#the only fashion magazine in the middle east

[southernsolarpunk]

Hey check this out

I was making a zine (solarpunk ofc) and decided to use a bunch of old National Geographic magazines to cut up and use in a scrappy diy scrapbook fashion and of course I started reading them. This one in particular:

It caught my eye because it’s from September 1980 & talks about the Middle East. My brain wonders if they mention Palestine and they do! I copied the text for accessibility, but I put pictures at the end of the original pages.

“Jerusalem: reunited or occupied? The question has divided the city's 400,000 Jews and 100,000 Arabs since Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1967.

BEIRUT, JANUARY 1975. Armed soldiers lead me through labyrinthine back streets, up a dark stairway to a midnight rendez-vous. Only a bare bulb lights the temporary command post; Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, seldom dares spend two days in the same place. “Our argument is not with the Jews” He tells me. "We are both Semites. They have lived with us for centuries. Our enemies are the Zionist colonizers and their backers who insist Palestine belongs to them exclusively.

We Arabs claim deep roots there too."

Two decades ago Palestinians were to be found in United Nations Relief Agency camps at places like Gaza and Jericho, in a forlorn and pitiable state. While Palestinian spokesmen pressed their case in world cap-itals, the loudest voice the world heard was that of terrorists, with whom the word Palestinian came to be associated. Jordan fought a war to curb them. The disintegration of Lebanon was due in part to the thousands of refugees within its borders.

Prospects for peace brightened, however, when President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, most powerful of the Arab countries, made his historic trip to Israel in November 1977. A year later Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David accords, a framework for the return of the occupied Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

The former enemies established diplomatic relations and opened mail, telephone, and airline communications.

The Camp David accords also addressed the all-important Palestinian question but left it vague. Sadat insists that any lasting peace depends on an eventual Palestinian homeland in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. Israel agrees to limited autonomy for those regions, but, fearful of a new and hostile Palestinian state suddenly planted on its borders, insists that Israeli troops must maintain security there.

Crowded Rashidiyah refugee camp, set among orange groves south of the ancient Phoenician port of Tyre in Lebanon, lies on the front lines. Frequent pounding by Israeli military jets and warships seeking PLO targets has war-hardened its population, some 13,700 Palestinians.

At the schoolyard I watched a solemn flag raising. Uniformed ashbal, or lion cubs, stood rigid as color guards briskly ran up the green-white-and-black Palestinian flag.

Ranging in age from 8 to 12, they might have been Cub Scouts— except for the loaded rifles they held at present arms. Behind them stood two rows of girls, zaharat, or little flowers. Same age, same weapons.

Over lunch of flat bread, hummus, yo-gurt, and chicken I commented to my hosts, a group of combat-ready fedayeen, that 30 years of bitter war had settled nothing nor gained the Palestinians one inch of their homeland. Was there no peaceful way to press their cause?

"Yes, and we are doing it. Finally, after 30 years, most countries in the United Nations recognize that we too have rights in Palestine. But we feel that until your country stops its unconditional aid to Israel, we have two choices: to fight, or to face an unmarked grave in exile."

AFTER CROSSING the Allenby Bridge from Amman, I drove across the fertile Jordan Valley through Arab Jericho and past some of the controversial new Jewish settlements: Mitzpe Jericho, Tomer, Maale Adumim, Shilat. Then as I climbed through the steep stony hills to Jerusalem, I saw that it too had changed. A ring of high-rise apartments and offices was growing inexorably around the occupied Arab side of the walled town. Within the wall, too, scores of Arab houses had been leveled during extensive reconstruction.

"Already 64 settlements have been built on the West Bank," said a Christian Palestinian agriculturist working for an American church group in Jerusalem. "And another 10 are planned," he said. Unfolding a copy of the master plan prepared in 1978 by the World Zionist Organization, he read: "Real-izing our right to Eretz-Israel... with or without peace, we will have to learn to live with the minorities...

The Israeli Government has reaffirmed the policy. In Prime Minister Menachem Begin's words: "Settlement is an inherent and inalienable right. It is an integral part of our national security."

"Security" is a word deeply etched into the Israeli psyche. The country has lived for 30 years as an armed camp, always on guard against PLO raids and terrorist bombings.

Whenever such incidents occur, the response is quick: even greater retaliation.

In Jerusalem I met with David Eppel, an English-language broadcaster for the Voice of Israel. "We must continue to build this country. Israel is our lawful home, our des-tiny. We have the determination, and an immense pool of talent, to see it through." His cosmopolitan friends a city plan-ner, a psychology professor, an author gathered for coffee and conversation at David's modern apartment on Jerusalem's Leib Yaffe Road.

Amia Lieblich's book, Tin Soldiers on Jerusalem Beach, studies the debilitating effects almost constant war has had on life in the Jewish state, a nation still surrounded by enemies. As she and her husband kindly drove me to my hotel in Arab Jerusalem afterward, some of that national apprehension surfaced in the writer herself.

"We don't often come over to this part of town," she said. "Especially at night."

I DROVE OUT of the Old City in the dark of morning and arrived a few hours later at the nearly finished Israeli frontier post, whence a shuttle bus bounced me through no-man's-land to the Egyptian ter-minal. As a result of the Egyptian-Israeli treaty, it was possible for the first time since 1948 to travel overland from Jerusalem to Cairo. An Egyptian customs man opened my bags on a card table set up in the sand. I took a battered taxi into nearby El Arish, to a sleepy bank that took 45 minutes to convert dollars into Egyptian pounds, Then 1 hired a Mercedes for the

200-mile run across the northern Sinai des-ert, the Suez Canal, and the Nile Delta. By sundown Cairo was mine.

Despite official government optimism, I found many in Cairo worried that President Sadat's bold diplomatic gestures might fail.

The city was noticeably tense as Israel officially opened its new embassy on Mohi el-Din Abu el-Ez Street in Cairo's Dukki quarter. Black-uniformed Egyptian troops guarded the chancery and nearby intersections as the Star of David flew for the first time in an Arab capital. Across town, police with fixed bayonets were posted every ten feet around the American Embassy. Others were posted at the TV station and the larger hotels. Protests were scattered, mostly peaceful. None disturbed the cadence of the city.

Welcoming ever larger delegations of tourists and businessmen from Europe and the U.S., Cairo was busier than ever-and more crowded. Despite a building boom, many Egyptians migrating from the countryside, perhaps 10,000 a month, still find housing only by squatting among tombs at the City of the Dead, the huge old cemetery on the southeast side of the capital.

Even with the new elevated highway and wider bridge across the Nile, half-hour traffic standstills are common. Commuters arrive at Ramses Station riding even the roofs of trains, then cram buses until axles break.

Cairo smog, a corrosive blend of diesel fumes and hot dust from surrounding des-erts, rivals tear gas.

Despite the rampant blessings of prog-ress, Cairo can still charm. In the medieval Khan el-Khalili bazaar near Cairo's thousand-year-old Al-Azhar University, I sought out Ahmad Saadullah's sidewalk café. I found that 30 piasters (45 cents) still brings hot tea, a tall water pipe primed with tobacco and glowing charcoal, and the latest gossip. The turbaned gentleman on the carpeted bench opposite was unusually talk-ative; we dispensed with weather and the high cost of living and got right to politics:

"Of course I am behind President Sadat, but he is taking a great risk. The Israelis have not fully responded. If Sadat fails, no other Arab leader will dare try for peace again for a generation."

Across town at the weekly Akhbar El-Yom newspaper, one of the largest and most widely read in the Middle East, chief editor Abdel-Hamid Abdel-Ghani drove home that same point.

"What worries me most is that President Sadat's agreement with Israel has isolated Egypt from our brother nations," he told me. "When Saudi Arabia broke with us, it was a heavy loss. The Saudis are our close neighbors. Now they have canceled pledges for hundreds of millions in development aid to Egypt. Some 200,000 Egyptians-teach-ers, doctors, engineers live and work in the kingdom.

"And Saudi Arabia, guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, remains for Muslim Egypt a spiritual homeland."

This magazine was published before my mom was born, and yet the sentiments have basically unchanged. An interesting look at the past, and more proof this didn’t start October 7th. (But imagine my followers already knew that)

[eretzyisrael]

by Jonathan S. Tobin

Also featured in the Times Magazine article is Nicole Carty, one of Borgwardt’s black allies, a BLM activist who helped train IfNotNow members in radical tactics. Despite her ties to Jews who share her visceral hate for Israel, she bristles with contempt for Judaism, even complaining about the fact that Passover seders are about the Exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt and not equally interested in the black experience. Just as repellent is the way she views the efforts of some Jews on the left to mourn the Oct. 7 victims equally with Palestinians who have been killed as wrongheaded and evidence of Jewish “trauma myopia.” For her, Jewish victims had it coming, so they deserve no mourning.

But it is the comments of Rabbi Susan Talve, the spiritual leader of the Reform synagogue where Borgwardt’s family belonged when she was a teenager, that illustrate the tragedy of liberal American Jewish institutions. Talve, a devout political liberal who marched in the Ferguson protests, was dismayed by the BLM rhetoric about Israel. She foolishly thinks that the Jewish community lost people like Borgwardt by not giving them a more even-handed education about the Middle East, although it’s clear that the IfNotNow leader seems to know little, if anything, of the arguments for the justice of the Zionist cause or even basic facts about the conflict. It is precisely Jews like Talve that Borgwardt regards with special animosity because they want to support African-Americans as well as Israel’s right to exist.

It is telling that Borgwardt claims that when she sees “Fiddler on the Roof,” all she can do is weep about the nakba—the Palestinian term for the birth of Israel that means “disaster” or “catastrophe.” For such people, Jewish experiences are not simply unimportant but deserve to be erased altogether, including the lives of the 7 million Jews of Israel threatened by her Palestinian allies.

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Her journey from a typical liberal Jewish background to activism for Israel’s destruction makes for a disturbing tale. It matters because it demonstrates that woke progressives aren’t so much interested in saving Palestinian lives as they want to erase Jewish life. For them, the only acceptable expression of Jewish identity is in support of other peoples—never their own interests or rights—even when it is a matter of life or death. They seem to be saying that Jews are the one people on the planet for whom self-determination must be forbidden. The ideas that helped transform Eva Borgwardt into a willing accomplice to Hamas’s genocidal campaign have not just turned some Jews against their own but have made antisemitism fashionable on campus and in the pages of The New York Times Sunday Magazine.

[diabolus1exmachina]

Range Rover Goodwood (tailor-made by Wood & Pickett). 

