Cringe is still coming at me from all directions. I first wrote about how “the awkward and the profound collide to shape culture” in my Cringe = Sublime SEED back in April. Since then, a new infographic seems to appear each week. Cringe entered the cycle – or rather, cycles – and became an accepted part of the loop of cultural production and prediction. It’s no longer the end result, nor a by-product. Cringe is a stage to pass through – once, twice, maybe infinitely.
This summer, many things and ideas made their second, third or hundredth return. Most of them, somewhat organically, came back through the sublime cringe.
Skims has just dropped the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap – the brand’s “first-ever face innovation”. It’s essentially a jaw support bandage designed for post-operative recovery, complete with ear cut-outs and a Velcro strap that secures at the crown of your head. Like Bonnie and Clyde, it comes in two shades: cocoa and clay.
It feels like just yesterday that admitting to Botox made you a saint – humble, relatable. I remember when Kylie posted on IG in a post-op bra, with no confirmation of any procedure. Now she replies to TikTok comments with exact instructions on what to ask for at your next appointment. We have entered the era of lucid transparency.
The Precursor
Miu Miu FW 23
Returning to FW23: Lotta Volkova styled sheer nylon tights over cardigans for Miu Miu. Similarly, the pants – resembling bikini bottoms salvaged on laundry day – became office shorts. In her fashion column for Spike, Joanna Walsh describes the styling:
“Pulled up above the skirt’s waistband, the parts that show are not the smooth illusion of sex but the literal 'seamy side’ – the side that makes them [tights] 'work’.”
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