Garfield is a fashion enthusiast, historian and writer, with extensive knowledge across all three practices. Her expertise is especially profound in collecting valuable, rare, elegant garments of which Cashin created throughout her time as a pioneering American designer.

If you wish to learn more about the revolutionary designer, head over to The I Anthology’s article ‘The female designer fashion forgot: Bonnie Cashin’.

For now, we focus on Garfield and her experience so far being a Cashin collector.

Why did you begin to collect Cashin’s designs?

Intentionally a few years ago. Unintentionally about thirty years ago I bought a tan suede skirt by Philosophy de Alberta Ferretti that had turn lock closures and a snap on purse. I loved these elements of the skirt and only found out much later it was ripping off Bonnie Cashin.

What excites you most about her design style?

The incorporation of ‘practical’ elements like the turn lock and hardwearing fabrics like sailing canvas into garments that are very wearable and timeless but designed so well they are never boring.

What is your favourite piece you have collected so far?

My black leather trench coat – it’s very Belle du Jour.

Describe Cashin in three words?

Luxury. Elegant. Practical

What do Cashin’s designs mean to you?

She co-founded Coach, was the only American to be asked to design for Hermes and was able to produce designs that combined both practicality and luxury. To be able to incorporate luxury into everyday life is definitely my goal.

How big is your collection?

Not too big – maybe six or seven items? They are expensive.

How long have you been collecting?

I bought my first Bonnie Coat about fifteen years ago.

When did you first come across Cashin?

I’m not really sure about first; but the Instagram account @cashincopy is really informative – and my Alberta Ferretti skirt was featured there.

What current Cashin piece are you on the hunt for?

I love her cashmere separates; particularly the hooded ones/ with snoods.

Out of all of Cashin’s successes (introducing layering, etc), which do you see most in your everyday style?

Definitely layering; a turtleneck makes everything looked more polished. And a hood is always a bonus.

During her time as a photojournalist, Miller documented an array of poignant images, a selection of those being some of the first-ever photographic evidence of war time atrocities which the Nazis committed in France and the concentration camps.

Hannah Hossack, specialist photography technician at John Leggott College, described Miller’s photography as “groundbreaking”.

Despite the significance that her documentation of World War II holds, her journey behind the lens of some of the most poignant war images is often overlooked.

Roy Mehta, senior photojournalism lecturer at London College of Fashion, said: “What makes Lee’s work so compelling is the psychological tension that characterises so many of her most well-known images.”

To celebrate Miller’s extensive photography career, the Tate Modern will stage a major exhibition, highlighting her exquisite photographs.

It will be home to the largest retrospective of Miller’s photography yet to be staged in the UK and will be available to visit from October 2, 2025, to February 15, 2026. Tickets are set to go on sale this Spring.

The Tate Modern stated on its website that it will display “around 250 vintage and modern prints, including those never previously displayed”. It will host some of her lesser-known images, allowing gallery-goers to completely immerse themselves in the history and the impact Miller’s work had.

Dr. Jennifer Good, photojournalism lecturer at the London College of Communication, stated: “Miller is a unique figure in terms of her contribution to the history of photography in the mid-twentieth century, defying genre boundaries and even crossing the boundary between photographer and subject. Her vision was radical and disruptive, and she was extraordinarily courageous.”

Miller was born in 1907 to parents Theodore and Florence Miller, who resided in Poughkeepsie, New York. Originally, named Elizabeth, Miller’s childhood innocence was taken from her as she was raped by a family member at age seven, which led to contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

However, Miller did not let this heinous violation define her. Instead, she became one of the most prominent models in the 1920s, and in 1927, after a chance encounter with the publisher of Condé Nast, Miller graced the cover of Vogue.

Through an accumulation of events which coincided with Miller’s longing to be behind the camera instead of in front of it, she moved to Paris and began working with Man Ray, a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. This provided the foundations for her influential photography career, which eventually led her to the front line of World War II.

Mehta said: “What makes her work so significant is her journey from fashion through surrealism into documentary, using her lens to describe the chaos of the war.”

Miller rarely spoke about her wartime experiences, as like most who lived through the war, the effects took an emotional toll on her. It wasn’t until she died in 1977 that her son, Anthony Penrose, uncovered in a forgotten corner of their family home an abundance of wartime photos Miller had taken in her time at war.

The I Anthology invites readers to discover a selection of Miller’s wartime photography alongside Miller’s personal journey, which enabled such radical images to be captured.

These pictures are from her time spent partnering with famed photojournalist Daved E. Sherman, alongside accompanying Allied forces during their advance through North-West France.

Miller’s early images during the Second World War were taken to feature in Vogue. She photographed women in the war, including the all-female British Army artillery known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service, U.S. Army nurses and women serving in the Women’s Royal Naval Service.

However, in August 1944, Miller headed directly onto the front line to a reportedly liberated beach town in the north of France, Saint-Malo. Upon her arrival, it was evident that US forces had used the term ‘liberated’ incorrectly.

The sound of gunshots rained upon soldiers, and the air was thick with looming death, broken spirits and exhausted soldiers. Miller found herself amid a full-blown battle. Miller wrote of one attack she witnessed: “I could hear yells from slopes - orders - directions with nightmare faintness. There was a great black explosion where the most forward men had been a minute before.”

However dangerous Miller’s vantage point may have been, she was one of four female photographers acknowledged as official war correspondents within America’s armed forces. Women typically had limited roles in the war, which makes both Miller and her images important parts of history.

Good said: “Miller was equal and indistinguishable from her male counterparts and was not different because of her gender.” Further implying, “she was very good at communicating and putting people at ease, which often result in unique images.”

One of Miller’s most significant photographs from this period is of Von Aulock, also referred to as ‘The Mad Colonel’, who she shot surrendering to the 83^rd Division, after a gruesome and lengthy fight that lasted for a month, ceasing on August 4, 1944.

