It was made with a stiff curl of fabricโa telephone cord of a gown, reallyโthat began at the bust and then wound down the torso, the back, the butt. It debuted as Look 20 in Paris last year, then landed on Zendaya during the Dune 2 press tour. It spirals out in a quiet, contained freefall that looks normal and cool while actually working 10 times harder just to stay intact. It is also, basically, an anxiety attack.
I know this because I recently had one. The feeling of high-key dread nested inside my body for months. Should I buy those LifeStraws, just in case? My mom told me to look for a doctor.
Instead, I looked for clothes. Election has become a four-letter word. An algorithm is holding our self-worth hostage. Truth is merely a talking point for pundits. We light candles to pray for cities on fire. The Spring runways seemed to prove me right. Proenza Schouler and Balenciaga featured shredded coats and dresses that looked like fuzzy, frayed nerves. Her signature black pointy hat curls down from the tippy top, as if tracing the whirling plunge of her broom.
When the papal hats from Conclave are shot from above, they look like spinning red windmillsโat least, to me. Affordable fashion brands are, likewise, feeling shaky. The denim du jour, the coveted barrel jean perfected by Rachel Comey and Agolde jeans , winds its fabric around the leg in one long, controlled curl. Guess who wears them? The literal character of Anxiety from Inside Out 2. Hers are brown and paired with a dizzying yellow striped jumper.
I called the sociologist and author Martha Beck to confirm the theory. The arts are kind of key to the dungeon door in that way. Through its remarkable titanium and carbon case, you can see the UFO-level precision of each gear as it pulses across the milliseconds. Holding this watch feels like clutching a tiny beating heart in your hand, literally seeing the future become the past in real time.
