Skinny Sex dolls to enjoy intimate moments, models range from thin to voluptuous shapes. The skinny pack has lots of other thin characters to meet all your preferences. There are three things to consider when buying a sex doll material, size and customisation.
They are sold by popular brands such as Zelex Doll, Climax Doll, WM Doll and SE doll among others. The skinny pack comes with both silicone and TPE options, which gives you the softer feel of silicone, or the more realistic look.
Understanding Skinny Sex Dolls
There is nothing sexier than skinny sex dolls These sexy models with slim body, light weight,small waist and slim figure looks so natural.
The skinny sex doll are typically 5’4″ or less, making them easy to store.
Most dolls have an A-cup or B-cup bust size, but a C-cup option is available.
They have different skin colors which can be adjusted between white to tanned.
Skinny Sex Dolls Made from high quality silicone and TPE with a soft realistic touch. They are lightweight and user-friendly, which is perfect for the less mobile.
These dolls provide a realistic experience with tall limbs, authentic features and slim figures.
The touch of a slender doll is somewhat harder and more ‘bonier’ as there is less skin with which to pad out the joints, and they always retain their figure and definition.
Breast Size Varieties
Bust size is a consideration when choosing a sex doll; small options include the A-cup and B-cup, with larger sizes including C-cup, D-cup, E-cup, and even F-cups or G cups. There are some dolls with small, stubby busts, such as petite or flat chests. The preference is personal, some people like them natural and some large. The size of a breast affects the look (or realism) of the doll, and balance and proportion. When selecting the size, take personal preference, purpose of use and desired style into consideration.
Body Type and Height
Sex dolls are available in various body types and heights from around 150cm (5 ft) to over 176cm (6ft plus). Whether you prefer a skinny, curvy or muscular body at the end of the day collectors have various favorites. When selecting a doll, factors such as personal preference, lifestyle and use come into play because not all clothing or areas of the home are conducive to slim dolls.
The Skinny sex doll are manufactured with top quality silicone and TPE for an authentic look and feel. Negative Ion Chips imitate human skin allowing a more intimate experience. They are non toxic, body safe and hypoallergenic. Hair styling may need attention. The refinement is warm and sensual, engaging and inviting.
Poseability and Usability
The sex doll has an articulated skeleton that can perform all kinds of actions, so you can realize your dreams. Options such skin color, breast size and eye color help improve satisfaction. These dolls are made of high-grade silicone It is skin-friendly, comfortable and smooth, and it can bear the reposition making natural decorations more perfect.
Benefits of Owning a Sex Doll
Owning a slim sex doll provides with not just physical pleasure but also intimacy. You have options for skin color, eye color and breast size. Constructed using high-quality material, these dolls can withstand long play hours. They simulate the real experience, are a way to fulfill fantasies, and do spice up slack sexual relationships too.
Popular Sex Doll Brands
Zelex Doll Zelex Doll is a maker of skinny sex dolls that you can order with personalized specifications.
Climax Doll is a good brand with quality and realistic design.
WM Doll has multiple selections of sex dolls, such as slim and busty with life-like appearances.
A researcher (Leonard-Emrouch) who has been studying the sex doll industry told us about less famous brands that seemed forged by a desire to stick apart from others: ”Sy Doll“, „Jiusheng Doll“, “Starpery Doll, IrontechDoll”, and AiBeiDoll.
Comparison Quality, Customization & Customer Reviews – and that’s how you find the best brand for your needs.
Discreet Shipping and Storage
Privacy is important when buying a sex doll so all shipping and storage are done discreetly. Your doll ships in a discreet, plain package giving you the confidence to purchase this item. To your doll lasting quality, it is better to store in a dry cool place and keep away from uv light. With these precautions you can enjoy your doll in comfort and privacy.
Conclusion
Skinny sex dolls give you the real feel and you have it customized too. When selecting one, consider quality, customization and safety. Investigate reputable brands, and read reviews for best fit. Skinny sex dolls can last a long time with good care. It comes in different types to fit your needs.
Companionship has never been a fixed idea. It’s shaped by numerous factors, such as culture, technology, and changing expectations. You can look back just a few decades and see how dramatically it has shifted.
Where companionship once centered on long-term partnerships, today you navigate a far wider landscape. It’s more flexible, more personalized, and sometimes more complicated. Understanding these changes helps you make sense of what you want and why it matters.