Miller wrote in her letters to Audrey Withers, editor in chief of British Vogue: “Seeing the camera he held a gray-gloved hand up in front of his face. He was pale, monocled. An iron cross and ribbon at his neck. He kept on walking and obviously recognised that I was a woman. He said ‘something Frau’ in a loud voice and flushed little red spots in each cheek like rouge. I kept scrambling on in front, turning around to take another shot of him, stumbling, running. He wasted as much energy as I did and ruined his dignified departure by hiding his face.”

Moving on from St Malo, Miller travelled amongst Allied forces as they advanced through north-west France. She continued to capture the raw and unforgiving sights which were the result of a war-torn country.

Hossack commented on how, “she must have been really brave to witness such trauma and devastation.”

This is a particularly interesting picture which Miller captured. It’s of a woman who had been accused of cooperating with the German forces. Miller shot the accused woman during her interrogation, moments before the woman was marched through the streets in a public display of retribution in Rennes, France.

Women who were suspected of sympathising with the Germans, especially those who had been involved in romantic relations with them, were subjected to a public display of being shamed.

In the photograph Miller captured, it shows the lady with her head shaven, her gaze avoids the lens.

The accused had their heads shaven, and in some cases, their foreheads would be marked with swastikas. After altering their appearance, these women, known as ‘collaboratice’, were paraded through their respective towns or cities’ streets, where they endured physical and verbal abuse.

In a land which had experienced a slew of hateful years, it seemed all compassion was lost amongst the plumes of smoke the devastating battles left in their wake.

After being apart from American forces for some time, Miller rejoined the brigade in 1945 as they advanced onto German soil, where she witnessed further inhumane horrors.

Miller stated in a letter to Audrey Withers in the Spring of 1945, “I arrived at Dachau as blackout and shells were falling. The camp had been liberated the previous day by the combined operations of the 42^nd and the 45^th Infantry Divisions.”

Miller, overcome with grief and compassion for the remaining, surviving prisoners, battled with her anger and despair as the atrocities of Dachau were unveiled. She photographed SS guards’ dead bodies, which were being loaded onto the same trains the prisoners surrounding her once travelled on.

Good said: “Miller was not allowed access to the same scenes as her male photographer counterparts. However, her coverage of the liberation of Nazi death camps is as valued as any other, because of its exceptional directness and courage.”

She took images of surviving prisoners, some of whom were too weak to get out of their sleeping quarters. Death consumed every corner of her surroundings, so much so that Miller stated in her letters: “So many really tough guys had become sick, it was interfering with duties.”

Both Miller, her accomplice Scherman and soldiers took images of the camps that we now know to be one of the Nazi’s biggest kept secrets throughout the war.

These photos aimed to show people who were unaware of the Nazi’s brutalities what had occurred in the darkness of these camps. With the fears that if it was not physically shown, it would not be believed due to the inhumanity of it all.

Good stated: “She powerfully shaped the visual record and public memory of the holocaust through her contribution in photographing the liberation of Dachau concentration camp.”

However, amongst the heinous killings the Nazis had performed, Miller photographed a moving moment where liberated Dutch prisoners sung the national anthem of The Netherlands on the Queen’s birthday.

Hossack shared her opinion of this image, “She was very keen to show all sides of the story, to not just show the fighting, but the real actual people. Her portraits help me connect with the actual people rather than seeing them as just a faceless person.”

Miller granted these individuals, who once had been victims of attempts to be erased from history, a permanent place in accounts of the past through her fierce photography. Miller provided these men a place in history where they will be looked upon with respect, empathy and solidarity.

Miller was not only a pioneering photographer who overcame her own difficulties, and looked to champion important moments through her work. She was also a trailblazing woman, Good said, “Miller powerfully challenged the male gaze by declaring, ‘I want to make an image, not be an image.’”

To uncover more of Miller’s exemplary and moving photography, some of which you may not have come across before, make sure to keep up to date with The I Anthology’s Instagram and Substack, as a link will be posted when tickets for the Lee Miller exhibition at the Tate Modern go live.

Film enthusiasts are chomping at the bit, as they await a week filled with celebrities parading fabulously chic outfits down the red carpet, the showcasing of the highest quality of cinema, and wondering who will attain the most elite prize to be won, the Palme d’Or.

Female-directed films amongst the nominations have notoriously lacked at Cannes. Kate Erbland said in her recent feature for Indie Wire: “Hell, Cannes didn’t even program four competition titles from women until 2011 (the year after that milestone, in 2012, no women made it into the section).”

However, 2025’s line-up suggests a move in the right direction as seven female filmmakers are featured, alongside an out-of-competition festival opener directed by Amélie Bonnin named Leave One Day.

The seven female-directed films include the likes of: Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love, Mascha Schilinski’s Sound Of Falling (previously titled The Doctor Says I’ll Be Alright, But I’m Feelin’ Blue), Harsia Herzi’s La Petite Dernière, Chie Hayakawa’s Renoir and Carla Simón’s Romería.

Megan Wordley, film enthusiast and Everyman employee, said: “This selection features some great female directors who have both had films presented at Cannes previously, and some of whom are making their debut this year.”

May the odds be in female filmmakers’ favour this year?

They make up 33.3% of nominees, and looking back at the past few years, women have been prominent contenders across various film festivals. Erbland named a few: “[Justine] Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning (and Oscar-winning) ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ Coralie Fargeat’s juicy (and, yes, Oscar-winning) ‘The Substance,’ Ducournau’s delirious Palme d’Or-winning ‘Titane,’ and more.”

