn’t have been worthwhile. Matches sale finishes today (Sunday 30th June) and there is an extra 20% at the checkout. Run, don’t walk. Anyhow, back to the matter at hand and I LOVE the Net-A-Porter sale. There are great reductions - none of this 5% off malarkey - it’s always 40% plus. What this means is that those clothes that are prohibitively expensive for many of us at full price come to a price point maybe just within our grasp. Also, always shop the sales with one eye on the current season and with one eye on the season ahead, so keep that in mind when perusing too. Here’s what I spied:
These sandals are leather and a beautiful buy for repeat summers - particularly so on the daintier footed lady. This shade of blue of this blouse is next season’s answer to last season's “pop of red” trend. Pairs well with slouchy dark denim jeans, but works equally well for office attire, or later in the year poking out underneath a jumper. The By Malene Birger shirt jacket - a label close to my heart for a few reasons - screams modern simplicity with a 90s nod. It doesn’t take too much imagination to picture one of the Gallagher brothers performing in it back in the day, but see how beautifully styled it is here?
This Self Portrait dress is one and done number - I’d wear it for any fancy schmancy function with simple makeup, loose hair and a tuxedo blazer if one were needed. The black one shoulder dress has been featured on this page before - I own it - and I can’t believe it is still available, and on sale. It’s great, can be dressed up or down and can be trusted not to crease when thrown into a suitcase. The two piece - dreamy. Again, versatile and works with a blazer later in the year. It has the obvious limitation of requiring one to expose their midriff - am I really going to do that now I’m 40? Well, yes. Yes I am.
Lastly I imagine the Ganni knitted vest brightening up the winter months. A tailored short is a summer essential for me - My most worn items every year, and I only own black and white. Navy would be a welcome addition. And this Self Portrait denim dress is a neat little number for hot summer days that are destined to end in drinks in the setting sun.
Monthly musings:
Rishi Sunak, James Blunt and the fetishisation of the working class hero.
I’ll cut straight to the point here - I have a strengthening frustration that in this part of the world, society is only comfortable with success for those who come from less privileged backgrounds, and desn’t extend the same generosity of spirit to those who come from privilege. It’s inverse elitism, and it makes me uncomfortable.
Take James Blunt. His recent Netflix documentary lays out how he was rejected by record labels because of his posh accent, and asked to change it - his speaking voice, not his singing one. He was described as “too posh to be a popstar”. Throughout his career he has been ridiculed - often piling in on himself, himself - for being “a posh knob” (his words). But the reason he should never have made it as a popstar is less to do with the fact that he is posh, and more because his music is, well, a wee bit shit.
Also take the Sunak “I have friends who are working class…well not working class” gaff. I’ve long understood that I read that situation a little differently to how it has landed with many others. I see him deliver the first part with confidence as he considers a cross section of his friends. And then, I think, he considers that perhaps the precise “working class” friends he has in mind may not like that description of them. In a panic, he tries to limit the potential offence and offers “well not working class”. I don’t think it was disdain for the entire working class, but a conflict between his principle to be a thoroughly polite guy - this trumps authenticity, in his posh world - and to be matter of fact. Because let’s remember, both in Rishi’s world and outside of it, being deemed working class can be considered a reductive slight. I work in trade union circles, and I can tell you that even IN the supposed working classes people don’t always liked to be referred to as such. I don’t fully understand this class system - surely everyone who works is a sort of working class, and, where you buy your groceries, for example, is less defining. But no, it seems this is not the case. I’m not saying it’s right, but I am saying this is true. The only way being working class becomes more palatable is when it is a means of justifying success - “I came from nothing, me. Look at me now!”
(Aside - Marina Hyde had an absolutely smashing piece recently about how Rishi is richer than the king, but only just about posh enough for the real poshos; read it here if you have time. It’s an article that you might expect those “upper class” folk to complain about, but I suspect they’d consider it much too uncouth to be so outspoken, darling. I’d argue they’re suffering from repression. But I digress.)
Regardless of this constructed class system, people who have had success in the banking and finance sectors make good advisors, analysts, strategists. But they do not make good politicians, or prime ministers. It requires a different skillset to be a politician - to strike the right balance of presenting as a safe pair of hands, with the risk of appearing superior or haughty. To ignore Sunak’s skill deficit on this count, and suggest that he can’t understand the problems of the real world simply because he comes from privilege is a shallow argument. He shouldn't have to make apology for his background any more than those from less privileged backgrounds should make apology for theirs. What he should make apology for is not being able to come up with a decent counter narrative, or for not having better mastered the skills to bat back the criticism when it lands.
Oh, and for foreign policy….and others.
And with the pendulum swing of popular opinion, it leaves an open goal for his political opponent to exploit his juxtaposed heritage of “son of a toolmaker”. Keir Starmer presents the continued case that this, plus his proximity to those working directly in the NHS, is evidence that he would make a better prime minister. I’m sorry, but what? Just like Sunak, Keir Starmer is a grown individual man, as should be judged as such. Running a country goes beyond understanding the plight of your primary relatives. Carve your own identity and stop relying on lazy stereotypes to get by, please.
If you think I’m over simplifying the thing, and that people are inextricably linked to their backgrounds - Shane Magowan? Went to a fee paying school in England. Fatboy Slim? Real name Quentin, and went to the same school as Starmer. I wonder if they would have achieved prominence had they not leaned away from their posh backgrounds, and presented as so ordinary? Coldplay lost street cred when word got out that they were mild mannered middle class lads, and not the rough and ready almost-rebels that it seems was expected of them. Ed Sheeran has claimed to have been homeless before making it big, which makes a great story, until you read that it was more a case of couch surfing between friends than sleeping on the streets. But let’s not let that get in the way of fetishising that tale - it does wonders for his likeability after all.
I’m aware that these examples are all male - women are judged through another lens entirely. One to untangle for another day.
It is an easier path from privilege to politics. Or from privilege to most places, really. That is the problem - a system that has these prejudices inherent, and caters to them, rather than seeks to eradicate them. Confidence does not mean competence, but is continually mistaken for it, regardless of skill or talent. Battering down the those who inhabit the upper echelons of the system doesn’t solve the inequalities in political representation, or in popular culture, and a tale of a “done well in-spite-of” doesn’t cut it either.
But, as Marina Hyde put it, thats the class system for you. Sigh.
So there you have it - the innards of my mind and where it has been this month. By this time next week all the election coverage will have drawn to a close, which I’m not sure is a relief or a disappointment, for as much as its been a bit of a drag, it’s surely just as entertaining as Love Island. Wednesday will be looking at some beauty purchases that I have made that are brightening my summer days, with a summer in the city daily wardrobe diary coming on Sunday - light relief, I do hope.
As ever, thanks for being here, and thanks for reading
Big Love
Una
X
🤍🤍🤍
Loved this mixed bag! 🙌🏼🛍️