While the Range Rover has always been the 4x4 of choice for royals and industrials alike, sun-loving jetsetters were missing an open-top version for their tropical hideaways. Luckily, London-based coachbuilders Wood & Pickett solved that problem in bespoke quality and style. Luxury SUVs are common as muck these days, but if we were able to engage reverse gear and back-up 40-odd years there was really only one to choose from – the legendary original Range Rover now known as the ‘Classic’, and they don’t come much more ‘Classic’ – or rare – than this superbly restored and thoughtfully resto-modded convertible that, for our money, effortlessly outclasses anything similar being made today.It’s true that Mercedes-Benz had its G-Wagen and Jeep its Wagoneer back in the ‘80s, but the former was more utilitarian than the Range Rover and the latter simply far less chic. But while the Rangie might already have been widely regarded as truly ‘the best four by four by four by far’ there were plenty of people who wanted one that was more than a bit different from the regular production model.Solihull’s bosses discovered this for themselves in 1980, when a one-off prototype designed to test the viability of an ‘ultra luxe’ Range Rover was loaned to Vogue magazine as a prop for a Biarritz fashion shoot. When the images were published, as many enquiries were received about the car as about the Jaeger clothes and Lancome perfume that the shoot was intended to promote – and so an initial run of 1,000 ‘In Vogue’ special editions was produced.The prototype had been created by London’s Wood & Pickett which was established 20 years earlier by former Hooper coachworks craftsmen Bill Wood and Les Pickett. The firm initially made a name for itself by adding luxurious and expensive upgrades to Minis, work that initially attracted the attention of celebrities such as Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and later that of the Middle East’s super-wealthy oil sheiks. To them, however, small was not always beautiful. More often, they wanted large, and the larger and more expensive the better. So in their eyes,  the names ‘Wood & Pickett’ and ‘Range Rover’ went together like a horse and carriage.

Soon, W & P (along with similar outfits such as Vantagefield, Glenfrome, Monteverdi and Rapport) was doing a roaring trade in Range Rover upgrades, making the most of the cars’ boxy shape and separate chassis to create everything from stretched limousines to Rangies designed for going on shoots and safaris and  for carrying polo kit and elaborate picnic sets.The Wood and Pickett cars were among the most accomplished, and the firm’s managing director Eddie Collins (formerly the marketing boss of rival Mini customiser Radford) was a smooth talker who could probably sell sand to the Arabs. But instead he sold them convertible Range Rovers – capitalising nicely on the fact that cash-strapped British Leyland (the then owner of Land Rover) couldn’t afford to design and make a soft-top of its own. Most of the history of this Wood & Pickett Range Rover convertible has been lost in the mists of time, but if its early years were spent travelling through the desert in style it must have taken a wrong turn along the way – because it ended-up on a run-down housing estate in Poland where it was discovered by the current owner around a decade ago.Although still in its original coat of Range Rover ‘Masai Red’ , the car was in a decidedly sorry state. Its electric roof, torn and holed, had allowed rainwater to soak the interior, ruining everything from the plush velour seats to the once-gleaming wooden trim. Its original 3.5 litre, carburettor-fed engine had been replaced with a fuel injected lump that was running rough, and the prospect of the car ever taking to the road again seemed slim.Once acquired, the car was shipped to Germany where it was stripped to its bare bones in order for a ground-up restoration to commence – a project that turned out to be a considerably larger task than expected. In fact, it took more than eight years – plus the purchase of an additional, four-door donor car -  to transform the original, badly neglected relic into what you see here: a classic  Range Rover convertible like no other.

Although still instantly recognisable as one of Wood & Pickett’s two-door ‘Goodwood’ conversions, it has been given something of a safari look thanks to its immaculate coat of Rolls-Royce ‘Fenland Sedge’ paint, colour-coded Vogue wheels and the perfectly tailored fawn convertible roof (that once again retracts effortlessly at the touch of a button). All-new interior trim in biscuit leather continues the safari/desert theme, while freshly burnished woodwork and a Moto-Lita steering wheel enhance the overall feeling of quality.

[spicykaraage]

Tenipuri Complete Character Profile - Rin Hirakoba

[PROFILE]

Birthday: March 3rd (Pisces)

Blood Type: AB

Relatives: Grandmother, Father, Mother, Older Sister, Tropical Fish (including Umemaro the clown loach)

Father’s Occupation: Public Servant

Elementary School: Ryukyu East Elementary School

Middle School: Higa Junior High School

Grade & Class: Third Year | Class 3-2 | Seat 25

Club: Tennis Club (Regular)

Committee: Disciplinary Committee

Strong Subjects: Japanese, Art

Weak Subjects: English

Frequently Visited Spot at School: The rooftop where you can see the ocean

Favorite Motto: “Tomorrow is another day.”

Daily Routines: Massaging his grandmother’s shoulders

Hobbies: Shopping, spearfishing, fixing his hair [TP]

Favorite Color: Turquoise Blue

Favorite Music: Dance Music, Eurobeat

Favorite Movie: The Fugitive

Favorite Book: Okinawa Walker (a travel guide for Okinawa), the folktale The Habu’s Repayment [23.5]

Favorite Food: Shaved ice (strawberry flavor), mimiga (pig ear) salad, boba milk tea [TP]

Favorite Anniversary: August 2nd

Preferred Type: A stylish and tasteful girl ➜ A girl who likes spending time with just the two of them [TP]

Ideal Date Spot: A beach ➜ An aquarium (to see a whale shark) [23.5]

His Gift for a Special Person: “A beautiful sunset from a place only I know about.”

Where He Wants to Travel: Diving in the Maldives

Thing He Wants Most Right Now: iPod

Dislikes: Being restricted, Japanese basil [TP], bitter melon(?)

Skills Outside of Tennis: Okinawan martial arts (bo staff [23.5]), street dancing [23.5]

Spends Allowance On: Clothes, shoes, going to the beauty salon

Routine During the World Cup: Searching for souvenirs for his grandmother, watching fashion shows at the hotel

[DATA]

Height: 172cm

Weight: 54kg ➜ 53kg [23.5]

Shoe Size: 26.5cm

Dominant Arm: Right

Vision: 2.5 Left & Right

Play Style: Aggressive Baseliner

Signature Moves: Shukuchiho, Habu, Giant Habu

Number of Visits to the Beauty Salon Per Month: 3.6

Favorite Brands:

Racquet: Prince (TOUR NXGRAPHITE SP OVERSIZE MID PLUS)

Shoes: Prince (MORE LINEAR TOUR AC)

Overall Rating: Speed: 4 / Power: 3 / Stamina: 3 / Mental: 3 / Technique: 4 / Total: 17

Kurobe Memo: “It’s often thought of as a drawback to be in your own world while you’re in a match, but actually it takes focus and confidence. I think he should keep playing this style of tennis.” [RB]

[POSSESSIONS]

What’s in His Bag:

An old model iPod

A spare t-shirt

Headphones

A magazine (Men’s Non-No)

Cologne

A small bag // A bag his grandmother made

[amazing-lucky-life-of-bushra]

Passion bloom .. risk taker

Fashion is a big part of my life. I love clothes, designer clothes and design and colour and texture and history and wearing it.

It goes into the bucket of all the things I dreamed of being part of doing and wearing ... and ticking off.

And it was a huge undertaking steering my life into it.

Imagine you are in your 20s, you have followed mostly science for your whole life, got into on of the top science unis, graduated with not the best degree but still did in one of the hardest science degrees, and got into a career in database programming in the city - mostly financial services. All your mates were in city, tech or science related jobs. It had afforded you to buy your own place.

And you wanted to do fashion.

What would you do ? How would you do it ?

That's where I was at 28. And through all my short courses I managed to get a portfolio together to get into one of the best fashion colleges. And then pushed myself into sustainable fashion whilst doing my fashion degree - where I pushed myself to get the highest mark of the year in my marketing module and created the only sustainable fashion collection of my year for the catwalk. Risk.

Tick.

And then another design degree .. a masters at central saint Martin's and came top of my year. While renovating houses and travelling the world. Risk.

Tick.

By the way people do degrees to meet people, express yourself and generally have fun. It's a fun thing to do. I would recommend it to anyone at any age. Risk.

Tick.

Probably hard work. Probably not a normal brain. No normie certainly could have done this.

In fact one thing Julian said was that ... whatever you do never ever change the way your brain works. Do not take medication. Bushra your brain fell out of the not normal brain tree and hit ever branch... but that's what makes it special. It did however mean he had to look after the admin, the finances and the practical domestic stuff. He would joke he was my carer.

It worked. Until I had miscarriages in my late 30s which definitely set me back - I then felt real sadness. This led finally to becoming a mother and having a step change while Persia was little.

But I was still going full force till the stupid stalker situation & my mum dying. But then I dealt with it exactly as I should have done .. well ... I pushed myself out of grief and in my late 40s managed to become a police woman and arrested criminals. I mean who the hell decides to deal with a stalker by actually becoming a policewoman. It's like out of a movie.

Risk.

Tick

And then I pushed myself to do 6 travelogue issues of my metaverse magazine visiting countries during covid. Risk.

Tick.

And then I pushed myself again to go to web3 events internationally and made sure people knew who I was. A nobody. It was a risk.

Tick.

And then I pushed myself to setup a social impact company despite my father dying and going through a divorce and moving house and dating the crazy crypto king. Living and working together.....RISK.

Tick.

And then I pushed myself to establish governance and social impact ... in the crypto world .... name one other person in the industry who has done that. I said this straight to face. Not through other people. But me to the face of THE crypto king. Risk.

Tick.

And then I pushed myself to again travel to different countries to understand what was needed. Risk.

Tick.

And then I did not push myself but I got a pull to the middle-east, fasted, prayed ... like a miracle ... kicked my stalker to the kerb.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

And got to try on and buy some of the most of beautiful clothes I have ever seen in both UAE and Saudi Arabia. I honestly felt like the little girl who dreamed this when I was 10years old.

And then I pushed myself to restart my metaverse blog. Risk.

Tick.

And now just like that without having to do anything, my other stalker just disappeared into thin air. Risk.

my life might be a movie.

Tick.

Just like magic.

Abracadabra.