The I Anthology’s take: “Cannes has often missed the mark when it comes to making significant progress by spotlighting female-directed cinema. There was very little representation last year, with only four women being featured in the selection of the twenty-two competition titles announced by festival director Thierry Frémaux. So hopefully 2025 is a step in the right direction.”

Whether you’re a film buff or not, save the date and make sure to stay informed on the happenings of the female filmmakers featured at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Amjad is both hard of hearing and diagnosed with epilepsy, alongside being a practising Muslim, she is a keen advocate for wider representation in the often fickle fashion industry. She achieves this through being an active content creator on the likes of Instagram and TikTok, where she makes fun, playful and cool content, proudly embracing her identity.

She hopes to contribute to breaking down existing barriers that under-represented individuals face, specifically in the fashion sector. “There isn’t enough of the right representation. I want to change that,” she said.

To establish herself as a creative, Amjad studies at the prestige London College of Fashion and is basking in her final few (semi-chilled) months as a second-year fashion journalism and content creation student, whilst third-year looms like a heavy storm cloud in the distance.

LCF’s bustling canteen, packed with hungry and ambitious fashion students, buzzed in the background, however, Amjad’s warm and friendly vibe drowned out the noise. And when I noticed her soft pink and white knitted Taylor Swift cardigan, I knew that for the next hour or so, I was in splendid company.

Amjad obviously knew her fair share when it came to putting together a seamless, casual and individual ensemble. She wore a cream hijab with a soft pink bow attached above her right ear, paired with relaxed, light blue, denim jeans, a hand-made knitted cardigan and the pièce de résistance, the famed Jelly Cat coffee cup cross-body bag, which cradled her staple beverage and iced latte.

Hailing from Sherwood, north of Nottingham, Amjad moved to London around two years ago to pursue her fashion fantasies. “I grew up, and my family was very Westernised,” Amjad mentioned as we discussed her roots, touching on her earliest career aspirations. “I knew that I wasn’t going to do anything normal, a generic pathway wasn’t for me,” she laughed before enlightening me on her past dreams of being an Olympic gymnast.

At first, overwhelmed by London’s confusing public transportation system, Amjad soon found a home away from home in the big smoke, especially at her place of study, LCF. “I like the diversity of the people, and that you can make so many friends with people from different courses,” she gushed before jumping into discussing the success of her recent assignment.

We bounced from one topic to another, her warm persona making for easy conversation. And soon Amjad began to open up about an important personal decision she made a few years back before coming to London, to become a Hijabi Muslim.

“I just couldn’t sleep one day. And I think I saw a TikTok saying you don’t want the first time you wear the hijab to be when you’ve died. When a Muslim Female gets buried, they’re wrapped in cloths.”

With seventy-five thousand followers on TikTok at the time, it was a lengthy and carefully considered decision as to whether she was ready to take all of her viral videos down, where she wasn’t wearing the hijab. “I had so many videos that’d done well, and I’d worked with brands. I kept thinking, am I ready? But yeah, I realised I’m okay with taking all my videos and photos down.”

Despite retaining an at once resilient, assured and inspirational attitude, Amjad, like many other females in their twenties, faces some insecurities. “The one thing that sometimes makes me feel like I don’t belong is my disability. I’m hard of hearing and I’ve got epilepsy. Sometimes I say to myself, maybe this person doesn’t like me because of my hearing,” she admitted.

Amjad added, “Occasionally, I feel like I don’t belong in a friendship group. I think to myself, maybe if I were white or had blonde hair, all these thoughts would go, or I would be treated differently.”

Amjad understands that she is not alone in the anxieties she experiences. So much so, it has become one of her main driving points to increasing diversity within the fashion industry.

She has confidence that she will one day run her very own fashion magazine alongside establishing a social media agency influenced by her own disability and the barriers she has faced. “All my talents would be disabled influencers and content creators,” she assured me.

Despite her infectiously positive outlook towards being a content creator, Amjad admits she has faced her own barriers in the social sphere, which have ultimately knocked her back a few steps.

When a TikTok of hers blew up, gaining a huge amount of views quickly. However, amidst the midst of excitement Amjad felt towards her big break as a content creator, she received Islamophobic comments.

“At that time, I was not a Hijabi, so there was no physical representation of me being Muslim.” She shrugged, trying to fathom what ignited such inexcusable hatred.

However, Amjad was keen to not let this define her, she said it felt “disheartening, but then, because it’s been a few years, I’ve been able to become stronger. I’m able to not let things like that affect me.”

Instead, she turned spite into an unstoppable drive, promising to build up broader representation in the creative industry. Aiming to help break barriers that both Muslim women and disabled individuals face.

Amjad’s vision is clear, she said: “More people need to be spotlighted, such as Muslim people in different industries. Not in, like, the typical [industries] like law, medicine,” but fashion instead. “As I feel not just religions but in culture as well, parents kind of push the children to go into a certain pathway.”

As a young Muslim, Amjad discussed how she wasn’t aware of the vast opportunities which awaited her post-adolescence. This fuelled her aspirations to run a social media agency and fashion magazine platforming individuals she feels need more representation in the industry, to battle stereotypes she’s had to endure.

Building up some much-needed experience before she progresses in her career, luckily, goes hand in hand with Amjad’s hobby, which is attending movie premieres.

She can usually be seen, barrier side, with a star-studded red carpet only a hairs breadth away. Amjad beamed whilst she reeled off the exciting celebs she’s managed to snap selfies with. “I met Florence Pugh and David Harbour,” whom she gifted homemade friendship bracelets to, and “I met Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.”

Further indulging me on the steps she’s taking to create the groundworks of her career, Amjad said she’s tasked herself with interviewing influencers on the red carpet to build her broadcast portfolio. Her most recent interviewee was Max Balegde, a popular podcaster and TikToker, at the Thunderbolts* premiere, just yesterday.

