The Penningtons Show, Met Gala, & Beyonce!

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Now Showing: The Penningtons: Gucci, ferrets, and existential dread

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@penningtonsharvard

Hey Nana!

Dear reader,

Today, I’m going to talk about balancing self-love and the desire to be in a relationship. I totally understand how tricky it is to manage these two seemingly opposite priorities. Sometimes when you walk around campus and see couples holding hands or making out, you think they’re absolutely disgusting freaks who need to get a room, but other times you go, “Awww, I want that!” 

Self-love and loving others are not contradictory. In fact, they can build on each other to create something even better. I truly believe that you can’t really be in a relationship until you learn to love, value, and respect yourself.

Relationships take time and patience. If you’re not willing to give yourself that time and patience, how are you going to give it to your partner? You need to love yourself the way you would love someone else, so take yourself out for dates, cook yourself dinner, and watch your favorite movie. 

At the same time, remember that desire shouldn’t be suppressed! Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed for desiring something like a relationship; that’s just called being human. If you find yourself catching feelings for someone, lean into it and be honest with yourself about what you’re looking for. Don’t shy away from intense emotions just because they’re intense. If that person ends up running away from you, then they just weren’t the one.

So venture forth on your romantic endeavors! I wish you the best of luck.

Best, 

Nana

A Superfine May for Met Fans

Last Wednesday, the Met Costume Institute announced the theme of their next exhibit and the upcoming Met Gala: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”🎩 The exhibit, whose annual gala is the Costume Institute’s primary source of income, will analyze the evolution of Black style and identity in the Atlantic diaspora. 

The exhibit marks several groundbreaking firsts. It will be the first Met exhibit to focus on designers of color, and the first in two decades to exclusively display menswear. Shockingly, the 2025 Met exhibit will also be the first to employ a Black curator. 

The curator in question is Monica Miller, a Professor and Chair of Africana studies at Barnard College. The new theme is inspired by her 2009 book, which is titled Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diaspora Identity. 

Dandyism is a flamboyant mode of dress for men that is more lifestyle than mere style. Over the centuries, it has come to signify Black men’s unflagging ambition, pride, and individuality. The exhibit will trace its development from nineteenth century livery worn by enslaved men to contemporary designs by artists like Virgil Abloh.

Even twenty years ago, a theme like this might have been unthinkable. Since 2020, however, the Costume Institute has made a concerted effort to prioritize BIPOC voices. In addition to acquiring around 150 pieces by BIPOC designers, the Institute has selected four Black men at the forefront of fashion to chair this year’s board alongside Anna Wintour. They are some of the biggest names in entertainment: Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and Lewis Hamilton. Lebron James will also round out the board as an honorary chair.

With leadership like that, the next Met Gala might just escape the curse of chronically underdressed male guests. Hopefully, they’ll all be impeccably attired; or should I say, “superfine?”

This week, I was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. A mere fifteen months ago, I was in Tokyo enjoying the best meals of my life with my best friends. Therefore, today I’ll be walking you through Japanse restaurants, which serve some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. (Here's to me going back for more!)

This week, I was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. A mere fifteen months ago, I was in Tokyo enjoying the best meals of my life with my best friends. Therefore, today I’ll be walking you through Japanse restaurants, which serve some of the best food I’ve ever tasted. (Here's to me going back for more!)🎌

Standout Successes

1. Tsujihan (Kagurazaka branch)🌸

   1. We originally wanted to try it because we’d seen it on Instagram (typical). However, we’d heard that most locations had waits that were up to two hours or more – is it really worth it? 

      1. Spoiler alert: YES!

   2. The entire space, not including the back room, was maybe the width of my single-person dorm room and the length of half a subway car. 

   3. The donburi itself was insanely flavorful and balanced, and the ambiance of the restaurant only amplified these qualities. 

   4. My favorite aspect of this experience was the hot sea bream broth. When we had eaten two thirds of our food, they poured boiling sea bream broth all over the remains, cooking what was left of the sashimi and turning the rice into a beautiful soup.

2. Yakitori restaurants in general🍗

   1. I have a specific place in mind when I sing praises about yakitori, but unfortunately it was an unexpected find that isn’t anywhere online. 

      1. What I will say is that I’ve never had better chicken. 

   2. Yakitori is the perfect blend of deliciousness and casual dining. The service is snappy and the vibes are always perfect.

   3. Japanese highballs are often served at yakitori restaurants and go so well with chicken thigh skewers. One restaurant in Kyoto gave us a free round of them due to  language barrier difficulties. I felt bad, but they were amazing anyway.

Cake, Coffee, and Caffeine

• Akha Ama (Shinjuku)🍵

  • This little cafe featuring coffee from Thailand was a hidden gem we stumbled upon one morning. 

  • I had a delicious vegan fig and walnut brownie — I was pleasantly surprised because veganism isn’t huge in Japan — and a Thai iced coffee. 