The Traditional Model of Romantic Companionship
For much of modern history, romantic companionship followed a fairly predictable path. You were expected to find a partner, commit for the long term, and build a shared life anchored in marriage or a stable partnership.
In this traditional model, companionship was deeply tied to consistency and presence. You relied on one person to be your primary emotional support, confidant, and partner in daily life. Success depended on love and compromise, and a willingness to evolve together. Just thinking of it makes long-term romantic companionships both rewarding and demanding in equal measure.
Research rooted in basic science suggests that consistent social connection supports emotional well-being and even influences your immune response. Feeling understood and supported builds psychological connectedness, which helps regulate stress and reinforces your sense of belonging. When companionship is lacking, the impact can ripple into physical health as well.
The Problem With Modern Lifestyles
Busy schedules, remote work, and frequent relocations are common social challenges, leaving you craving meaningful connection but without the time or energy to build it from scratch. This sense of social disconnectedness often shows up quietly, affecting mood, confidence, and motivation, even when your calendar looks full.
In response, some people turn to structured companionship options such as Wellington escorts. Doing so is often seen as a way to address that gap through clear boundaries and shared expectations.
For individuals who want connection without long-term pressure, these arrangements can offer conversation, presence, and human warmth when life feels unbalanced. While not for everyone, they highlight how companionship is adapting to modern needs rather than disappearing.
Companionship Beyond Traditional Dating
The changing culture of companionship is tied closely to shifting relationship patterns. You may have noticed that many adults are delaying long-term commitments or opting out of them altogether.
Recent research shows that men are more likely than women to remain single below the age of 30. This data point reflects wider trends around independence, economic pressures, and changing social norms.
These days, companionship is no longer viewed solely through the lens of marriage or long-term romance. Some people seek conversation, presence, or shared experiences without emotional obligation. Professional escorts can fit into this landscape as a form of time-bound, consensual companionship. The focus is not on replacing relationships, but on offering an alternative for those who want connection without complexity.
Technology and Modern Connection
Technology plays an equally powerful role in reshaping how you relate to others. Your electronic devices make connections easier. Platforms built around social media and constant digital interaction allow you to stay connected across distance.
Even so, you have to be careful not to replace depth with convenience, especially when most interactions happen through a smartphone screen. You may express care through brief messages, emojis, or carefully chosen love words sent at just the right moment. While efficient, this style can sometimes mask deeper emotional challenges, making it harder to articulate needs or vulnerabilities face-to-face.
At the same time, innovation is pushing companionship into entirely new territory. Dating sites, messaging services, and emotional companionship services have already reshaped expectations. Artificial intelligence (AI) firms are offering chatbots as alternatives to romantic relationships for people seeking conversation without vulnerability.
Powered by generative models, these tools learn how you speak and respond, creating a sense of continuity that can feel surprisingly personal. While they don’t replace human bonds, they do show how companionship is expanding beyond traditional definitions.
Other Forms of Companionship
For older adults, maintaining connections can be just as vital, especially after retirement or loss. Some rely on long-standing friendships, while others explore community groups or new forms of support. Each path contributes to social capital; the network of relationships that helps you feel anchored and valued.
A Culture Still in Transition
However, the ways you find and express it have multiplied. You might notice that closeness now comes in many forms, from deep friendships to digital bonds that didn’t exist before.
In the end, companionship today is about choice and awareness. Although the forms and expectations of companionship are changing rapidly—from longstanding romantic partnerships to digital and professional alternatives—the underlying need for genuine human connection persists. Recognizing and understanding these changes empowers you to build relationships that feel genuine, supportive, and sustainable, no matter the format.
Live dealer blackjack has become one of the most popular options found at online casinos. It’s easy to see why. The game combines the convenience of online play with the authenticity of a real casino table. In doing so, it creates an appealing experience for both casual players and seasoned blackjack fans.
As technology has improved, the appeal of live blackjack has only grown. This makes it a standout choice for many online players.
A More Authentic Casino Experience
Realism is, undoubtedly, one of the main reasons behind the popularity of live dealer blackjack. You’re not playing against a random number generator here. Instead, you watch a real dealer shuffle and deal physical cards in real time. The action is streamed directly from professional studios, typically designed to resemble high-end casino floors.