With the remnants of her jacket potato now sitting between us, I was intrigued to know, despite Amjad still being young herself, what precious piece of advice she would tell young aspiring creatives who may feel unsure whether there’s a place for them in the creative world.

“Don’t change for anyone else,” she smiled as she sipped on her Stanley cup. “Continue to be creative. Always be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people think.” She paused, and I wondered if she was reminding herself of that sentiment. “Yeah, be different.” Were her parting words.

Follow Amjad on both Instagram and TikTok: @laaibahamjad

As the warmer months near, ensuring your wardrobe is ready for any occasion, whether that be a chilled get-together at the neighbours’ or impromptu drinks basking in the late afternoon rays, is paramount.

Refreshing your wardrobe as summer rolls around each year has become almost like second nature for a large selection of closet curators; however, doing this sustainably can be difficult.

The temptation to buy from high-street brands dropping collection after collection, abundant with new micro-trends, is tough, especially throughout summer when social rosters are bursting at the seams.

Fast fashion brand Zara produces more than 11,000 pieces annually, Investopedia reported. And due to the nature of these garments being made predominantly (around 60%) of synthetics, they are extremely difficult to recycle.

According to Earth.org, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, and 85% of all textiles go to land waste sites each year.

The I Anthology took to asking London College of Fashion students the sustainable pieces they’ll be sporting to the pub garden and neighbours’ barbecue, with hopes to provide you with some much-needed ethical fashion inspiration for the scorching months ahead.

Watch below.

His latest agenda on his never-ending roll card is reinstating America’s trade industry, bringing production back to its shores, rather than relying on sourcing materials overseas.

His first move to enrich America’s apparel manufacturing industry is introducing a wave of reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries and territories. Key fashion-producing regions, such as China, Bangladesh, the European Union and Vietnam, are facing harsh measures, as he places steeper duties on ‘worst offender’ nations.

The US’s textile trade’s past proved to be a prosperous one, its feats included innovations such as the cotton gin and power looms, which transformed small-scale production to industrial scale. In the 1960s, American textile companies produced 95% of bedding and clothing in America.

However, in the early 2000s, when trade rules slackened and low-cost fabrics from other regions started being imported by fashion producers, America’s booming apparel industry slowed down significantly. Between 1997 and 2009, around 650 textile plants closed down, and now only 2-3% of clothing is produced in the US.

As Trump pushes his ambitions for fashion to be ‘Made In America’ once more, let us take a step back from politics and indulge in remembering an outstanding American female fashion designer, whose iconic influence is frequently forgotten in the annals of fashion, Bonnie Cashin.

Cashin had an immense impact on everyday fashion in the twentieth century. Her pragmatic yet individual approach to ready-wear designs, combined with a flair for the extravagant, solidified her influence in both the past and the contemporary.

Originally, Cashin hailed from California, born in 1908 to a slew of creativity. Her father, named Carl, was a photographer and inventor and her mother, Eunice, was a dressmaker. So it’s likely Cashin’s creative future was always on the cards.

However, her legacy is often misplaced in the fashion industry. Ross Schartel, a Cashin enthusiast, said: “Fashion has a history of being incredibly fickle with its collective memory. Popularity of a fashion designer in their own time does not always equate to posterity for the future.”

“Many designers of the past, even those as influential and groundbreaking as Bonnie Cashin can be forgotten in a matter of decades, and with the fast paced, over saturated news cycle of recent, even shorter. Cashin is an outlier to today’s standard of fashion designer.”

Caroline Stevenson, programme director of cultural and historical studies at London College of Fashion, further alluded to the reasons for Cashin’s status in the fashion industry today: “She chose to work independently as a designer-for-hire. She was completely pioneering and revolutionary in her work, but her independent status left her open to appropriation from bigger brands and labels.”

Cashin’s career was abundant with remarkable, groundbreaking achievements, one stand-out moment being that she designed the first-ever designer flight attendant uniform for American Airlines.

Cashin’s career soared as she contributed to the growth of Coach, which at first was simply a wholesale maker of men’s wallets. However, she helped transform it into the handbag mogul and household name that it is today. Cashin’s stint at the brand lasted from 1962 until 1974.

Her pragmatic approach to clothes was not lost when she designed handbags. She believed a bag to be most useful in its basic form, a tool to carry things rather than a piece of arm candy. During her period at Coach, she introduced the classic bucket-style bag, which is still a staple both on and off runways today. Acting as an ode to Cashin.

In 1969, Coach released the Cashin Carry, a zip-top tote in three different sizes. True to her love for functionality, it was designed to carry another smaller handbag inside. The ‘Cashin Carry tote’ is still sold by Coach today, acting as an ode to Cashin and her contribution to the brand’s success.

Schartel suggested: “It is interesting that her legacy is often expressed through these, what now would be called collaborations.”

Alongside her slew of work for brands, Cashin had many other successes. Stevenson touched on how she is often “credited with introducing the concept of layering into fashion.” A now basic dressing staple.

Cashin was eager to introduce ease into dressing. Bonnie Cashin Archives highlighted how she appealed to women who shared her nonconformist attitude, such as the likes of Gloria Vanderbilt and Mary Quant.

This was derived from the post-war society she lived in. For the past three or so years, women had been heavily involved in the war efforts, meaning they donned workwear such as overalls and trousers daily.

Cashin was amongst the wave of women in the US who started to decline the more divine, feminine trends filtering through from Paris and turned to practicality instead.

To cater to this modern mindset, women of the twentieth century were favouring Schartel, pointed out Cashin aimed to simplify, “clothes without sacrificing glamour”, as she integrated “advances in technology into clothing for the post-war American woman.”

Cashin retained this practical approach to fashion throughout her career. She made an effort to move away from stereotypical ensemble dressing and created ‘Seven Easy Pieces,’ which allowed women to enter their closets and mix and match separates.

