happy returns
FUN FACT: A tarot card reader recently told me that I’m currently going through my Saturn return. For those unsure of what that means, it’s (in layman terms) when Saturn returns to the exact position when you were born and in the two or so years it’s in that spot (because Saturn is a slow-moving planet) you’re meant to go through some growing pains and shed parts of your old self before emerging as a new-and-improved version.
I told him that I feel like I’ve been going through my Saturn return for five years – and that’s a long time to spend figuring out who I want to be when I grow up. I share this story because it’s what a lot of the people we have in our issue are also going through right now. It might not be their Saturn returns, but finding and grounding oneself in a version of who we want to be is a tall order whether you’re our cover star, the renowned K-pop idol and actress Son Na-eun, or Hong Kong singer Jay Fung or even chameleon actress Jodie Comer. We can be so many things to the world but finding private reconciliation with oneself is probably one of the more universally tough tasks to take on.
So, with this September fashion issue, alongside our seasonal fashion report where we bring you the spread of collections so that everyone can be whoever they want to be, we wanted to spotlight designers Lucas Ossendrijver and Casey Cadwallader, who in their respective ways design clothes to suit myriad body types and lifestyles, shaking up and reframing traditional dress codes.
Jodie Comer talks to us about why instinct and simplicity are codes for a good life amidst whirlwind success and our wellness story cuts out the make-up and the laser for some oft-overlooked inner healing.
Our cover girl Son Na-eun looks to acting not as a means to make a living but a path on which she’s constantly trying on the personas of others, learning what life might be like for them and consequently whether or not she might want to bring aspects of such a life into her own.
But everyone needs levity in the midst of some heavy soul-searching and so the latter half of the issue brings you stories on what to eat – according to Stephenie Gee, that’s Grand Majestic Sichuan – and a round-up of the best meals for this Mid-Autumn alongside an Ibiza travel guide for us all to dream of azure waters and life as a never-ending party. There’s some art in the form of Rebecca Ackroyd’s new show and a chat with 9Gag’s Kevin Kwong about his visions of a new digitised world.
Whether or not you’re going through a Saturn return, I hope this issue arms you with just the right amount of depth and diversion to step into any version of yourself that you want to be.