[inmagazine]

Looking ahead to the upcoming fall/winter season, ID DAILYWEAR recently unveiled its collection lookbook brimming with sharp renditions on a stream of classic staples. With subtle accents pointing to vintage military and heritage styling, the Japanese label up the ante on basic essentials choosing instead to focus on form-fitting shapes and premier tailoring as opposed to outlandish designs. The lineup itself includes, cable-knit sweaters and waffle hoodies with signature outerwear items including, a trench coat, a crepe check Harrington jacket and a zipped puffer, amongst others. Via: HypeBeast

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 02

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: you guys have been so extremely sweet with this new work i don’t even know how to thank you!! thank you so so much for supporting my writing, it always makes my day. i hope you enjoy xx

NEXT CHAPTER

Y/N was laying in her new room right stuck in between the guest and Gwen’s bedroom. It was a rather bleak room if she was being honest. The walls were all white in exception to one of them that like the entrance was covered in floor to ceiling windows. There was little to no furniture in exception for a king sized bed, a white chest of drawers and a wall embedded wardrobe where she had put most of her clothes already. 

She wondered why a man of such income would like to be surrounded by such bleak colours. From what she had noticed his whole place was decorated in shades of grey and black with the occasional beige and white. Sure, it looked lovely, sleek even, something worth of being in the cover of an architectural magazine, but it wasn’t a home. A home had warmth, lived in sheets, walls and floors, this house however was ... was ghosted, almost as if no one lived in it. 

Rolling onto the comfortable white sheets, she took the contract into her hands, looking at the lettering on the cover itself. Y/N fully understood why he wanted all his employees to have a binding legal document, what she didn’t expect was to see the first line constricted her breathing. “The individual agrees not to follow any legal action against the employer in any circumstance”, it read. This was definitely not what was she expecting. 

     - Y/N? - she shoved the contract under her sheets as Gwen’s voice sounded through the room, her head peaking through the opening of the door. - What are you up to?

    - Not much. How are you? Do you enjoy the new room? - Sebastian had put her in a different room from his, something she had expected but still found odd. They were to be married after all and despite it all being a business move and transaction, it was still a valid marriage. However, none of them seemed to eager to at least try and create some chemistry. 

    - Boring. I need a favour, though. Please and when you decide remember you’re my oldest and best friend since we were babies. - Y/N knew that face and she did not like it. It was the same face that got them both stranded in the Carribean because she just needed to get to know some guy from the opposite terminal before catching the plane. However, she also knew Gwen to be a great driving force of making her do things she didn’t exactly want to do, so she decided to nod her head yes, already overwhelmed with the move and the contract. - I need to head out for a few minutes, could you cover for me?

     - What ... where are you going? 

     - I have a date. - she cheekily entered the room, closing the door behind her after checking if someone was in the hall. The redhead sat in front of her, a childish grin on her face as if she were in high school going out with the captain of the football team. - And he’s really sweet.

     - Gwen, you’re engaged. - the big sapphire in her left hand’s third finger was all she could look at. Of course Y/N wanted to be happy for Gwen, she really did and she really shouldn’t put too much effort in the thought that she was going to get married, after all it was just a strategy, but her mind was screaming at her that it wasn’t right. - Don’t you wanna at least give it a go before you completely give up?

     - No, I wanna go out with Chuck. - she took her engagement ring off, placing it on Y/N’s white sheets. - Please cover for me, please.

     - What if Sebastian notices you’re gone?

    -  He won’t because you’ll cover for me, besides, he probably won’t even leave his office. Please, Y/N? - Y/N sighed. What was the use of saying no if she was gonna leave any other way? Besides, if she were right and Sebastian didn’t leave his office, it should be alright. Losing whatever piece of resolve she has in her, she let out a soft smile, nodding her head yes which led the redhead to hug her with a death like grip. - It’ll one be for a few hours. I owe you one.

     -  I’m pretty sure you’ve own me one since we were one. - Gwen let out a celebratory chuckle before grabbing her bag and leaving Y/N on her own once again. 

The whole house was constantly silent, almost as if all the employees were scared of making a sound which when it came to the demanding presence of their boss, she wondered if that was the case. The only disruption of silence that could be heard was the soft rain against the windows which was enough to lull her to sleep. She would’ve possibly remained asleep if it hadn’t been for a slight knock interrupting her slumber. She took her head off her pillow, confused as if she had slept for so long, Gwen had returned. Another knock made her get from the bed, sleep still in her eyes as she opened the door to come face to face with one of the dressed up employees. 

    - Miss Y/N, dinner is served.

    - Just Y/N please. 

    - I believe it would be more of Miss Forrest’s comfort if you were to inform her dinner is ready. 

    - Oh ... Miss Forrest ... she’s, she’s not feeling very well. 

    - Should we call a doctor?

    - No, it’s just ... you know, that time of the month. - Y/N had the most nervous smile on her face, but as the man heard that specific term, he scrunched his face for a few seconds before returning to his normal formal and stoic posture. Maybe she had gotten away with it. - I don’t think she’ll want any dinner.

    - Oh, alright, would you still like to have dinner, Miss Y/N? - he questioned. She was rather hungry, after all, all she had before coming in was dinner and after sleeping she always awake up feeling like snacking, therefore dinner sounded like a good idea. 

She followed the man into the kitchen that similarly to the rest of the house had the same simple yet modern design to it. The floors were in the same shade of marbled black with few specks of grey, the walls were white with a black wooden backsplash and one of them had the same full amount of windows which gave a beautiful view of the Upper East Side. There were various balconies connected to the walls but the biggest one was in the middle where some chairs were laid. 

Y/N watched as a woman, probably middle aged, set the table. Just like the man who had brought her to the kitchen, she was dressed in sleek, working clothes with her hair held in a perfect bun up-do. 

     - I hope you like goat cheese and bistro salad, m’am. - she set a beautifully prepared plate in front of Y/N as she took a seat in the table. - I can prepare you something if you don’t like it, m’am.

     - No, it’s beautiful, thank you so much. - yes, she was used to living in some sort of high fashion style due to the environment she had brought up with but this, this was different. This was expensive in all sorts, from how the employees dressed, to the way the food was presented. However, Y/N noticed that instead of being surrounded by other people eating like it would normally occur at her prior home, she was instead surrounded by staff watching her eat, no Sebastian in sight. - Is Mr. Stan not joining us for dinner?

     - Oh no, m’am, Mr. Stan eats in his office. - the woman replied. 

     - What about you guys? Don’t you wanna eat? 

     - It’s fine, m’am. We’ll eat after you finish. 

     - Alright ... - Y/N pushed her plate slightly away from her, turning on her chair so she could face the two staff who were now staring at her as if she were any sort of threat. - Where me and Miss Forrest were raised, staff is treated just as well as family members. I don’t know what orders you follow from Mr. Stan but when you deal with me or Miss Forrest, you sit down and have dinner with us if you wish. 

The dinner went a bit better after she gained some company. The staff was sweet, very professional still but sweet nevertheless. After dinner and fighting a bit with the woman named Anna so she could help with the dishes, Y/N decided to walk around the house. Gwen still hadn’t returned and despite her countless messages sent to her, they were seen but not replied to. Thankfully, Sebastian hadn’t left his office as promised which meant she only had to lie whenever any member of staff would ask if she needed something. 

The penthouse was pretty much a regular place with more rooms than she could ever imagine with some being locked and others being open and perfectly decorated yet seemed to be non inhabited. However, what had sparked her interest was the very last room she checked. The room’s wall except for one were filled with book shelves which were filled itself with endless amounts of books. She looked around, wondering if someone was spying on her, before entering the room, her hands grabbing the first book she saw. The Great Gatsby. It sorta made her chuckle how that had been the first book she caught, the story of a wealthy man who lives by himself. The book itself was in rather good condition with the traditional blue cover with those unsettling eyes staring right back at her. She opened the book, her eyes going to the date of print making her realise what she was holding. April, 1925. A first edition. 

      - Looking for a good read, Miss Y/N? - she dropped the book out of surprise, not expecting the voice. Her head snapped in the sound’s direction, watching as Sebastian walked over to her, slowly crutching down to grab the book from the ground.

       - Are these all yours? - this was the biggest self collection of books she’d ever seen, it was somewhat hard for her to wrap around her head it belonged to a single person, specially first editions. 

       - My father made sure I got an expensive education. 

       - Have you read all of these? - her eyes widen at the mere thought of it. Just reading one shelf of books looked like it would take at least five years, at beast. 

       - Not all of them ... some are in Greek. - he couldn’t help but be entranced by her as she lowered her head to hide the small smile that settled itself on her lips. - Are you one for reading?

       - I majored in English Literature, reading was all I did for three years. 

       - Fits. - he put his hands on the pockets of his formal trousers. - You wouldn’t lie to me, would you Miss Y/N? 

       - I wouldn’t think of it, Mr. Stan. - Y/N wasn’t one for lying unless necessary, specially to someone who had a reputation for ignoring empathy and other human emotions. 

       - Where’s my fiancée, Miss Y/N? - the mere question knocked the air away from her. - And please do not use the same excuse you used with my staff. I know everything that goes on in this house and I know for a fact she’s not in her room. 

       - I ... I don’t know. 

       - I think you need to figure out where your loyalty lies, Miss Y/N. - he picked her chin, making sure she looked into his eyes. If there was something he knew was to intimidate someone with his gaze alone, however, she looked embarrassed to be caught in a lie rather than scared. - As my employee, you owe me your loyalty and the truth. 

     - My loyalty lies with Gwen ... not with you. - she took a step backwards. He sucked his teeth, arms crossed on his chest. - I don’t mean to disrespect you, Mr. Stan but ... Gwen’s my friend and my employee and I owe her my loyalty. 

     - You do realise that if Miss Forrest gets hurt it is you who’s gonna be held accountable. 

     - Please don’t be mad at Gwen. - she rubbed her arms. - She’s never really wanted to get married, at all, to no one. This is a bit of a change she has to adapt to.