However, although Cashin idealised casual wardrobes through taking a more laid-back, lax approach to apparel, this has translated into fashion ever since. Her work never lacked ingenuity and the ability to shock and impress; her approach was perhaps more contemporary for the time she designed in.

Stevenson said: “The reason she was so pioneering was for her clean, modern designs, but also her use of different kinds of fabrics and silhouettes.”

“She designed traditional and functional garments with unconventional fabrics, which today seem very normal. For example, canvas raincoats and ponchos, and hardware like metal toggles and clasps instead of buttons.”

Schartel added: “She was really using unexpected materials, fastenings, and even fabrications to create clothing. One of my favourite pieces from Cashin is a fit and flare style dress, made from a high shine turquoise leather from 1953.”

Cashin was, in fact, the first designer to feature leather and suede on the runway in 1953.

Cashin’s sharp, revolutionary and distinctive designs spanned across her entire career. She broke into the industry through a collection of notable early successes.

Those being: a decade of costume design for the Roxyette chorus girls, partaking in an undercover assignment where she designed women’s uniforms for World War II and working in Hollywood, creating wardrobes for Twentieth Century-Fox, where her garments featured in over sixty films.

Her mission was to provide useful and sturdy clothing with a sprinkle of eccentricity, setting her apart from the rest. Despite her nonconformist approach to clothes, which set her apart from the rest, Cashin still missed out on that celebrity status so many designers achieve.

Stevenson said, “Cashin was fiercely independent. She knew the workings of the fashion industry, but she wasn’t interested in establishing herself as a brand and turning her creative work into a business.” Further adding: “She wasn’t interested in the business of being a celebrity designer.”

Cashin was a private person, so perhaps it’s no coincidence that she was fashion’s best-kept secret; perhaps becoming a famed designer was not what she intended at all.

Schartel suggested, “I think public persona is an incredibly important component of the celebrity culture linked with the role of designer as a commodity. Cashin did not see herself as the product, but as a producer.”

Cashin may not have strived for celebrity designer status. However, her distinctive America-made designs would’ve perhaps situated her comfortably into the US that Trump has high hopes of creating.

So ladies, grab some popcorn, make yourself comfy and either agree or disagree with my top ten ensembles donned by the fabulous women of this year’s Met Gala.

However, year after year, as new, thrilling themes are announced, some of the most iconic ensembles from the Met Gala’s past (ones worn by some of the most incredible women, might I add), fade into the shadows.

Each Met Gala is hosted by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, located in New York and is centred around a theme, one that changes yearly and is decided by Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s chief curator.

This year’s theme is ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, and like previous years, both attendees and designers will interpret this through an individual and cutting-edge lens. Ensuring their fashion moments won’t be overlooked by respected commentators and Met Gala fans, who certainly don’t hold back with their critiques.

Everybody who's anybody wants to make a lasting impression amongst the masses, and to achieve that perfect balance between being both avant-garde and nodding to the theme proves to be rather difficult.

Perhaps this obsession that Met Gala attendees have with transforming oneself to become a meme-able figure, who dominates the Met Gala’s discourse, represents how we have become habitual creatures who are infatuated with achieving virality and don’t feel the need to scratch below the surface.

Let’s take a look at a select few who repeatedly snag our attention.

Take Rhianna, who donned an elegant, fur-trimmed, golden get-up designed by Guo Pei for the 2015 Met Gala, which had the theme ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’.

Or Blake Lively, (often dubbed the queen of the Met) at the 2022 Met Gala, its theme being, ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’. She opted for a lavish, breathtaking copper dress, which transformed to reveal a cascading, turquoise train.

Now that we have given credit where credit is due, let us venture into the murkiness and unveil the forgotten ladies of the Met Gala’s past. Those who don ensembles which are just as fabulous as the mainstream faces we expect to dominate our screens, but are neglected, and pushed into the archives.

Amber Valletta, one of the most celebrated contemporary supermodels, arrived at the 2004 Met Gala exhibit in a Maggie Norris Couture corset paired with a fabulous John Galliano skirt. Valletta accessorised the striking look with a powdered, bleach blonde, Marie Antoinette-esque coiffure and a pair of elegant, chunky and iridescent golden earrings.

Her interpretation of the theme ‘Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the Eighteenth Century’ is perhaps one of the earlier examples of the bold fashion statements that are now synonymous with the Met Gala.

Valletta was a frequent attendee of the Gala; she last graced the carpet in 2023. However, Valletta’s rich fashion legacy and dedication to fulfilling the theme year on year have become a forgotten treasure, locked up in the past.

Twenty years ago, at the Costume Institutions celebration of ‘The House of Chanel’, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, still mere babes, appeared at their first Met. As per their typical vibe, they arrived looking effortlessly cool and elegantly casual all at once, a perfect balance, one that the Olsen twins have notoriously mastered.

Ashley sported an Oscar de la Renta iridescent golden gown, with a baby pink ribbon belt attached around the waist. Mary-Kate appeared a little more boho-chic, wearing an off-white, lace-detailed, floor-length dress. Both ensembles suited their individual aesthetics, a motif which would translate throughout their fashion career.

Carey Mulligan channelled her inner Effie Trinket back in 2012, for the ‘Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations’ Met Gala. Mulligan donned a fitted, halter-neck dress, adorned with gold and silver scale-like pieces.

She accessorised the glittering gown, designed by Prada, with pearlescent heels and a neatly arranged up-do. Her dress could later be seen up for auction on eBay.

At the 2014 Gala, ‘Charles James: Beyond Fashion’, some wondered if Lupita Nyong’o had mistaken the event for one of Jay Gatsby’s magnificent parties. She arrived in an emerald green, Prada ensemble reminiscent of the 1920s famed flapper dresses, which was bold, daring and fabulously fun.