Along with added transparency, this visual element ramps up those excitement levels. Seeing each card dealt live allows you to feel more connected to the game and confident in its fairness.
Real-Time Interaction Adds a Social Element
Unlike standard online blackjack, live dealer games allow players to interact directly. Many tables incorporate chat features that let you communicate with the dealer and, in some cases, other players at the table.
It’s an effective social aspect for making the experience feel less isolated. Ask any player who misses the buzz and atmosphere of land-based casinos. They’ll tell you that even a brief exchange with a dealer can make the game more engaging and enjoyable.
Familiar Rules with a More Controlled Pace
Live dealer blackjack tables tend to follow traditional casino rules. This is reassuring for players who already know the game and don’t want to learn different mechanics. The pace is also more measured compared to automated versions, giving you time to think through decisions rather than feeling rushed.
For many, the slower rhythm makes the game feel more strategic and immersive. It encourages thoughtful play rather than rapid-fire betting, which stops you from burning through your budget fast.
Multiple Variants Keep It Interesting
Another reason for its popularity is variety. As seen at Lonkero Kasino, online platforms tend to offer multiple live blackjack tables with different rules, betting limits, and formats. You can then select tables to best match your budget and playing style.
The flexibility to switch between classic tables and alternative versions without leaving the live casino section cannot be understated. It’s a variety that keeps the experience continually fresh over time.
Mobile-Friendly Convenience
Live dealer blackjack works perfectly on mobile devices. Due to this, it makes it easy to play from almost anywhere. During a lunch break. Commuting. From the comfort of home. You can join a table whenever it suits you.
Thanks to the power of modern streaming technology, you benefit from smooth video quality and responsive controls, even on smaller screens. It’s a level of accessibility that’s been key in expanding live blackjack’s audience.
A Balance of Skill and Entertainment
Blackjack has been popular for centuries because it combines chance with decision-making. Well, live dealer blackjack enhances this balance by adding real-world elements without sacrificing convenience. You feel more involved in the outcome while still benefiting from the comfort of online play.
Broken Social Scene are back. The Toronto collective has today announced their first new studio album in nearly a decade, Remember the Humans, arriving May 8 via City Slang in the UK and EU/Arts & Crafts in North America. The announcement is accompanied by the release of the shimmery, nostalgic opening track ‘Not Around Anymore’. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.
The follow-up to 2017’s Hug of Thunder reunites the Canadian band with producer David Newfeld, who helmed their 2002 breakthrough You Forgot It in People and self-titled 2005 album. During the recording process, both frontman Kevin Drew and Newfeld lost their mothers. “Our moms would have wanted us to do this, and get it right after 20 years of not working together,” Newfeld remarked.
Of working with Newfeld, the group’s Charles Spearin said, “His production suits the chaos of our songwriting so well…he’s got a childlike energy that is really contagious, when you get a piece of music that he loves, Oh my God, he’s bouncing like a little boy.” Collaborators on the LP include Feist, Hannah Georgas, and Lisa Lobsinger.
“There’s a different kind of honesty in this record,” Spearin added, “We’ve had success, we’ve lost friends, we’ve lost parents, we’re at this ‘what happens next?’ stage in life.”
Drew commented: “In 2026, you’re going to see a lot of resurgence of people going back to the roots of who they are, because things in their lifetime have gotten quite lost. I think we’ve let each other down, and I think it’s art that always tries to prevail, and tries to get us back on track.”
Heartwarming dramedy Shrinking has returned with season 3, bringing back its intoxicating blend of goofy humour and emotional moments. While making a funny show about grief is not easy, the Apple TV production proves that it can be masterfully done.
So much so that the series has been praised by critics every since it premiered. As long as the third season follows the same pattern, should we expect another follow-up somewhere down the line?
Shrinking Season 4 Release Date
Shrinking fans can breathe easy: the show has already scored a renewal. Apple TV recently shared the news, highlighting the fact that the show has been consistently celebrated as “one of TV’s best-written comedies.”
While there’s no official premiere date, we can expect Shrinking season 4 to arrive in early 2027.
Shrinking Cast
Jason Segel as Jimmy
Harrison Ford as Paul
Jessica Williams as Gaby
Luke Tennie as Sean
Michael Urie as Brian
Lukita Maxwell as Alice
Christa Miller as Liz
Ted McGinley as Derek
What Is Shrinking About?