  • The English translations on the menus were an added plus, and the employees were all so friendly and welcoming. Ten out of ten!

• Fuglen Asakusa🏯

  • Like Akha Ama and other amazing things on our trip, this Norwegian coffee chain was an accidental discovery instead of a hot tip on TikTok.

  • I had a delicious Norwegian waffle with brown cream cheese before heading to Nakamise for some serious shopping, eating, and temple visiting.

  • Though we went to the Asakusa location, there are also four other locations in the Tokyo area. I highly recommend checking them out and enjoying the Scandinavian vibes.

Edgy Meets Essential With Gap x Cult Gaia Collaboration

About the Collection

It’s the details that make up the Gap x Cult Gaia pieces.

Much of the aesthetic mirrors organic forms, both hard and soft. Think gold grommets and chain link straps. Balanced by faux fur and curvature where you least expect it.

A wardrobe for the modern goddess.

About Cult Gaia

Founded in 2011 by Jasmin Larian Hekmat, Cult Gaia is known for sculptural designs and beautiful details.

Originally grounded in accessories, it’s grown into an heirloom lifestyle brand — a full world of Gaia.

Focused on objects that make you look twice. Created to live in your closet forever.

Shop The Collection - https://www.gap.com/browse/new/gap-x-cult-gaia-collection?cid=3038380

Jennifer’s Body (2009), Karyn Kusama 

Is Jennifer more Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “Maneater” or Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater?” To those who said the latter, you would be correct. I chose this horror/comedy this week as an ode to the beginning of October and because of this still of Megan Fox:

which prompted me to go searching for that hoodie as a potential Halloween costume. I was disappointed upon discovering that it was a discontinued children’s Gap product, and even Depop warriors can’t seem to find it. 

There is a lot to appreciate in this film. The non-horror stills have so much character, especially if you look at the warm composition of Needy’s room or the camera finishes that capture the glossiness of Megan Fox’s eyes, a technique that is so characteristic of early 2000 movies.

People who give this movie bad reviews clearly take the cheesy horror graphics and plot too literally. I get that these scenes feel gimmicky; however, the horror part of the movie felt like a side plot to the unsaid jealousy festering between Jennifer and Needy. It’s as if Mean Girls took a twisted and demonic turn with underlying tension between the two main protagonists (shoutout Amanda Seyfriend, who starred in both films. I didn’t realize it was her until I opened a Tik Tok comment section).

Overall, I watched this movie for the frenemy situation between Jennifer and Needy. I could care less about the horror aspect of it. Did this film get me ready for October spookiness? Not at all! Was I thoroughly entertained? Yes indeed. And do I believe that when anyone mentions Jennifer’s Body, they should think of Megan Fox and not Ken Carson’s song? Of course! 

Watch Jennifer’s Body here!

🎧PLAYLIST OF THE WEEK🎧

Watch Beyonce’s new Levi’s Campaign and Shop The Look🐎

“Nobody does denim like Beyoncé. The superstar hits the laundromat in a pair of skintight Levi’s 501 jeans for the brand’s “Reiimagine” campaign released on Monday (Sept. 30).

Inspired by “the legacy of Levi’s,” the campaign reimagines the classic 501 jeans as told in a “series of chapters” starring Beyoncé.

“My song ‘Levii’s Jeans’ celebrates what I believe is the ultimate Americana uniform — something we all wear with pride,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “I am honored to work with Levi’s to create quintessential American iconography. Denim-on-denim has often been seen through a male lens, so this reimagining campaign, which celebrates the iconic female perspective, is important to me. I look forward to exploring innovative ways for our visions to align in empowering women and honoring their strength.”

The first chapter, titled “Launderette,” is inspired by a 1985 Levi’s ad. In the commercial, Bey walks into a laundromat wearing ‘90s Women’s 501 Jeans ($98), an essentials Sport T-shirt and a denim cowboy hat. She opens the washing machine, throws in some diamonds — instead of laundry detergent, because she’s a glamorous girlie — before pulling off her jeans (revealing Levi’s undies) and throwing them in the washer. And of course, her Cowboy Carter track “Levii’s Jeans” plays throughout the commercial.

Emmy-winning cinematographer Marcell Rév brought the visual to life, while Levi’s commissioned photographer Mason Poole for the campaign imagery.

Beyoncé’s Levi’s campaign will expand across television, out-of-home advertising, digital, social media, print and brand activations in addition to exclusive products. To kick off the campaign, digital projections launched in San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Paris, London and Berlin on Monday.

“In collaboration with Beyoncé, we explore the power of reimagination through this campaign, helping us to connect with our fans in new ways and supporting the growth of our women’s business as the definitive denim lifestyle brand,” said Levi’s.

Shop the look from Beyoncé’s Levi’s campaign below.

Story from Billboard News

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_{See you next week!}