2014 was Nyong’o’s first Met. Her gown was adorned with chunky jewels which hung like teardrops from the woven dress, glinting in the photographer’s flashes. She paired it with a silk clutch and rich green heels adorned with a cluster of jewels on the toe.

Now I’m not sure how, but despite my Britishness and love for a snug coat, Solange Knowles impressive Thom Browne puffer-gown is a totally new fashion sensation to me. At the 2017 ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between’ exhibit, Knowles stood on the Metropolitan Museum’s royal blue and soft cream-clad stairs in a puffer-style robe with an impressive, bubbled train (slightly reminiscent of a summer Lilo).

She was certainly ready for the weather, and perhaps a football match. As the maxi-puffer Knowles sported is often worn by dedicated football mums freezing on the pitch’s sidelines.

Katy Perry’s Met history is full of astounding, daring get-ups, sure to her distinctive style. Alongside Knowles, Perry also came to impress in 2017.

She wore a Maison Margiela, crimson red, appliqued, floor-length gown with both a veil (secured in place with a crown with ‘witness’ written across its top), and a ruffled, sheer train. Opting for a comfortable shoe, Perry sported Margiela’s signature Tabi boots, also in a striking shade of red.

However, the likes of her more recent Met Gala ensembles, for example, the 2019 dress, which halved the Met’s electric bill as Perry provided the museum's lighting for the night when she appeared as a human chandelier. Perhaps caused her 2017 outfit to be overlooked.

The ladies of the Met never fail to deliver. They balance the theme’s requirements and express their individuality, all at once.

Yet we, as fashion enthusiasts, have perhaps become ignorant, as we can’t help but be drawn towards the most obvious attendees when there is an impressive selection of remarkable women also sporting breathtaking get-ups who don’t receive the same level of recognition.

So, as the first Monday in May is just around the corner and our fingernails are bitten to hell in anticipation, let us not forget those who contributed to establishing the extravaganza that is now expected each year at the Met.

In the sketch, which aired April 12, Sarah Sherman mimicked Aimee Lou Wood’s character, Chelsea, in The White Lotus season 3.

Her depiction included a questionable British accent and distasteful prosthetic teeth in an attempt to parody Wood’s appearance. In retrospect, perhaps a poor decision.

Wood took to her Instagram story and expressed that being made fun of was not the issue, “when it’s clever and in good spirits”. However, she felt the skit could’ve been executed in a “cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way”.

“The whole joke was about fluoride,” she said, “I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth”. She claimed she felt the parody was “unfunny” and “mean”. Further stating, “the rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on”.

Wood later confirmed she had received an apology from SNL, however, the root of the problem is that women’s appearances are frequently the focus of discourse in the media.

Speaking to GQ earlier this month, Wood said, “The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work”.

“And I don’t know if it was a man, would we be talking about it this much? It’s still going on about a woman’s appearance.”

The I Anthology’s take: “The discourse surrounding Wood’s appearance is disheartening for female stars, as it reinforces how their appearance is continuously picked apart.”

“It reflects deep-rooted misogyny and harsh beauty standards for women, which are evidently still apparent in society. However, Wood’s statement expressing her disappointment with the conversation predominantly being about her teeth (both positive and negative), distracting from her excellent performance in The White Lotus, is inspiring. Hopefully, future conversations can move beyond a woman’s features and discuss their utter fabulousness instead.”

Lord Hodge, the deputy president of the court, disclosed that five judges from the Supreme Court unanimously agreed on this decision. However, he recognised “the strength of feeling on both sides,” emphasising that trans people are still protected against any form of discrimination, and it is by no means the role of the court to decide the meaning of gender or sex.

However, the LGBTQ+ community is disappointed with the ruling and now fears that Britain may follow in the footsteps of Trump’s America, where the rights of certain groups of individuals are restricted. Stonewall UK, a prominent LGBTQ+ organisation, also said it “will be incredibly worrying for the trans community.”

Phoebe Palmer, politics student, said: “People don’t realise how the bad treatement of trans people makes treating the rest of the queer community and any marginalised person seem more acceptable.”

The UK government suggested this decision brings “clarity and confidence” for particular women, including those who both run and attend sports clubs, work in hospitals, and are women refugees, as it allows the exclusion of trans women from these sectors.

Government critics suggest the political right has an agenda to weaponise identity politics, causing minority groups to fall under attack. Whereas other government critics argue the liberal left’s support for transgender people is impacting biological women’s rights.

The I Anthology’s take: “Ultimately, the British government has prioritised biology over identity. It is a worrying time for the LGBTQ+ community as they continue to face political pushback, the Supreme Court's decision today only affirming it further. Today will be a day for the history books, but not one which shall be commemorated, as it marks British society taking a step back for trans women, denying them their identity.”

Now, with five best-sellers under her wing, Henry is set to release Great Big Beautiful Life on April 22, and her entourage of loyal BookTok fans are like kettles meeting their whistles, steaming with excitement.

BookTok is a subcommunity on TikTok that rose to popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It resides in a cosy corner of TikTok and was created to be a welcoming and safe space for avid readers where they can share thoughts on their current reads. Its main demographic is largely formed of women aged 16-25 seeking the security that a predominantly female community offers.

Georgia Wilcock (@readwith.georgia), who began her BookTok journey in lockdown to get herself back into reading, boasted, “I’d say my favourite part of BookTok is definitely the community, it’s so fun chatting with different people and I’ve made so many genuine friends!”

In recent research conducted by the Publishers Association, 59% of 16-25-year-olds say BookTok has helped them discover a passion for reading and nearly half (49%) said they’ve visited a bookshop in person due to BookTok.

However, as this community grows, so do the expectations within it.