     - Don’t flatter yourself, angel. Genevieve Forrest is not exactly the type of woman I’d personally chose to be with but I’m not being childish about it. If you wanna have a good time under my employment then you better reconsider telling me the truth.

taglist: @sideeffectsofyou​

[hyporheicflow]

What are your favorite books on fashion? I fell on a rabbit hole of Very Specific niches last night thanks to your influence and it got me curious about yours 👀👀

ooooo this is a hard one!! i've answered a question about fiber arts reading suggestions here if you're interested in historical textiles and fiber arts more generally <3 for this ask i'm going to assume you mean 'fashion' in a more contemporary way! this got long lol...

i have to say i don't really focus too much on ~fashion~ in my general research practice. I was really into fashion design in like, middle school, and i read a ton of books and magazines during that period that gave me foundational knowledge of different couturiers & contemporary western fashion. but so many of those houses have changed hands since then and i don't keep track of very many current fashion collections.

i ended up falling back into textiles in college, but not from a fashion perspective. my focus was on surface manipulation, the dyeing/printing/appliqué/chemically-altering of textiles, and weaving. the current fashion news i consume comes to me via peers who applied their skills to experimental garment work. fashion week-wise, i keep an eye on Iris van Herpen's releases, and also found Thom Browne's SS2020 collection really exciting. i also keep track of what costumes are appearing on Drag Race because there's a lot of silhouette exaggeration and general sartorial risk-taking! when i'm looking for garment-related inspiration, i'm either looking to instagram (for current small designers and artists) or to historical textiles (like 5000 Years of Textiles, the book i referenced in the ask i linked up above).

for me personally the art books i've been most inspired by recently are The Handweaver's Pattern Book by Marguerite P Davison (though i currently only have pngs and not a physical copy bc it's out of print, i used this book relentlessly in college), The Art of Gaman by Delphine Hirasuna (incredibly beautiful book showcasing artwork made in Japanese American internment camps), and a book on east asian textile border designs a friend picked up for me at a junk sale 3 years ago, i literally cannot tell you the title or author lol

this is probably not particularly helpful for you lol sorry!!

[freyjafm]

 hi  everybody  !  i'm  𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐝  ,  but  you  can  call  me  later  😉  i'm  your  resident  virgo  ,  an  avid  tea  latte  stan  and  enjoy  watching  too  many  true  crime  docus  .  i'm  currently  a  full  time  student  &  part  time  worker  ,  so  i'm  not  always  accessible  ,  but  i  promise  i'll  get  back  to  u  in  3-5  business  days  !  i'll  be  playing  new  york's  rising  it  girl  ,  miss  𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒚𝒋𝒂  𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒅  herself  !  under  the  read  more  below  ,  you  will  find  her  statistics  ,  her  background  ,  and ��her  wanted  connections  !  tap  that  heart  button  4  me  to  slither  into  your  dms  like  an  alaskan  bull  worm  !  ps  ,  i  don't  fck  with  discord  so  i  don't  have  that  .  :(

freyja  sayid was  spotted  in  the  fashion  district  adorning  jimmy choo , with  some  airpod pros on . they’re  most  likely  listening to  wonder  what  she  thinks  of  me  by  chloe  x  halle . you  may  know  them  as  @FREYJA or as  that  aisha  potter  lookalike . their  twenty  second  birthday  just passed . while  living  in  the  upper  east  side , they’ve  gained  a  bit of  a  reputation .  they’re  known  to  be cunning  but  on  the  other hand  captivating . wonder  if  they’ll be  the  next  person  to  hit  the headlines .  +   (  freyja arm in arm with newest oil heir beau, weeks after messy break up with a prime minister’s nephew /  what seems to be freyja sayid poorly sneaking out the back of a club at 4 am /  what’s next for new york’s rising it girl, freyja sayid? )

𑁯໋   𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐀'𝐒  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒 ,

first.  freyja  (  named  after  the  goddess )

middle.  blaire  (  named  after  her  maternal  great-grandmother  )

last.  sayid

dob.  19/02/99  (  22  yo  )

pob.   bern,  switzerland

height.  5′5 1/2 

orientation.  bisexual  &  biromantic

ethnicity.  half  white  on  her  mother’s  side  and  half  malaysian  on  her  father’s  side.

parents.  atalie  sayid  (  mother,  senator  for  the  state  of  new  york  )  and  amirul  sayid  (  father,  current  deputy  prime  minister  of  malaysia  )

siblings.  2  elder  sisters,  2  elder  brothers  (  5  in  total  )  all  in  politics  in  some  fashion  (  eg,  the  current  mayor  of  a  city,  chief  of  staff  to  a  diplomat,  working  under  senior  cabinet  members,  etc  !  )

career  claim.  jennie  kim  (  minus  ALL  musical  claims  )

𑁯໋   𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐀'𝐒  𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 ,

youngest  daughter  born  to  the  sayid  family,  a  powerhouse  of  politicians.  her  mother  is  a  current  sitting  senator  for  new  york  and  her  father  is  the  current  deputy  prime  minister  of  malaysia.  they  met  years  prior,  during  her  mother’s  first  term  meanwhile  her  father  was  the  former  attorney  general  for  malaysia,  at  a  un  gala.  as  much  as  they  both  were  passionate  and  concerned  about  their  work,  love  never  had  a  timing  and  they  were  married  the  following  year.  all  the  siblings  have  relatively  normal  age  gaps  (  the  most  being  4  )  but  freyja  was  a  bit  of  a  surprise,  and  the  only  sibling  in  her  early  twenties.  the  rest  are  in  their  thirties,  with  her  eldest  sister  nearing  forty  soon.  that,  paired  with  the  fact  freyja  showed  zero  interest  in  politics,  allowed  them  to  have  a  rather  hollow  and  strained  relationship.  she  has  a  somewhat  stable  and  semi-consistent  relationship  with  her  older  sister,  the  second  youngest,  but  they  don’t  meet  very  often  due  to  work.  they  often  treated  her  like  the  ultimate  downfall  of  the  sayid  family.

growing  up,  money  and  the  likes  clearly  weren’t  a  problem.  as   a  child,  she’d  tag  along  often  with  her  mom  or  dad  (  rarely  ever  both  )  and  occasionally  with  a  sibling,  and  hated  anything  that  wasn’t  sweet,  glittery,  or  one  of  a  kind.  helping  with  campaigns were  boring  in  freyja’s  eyes  and  she’d  often  sneak  away  to  go  doodle  in  the  bathroom  walls  or  play  on  her  blinged  out,  pink  nintendo  ds.  needless  to  say,  this  was  never  going  to  be  her  jam.  her  parents  role  in  her  life  was  rather  inconsistent,  but  not  on  purpose.  it  was  mainly  work-related,  so  she  was  taken  care  by  a  few  trusted  nannies  and  butlers.  her  siblings  all  moved  out  by  the  time  freyja  was  finishing  up  elementary  school,  she  was  used  to  being  alone.

not  much  else  is  known  of  freyja  (  everything  was  p  chill  )  until  she  enters  high  school.  she  enrolls  into  a private  and  elite  boarding  school  in  europe  and  instantly  becomes  a  hybrid  ;  both  the  social  butterfly  and  the  queen  bee.  the  sudden  attention  she  receives  and  the  feeling  of  having  people  under  her  thumb sets  her  heart  on  fire.  she  adores  this,  loves  it  even.  she  gets  what  she  wants  with  a  bat  of  her  bambi  eyes  or  a  little  whine,  but  no  one  really  can  say  no  to  her.  beauty  and  power  go  hand  in  hand,  and  freyja  sayid  masters  it  by  age  fifteen.  while  it  was  a  boarding  school,  her  parents  purchased  an  estate  for  freyja  to  stay  at  instead  nearby  with  her  nannies  and  butlers  and  security.  what  that  meant  to  freyja  ?  throw  the  sickest  summer  parties  before  school  started  and  the  best  holiday  get  togethers  the  first  week  of  winter  break  (  before  she  inevitably  flies  off  in  a  private  jet  with  her  friends  to  a  sayid  family  owned  villa  near  the  alps )  and  she  began  drinking  /  smoking  early  on.  the  world  was  this  giant  oyster  and  freyja  the  pearl.  graduated  with  honors  as  valedictorian  and  prom  queen,  voted  ‘  most  likely  to  rule  the  world  ‘  and oh,  how  she  is  coming  so  close.

after  graduating,  she  spent  a  few  years  travelling  and  partying  with  friends.  she  spent  less  and  less  time  with  family,  only  for  formal  events  or  re-elections  or  other  boring  shit  she  didn’t  give  two  cents  about.  most  of  the  time  she  showed  up  stoned  to  pass  the  time  away.  most  of  her  antics  were  able  to  be  paid  off  by  her  family  to  save  themselves  some  embarrassment,  but  sometimes  (  notably  about  a  rumored  new  beau  or  leaving  the  club  at  ungodly  hours  )  would  slip  onto  tabloids.  and  yes,  her  pr  manager  is  100%  always  stressing  out  over  freyja. 

her  influence  over  value  was  noticed  by  brands  by  age  19,  when  something  she  wore  was  sold  out  as  soon  as  the  pictures  of  her  in  it  went  viral.  by  20,  she  was  soon  modelling  for  major  brands  and  received  early  invitations  to  attend  fashion  week  for  brands  like  gucci,  saint  laurent,  and  chanel.  dubbed  ‘  human  gucci  ‘  and  ‘  human  chanel  ‘  due  to  her  fashion  sense.   hairpins  that  she  sported  one  spring  went  viral  and  were  soon  known  as  ‘  freyja’s  hairpins  ‘  ,  a  huge  tell  tale  sign  of  her  powerful  influence  over  value  and  selling  power.  had  modelled  for  magazines  such  as  vogue  (  internationally,  too )  /  harper’s bazaar /  marie  claire  /  elle  /  high  cut  /  w  /  cosmopolitan  /  and  billboard.  currently,  the  face  of  ‘  hera  ‘,  a  south  korean  luxury  brand,  the  house  ambassador  for  chanel,  collabed  with  samsung  to  release  a  limited  edition  version  of  a  phone  with  her  signature  color  ;  red,  known  as  ‘  freyja’s  red  ‘.  recently,  she  has  worked  as  an  editor  for  her  latest  magazine  release  (  feb’  21  for  vogue  )  and  last  year,  released  a  collaboration  with  ‘  gentle  monster  ‘  ,  a  south  korean  luxury  eyewear  brand,  and  was  just  named  as  the  face  for  a  popular  liquor  brand  in  sweden.  she  is  taking  a  small  break  until  summer  to  give  her  some  time  to  breath  with  a  hectic  life  before  she  goes  back  into  working.  basically,  her  face  is  like  everywhere.  

a  jealous,  vindictive  sort  of  bitch.  wants  what  other  people  has  because  she  wants  to  see  how  far  the  world  will  bend  for  her  and  because  she  knows   she  can  have  it.  has  cheated  with  partners  before,  though  it  has  toned  down  a  bit  now.  will  flirt  and  mess  with  someone,  not  caring  if  they  are  in  a  relationship  or  talking  to  someone.  often  goes  viral  for  ‘  sitting  pretty  ‘  and  really  loves  being  at  the  dead  center  of  the  spotlight.  at  the  same  time,  the  void  of  being  ‘  abandoned  ‘  by  family  makes  her  extremely  loyal  to  friends  (  yes,  she  picks  sides  after  friendship  and  romantic  breakups  )  and  her  chosen  family.  will  go  to  the  end  of  the  world  for  them,  often  spoils  them  with  matching  jewelry  or  shirts  to  go  on  cute  dates  together.  bad  day  ?  she’ll  get  a  lift  over,  make  you  pack,  and  head  to  the  sayid  family  jet  to  go  wherever  you  want  to  go.  a  good  ally  to  have,  a  terrifying  enemy  to  have.

