style it

noun, real, from Latin

You know when you’re walking through an ancient Roman villa and you see a beautiful tree-lined path in its garden? Well, now you can con dently refer to it as a xyst. May apply to other planted walkways as well, we don’t know

Natasha

Is it just me or has the world gone into a time machine back to Y2K? “Bennifer” are back together. Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Sia performed Stars Are Blind on New Year’s Eve. Beyonce announced her world tour. Rihanna performed at the Superbowl half-time show, and bagged the March British Vogue front cover. I am thoroughly enjoying this throwback, and it makes sense that fashion will follow suit for spring summer 2023. We already had a taste in 2022...

● Low-rise waists were big in the noughties and, while I prefer a high-waist these days, everything from evening skirts, jeans and suit trousers have been given the low-rise treatment on the catwalks, including at the Givenchy and Stella McCartney shows. I spotted a pair of Low Rise Straight Jeans in faded black at Zara in Cabot Place for £35.99, which would work with a blazer for a casual evening look.

● Paris Hilton embodied the Barbie aesthetic back in the day, and still does at times. But instead of bright fuchsia pink being the colour of the day, a softer candy oss pink emerged on the catwalks, as seen at Victoria Beckham and Acne Studios.

LK Bennett’s Heidi Pink Cotton-Blend Rib Knit Dress for £259 hits the spot, and reminds me of the type of thing Elle Woods might have worn in Legally Blonde. Find it in the Jubilee Place store.

● Ripped jeans used to be spotted on a plethora of stars, and rocked by girl band Destiny’s Child. Does anyone else remember bleaching their jeans in the bath and attacking them with a cheese grater? The DIY look is more grown up now, as seen on the Frayed Hem Denim Jacket, £49.99, from Mango in Canada Place. It’s a little bit biker, a little bit grunge, and is made from recycled cotton-blend fabric. What’s not to love?

● Lingerie detailing such as corset-style tops and lace edging screams of the Lady Marmalade music video with Christina Aguilera et al from 2001. It was seen on the runways of Versace and Christopher Kane, and is certainly one of the more sexy trends of the season. For an understated look, I love the COS Corset Tank Top in black, £59, at the brand’s Canary Wharf store in Jubilee Place.

● Sienna Miller and Kate Moss were poster girls for the boho, hippie-luxe look, and orals were abundant. Loewe and Dior showcased some theatrical oral prints for this season. On the high street, my go-to for orals is Ted Baker in Canada Place, and the brand’s Arianya Blouson Sleeve Floral Midi Dress, for £225, is simply stunning.

Love it or loathe it, this style is trending on TikTok. Even Gen Z, who probably don’t remember these looks rst-hand, are getting in on the action. I’m very much here for the nostalgia.

Natasha Maddison @pazzanatasha on Insta

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by Jon Massey

Yes, nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed. 100% success rate,” said Lee Anderson, the Tory MP for Ashfield, in response to being asked whether he would support the return of the death penalty, during an interview with The Spectator The former Labour politician, who was recently appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, had made the comments shortly before getting the job. His apparent stance was subsequently disowned by current prime minister Rishi Sunak and his government. However, it’s sobering to think such ideas continue to circulate in the upper echelons of public life.

After all, it’s a little over a decade since Priti Patel, then the relatively new Conservative MP for Witham, advocated for the return of the death penalty as “a deterrent” on BBC Question Time

At the time, she seemed bemused at the idea that innocent people might inadvertently be put to death by the state following miscarriages of justice. She went on to hold high office, including the position of home secretary under Boris Johnson.

It’s been nearly 59 years since the last hangings in the UK took place – incidentally three years before Lee, now 56, was born –although final abolition didn’t come until 1998 when the country signed up to the 13th Protocol of the European Convention On Human Rights.

This is all very interesting, but what have the extreme views of two Conservative politicians got to do with this part of east London? Well, perhaps Lee, Priti and anyone else with an interest in formulating a view on state sanctioned killing would do well to pop over to the Museum Of London Docklands.

Its latest major exhibition Executions is in place at the former sugar warehouses on West India Quay until April 16 and acts as an in-depth examination of some 700 years of public capital punishment in London. Granular, macabre and fascinating, it’s a potent, sensitive and poignant exploration of the extreme things humans find excuses to do to one another in the name of justice.

Its primary focus is on the first recorded and last public executions to take place in London between 1196 and 1868.

“We wanted to focus on where we had evidence,” said Beverley Cook, curator of social and working history at the Museum Of London. “The first was recorded at Tyburn, which