BookTokers and their followers have seemingly fallen into a competitive cycle which has stripped the joy of reading back to its very bones. They’re creating standards which simply cannot be met, and BookTok’s vibe is turning into an intimidating and suffocating one for newcomers.

Annabel Riley, (@readbybellauk), a more recent Bookstagram participant, said: “I haven’t dabbled much with BookTok because from what I’ve heard it seems a lot more toxic and judgemental than Bookstagram.”

However, Wilcock disagreed: “I love being part of the community, I’ve only ever had positive experiences and met so so many lovely people.”

As I was scrolling through my own BookTok the other evening, it became glaringly apparent that this sub-community was creating benchmarks not every reader could meet. One keen BookToker had five hundred and twenty-five unread books gathering dust on her shelf, whereas another had already read forty-two novels in just a mere three months.

In a state of panic and self-depreciation, I got off of BookTok as fast as possible and quietly stared at my now seemingly shoddy collection of novels that I’ve carefully curated since a child. Worrying about the fact I’ve only read three books this year, have no audiobooks on the go, and my TBR (to be read) pile is a meagre three.

It left me feeling as though my credibility as a book lover just wasn’t enough. There’s no possible way I could reach these book influencers’ standards. When I sat down later that night with my current read, I even found myself skipping over sentences just to try and finish it quicker. I felt like a literary fraud.

Elinor Palmer, (@elliereadsbooks_) BookTok enthusiast said, “I start to get stressed when a book is taking a while to finish, when I should be able to take my time and enjoy it, I start to feel like I’m getting behind. But with who?”

BookTok has rapidly grown since its inception, and the community that was initially built upon relatability has perhaps lost its way, as book influencers are starting to compete with the very people they are supposedly yearning to connect with.

Palmer said, “I do think that part of how much I read now is how competitive I am. On the other hand, it’s not an unhealthy habit, I suppose!”

BookTok has, however, been helpful for the publishing industry. Waterstones said the: “increased popularity of both reading and physical bookshops, supported notably by social media,” contributed to a 13% rise in sales last year.

BookTok’s accessibility has also enabled young women to feel connected and be part of an inspiring and uplifting community, which wasn’t as easily available for female readers before. Wilcock discussed BookTok’s benefits, “I originally created my BookTok for fun, but now it does go hand in hand with my potential career! I’ve had so many amazing opportunities because of this account that I never expected.”

Colleen Hoover and her repertoire of seductively spicy and sexy romance novels have also benefited from the BookTok community. Before BookTok was established, in 2019, Hoover sold just six thousand copies of her books, this seems a minuscule number compared to the gargantuan figure of two point one million books purchased by fans last year. Her work is like catnip in a cattery to Booktokers, gobbled up in a matter of seconds, leaving a euphoric high in its wake.

However, BookTok’s future is teetering on a very thin tightrope, and sooner rather than later, the funambulist is going to lose balance and fall into a murky pit of the unknown.

Like many industries, the influencers who are at the helm have begun to fall into unrelatable and inauthentic practices, pushing ideas to their audience that simply cannot be obtained.

For a typical working young woman, reading forty-two books in a month (which is more than one a day) is just not plausible, and personally, it doesn’t sound fun or enriching.

BookTok has, however, contributed to some individuals’ forever memories. Wilcock said her stand-out moment was “meeting some of my book besties, we all originally bonded over Magnolia Parks, and ended up meeting in London last year. Two of the girls travelled from Australia and Estonia.”

Despite BookTok offering its participants exciting opportunities, the aftermath of its soaring success is veering towards isolating the very people who seek the solace that BookTok is supposed to provide.

Maybe we need less pressure and more page-turning just for the pleasure of it, especially with Emily Henry’s new novel, Great Big Beautiful Life, which will hit bookstore shelves on April 22.

Laaibah Amjad content creator and fashion journalism student, said: “There isn’t enough representation [of Muslim women] as people just listen to what they hear in the news, which is controlled by white old men who have a standard assumption.”

The United Nations announced its theme for this year’s IWD: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” It further pledged to ensure every woman has a sure chance of equality. A seemingly sound statement to make, one that, in such a woke society, should come to fruition.

However, Muslim women remain overlooked, their voices continuously silenced by media stereotypes.

Mars El Brogy, TEDx speaker and journalist, expressed, “There are definitely barriers, especially when you become visibly Muslim, ie wearing the hijab.” However, “there are enough allies out there to help you find your tribe and allow you to flourish. As the Quran says, ‘with hardship comes ease’.”

A staggering 58% of Muslim women believe they are stereotyped in ads and media, while only 19% believe they’re portrayed positively. In a society that prides itself on fairness, why is this still happening?

El Brogy said: “Muslim women are still stereotyped in the British media because there is still a lack of proper representation of Muslim women both on and off screen.”

The Centre of Media Monitoring discovered in a study that negative attitudes towards Islam were present in almost 60% of the 48,000 online articles analysed.

With this in mind, alongside the small 0.4% of Muslim journalists contributing to the UK’s media, it’s clear there’s a notable lack of enthusiasm for breaking the conventional representation barriers that Muslim women have to accept as their reality.

El Brogy said, “Islamophobia still exists in every corner of the world.”

Audiences continue to consume content with damaging representations of Muslim women. This content contributes to harmful misconceptions and discrimination.

Amjad said, “A few years ago, my TikTok blew up. I was not a Hijabi at the time, so there was no physical representation of me being Muslim. However, I received an Islamophobic comment, it was really, really bad.”

Muslim women have the right to reclaim their narratives, and one powerful way we can support this is by reading their bold and authentic stories, focusing on the obstacles they’ve faced.

Woman at Point Zero (written by Nawal El Saadawi)

Woman at Point Zero is an exceptionally moving novella of prose fiction, written by Nawal El Saadawi. It’s based on the true accounts of a Muslim woman awaiting execution after being convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1974.