𑁯໋   𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐘𝐉𝐀'𝐒  𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ,

something  based  on  ‘  drivers  license  ‘  lyrically  by  olivia  rodrigo  .

something  based  on  ‘  gone  ‘  lyrically  by  roseanne  park  .

something  based  on  ‘  love  somebody  ‘  lyrically  by  lauv  .

something  based  on  this  gifset  .  (  🎐  )  [  other  :  i  just  . .  love  this  and  want  it  .  HDHDH  the  bond  can  be  figured  out  beforehand  !  ]

something  based  on  this  post .  (  🍶  )  [  other  :  most  likely  something  toxic  or  angsty  !  ]

something  based  on  this  post .  ( 🍈 )  [  other  :  childhood  or  friends  attempting  to  test  the  waters  with  something  new  ??  PHEW  !  ]

down  for  anything  not  on  here  !  let  me  know  if  freyja  fits  anything  of  yours,  a  brand  new  idea  that  could  just  work,  and  any  of  the  more  ‘  basic  ‘  plots  !

[chaoswillfallrpg]

MINA SHAFIQ (née SHARIF) is THIRTY YEARS OLD and a SOCIALITE amongst THE SACRED TWENTY-EIGHT in LONDON. She looks remarkably like AIYSHA HART and considers herself NEUTRAL. She is currently OPEN.

→ OVERVIEW:

tw: depression, death

A beautiful young witch with a healing heart, Mina Shafiq is in part defined by her epic love story that sadly ended in sorrow. Born in Bloomsbury to travel authors ISABELLA WESTWOOD and ABDULLAH SHARIF, Mina was raised in a privileged environment between her family townhouse in London and beautiful hotels around the globe. Mina’s early years were filled with adventure, visiting the beautiful jungles of India and the ruins and misty mountains of her father’s native country of Saudi Arabia. It was likely a result of her upbringing that Mina had a curious nature. Always looking to see what was round the corner and planning for her next adventure, Mina liked to live her life in the moment and never wanted the high of a new discovery to end. Sitting on their campsites or in luxurious hotels, Mina would be surrounded by maps and travel guides, prepared to list the history of the animals they would see on their visits and checking each one off in her copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which she clutched closely to her chest on all her various adventures. By the time Mina was ready to attend school she had seen over a third of the globe, so Hogwarts didn’t quite have the effect on her that it had on other children. Mina was excited by the great outdoors and plants and magical creatures she could only read about in books. The hippogriffs and mandrake roots who had a home at Hogwarts were not different nor interesting to Mina and so she spent the majority of her time at school dreaming of far off places she longed to see. 

Mina’s zest for life and dreamy personality quickly attracted a close friendship with PRIMROSE HOOKUM, who longed to get away from Hogwarts and begin her own fashion line. In the cold common room in the Ravenclaw Tower, Primrose and Mina would whisper long into the night about their dreams and ambitions, Primrose’s nose in a fashion magazine and Mina’s in a book of maps covered in doodles and notes which detailed where she longed to go after she finished school. Long nights spent giggling and plotting soon attracted the action of other Ravenclaw students, the two girls striking a friendship with ALBERT JORKINS and who often sought the company of books over people and was happy to sit on the velvet sofas snuggled in a blanket reading a copy of Virginia Woolf. Whilst Mina had explored a great deal of the magical world, she had seen virtually none of the Muggle one, her scrapbooks were filled with photographs of giant magical waterfalls and ancient castles in thick jungles lost to Muggles- but cities like Paris, Budapest and Hong Kong were a mystery to Mina she longed to explore.Her parents encouraged Mina to follow her heart and fill in the gaps in her knowledge of the world and unlike most parents with standing in Wizarding Society were not pushing Mina to find love or draw up contracts, she was young and ambitious and they wanted her to see the world before she settled down. 

After exploring Europe and The British Isles, at twenty, Mina packed a suitcase and made the long voyage to The Middle East, longing to better explore a part of the world she knew relatively well, ticking off places on her bucket list she had never been before. Map in hand and notebook in her pocket, Mina was exploring the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, in search of the coniferous forest which thrived within the area. Mina had been walking for some time when she finally stopped to ask for directions and RAYAN SHAFIQ was more than happy to help her. A fellow British wizard, Mina was surprised to see him in such a remote part of the region, until he revealed his extended family lived close by who he had been visiting for the summer. As they walked side by side, Mina did most of the talking, ready to tell Rayan about her ideas to travel the world and write and create. Aside from London and Pakistan, Rayan hadn’t travelled much. His family were a member of The Sacred Twenty-Eight and were focused more on him marrying well ready to take over the estate which his elder brother had no interest in. Mina wasn’t sure of the exact moment she fell in love with Rayan, but by the time she had reached Jahaz Banda, she had realised she was more engrossed in their meeting than she had been with the beautiful meadow and mountains she had come to explore. 

For the rest of her time in Pakistan, Rayan was by her side. A writer of poetry, as Mina would take photographs and write about the things she saw, unbeknownst to Mina, Rayan was writing about her. Pouring his heart out in prose as he fell in love with Mina as they swam in beautiful lakes and danced in the moonlight. Before they left Pakistan the two were married in the Hunza Valley in a small ceremony where they declared their love for one another and explored the rest of The Middle East as man and wife. When the pair returned back to London a year later, both Mina’s parents and Rayan’s were outraged the pair had gotten married. Mina’s parents believed she was too young to have married someone like Rayan and not know what would be expected of her, whilst Rayan’s had wanted more for the future heir of their family than a witch who didn’t want to settle down and play ball. The Shafiq family were far more traditional and lavish than Mina’s, with his mother holding a seat in the Pura Sorores Society which she had designs on Mina joining. Not wanting to sacrifice her dreams, she and Rayan made the joint decision to leave London and continue travelling, much to the anger of their parents. The pair lived a happy life, seeing the world and making memories until just under three months ago. As they were exploring South America, Rayan suddenly became unwell and was admitted to hospital. Much to Mina’s horror and despair Rayan died three days later, the cause of which was determined as Scrofungulus Disease. 

Mina was heartbroken. Until she had met Rayan, Mina hadn’t much thought about love or longed for romance but something about the death of Rayan had broken Mina. Lying in her bed in Brazil alone she stayed, surrounded by the poems he had written about her and kept to himself all those years before and wondered if she would ever be truly happy again. Mina was very prepared to stay like that, alone in their little studio apartment in Rio De Janeiro where she’d sit in her red wedding gown and read the poems until she felt tired enough to sleep. Mina was only thirty years old when her husband passed away and ZAHRA SHARIF and Mina’s parents were not about to let their daughter slip away from them when she needed them most.Packing up her things, Mina returned to London and bore the awkwardness of seeing her husband’s family. His parents were unkind to her, but Mina knew from the poems he had written that he had silently longed for them to be closer. Only his twin sister SHAHLYLA SHAFIQ was kind to her, aiming each day to pull her sister-in-law up out of bed with Zahra and try to find a new ray of light in the world that made the beginning the day anywhere other than her bed in Bloomsbury worth it. The battering from her husband’s family didn’t help matters. LARA SHAFIQ was her biggest critic. firmly believing that Mina had not been good enough for her brother, blaming her for taking him away and his death. 

Lost with how to make amends with them, Mina joined the ranks of the other Shafiq women and accepted a position in the Pura Sorores Society helping to plan the upcoming season of parties and balls. Mina had little interest in forcing people into marriage or deciding on the right shade of blue for floral arrangements, but had gotten good at feigning interest with Shahlyla by her side who created enough melodrama for her mother and sister to play with on purpose to leave Mina alone. Getting over the loss of Rayan was hard and she was grateful to have family by her side. It would take a long time for her to put the pieces of herself back together again, but Mina knew she was strong and was prepared to live life to the full for the pair of them. Day to day life had been becoming easier until Shahlyla arrived home one day to a poem on her doorstep. Written in Rayan’s hand, seeing a new poem dragged up a lot of old pain for Mina, though the departure from his usual beautiful prose caught their attention. It was a much darker poem than she’d read of his before, shrouded in death and mystery that alluded to something greater than himself. For now Mina tells herself that she has misunderstood the meaning, that her husband died of an illness she couldn’t have foreseen... but something in the words seem as though Rayan knew death was coming, giving new light and new pain to Mina’s life she isn’t sure she can bear. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Pure-Blood

Pronouns → She/Her

Identification → Cis Female

Sexuality  → Up to Roleplayer

Relationship Status → Widowed

Previous Education →  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Ravenclaw)

Societies → Pura Sorores

Family → Rayan Shafiq (deceased husband), Lara Shafiq (sister-in-law), Ejlaal Shafiq (brother-in-law), Shahlyla Shafiq (sister-in-law/close friend), Zahra Sharif (cousin), Elizabeth Westwood (cousin), Louisa Westwood (cousin) 

Connections  → Primrose Jorkins (best friend), Albert Jorkins (best friend), Fredrick Weasley (close friend), Benjy Fenwick (close friend), Michael Thomas (close friend), Tomas Wood (close friend), Elezar Smith (close friend), Tiberius McLaggen (friend), Olivia Promfrey (friend), Myrine Zabini (friend), Ishaan Patil (friend)

Future Information → N/A

MINA SHAFIQ IS A LEVEL 4 WITCH.