Shrinking follows Jimmy, a therapist who decides to throw professional boundaries out the window. Still reeling from his wife’s death, he starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks they should do, regardless of ethics and consequences.
The show touches on grief, parenthood, friendship, and mental health. It balances sharp humor with emotional gut punches, exploring the messiness of trying to help others when you’re barely holding yourself together. Harrison Ford in particular shines as Paul, Jimmy’s blunt mentor, and the dynamic between the two is especially endearing.
If you need a refresh, the second season ended with Paul delivering a speech thanking everyone for their support as he navigates his Parkinson’s diagnosis. Jimmy also met up with Louis, the drunk driver responsible for his wife’s fatal car accident, and decided to give forgiveness a chance.
While it’s too early to speculate about Shrinking season 4, the third installment is likely to focus on moving forward. Jimmy and his daughter are in a better place, and the supporting cast also seems ready for personal growth.
There might even be romance sparks on the horizon. Cobie Smulders, who briefly appeared in a season 2 episode as a woman Jimmy had unexpected chemistry with, is set to return. Smulders and series lead Jason Segel previously starred together in popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
Whether or not that happens, we’ll have to wait and see. Season 3 episodes come out weekly on Apple TV, with the finale scheduled to drop in early April.
Are There Other Shows Like Shrinking?
If you love Shrinking, you might also enjoy Ted Lasso, also available on Apple TV+. Other similar series includes Scrubs, Cougar Town, Schitt’s Creek, The Good Place, Nobody Wants This, After Life, andDying for Sex.
Every map in ARC Raiders hides at least one Bastion, and while they’re easy to defeat, finding them can take some work. Bastions are slow, heavily armored ARC bots equipped with powerful miniguns capable of shredding shields in seconds. However, they’re easy to deal with once you know where to hit them and taking a Bastion bot out can reward you with Bastion Cells, ARC Powercells, Heavy Ammo, and other valuable loot. If you want to farm them efficiently or get the best loot, here are all the Bastion locations in ARC Raiders.
ARC Raiders: All Bastion Locations
Despite their firepower, Bastion bots in ARC Raiders are among the easier enemies to defeat if you target their weak points, like unarmored yellow leg joints and the rear canister that can be hit to stun them and deal massive damage. Moreover, you can use Blaze Grenades, Snap Blast Grenades, or deploy Deadline near the canister to quickly knock them down.
As we mentioned, every map in ARC Raiders has at least one Bastion spawn, although patrol routes can cause them to move around. Bastions appear on all maps, usually in wide open spaces, and you can typically hear a Bastion’s minigun from a distance. If you don’t spot one immediately at a spawn point, look around the surrounding area. Below are all the Bastion locations in ARC Raiders:
ARC Raiders Bastion Locations inDam Battlegrounds
On Dam Battlegrounds, Bastions can be found around Red Lakes Balcony and the wider lake area, as well as in the northern portion of the Hydroponics Dome Complex.
ARC Raiders Bastion Locations in Buried City
In Buried City, Bastions appear in Marano Park, usually along the edges of the trees, and in the clearing between Santa Maria House and Plaza Rosa.
ARC Raiders Bastion Locations in Spaceport
Spaceport has four known Bastion spawn points. These include the clearing near Control Tower A6, Container Storage and Vehicle Maintenance, the large field southwest of Rocket Assembly, the area around the Launch Towers, and the forested path northeast of Rocket Assembly.
ARC Raiders Bastion Locations in The Blue Gate
On The Blue Gate, Bastions are typically found in the car park just south of the Outer Gates near the Checkpoint. While they may wander in and out of underground areas, they generally stay close to the gate.
ARC Raiders Bastion Locations in Stella Montis
On Stella Montis, there is one known Bastion spawn in the northern section of the Loading Bay on the lower level.
Generally, Bastions patrol areas with ARC-protected resources and let out a loud screech before firing.
Michał Korta is an internationally recognised portrait and documentary photographer based in Poland. He studied photography and German literature and has worked professionally since the mid-2000s. Korta is known for his strong, nuanced portraits of creators, including writers, musicians and painters, alongside long-term documentary projects exploring identity, social context and the human experience across cultures. He has published multiple photobooks, including Balkan Playground, a nuanced journey through eight Balkan countries, and The Shadow Line, which examines human–animal relationships in an intuitive, subversive way. Both have been exhibited in major institutions.