It paints her journey, from childhood to the present day, following her gripping experiences growing up as a Muslim woman in Egypt and the oppression and objectification she faced from both genders.

It’s a harrowing tale, full of grit and a quiet, unnerving beauty, which will certainly open up your eyes to how Muslim women both perceive themselves and are viewed in their culture.

Woman at Point Zero is at once shocking and empowering for Muslim women. It’s a novella for the history books, a short (but not to be mistaken) as an easy read.

The Lion Woman of Tehran (written by Marjan Kamali)

The Lion Women of Tehran is Iranian American novelist Marjan Kamali’s third piece of work. Taking the form of historical fiction, Kamali follows the journey of two Iranian girls as they progress from adolescence to adulthood, spanning from 1950 Tehran through the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and ending in America in 2022.

The novel places women at its heart, exploring the differing experiences of social classes, political beliefs and dreams in conjunction with friendships and loyalty amongst women.

Readers follow an important political journey, which is carefully intertwined with the two women’s lives. It highlights significant social changes which impacted Iranian women from 1950 onwards, due to the change in government.

Marjan Kamali’s other works include Together Tea (2013) and The Stationary Shop (2019), both of which offer insight into her distinctive perspective.

It’s Not About The Burqa (edited by Mariam Khan)

This book is a collection of sharp essays which challenge one of the most politicised images of Muslim women - the Burqa. It includes seventeen essays and unpacks everything from faith, feminism, love, sex, and queerness, told directly by Muslim women in Britain.

The inspiration for It’s Not About The Burqa stemmed from Khan learning that David Cameron related the radicalisation of Muslim men to the 'traditional submissiveness’ of Muslim women. Khan professed she didn’t know any Muslim women who would describe themselves that way.

Disgruntled with the stereotypical way in which Muslim women were continuously portrayed in Britain, Khan took one of the most politicised and misused words regarding Muslim women and turned it into a collection of essays where seventeen Muslim women spoke frankly about their faith.

It’s Not About The Burqa champions genuine points of view which you undoubtedly won’t see in the media. Its authentic content covers the hijab and wavering faith, love and divorce, feminism, queer identity, sex and the threats of a disapproving community and a racist country.

It's Not About The Burqa is home to both analytical thinking and honest experiences of being a Muslim woman in British society. With hopes to redefine the narrative which has been unfairly painted for Muslim women.

These Impossible Things (written by Salma El-Wardany)

Egyptian Irish author Salma El-Wardany’s debut novel, These Impossible Things, is a work of fiction that will ensnare your imagination.

El-Wardany’s background includes commenting on issues of feminism, identity, and gender, which allows her to powerfully portray the lives of three young British Muslim women, who attempt to right the misconceptions Muslim women face.

These Impossible Things follows the journey of each young woman and the importance of female friendship as they each learn how to navigate their youth while maintaining their Muslim women's habits.

It immerses you in their every thought as they each struggle to reconcile love, faith and individuality, offering a different perspective of Muslim women.

I Am Malala (written by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb)

Everyone recalls the brave young Pakistani woman who took a stand for her education and was subsequently shot in the eye by the Taliban; the media covered it relentlessly, and it’s now a tale of great valour which holds a significant message.

I Am Malala is co-written by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb. It takes you along her heroic journey, discussing how her home town was inhabited by the Taliban and the damaging effects it had on both her education and life. It offers the reader a glimpse into the struggles she endures as she comes to terms with living in England and how she tirelessly inspires and helps progress education for girls, using her story as a driving point for change.

I Am Malala may not be a new story; however, understanding her accounts of the events and aftermath is both shocking and inspiring.

This biography is not just a recount of Malala’s life; it offers a first-person insight into what not only Malala endured but what other Muslim women face if they stand up for their rights, and how it doesn’t necessarily push them away from their faith and culture.

These novels are excellent starting points for readers ready to move past stereotypical narratives surrounding Muslim women. However, they represent such a small slice of the exceptional pool of Muslim women writers who are waiting to have their voices heard.

El Brogy recommended the likes of: “Shelina Janmohamed; Ayaan Mohamud; Zoulfah Katouh; Baroness Sayeda Warsi and Lila Abu-Lughod to name a few.”

A renowned panel of judges, chaired by esteemed novelist Kit de Waal, announced the nominees earlier today.

The panel included author Diana Evans, the first winner of the Orange Award for New Writers (now known as the Women’s Prize for Fiction); writer, journalist, podcaster and mental health advocate Bryony Gordon; former editor-in-chief of Glamour UK, Deborah Joseph; and musician and composer Amelia Warner.

The nominees, whose novels focus on themes of personal freedom and the importance of human connection include: Good Girl by Aria Aber an insightful piece of fiction, which follows 19-year old Nila’s journey of Berlin’s underground scene; All Fours by Miranda July, a tale of a woman confronting her quest for freedom by challenging beliefs of how a woman’s life is lived; The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji is a novel “full of larger than life characters and rich in Iranian history and glamour,” Evans said.

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout examines the relationship between a lawyer and a writer facing their hopes, dreams and regrets; The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden takes readers back to post WW2, set in a rural Dutch province where a lonely woman discovers the parallels between obsession and desire and finally, Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis a novel Bookstagramer Morgan Haggerty described as, “a moving story which reveals shocking truths about being groomed into fundamentalism.”

The I Anthology’s take: “Often, reading is used to escape from reality, however, these six compelling books prompt readers to be present and confront issues within society that are often overlooked or ignored.”

On June 12, the judges will focus on three core principles to decide who takes the crown: excellence, originality and accessibility. So mark your calendar to uncover who the winner of this year’s Prize for Fiction shortlist will be.