[gaia-cove]

Name: Sienna Adams Gender pronouns: she/her Age: 32 Occupation: Wedding dress designer Hometown: Cardiff, Wales Amount of time on the island: 3 months Face Claim: Jenna Coleman

Bio: (Triggers: death, pregnancy, divorce )

Sienna Adams had it all, until the day she lost everything, but to make sense of everything that happened we should probably start from the beginning. Born in Cardiff, Wales, she never really got to know her hometown before her family moved to London instead when the girl was only two years old. So actually she considers herself to be a London girl at heart, never growing up with the accent that Cardiff would have given her she instead sounded entirely southern. The middle child she has an older sister as well as a younger brother - piggy in the middle - except she never felt like she had any kind of middle child syndrome. If anything the Adams’ children were lucky to gel pretty well all together despite their differences as well as the age gap between them. Sienna was never exceptional at school but she did what she had to do to get by, always popular thanks to being tall, slim, pretty, and charismatic she was lucky enough to sail through with a solid group of friends by her side. At sixteen she changed schools to attend the College of Fine Art because without a shadow of a doubt art was her favourite subject, not to mention the one she was best at. It was on the understanding that once she’d done her two years of focused art tuition she would go to university to study something more ‘sensible’ and making the deal with her parents the whole family were delighted when at seventeen Sienna was accepted into the University of East Anglia to study Journalism. Everything seemed to be going so smoothly, with the odd hiccup here and there in the shape of messy breakups with high school boyfriends and the tattoo she got on her sixteenth birthday without telling her parents, and to most outsiders the Adams family were a solid unit who wouldn’t be shaken by anything because no matter what they would be united in it. 

Sienna had been away at university hundreds of miles away from London when she got the news of her parents car crash, everything seeming to dissolve in a matter of seconds. Racing back to the capital so she could be with her siblings the three of them processed their grief in their own ways but Sienna was steadfastly there for them both regardless. Even when Rhiannon became distant as a way of dealing with what had happened the younger sister still stood by her so that anytime she asked for a helping had she was there to give it to her without question. Losing her parents left a hole in Sienna she wasn’t sure how to fill for a while, choosing to throw herself into her journalism degree with a passion since for her to do it was what she saw as their last wish. It was the best way to honour the people who she loved more than anything. Despite being born of pain the outcome actually stood her in stead because straight out of her three years of university she was hired by a top London magazine from the Conde Nast group. Sure, it wasn’t The New Yorker which was the publication she dreamed of writing for, but her position as a junior assistant at Vanity Fair was nothing to sniff at. It was actually this turn of events that showed the woman she could combine her love of art and journalism at the same time, happily climbing the ranks at the magazine while learning as much as she could about fashion. Specifically drawn to wedding dress styles and fashions, as they changed and evolved. 

She started to toy with designing her own wedding dresses from the age of twenty seven, sketching them up before making a couple of the designs up herself, even if it was a painstakingly slow process that resulted in a lot of broken sewing machine needles and frustrations. When her older sister asked her to design her wedding dress however was when a big step was taken by Sienna and she fully embraced a change in career. She went from working at Vanity Fair to a couple of years later having one of her designs featured in the publication, the tides had truly turned and she’d found what she was meant to be doing with her life. Another big change in her life was when she met the man who was destined to be her husband in a bar on a work night out, not expecting anything from their little flirtation, he went on to surprise her and the two became close. Fast. Before Sienna Adams knew what was happening she was wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand and was designing her own wedding dress to wear. There might have been a huge gap where her parents should have been that day but otherwise it was the happiest day of her life because she was getting to pledge the rest of her life to the man she loved. The next step? For them to have a family. A year and a half ago along with a nasty bout of morning sickness the couple found out they were expecting their first baby together, a little boy they decided to call Freddie. If anything the pregnancy was too smooth and Sienna should have suspected something bad was coming her way but she didn’t, instead she was smug in her #blessed situation. It was nauseating to many of her friends who were going through rough pregnancy experiences of their own. 

Then for the second time in her life the woman was smacked in the face by unforeseen tragedy, and this time it changed the course of her life forever. On August 13th 2020, Freddie Carson was born at The Portland Hospital in London after a thirty two hour labor that had truly tested his mother’s ability to cope, but that didn’t matter because he was her beautiful baby boy and he was finally here. Then everything started to happen impossibly fast but in slow motion at the same time. Her little boy managed to cling onto life for only seven minutes before he passed away in his mother’s arms and it was the day Sienna Adam’s finally broke. The following weeks she barely spoke, literally propped up by her family to get through the funeral, her husband and herself rapidly drifted apart. Within six months he was filing for divorce from his wife thanks to a relationship that had entirely broken apart. Gone from something so loving to a cacophony of bickering and fighting the man couldn’t see any way back. His wife was no longer the woman he’d married and the heartbreak they had endured was apparently just too much for their relationship to withstand. Sienna felt like she had nothing left and it brought on a creative block when it came to her designing, too painful to be creating dresses for the happiest day in a woman’s life when she felt like all the joy had been sucked out of her own.

It was on a trip to visit her sister and extended family in Gaia Cove that it was suggested by Rhiannon she separate herself from the things she had lost in London and instead put down roots in the Californian town surrounded by her family. With nothing to go home to the woman agreed, which was how she found herself living in Glen Ellen and working at the Castillo’s wine bar as the manager until she found the inspiration within herself to go back to designing. She was trying, her entire apartment was covered in half finished sketches, but nothing seemed to be flowing properly. Nothing seemed to be coming together. Despite being a shadow of her former self to anyone who knew Sienna before she was hit with a plethora of heartache the woman is still a bubbly, sweet person who is desperately trying to move past the events of her past. Every so often she will be pulled back by bouts of depression, even if she is on medication that is meant to help, occasionally the pain is just too much for her to cope with. Resorting back to some unhealthy coping mechanisms she will look for comfort in food, alcohol, or even drugs. Although nothing harder than weed if truth be told, which she occasionally enjoys with her big sister at some of their more ‘grown up’ sleepovers. All Sienna wants is to find a way to be defined by who she is and not what she’s been through, but when grief is eating away at you at every turn it’s sometimes hard to find a way. 

Sienna is played by Indi

[leofiat-bunny]

Books

Fiat

Hardbacked book open on top & closed one next to it.

(In front of the couch that is in front of the patio in "Leo returns" scene)

Presumably school book, freshly opened

(When Leo ignores him)

Leo

Novels written in English (no indication that they're translations, or even that Thai tls would exist)

"NVK" by Temple Drake (pseud for English author Rupert Thomson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Thomson)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44146645-nvk

This cover published in paperback: 20th March 2020

Rating: 3.47 across 426 ratings

Main Genres: Vampires, (light) Horror, Romance

From reading blurb & reviews (spoilers):

(Married with son -_-) Rich Male Executive meets Female Western Vampire/Blood Drinking Ghost; MCD at end

"It’s as much an analysis of trauma (immortality related in this case) and its psychological effects as anything"

[So, very much not my type of thing.]

(Read in Italy, on coffee table during big fight, suggesting to me either: he did like it OR he lost interest but he's still intending to finish it. Former seems far more likely, but multiple reviews did say it lost steam towards the end, so the latter isn't out of the question.)

"Sweet Home" by Wendy Erskine (Northern Irish author)

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41793363-sweet-home

This cover published in paperback: 25th June 2020

Rating: 4.04 across 367 ratings

Main Genres: Short stories, Irish literature

Blurb: "A reclusive cult-rock icon ends his days in the street where he was born; a lonely woman is fascinated by her niqab-wearing neighbours; a husband and wife become enmeshed in the lives of the young couple they pay to do their cleaning and gardening.

"Set in contemporary East Belfast, these eleven... short stories come... with regret and sorrow, desire and yearning. With clear-eyed compassion and wry humour, Wendy Erskine deftly lays bare her characters’ struggle to maintain control in an often cruel world, where tragic events cast long shadows."

So that's a hell of a theme across only 2 books: modern and miserable. 0.0 [And I will never read either.]

Other books

A slightly larger than paperback novel NVK, old fashioned hardback.

(Under NVK in big fight scene.)

A Dictionary. There’s a tree design in the “O”: I’m guessing it’s a logo that I don’t recognise. I think it’s just an English Dictionary, hence the english word on the spine, not the Thai equivalent I’d expect for a Thai-English Dictionary. (There is a bit more text above and below the “O”, which might be part of the title, but I think is probably more logo?)

(On table next to Leo when he calls Fiat and tells him to come back.)

Probably Fiat

2 large books/magazines

The upper is IAMWATCH magazine, issue 11: https://issuu.com/iamwatch_th/docs/iamwatch_20issue11

The majority is in Thai, but there are English sections: particularly the "Contents" list and many ads. (You can scroll through the full magazine at the link.)

Whatever the lower is, it's not another IAMWATCH: they only have 1 white top, and it's a full white background, unlike what we see here.

(On the oval coffee table, in the cuddle apology scene. Since Leo just got home and the books on the other table keep changing - not left out for weeks - they're probably both Fiat's.)

1 hardback & 1 magazine

The top one looks like it might be a WOW (World of Watches) magazine. The most likely version is WOW Thailand June 2019 https://www.luxuo.com/style/watches/wow-thailand-june-2019-issue-offers-a-mid-year-shopping-boost.html.

(Stacked on table in front of the single armchair - Fiat's chair? - in the "Leo tells Fiat to leave" scene. Leo sits in middle of the couch. Plus there's another tissue box next to them - even further away from Leo. Could be Leo's, but I'm guessing Fiat's. Even before I realised the “watch magazine” part.)

Maybe Leo’s

A stack of 3 thin paperbacks, details can’t be made out.

(Stacked on the round end table between the single armchair and the couch Leo is sitting on in the "Leo tells Fiat to leave" scene. If the ones on the table are Fiat’s, since the place is kept so orderly, the other pile is probably Leo’s.)

[amphtaminedreams]

Paris Haute Couture Week S/S 2020 Plus a Little Jacquemus: Okay, Dior DID Suck (Part 2/2)

Hi to anyone reading,

First of all, thank you! I have never had a post do as well as the part 1 of my haute couture week review did and I am so overwhelmed with the positive feedback. This is probably funny to read for those of you getting thousands of reblogs on your posts, me acting like I won an academy award because I got a couple of hundred, but honestly I don’t expect any traction when I write on here (it’s basically just me word vomiting everything I’m thinking as if people want to hear it aka. mouthing off into what I thought was the void) so if you did read it, thank you! I do spend a long-ass time on these so it means a lot:-)

I’ll leave the self-indulgent ramble there though as it’s probably not what you came for and jump straight into part 2 of my thoughts, starting with Jacquemus. Yeah, I knew what I was doing when I tagged that in my last post. Simon Porte Jacquemus is the man of the *fashion* people right now; I’ve even found myself coming round to the Le Chiquito bag despite my original thought being “well, that’s fucking useless”. I know, I know, technically it’s not haute couture; it was part of Men’s Fashion Week, but it happened around the same time and everyone was talking about it on Twitter, so I feel like I have to include it.

