5 Things We Loved Lately: Balloon Curtains, Dior Couture, a New Netflix Documentary & more

IT’S BEEN A WHILE since our last instalment of Things We Loved this Week. This one includes balloon curtains and beautiful haute couture, a review on the Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch and more…

We first happened upon this room in a past article on the Architectural Digest website and immediately searched for the rest of the home, which we featured here last week. It is the work of interior designer Jeremiah Brent and there’s something so chic and elegant and calming about this space that we can’t tear our eyes away…

Haven’t had a chance to check out all the shows, but did see a few looks from Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s Christian Dior Spring 2022 Couture and immediately fell for the chic and sophisticated ensembles with their fine tailoring and clean lines. View the full collection here.

There is a long history of balloon curtain love here at TIG, and these old scans of ornately beautiful rooms found at Cote de Texas remind us again how much we love these elegant window coverings. Whether plain or with a pleated edge, they go as well with burled wood as with marble and add that finishing touch to every room.

Just finished watching the new Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch and it was interesting. Like my penchant for reading books on economics or listening to podcasts on the same topic, I’m also fascinated by the rise and fall of brands and finding out what happened? The film looks into the history and cultural phenomenon that was Abercrombie & Fitch, the American clothing brand popular in the ’90s and ’00s and all of the controversies that lead to its ultimate (and very public) downfall. From being the brand most desired by teens around the world to being voted America’s most hated retailer in 2016.

Superstar CEO Mike Jeffries (brought on in 1992) had single-handedly turned the once-defunct brand around with his winning formula of retaining the heritage and elitism associated with the original 1892 brand and adding in exclusivity, youth, and sexuality to create a heady mix. Throw in highly sexualised ad campaigns by American fashion photographer Bruce Weber in his black and white style and it was ready to take the world by storm.

Of course, it wouldn’t last. It couldn’t. The dubious hiring practices would lead to protests and discrimination lawsuits. By the mid 2010s, social media would change everything and give those previously without a voice a new amplifying platform. Plus, consumer culture was changing at a time of Black Lives Matter, body positivity, and #MeToo. Jefferies would step down in 2014 and in 2018, fifteen current and former male models who worked with Bruce Weber would accuse the commercial and fine art photographer of sexual exploitation, charges which he denies.

We’ve been searching for mason jars and glass canister sets on Etsy in an effort to reduce plastic and came across these inspirational images of open shelf storage solutions for pantry staples and dry goods and can’t wait to begin building our collection. Ours will be filled with whole wheat pasta, Lizzie’s granola in every flavour, Irish-cut oats, Allpress espresso beans and more…