His other projects span Europe, Central Asia, Israel, Africa and beyond. He has received numerous awards, with his images exhibited across Europe and featured in international publications. In addition to his photographic practice, Korta contributes to photography education through teaching and writing, and collaborates with cultural institutions, galleries and publishers.
What drew you to the world of photography?
I’m not entirely sure what drew me to photography. I think it was more a coincidence, or rather, a series of coincidences. But on a rational level, I was drawn to the closed form of photography. In a photograph, the world can appear complete, even perfect in its imperfections. The older I get, the more I appreciate those imperfections. I find it profound — the tension between chance and intention, imperfection and control. Photography, unlike many other mediums, allows this paradox to exist in a single frame: a frozen moment that is both completely shaped by the photographer and entirely subject to the unpredictability of life. That “closed form” is precisely what gives photography its power. Every detail and imperfection is codified and preserved, yet these imperfections aren’t flaws. Rather, they’re part of the authenticity and the texture of the reality captured.
Robert Frank’s work embodies this beautifully. His images are often raw, uneven, even casual at first glance, but within that apparent spontaneity there is an exactness of vision. Imperfection becomes a lens through which a deeper truth emerges — a social commentary, an emotional resonance. It’s as if the photograph itself embraces the chaos of life and arranges it into something coherent, something that can be revisited and reflected upon.
In this sense, my own path into photography mirrors the medium itself: a combination of chance and intention, randomness and structure. That duality, that balance of control and unpredictability, is central to why photography continues to captivate me.
Photo credit: Michał Korta
Your work is predominantly in black and white. Beyond the aesthetic, what does this choice allow you to express?
I work in both colour and black-and-white, but in recent years I’ve been increasingly drawn to black and white. Colour can be distracting; black and white simplifies the world, revealing only the grayscale and the power of illumination. Some surfaces reflect more light than others, human skin in particular, and I sometimes squint during a shoot to mentally strip away colour and better perceive the interplay of light and shadow.
I am a sun worshipper and deeply appreciate natural light. Even natural light can be modified; it can be a collaborator rather than just a given. In portrait photography, especially with today’s high-resolution cameras and advanced strobes, sheer brightness is no longer critical. Yet many young photographers confuse fully illuminated portraits with well-lit ones, producing bright, high-contrast images that don’t always use light effectively.
Lighting always has purpose, particularly in portraits. To sculpt a subject is not merely to place multiple light sources around them, which can conflict and dilute the effect. Light and shadow can be used creatively to emphasise form, define mood, and bring the subject to life. Mastering light and its direction, intensity, character, and interaction with surfaces requires observation, experimentation and patience.
You’ve photographed a diverse range of creatives, including musicians, painters, actors, and writers. What is it about fellow creators that compels you as a portrait photographer?
Knowing an actor or musician’s work doesn’t mean we truly know the person. It’s natural to admire their songs, paintings or performances, and meeting your idols can be exciting, but appreciation doesn’t automatically create a friendship. Sometimes connections happen when we share similar energy or worldviews, but that’s not guaranteed.
Creators are often people who take risks and aren’t afraid of failing. As the saying goes, “God loves a trier,” and this is a quality I deeply admire. Working with well-known individuals has its own challenges: their faces are familiar from magazines or social media, so the question becomes how to reveal something new, for instance, a hidden facet of their character or being. A good portrait, I believe, is a mixture of the sitter and the photographer. Ultimately, all cameras are the same; it’s the people on either side that make it unique.
A photoshoot is an exchange of energy. When we meet on the same level, we can inspire and elevate one another. It becomes a dynamic flow that can be greater than the sum of its parts.
Photo credit: Michał Korta
Your books, particularly Balkan Playground, have received critical acclaim. When you’re selecting images for a photobook, what criteria guides your choices?
When selecting images for a photobook, I focus on storytelling. I often use surreal moments drawn from reality, and I value understatement, leaving space for the viewer to interpret and fill in the blanks. Reality can be surprising — you just need to open yourself to it and wait.