In a way, it kind of reminds me of Bottega Veneta’s last RTW show, in that, especially with the women’s outfits, we seem to be sticking with simple, fitted garments and chunky, more statement jewellery. I’ve got to say I like the styling here a lot more though, and in general I’m a fan of this collection. The collared tops with cut outs underneath blazers are cool and I can’t wait until it gets warm enough for me to not feel dumb wearing my headscarfs like this; there’s a LOT of summer outfit inspiration. It’s not a mind-blowing collection or anything but it is effortlessly sexy and that’s something I wish I could say about myself. Most of us can only hope to look half as good as these models do whilst making the effort but at least Jacquemus is aspirational, lol. 

I also fucking adore this colour palette. I’m sick of neutrals literally just meaning brown and white; the navy, sand and muted khaki is a fresh edition to what is usually interpreted as the colours you’d seen worn by Disney’s Riverboat Cruise staff and only Disney’s Riverboat Cruise staff. And I mean, come on-what is more neutral than typical English school carpet blue.

Next for the whole reason I had to make this haute couture week review 2 separate posts: Jean Paul Gaultier’s final show.

In the best way possible, it’s a lot. I don’t even really know where to start, except to say that I guess this is a fitting last show; a celebration of everything campy, messy, weird, performative, and punk is the perfect send off for a brand whose best known perfume of the last few years is called Scandal. More than anything, the final show represented the range of characters and cultures that have influenced JPG throughout his half-a-decade-long career, the lines that supposedly separate what is “masculine” and “feminine”, “old” and “young” and ultimately art and fashion blurred in the most exaggerated way possible. Sure, there are some looks which are individually a bit messy here but the way they were grouped into almost chapter-like segments meant that when you see them all together, they work. Nods to the patterns and structures that recurred from season to season were sprinkled throughout, from sailor stripes to corsets to the expected whirlwinds of colour. I’ll even allow the wellies in that one outfit; if I can get over bucket hats in Peter fucking Pilotto’s last RTW show, I can get over some questionable shoes here. Middle aged fishermen and boys who liked to pose with monster carp in their Tinder pictures as some weird display of masculinity everywhere rejoice.

Now onto a show that I personally found slightly disappointing: Margiela.

I think this one is a bit TOO weird for me. Like if you’re gonna go avant-garde, go all out. Chiffon gimp masks (I don’t know if that’s the intention here but that’s what I’m getting, sorry Maison) are something I’m not particularly fond of and I’ve never been a fan of the Tabi boots in the first place, let alone when they’ve seemingly been blown up to Michelin man style proportions. I didn’t find the show to be a total lost cause-I enjoyed the colour palette and I’ve always liked that contrast stitching detail, plus the bowler hats are interesting-but on the whole considering how much I liked the last RTW show, this is a bit of a let down. 

The looks I included are salvageable but (I feel mean saying this) there were genuinely a lot of pieces that did just resemble bits of fabric draped over each over with no discernible rhyme or reason, so much so that they reminded me of some of the monstrosities I saw at a Drag Race pub quiz this one time where we had 5 mins to make some garms out of loo roll and then have a team member model them for points down a makeshift runway. 

Ralph and Russo was alright. There were a few pieces that I really liked but again, I can’t help but compare this collection to the last, where it felt like the fussy details of bows and sequins and feathers and the Barbie Dreamhouse palette were utilised with a direction in mind. Here, I don’t get that. As ever, the gowns are gorgeous and I’d pay good money just to try one on for five minutes but as an overall collection I’d say there was a lack of higher vision, which is probably the snobbiest sentence I’ve ever written so forgive me.

As for Ronald Van Der Kemp, I could’ve done without including it to be honest, if it weren’t for the few pieces I’m in love with: the velvet cape, fur trimmed jacket and blue satin dress are probably my favourite pieces here.

So onto a collection I liked a lot more: Schiaparelli. 

The influence of nature from flowers in bloom to insects to the organic structure of the human skeleton is as present as ever, though this collection includes a lot more delicate symbolism than usual. Honestly, the details make it for me; the brooches, earrings and facial jewellery are other-worldly touches to outfits that could otherwise be simple fashion magazine editor on-the-go. That’s not in itself a bad thing! The suits are gorgeous. I mean, I’m talking fashion editor in New York in a power suit yelling orders down the phone while she rushes along with a coffee. A Miranda Priestley in the making type woman. THAT’S a modern take on the divine feminine that Maria Grazia should’ve been going for; our goddesses aren’t women who sit around looking pretty (though that helps too) and place curses on mere mortals anymore, they’re women who get shit done. 

With regards to Valentino, which was also a delight, let me start by saying this colour palette is EVERYTHING. It’s ugly sisters in Cinderella fantastic, and we know those 2 were the real fashion icons really. Other than that, I adore the Old Hollywood silhouettes from the gloves to the Liz Taylor-in-Cleopatra-level-dramatic earrings. Everything is opulent and expensive-looking and pretty much what we’ve all come to expect from Valentino. A strong 8/10.

For me personally, Viktor and Rolf was a standout and one of my favourite collections of haute couture week. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and I know it’s at the complete opposite end of the spectrum to what was probably my other favourite collection, Elie Saab, but this is just my style down to a T, the perfect balance of grungy and cutesy that I want to achieve. 

There’s probably going to be a lot of objections to the temporary face tattoos and I get that, but I think they’re fucking sick. I obviously wouldn’t get a permanent one lest my mother murder me in cold blood however if I did, you bet I would be pairing them with frilly-ass babydoll dresses that you could pick up in Camden Market like this. 

And last but not least (that would be Dior), there’s Zuhair Murad.

Sigh.

IDK, man. Seeing Zuhair Murad dresses on Tumblr and WeHeartIt (remember that site? It still exists!) as a 14 year old was one of the things that got me into fashion, so it sucks that almost every time a new collection comes around, I feel underwhelmed. Disappointingly, the brand hasn’t really progressed all that much since 2013. It goes without saying that the stoning and the embroidery and sequins are stunning and would make anyone feel like a princess but from a critical point of view, I’m just not seeing anything new here. Whereas I feel like Elie Saab, for example, reflected the growing fascination with East Asian fashion and recognition of the supremacy of the region’s street style in his haute couture last collection, Zuhair Murad seems to be stuck designing the same dresses he was 6 years ago. 

To pick one example, the rounded stoned necklines are so outdated that they’ve been making their way onto department store prom dresses for years. I get that it’s supposed to be a reference to Ancient Egyptian style and I respect that, I was one of those 8 year old that was obsessed with mummies and the “Curse of Tutankhamun”, but couldn’t it be done in a more interesting way? It’s Maria Grazia’s spin on Ancient Greece all over again. Now I get how how the I imagine very niche subsection of people who are into fashion and Julius Caesar (okay, so I don’t even know if they still believed in mythology and all that malarky at that point in history but just roll with my comparison here) might’ve felt going through Vogue Runway. Anyway, I hate to end on a critical note and so be clear, these are still absolutely magnificent dresses. If we ignore those ugly round necklines, that is.

So that’s it for this post! If you read part 1 and 2, I hope you enjoyed it! As always, let me know your opinions and feel free to disagree. I’m literally just about to start trawling through all the A/W 2020 RTW collections though I imagine that’s gonna take me way longer to do than this, so I wouldn’t expect that for a month or two. In the meantime, I’m trying to fit shooting a Euphoria-inspired lookbook into my days off work which is looking atm like it’s going to be the end of March, so look out for that, and also a review of the red carpet fashion from this season’s award shows. 

As ever, thank you so much for reading and again, thank you for the reception on part 1 if you were one of the people that read it. It makes staying up til 3am with the jitters seem worthwhile, lol! 

Lauren x

[ozis-paradise]

ØZI | TURNING IT UP FROM TAIWAN TO THE STATES

ØZI FOR FLAUNT MAGAZINE – published August 27, 2020

ØZI is a rising star who’s ready to break through to the US market. Gaining a tremendous amount of momentum in Asia, winning Best New Artist of the Year at the Golden Melody Awards and Chinese CMA Awards, the Taiwanese-American singer, songwriter, producer, and director likes to push boundaries and experiment with different genres of art— from his visuals to his music to his everyday life.

According to ØZI, Chinese music (unlike Korean K-pop) isn’t really heard on the planet. Having performed with the likes of Jay Park and Tiffany Young of the legendary K-pop group Girls’ Generation, he states, “I'm trying to put Chinese music on the map. Not just Chinese, I'm trying to put this whole entire culture on the map by any means. People listen to K-pop or American hip-hop—me being on this side of the world, being raised in Taipei, there's a lot to offer. But people have to hear it.”

Now, he returns with his newest single and visual for “LAVA!” His music is the perfect blend of Asian and American culture, fusing influences from his roots in Taiwan with the hip-hop we all know and love. Additionally, he’s had the pleasure of working with notable fashion brands from Burberry to Valentino to Fendi—the latter of which caught the attention of Nicki Minaj.

Flaunt caught up with ØZI via FaceTime who was located in Taipei, discussing everything from his upbringing in music, “B.O.” going viral,” Nicki shouting him out on the Gram, and his own label Forbidden Paradise.

 “B.O.” has over 11 million views on Youtube alone, what did that do for your career?

A lot actually, that’s the song that got me the Taiwanese Grammys. I wrote that song 3 years ago. I was an underground rapper out here, producing my album. That song wasn’t something I thought would hit. I put it in with hopes of it doing good, but didn't think too much about it. I shot it with 9m88, she's a very good friend of mine and a great jazz musician. I said "hey, you'll sound amazing on this record!" She hopped on it. I shot the music video in L.A., came back. I dropped it and it took off. It caught me off guard. During that time, I had some sort of buzz underground. 2 or 3 songs had hit before “B.O.” so I had a little bit of noise, but that song really took me to a different level. That song brought me mainstream. I got nominated for Golden Melody, which is the Taiwanese Grammys. I got Best New Artist, that changed my career. 

 Being from Taipei, what was the household like growing up?

I'm a third culture kid. My parents don't know how to speak English at all. I went to an international school. This is a common thing for international school kids: I go to school speaking only English, then I come home watching Chinese TV and talking in Chinese. Taipei is a small place so everybody knows each other. I go back and forth because I was born in L.A., in Pasadena. Every summer and winter, I’d go back to visit my godparents. But we sold our house in Pasadena.

When did music come into play?

