September clearly is onto something. One week in and Keeping Up With the Kardashians is being cancelled. Negroni Week is officially a thing (and ongoing). Venice Film Festival is actually taking place and both Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett have already provided plenty of stepping out ahead of Saturday’s awards ceremony. And, apparently being in an open marriage while dating Brad Pitt is possible. (Germans! Always ahead of the game!)

Usually this time of the year my biggest dream was the acquisition of a Dries van Noten cashmere overcoat. This autumn the only wish I’m trying to make the Universe manifest is that everybody would vote, always, but especially this year. So I have been thinking about fashion a bit less than normal, but still some.

Herewith some favourites fromVenice this year – Covid-masks are not the only thing speaking their quiet language about the special time we are living in: people are wearing pyjamas and other extremely comfortable-looking garments. There will likely be a big splash of fancier gowns on Saturday evening (lines up Negronis), but the run-up has been very wearable, with some recycled items, such as Blanchett’s Alexander McQueen top (The first image. Apologies for the poor crop-work and the quality of pictures, most of which come from Red Carpet Fashion Awards – site)

As regards hair, both Swinton and Blanchett have been wearing theirs with considerable amount of swagger, which I absolutely love. Do not miss this Saturday. Not like there’s anything else to watch/go to.

New York-based cocktail bar Dante (follow them on Instagram @dantenewyorkcity for drinks inspiration, ahem, should you need any) wished everybody a happy Negroni Week on Monday and this absolutely sparked much joy. I had taken to a regular Negroni-habit since sort of very early Covid-19, and can now officially revel in this fabulously tart and refreshing beverage for the duration of this week. Given that a cocktail in Helsinki costs as much as a nice 3 bedroom apartment with a sea view, I’m obviously mixing my own, and it’s very easy:

• Gin
• Campari
• Vermouth

One equal measure of each (your call what’s your “measure”). I like one massive ice cube in the glass, and I make mine in a 1dl -plastic measure the previous evening (this, according to a friend, makes me a highly functioning alcoholic). I can never bother with peeled orange rind or such, but knock yourself out if you’re feeling fancy. I might actually, on Saturday.

French officials have tried to ban a feminist pamphlet moi les hommes, je les déteste which of course has backfired and caused the booklet to sell like hot cakes instead. Makes one think what fuckery is going in the world if France of all countries is trying to ban a book but hey it’s 2020 so maybe everything goes. I have not read Pauline Harmange’s pamphlet, but might. Here’s the news in English.

Again, with the caveat of not having read the book, might we be getting a bit weird with out wokeness, maybe? As in slowly curbing the freedom of expression? Scotland’s parliament is currently battling with exactly this issue. In how far can you ban hate speech while maintaining the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression?
(1960s radical feminist SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas (yes the one who shot Andy Warhol) called for the elimination of the male sex altogether and people barely batted an eyelid.)
On a similar not, but only slightly similar, it appears to be nearly impossible to find Woody Allen’s (never convicted) biography in bookstores and/or have his latest films in circulation anywhere. At the same time Netflix and most other streaming services run Weinstein’s (convicted) films and again, I’m not seeing protests anywhere.

Anyway.

There’s an excellent, long interview with Miuccia Prada in a recent New York Magazine, this is the link. Everything we need to know about important things. Her AW20/21 dream seems to coincide with mine:

“First of all, people should go back to voting. I know a lot of young people who say, ‘I don’t like politics, I don’t vote.’ And I say, ‘Listen, that is a way you can influence politics.’ The only solution I see if you really want to change things is to be more political and dedicate more time to think about it. It must be a collective answer.”

The top picture is a photograph of an installation at the Finnish National Art Gallery, it’s inspired by Fragonard’s Swing from the 1767. The headless artwork is called The Swing (after Fragonard) by the British artist Yinka Shonibare. The installation is on loan from the Tate Gallery.