The process of selecting and editing images is complex and demanding. I wouldn’t say I’m a master of it because there is always more to learn. Over time, I’ve learned to trust a few close friends and collaborators, as different perspectives can greatly enrich a project. From there, discussion begins, shaping the final narrative and helping the photobook find its voice.
You’ve written that “what is left unsaid speaks louder than what is clearly stated.” Has your relationship with silence and subtlety changed over the course of your career?
Of course, when I started, I wanted my pictures to scream, literally, and to hit the viewer like a punch in the face. Nowadays, I see that as just one tool among many. What matters most is using whatever serves the image’s purpose best, whether that’s silence or a strong statement. In today’s overflow of images, the quiet, subtle ones often have more impact than the obvious or loud ones.
What emotions do you feel when you capture a photograph that feels ‘perfect’ to you?
When I capture a photograph that feels ‘perfect,’ I feel like I’m learning something from it. It surprises me — the perfect imperfection. Today, with Photoshop and AI, we can manipulate everything, but real art often comes from leaving a margin open and from allowing reality to surprise you.
Sometimes I’ve been very happy with an image and thought it was perfect, only to find that over the years its effect fades, and I no longer connect with it. Meanwhile, imperfect images, ones that are slightly unsharp, crookedly cropped, or even with a blurred finger in the lens, often stay with me longer; they feel more authentic and natural.
Sometimes, you have to embrace the flaws. Beware what you wish for.
Photo credit: Michał Korta
Are there any specific themes or approaches you hope to explore more deeply in your work in 2026?
I always have several ongoing projects and countless imaginary ones in my head. Lately I’ve found myself daydreaming about selling all my equipment, cameras and lenses included, and stepping away from commercial photography entirely. With a single small camera and one fixed lens, I could dedicate myself to one personal project for the rest of my life. It probably won’t happen; I still have bills to pay, after all. But if I could do anything, that would be the dream: traveling for a year through Africa with just one fixed-lens camera. Perhaps this idea is already a kind of manifestation.
More realistically, in 2026 I hope to slow down, to see fewer images each day, and to resist the constant visual noise that surrounds us. I want to retreat into my own vision, to let it breathe and grow, and to continue perfecting a style of portraiture that is entirely my own. For me it’s less about producing and more about listening, noticing, and capturing what often goes unseen.
For years I’ve been making notes about photography, the philosophy of light and portraiture. In 2026 I’d love to begin shaping these reflections into a personal book. If there are publishers interested in thoughtful, reflective work on the craft and spirit of photography, I would be very curious to connect with them.
Considering all the lives you’ve observed and captured, what do you feel photography has ultimately taught you about being human?
I am still learning, but I often think of photography as a kind of wonderful university. It has taught me mindfulness, openness, attention to detail, sensitivity to light, and reflection on both myself as a human being and as a photographer. Sometimes, the moment I am fully focused on someone in the studio or on location matters more to me than the final image. For me, the process is more important than the result, even if the final image never existed. I am endlessly curious about people, both visually and spiritually.
I remember the first time I was at JFK Airport in New York: I felt like a little boy with his mouth agape, trying to take in everyone around him. So many faces, skin tones, ear shapes, pupils, hands, clothes, languages, even scents — it was overwhelming and exhilarating.
As a portrait photographer, I look at faces professionally, but that moment was a pure experience of human diversity, and it felt enlightening. I don’t know why, but I love working with people from different cultures and backgrounds. I often invite foreigners to my studio to talk, to hear their stories. I never stop wondering.
I am deeply grateful to photography for bringing me to this point, for opening my eyes and heart to the richness of humanity and for allowing me to keep learning, observing, and connecting every single day.
Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry has become one of couture’s most established presences. Not because he’s been around forever, he hasn’t, but because so many of the people who were supposed to be here simply aren’t. With Giambattista Valli’s last minute cancellation and Giorgio Armani leaving us a few months back, Roseberry is what happens when the room thins out and someone keeps showing up strong.
The final say of the collection’s emotional center is all Roseberry’s, but the Sistine Chapel played a part, a big one too. “If you’ve been there, you know that the first thing you see isn’t the ceiling, but the walls, densely painted by an army of artists in the years before Michelangelo began his work in 1508. They’re decorated by ecclesiastical scenes: images meant to tell, to educate. But crane your neck skyward, and thought stops. Feeling begins,” the maison’s director pressed on. “He didn’t tell us what happened, but instead gave his audience permission on how to feel when they looked at art. It woke up the world. And 500 years later, it woke me up, too.”
