THE NEW NORMAL PEOPLE
AS WELL as the obvious and, of course, more serious issues the pandemic has thrown up, it’s impossible not to think about the countless cancelled birthday parties, postponed weddings and spoiled plans thanks to Covid-19.
I can almost hear Jim Bowen telling us Bullseye-style what we could have won this spring.
The consolation prizes on Bullseye were always rubbish. Our consolation prize is warm weather and good health.
The fact that pretty much the whole world came to a standstill at once helped matters.
There has been no FOMO (fear of missing out), no wishing we were anywhere else – except maybe New Zealand who appear to have this virus eradication down to a tee.
At this time of year the internet would usually be chock full of imagery and memes from the annual Met Gala. The theme this year was to be “About time” which, as usual, was open to all kinds of interpretation.
Stylists the world over have had their dreams shattered and no doubt months of work wasted.
Pop star Katy Perry took to Instagram to share a glimpse of what she had planned to wear with her 95 million followers – a bespoke Gaultier corset inspired by Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour.
Only Katy Perry is pregnant with her first child by actor Orlando Bloom so her version came complete with conical bra and bump.
Events like the Met Gala create content for writers like me, and with no fashion shows, no actors promoting their movies and no celebs being papped, I worried that inspiration would be thin on the ground.
Then along came the BBC drama Normal People. If you haven’t watched it, you must. It’s an intoxicating story about young love and is delicious from start to finish.
The icing on the cake is the lead actress’s pitch-perfect wardrobe which comes courtesy of Emmy-nominated costume designer, Lorna Marie Mugan.
Using a mix of vintage, high street and even pieces from her own wardrobe, it’s so subtle but precise.
The screen adaptation is taken from the novel by Sally Rooney and for those who have read it, you could not have imagined it better.