Lydia Tár: conductor, teacher, writer, EGOT winner, friend, foe, toxic, lesbian, among many other things. Played by a never better Cate Blanchett, Lydia Tár is not a real person. No, she is fictional though the ill fated conductor is ever realistic. Over the course of the movie’s near three hour run time, we watch as Tár prepares to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, her life—professional and person—crumbling around her due to the suicide of a previous “mentee.” The movie is both a strong character study and a meditation on present day cancel culture. All great stuff, sure, but what we’re here to talk about is arguably much more important: the clothes.
Lydia Tár dresses like one of the power lesbians that Charlotte befriends in season two of Sex and the City. Lots of crisp button downs with cashmere sweaters tied chicly around the shoulders and perfectly fitted trousers that fall just above her pristine black tennis shoes. Her style is both functional and effortlessly chic. Seriously, she looks like a living advertisement for The Row (or better yet Chloé when Phoebe Philo was still the creative director in the early aughts).
Her style is as much a functional way to look chic as it is an intentional translation of mentor to mentee. Much ado is made throughout the film that Lydia Tár was mentored by master composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein, and the costumes reflect that. In the same way that Elizabeth Holmes and her black turtleneck were a callback to the late Steve Jobs, Lydia Tár’s power lesbian cosplay is a callback to Tár’s mentors and musical geniuses that inform her work—from Bach to Beethoven and beyond.
The film’s costume designer Bina Daigeler, who was previously nominated for an Academy Award for work on Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan, explained to GQ that the aim was to dress Tár as Tár would dress Tár—Tár being a working conductor at the height of her game and a self-proclaimed “U-haul lesbian.”
The costumes of the film may appear to be an insignificant detail in a film filled to the brim with details, but of the many things the film leaves you with, wanting to dress like Lydia Tár is certainly one of them. I mean, who wouldn’t want to dress like a fictional cancelled conductor.
STYLE DIARY #1582
My fall style thus far has been a mix of downtown cool kid meets Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy—lots of blazers, sweater vests, work wear pants, and funky sneakers or loafers. The occasional headband or bucket hat.
As you can see, my trusty YSL blazer (that I stole from a show I worked on…shhhh) has been a major staple as well as the vintage Jean Paul Gaulthier sunglasses I recently got.
(Aside: In middle school Old Navy was my end-all-be-all, my Holy Grail, THAT b*tch. I wore ill-fitting jeans (Old Navy, of course), a graphic tee, a light jacket (even in the summer), and a pair of converse. Thank god for growth.)
THE WEDDING DRESS RETURNS (& OTHER AND JUST LIKE THAT NEWS)
Filming for season two of And Just Like That… is well underway, and the girls are already giving us the sidewalk sashay, the costumers, Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, actively posting sneak peaks on the @andjustlikethatcostumes Instagram.
The most memorable outfit leaked so far has most certainly been the rebirth of Carrie’s iconic Vivienne Westwood Fall 2007 wedding dress. Styled with a pair of Manolo Blahniks (of course), some turquoise silk gloves (chic), and a bird on her head (I mean, it wouldn't be Carrie without), it is unclear why the dress has been brought back. Perhaps it has something to do with why Kristin Davis was seen wearing this crazy formal equestrian inspired get up…
It’s also unclear as to when the next season is supposed to be airing. If HBO knows what’s good for them, they’ll wait to air the season in June of next year to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Sex and the City. Seems like a no brainer to me.
Of the show’s upcoming season the head of HBO Max originals Sarah Aubrey told Variety:
“What you’re seeing this season is all of these characters embracing life. It’s a very joyful season and I think, in some ways, it feels like iconic ‘Sex and the City’ episodes. Most of all, for Carrie, in particular, in the way her character has always been up for the next adventure or the next love, the next friendship in the city, and you really feel that this season. We’re so excited. I went to the table, I’ve seen the clothes. So I’m voracious, just like everyone.”
Something to look forward to!
This week I reread Audre Lorde’s essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power.” The essay is all about unleashing and learning to live in your true erotic power—something that she says all female and female-identifying persons have within them. I am neither of these things, but as a queer person, I find it a good practice to adopt. Now, what Audre Lorde refers to as the erotic has less to do with the Eurocentric connotation of the word—one that is seen in a negative and licentious light—and all to do with finding your truth, your pleasure, what makes you happy and how you can help others achieve the same. It’s a practice as well as a state of being. Finding it can be as simple as taking a bath (if that’s something you like) or moving into the sunlight as you lay in bed next to a lover (my favorite example of hers).
I’m including this because regardless of how you self identify, I think it’s a good practice for everyone to adopt. It’s certainly one that has been on my mind as of late.
X, Bryce