Scorpions, snakes, birds, if it bites it’s in the collection. The ateliers layered feathers, lace, and tulle until each piece felt like it could crawl off the runway. Α nod to Elsa Schiaparelli’s lifelong obsession with animals, still alive in spikes, claws, and keyholes, though no lobster, or anything else, was harmed in the process. Think trompe-l’oeil effects, 3D feelings playing with depth and shadow, resin and crystals, structured volumes, fringe layers, horns born from the back ending inches over the head, and 25,000 silk thread feathers paired with 4000 hours of work just for one bustier.
The collection had me hooked from start to finish, but there were three looks that really made me stare, eyes glued and all. Look no. 6 was the first one. A black wool crepe bustier dress, featuring a front satin-stitch trick that makes a crocodile tail appear. And if the front wasn’t enough, the back steals the show with a cloud of white tulle dotted with delicate black silk mimosas. And seven looks later, no. 14 came, and it went by the name “Isabella Blowfish”. A structured skirt suit layered in tulle and organza, spikes at the top and crystals all over that added just the right shadowing. A little tip of the hat to Isabella Blow and her wonderfully eccentric taste. My final stare went to no. 17, a skirt and a jacket. To be clear, a reptilian-looking jacket with two curved horns emerging from the breasts, drenched in pearls and sparkling bullion lace, paired with a translucent, gradient skirt that carried everything the jacket did, minus the horns. Add a hint of turquoise, or Elsa’s “sleeping blue”, her second signature color, first introduced in 1940. Should I ever reincarnate as some kind of creature, I’m coming back as this one.
In the end, it’s the wildness and the precision, the claws and the crystals, that make this Schiaparelli show feel alive. You can see the hand of the ateliers everywhere, but you can also see Daniel Roseberry playing with tradition, and letting the collection breathe in its own strange glory. Some looks bite, some fly, some just make you stare, sometimes at your own feelings. And with that, the Sistine Chapel did its job. Someone book Roseberry a trip to Sagrestia Nuova next.
“And I was dreaming, dreaming, about movie stars, dreaming about everything beautiful in the world. My mother said, you are a dreamer. You always dream, dream, dream, about stupid things. I was always so attracted to magazines, to films. I had a sister and she took me for the first time to see some films, and to me it was the dream of my life to see those beautiful ladies of the silverscreen. You know for me, a young guy of thirteen, to see this sort of beauty… I think, from that moment, I decided I wanted to create clothes for ladies.” Valentino Garavani’s voice, which we lost a few days before the show, was the one to open it.
Who would’ve thought, back in the 1940s, when Valentino’s dresses were still just an idea in the head of a 13-year-old boy, that those silverscreen stars would one day become iPhone stars, dressed in Valentino red and awkwardly peeking through a hole in the wall, all in the name of the maison’s craftsmanship, 64 creative years later? About those holes… ever heard of a Kaiserpanorama? Don’t worry if you haven’t, it’s a late 1800s invention. Michele built intricate wooden orbs with “windows” for the guests’ eyes all around, the model standing in the center. Then the lights went down, the model shifted behind another hole, and suddenly you had a new one to peek at. You had no choice but to slow down and actually look. No rushing, no distractions, just a moment to lean in and appreciate like a polite little spy.
And what would a couture spy see at an Alessandro Michele for Valentino Couture show, you ask? To start, Valentino rosso, 1920s feathers on the head, a mythic queen’s crown, 1940s Old Hollywood glam, Medieval sculptural shapes, 1980s shoulder pads at full drama, sequins flirting with sheerness, sheerness flirting with volumes, volumes flirting with drapes. Basically, everything bold you can imagine, and then some. Fashion really does still draw from films.
People argue that Michele’s work doesn’t look like Valentino’s. Of course it doesn’t. If it did, fashion’s Last Emperor wouldn’t be the last one. Heritage is great, nostalgia is fun, stories are lovely, but a maison can’t be frozen in time. Respect it, love it, take notes, then let it breathe. The world moves, fashion moves, and after 2025, it’s pretty clear that creative directors move too. Here’s to new talent honoring the past, and the familiar ones finding the right way forward. A storied house grows with its people, not just its seams.