I was born in it. My parents are both in the entertainment industry. My mom’s a pop diva, artist, singer-songwriter in Taiwan. My dad’s a photographer, he did photoshoots for all the fashion magazines from 10 to 30 years ago. He retired. All my life, I was a part of this. I played classical piano since I was 4, I'm sure all the Asian kids can relate. [laughs] I had a rock band when I was 7, which is interesting because my mom’s like "aye, you should start a rock band with your first grade classmates." In middle school, I started really listening to music. It started with 50 Cent’s “Disco Inferno," I thought "what the fuck is this?!" I was 11, then it went to Eminem. Started with Marshall Mathers LP, went back to the Slim Shady LP, then to Encore. I also fell in love with Linkin Park. 

You just released your new visual for “LAVA!” Who or what inspired this one?

I started collaborating with Transparent Arts (Far East Movement). I met them last year, started working in July. I went to L.A., they arranged me with a couple of producers. One of them I particularly fucked with was Ian Thomas, he's done songs with Bryson Tiller. That’s the first song we worked on. I'm putting it on my album but that whole project got delayed because of COVID. It’s a feel-good, summer track like “aye, I vibe with this."

How’s it feel to have a co-sign from Nicki Minaj?

That's hard. That's the biggest thing to ever happen to me. [laughs] I had a photoshoot and tagged Fendi. Nicki had a collab, a capsule thing with Fendi. I do a lot of fashion stuff, that was one of my gigs. I didn't think too much of it. I went to an event, took photos and did some press. Afterward, I woke up to Nick Minaj putting me on her feed. So surreal, she’s like “big shouts to OZI in Taiwan, wassup?”

You have your own hip-hop label named Forbidden Paradise, what’s the significance in the name?

We started it 3 years ago with my colleagues Razor and MCKY, they're OGs producers in hip-hop and pop. We all saw how Mandarin pop music is so stagnant, we wanted to change that and bring something fresh to the game. R&B and hip hop wasn't big in Asia at all. Mandarin pop was all slow songs, we weren’t fucking with that. We had to do something. The world’s been listening to hip-hop for the longest time. At that time, Drake popped. The 3 of us are gamers, so we're really into medieval times and dragons. We like anything super poetic and epic, Forbidden Paradise came from that. The classic Adam and Eve story, we're the forbidden fruit. We're here to give the rest of the world the apple, particularly in Taiwan. After you’re introduced to our culture, you gain wisdom. We’re opening the Forbidden Paradise for you guys to listen.

[inmagazine]

Known for his natural ability to craft extravagant and artistic designs, Dubai-based Furne One has rapidly worked his way up the fashion ladder. Furne’s instinct and flair for drama has nevertheless made him one of the most exciting designers to have risen in the last decade and is celebrated both regionally and internationally for his impressive couture creations.

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Meat Is Latest Cyber Victim as Hackers Hit Top Supplier JBS (Bloomberg) The world’s biggest meat supplier has become the latest casualty of a cybersecurity attack. JBS SA shut its North American and Australian computer networks after an organized assault on Sunday on some of its servers, the company said by email. The attack sidelined two shifts and halted processing at one of Canada’s largest meatpacking plants, while the company canceled all beef and lamb kills across Australia, industry website Beef Central said. Some kill and fabrication shifts have also been canceled in the U.S. Hackers now have the commodities industry in their crosshairs with the JBS attack coming just three weeks after the operator of the biggest U.S. gasoline pipeline was targeted. It’s also happened as the global meat industry battles lingering Covid-19 absenteeism after recovering from mass outbreaks last year that saw plants shut and supplies disrupted.

China’s future gateway to Latin America is a mega-port in Peru (America Economia) Despite local opposition, Chinese investors are pumping billions into the Chancay project, a massive port complex north of Lima that will boost trade between China and Latin America as a whole, reports Gonzalo Torrico in business magazine America Economia. The Chancay port complex, with an initial investment of $1.3 billion, will turn this fishing and farming town into a regional hub that could redefine shipping lines in the entire southern Pacific. Since 2019, the project’s main stakeholder is the Chinese state firm Cosco Shipping Ports (60%). Cosco is a partner in 52 port projects worldwide. But in the Americas, Chancay is the first being built with Chinese capital. The complex is expected to be fully functional by 2024, helping consolidate China’s influence in South America, and in Peru especially. In the last decade, this country has become the regional crux of China’s economic and geopolitical interests. So far, Chinese firms have invested more than $30 billion in Peru, a figure exceeded only by money spent in Brazil. The principal sector is mining, which has absorbed more than half all these investments and has proven to be an excellent source for the mineral materials China needs to keep its industrial sector humming. One of those materials is copper, which Peru produces in great quantity.

More boats on canals and rivers than in 18th century as thousands opt for life afloat (Guardian) Little more than six months ago, Paul and Anthony Smith-Storey were still living in a three-bedroom semi-detached house near St Helens in Merseyside. But now the couple—and their dog, Dexter—have traded it all in for a life afloat in a two-metre-wide narrowboat on Peak Forest Canal in Derbyshire. “We took the equity out of the house, bought the boat and thought we’d enjoy it while we were still alive,” said Anthony, 48, an NHS sonographer. They are not the only ones. Record numbers are spending time on Britain’s rivers and canals, according to the Canal and River Trust. Such is their popularity that the charity, which manages 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, says: “There are more boats on our canals now than at the height of the industrial revolution.” The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) said there are about 80,000 powered boats across the waterways of England, Scotland and Wales. Boat builders and sellers put the surge in interest down to the pandemic.

NSA spying row: US and Denmark pressed over allegations (BBC) European powers have pressed the US and Denmark over reports the two worked together to spy on top European politicians, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Danish broadcaster DR said Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service (FE) collaborated with the US National Security Agency (NSA) to gather information from 2012 to 2014. Mrs Merkel is among those demanding answers. “This is not acceptable between allies, and even less between allies and European partners,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, after speaking with Mrs Merkel.

The Taliban Say They’ve Changed. On the Ground, They’re Just as Brutal. (WSJ) During a recent trip, Kamaluddin visited a barbershop to obtain the illicit pleasures of clean-shaven cheeks and a fashionable mustache. But the shopkeeper, 25 years old, planned to let it regrow before heading home, wary of incurring the Taliban’s wrath. His father and brother were caught last month using smartphones in their home district of Arghistan, an area effectively ruled by the movement. The insurgents confiscated the devices, which could be used for supposedly un-Islamic behavior such as playing music and videos, and forced the men to swallow their SIM cards. Kamaluddin recounted the incident as he waited to return from Kandahar, the government-controlled provincial capital. “They will put me in prison if they see me like this,” he said. “If the Taliban come back, they will bring darkness.” The Taliban, ousted from power by a U.S.-led invasion 20 years ago, are poised to expand their influence as American forces leave the country. The group has sought in recent months to present themselves as a responsible state actor to regional powers and the West. Indeed, some of their most-violent punishments, such as amputations for accused thieves, are used less frequently than in the 1990s as they seek to avoid alienating Afghans. Yet accounts from Kamaluddin and others living under Taliban rule, as well as insurgents themselves, suggest that the group’s governance is as ruthless as ever.

Delhi Reopens a Crack (NYT) The Indian capital, which just weeks ago suffered the devastating force of the coronavirus, with tens of thousands of new infections daily and funeral pyres that burned day and night, is taking its first steps back toward normalcy. Officials on Monday reopened manufacturing and construction activity, allowing workers in those industries to return to their jobs after six weeks of staying at home to avoid infection. The move came after a sharp drop in new infections, at least by the official numbers, and as hospital wards emptied and the strain on medicine and supplies has eased. Life on the streets of Delhi is not expected to return to normal immediately. Schools and most businesses are still closed. The Delhi Metro system, which reopened after last year’s nationwide lockdown, has suspended service again. But the city government’s easing of restrictions will allow people to begin returning to work—and, more broadly, to start to repair India’s ailing, pandemic-struck economy.

Myanmar carries out air strikes after militia attacks (Reuters) Myanmar’s military used artillery and helicopters on Monday against anti-junta militias in the country’s east, witnesses and rebels said, forcing residents to flee and join thousands of others displaced by recent fighting in the region. Residents of Kayah state bordering Thailand said the military was firing artillery from positions inside the state capital Loikaw into Demoso, about 14.5 km (9 miles) away, where a People’s Defence Force said it had attacked troops and was coming under heavy fire. Myanmar’s military is fighting on multiple fronts and struggling to impose order since its Feb. 1 coup against Aung San Suu Kyi and her elected government, sparking nationwide protests and paralysing strikes. Decades-old conflicts between the military and ethnic minority armies have also reignited, while militias allied with a shadow government have stepped up attacks on the army, which has responded with heavy weapons and air strikes, forcing thousands to flee.

North Korea’s missile warning (Foreign Policy) North Korea warned the United States on Monday that relaxing South Korea’s missile limits could lead to an “acute and instable situation” in the region. “The termination step is a stark reminder of the U.S. hostile policy toward (North Korea) and its shameful double-dealing,” said Kim Myong Chol, an unofficial mouthpiece for Pyongyang, in a statement issued by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. The United States recently lifted a 500-mile range restriction on South Korea’s missile program, in place since 1979. South Korea’s industrial ability to ramp up new missile production “could lead to an arms race with devastating implications,” Donald Kirk wrote last week in Foreign Policy.

Australian court upholds ban on most international travel (AP) An Australian court on Tuesday rejected a challenge to the federal government’s draconian power to prevent most citizens from leaving the country so that they don’t bring COVID-19 home. Australia is alone among developed democracies in preventing its citizens and permanent residents from leaving the country except in “exceptional circumstances” where they can demonstrate a “compelling reason.” Most Australians have been stranded in their island nation since March 2020 under a government emergency order made under the powerful Biosecurity Act. Surveys suggest most Australians applaud their government’s drastic border controls. The Australian newspaper published a survey last month that found 73% of respondents said the international border should remain closed until at least the middle of next year.

Lebanon’s economic crisis (Foreign Policy) Lebanon’s economic collapse could rank within the top 3 “most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century,” according to a new report issued by the World Bank. The report cites the “brutal and rapid” contraction of Lebanon’s GDP, which dropped from $55 billion in 2018 to $33 billion in 2020. “The social impact of the crisis, which is already dire, could rapidly become catastrophic,” the report notes, as more than half of Lebanon’s population is already living below the poverty line.

Congo killings (Foreign Policy) At least 55 people were killed in overnight attacks near two villages in eastern Congo, close to the border with Uganda. Congolese officials blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist insurgent group that in March was deemed a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. The group killed more than 850 people in 2020, according to the United Nations. At the beginning of May, President Félix Tshisekedi declared a state of siege across the affected regions, surging troops in a bid to quell violence.