“Today, Valentino’s absence is real, tangible. It tears open a deep and painful void. Nevertheless, his presence is still warmly felt.” […] “His passing does not stop the movement he set in motion. Rather, it calls on us to live up to what remains. And we continue to work within this space: not to fill an absence, but to preserve it. Only by accepting such a void, with no intention to fill it, can Valentino’s legacy remain what has always been: an idea of beauty conceived as a noble form of responsibility toward time, bodies and the world we are given to cross.”
The cocaine-caked, boozed-soaked hamster wheel of rock laughs mirthlessly at those who can’t keep up with its constant rotations. Gig. Party. Repeat is the deliciously enticing recipe that can turn into a destabilising prison sentence and knock a mere mortal into the deep weeds.
After touring for their debut Fear Is a Funny Thing, Now Smile Like a Big Boy, Belgian speedmetal quartet Ronker were ready to write about their experiences on the knife-edge of their rock and roll dream. Ecstatically received live show (with the revved-up, scissor-kicking energy of The Hives in their prime) and a Hard Days Night sense of mischief (see the synchronised dance moves in the gym kink video for No Sweat) are one thing. The fading out of another reality is another. “We’re in our thirties and all our friends are having kids and buying houses,” says hound-dog-moustached leader Jasper De Petter over Zoom. “We missed our life – because we did everything for rock and roll.”
The mirror had two faces: sex, drugs and rock and roll. But also overwhelm, exhaustion and burnout. Both were funhouse distortions. Recorded almost live, the Belgian band’s second album Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever is a wild and visceral examination of those dualities. Written over 8 months in between playing 40 shows and recorded relatively quickly, it’s an album that attacks you with vigilant chords, hysterical delivery, and street poetry that cuts to the quick. “They say rock and roll’s a lifestyle…I’m a slut for the game,” De Petter sings in his hair-standing-up-on-the-ends-of-your-arms bark on the joyride thrash of sort of title track ‘Respect the Hustle’, while on the My Chemical Romance-esque pelt ‘Tall Stories’ he shrieks on burning out “like a fast flame.” There’s a manic, fevered energy to the songs and a little bit of vaudevillian mischief evidenced in the videos for ‘Limelighter’ and ‘No Sweat’, playing on the metaphors of music biz as circus and gym, respectively. Let’s get physical…
“The first half of the album is this beating heart, rock and roll monster. Like ‘I want to taste it all, let’s go!,'” he says. The hideous hustle was real but going scorched earth was only half the tale. “It’s really praising this hedonistic lifestyle,” says De Petter, “and the second half is distancing yourself from it. Like my body can’t go on like this and my mental state is deteriorating.”
The band tapped into this side by writing these songs sober. “We put the brakes on,” he says. “We weren’t drinking. We weren’t doing any narcotics. We’d get in a room, talk and play these ‘songy’ tunes. A different kind of aggression came up. It’s more like a frustration.”
Recent single, the bare boned Snuff which could be from a musical set in hell, is the most raw of these ‘songy’ tunes. “The bottle is hard to ignore,” De Petter sings, where the morning after beer fear has become the clarity of a naked desperation. While the Kyuss-meets-Bloc Party breakneck descent of ‘Disco Dust’ is even balder in its assessments that: “addiction doesn’t discriminate…addiction it doesn’t give a fuck.” It’s a cold slap in the face after the ratatat of what’s come before.
Reality and fiction blur, as the band conceptualised a soft narrative for the album, in the style of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and Jesus Christ Superstar. “You have this Messiah type of figure at the centre,” explains De Petter, “and at the end of the story they realise ‘the joke’s on me.'”
But the joke’s definitely not on Ronker. Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever is electrifying and raw, alive with spiked intensity. The cinematic quality is visible, not over-egged and it feels like a modern classic. Reality dipped in the hazy honey of a fiction.
After intense gigging and recording, De Petter says the making of it brought the band closer together. “I think we know what our band’s about now,” he says. “We talked a lot while we were making music. There was some health stuff going on for family members of the band. And it became a safe space for us.”
The morning of the first show of the new era, De Petter admits it’s “a little bit terrifying” to be playing the new songs for a crowd. But, he says “I think it’ll be fun,” and we can’t imagine it being anything but that.
