fff 1. Pretty Little Liars aesthetic, 'The Creative Act' and apple loaf
autumn is here, thank the lords.
Welcome welcome to my first ever 'fff' post…
As we start off this week, I summarise why this autumn is 10x better with a good binge worthy early 2000s drama & discuss what I learnt from Rick Rubin’s illuminating study on the artist, and connecting with your creativity, in ‘The Creative Act’. Finally, we end on an enhanced recipe of a to-die-for apple cake that really will make it feel like the season of the witch…
favourite: pretty little liars & the aesthetic
A random one to start us off, but an all time favourite nonetheless. I first discovered the show when I was around 13, when the final episodes were still coming out. Netflix wasn’t as huge at the time and my family didn’t have a subscription, so I would spend as much time as possible at a friend’s house after school binging episodes before I had to leave.
Rewatching it now, as a 20 year old, it of course feels completely different, but it still has me longing for that sense of girlhood at an American high school in the early 2000s. The dramatic thriller element, and trying to figure out who ‘A’ is, is obviously the crux of the show, but to me the scenery evokes comfort. It makes me wish I was born earlier just so that I could’ve been a teenager when knee high boots, smokey eyes and keypad cellphones were a bigger thing.
If you’re drawn to the popular ‘downtown/grunge’ aesthetic, like myself you’ll probably swoon at most of Lucy Hale’s season one outfits. You’re in luck, because I’ve created a shortlist of pieces from various stores that are a staple if you’re looking to dress more Aria Montgomery chic this season.
The fusion of a henley top with lace and a hood is super fitting for the downtown grungy X effortlessly fashionable look. Layer with a vest or under a denim jacket (GAP tend to have good early 2000s style options, with proper vintage looking denim). UO’s Diana Lace-Trim Henley Top is a nice alternative to this, without the hood, and it comes in white which is ideal for layering under a dress.
Any Mini Skirt From Vintage Folk - this is the Y2K Mini Skirt
Picture the above with some patterned black tights in the autumn… Anything from Vintage Folk is a great thrift steal, but they also have some really cool and affordable maxi skirts (corduroy, denim, patchwork…) that would pair beautifully with some knee high boots. On that note:
Flat Boot With Buckle (options & links below)
While the above are sadly not available anymore, I can safely say they were the best investment I’ve ever made. I would still recommend looking up their name (above) and searching for second hand options - they’re from Zara. Super comfortable and great quality. Here is an ASOS option, a little pricier but closest in resemblance. This Bershka option is a lighter brown shade, and here is an additional ASOS option if you prefer ankle length.
Rokit Vintage Dresses
Pictured is the Y2K Mariposa Dress, but the website has tons of varied options ideal for layering. If you’re after some more formal pieces, much like the dresses the characters wear to their S1 prom, Vintage Folk (mentioned earlier) has a few pieces very similar to those.
This Amazon find is saved in every colour and variant on my wish list. I love crossbody satchels for being able to hold a laptop, notebooks, bottle, headphones etc without the weight and ache of a backpack… While leather or bejewelled purses are more fitting for the PLL aesthetic, this is probably a more versatile option.
While Aria tends to wear the long real feathered earrings throughout the early seasons, I find these to be more modern and subtle. There are tons of colour options with drop earrings like these on Amazon, Etsy, and affordable finds on this beautiful boutique online store High Tide.
Now that we have the outfits down, the only thing left is what’s soundtracking my walks and coffee mornings right now: a good halloweeny autumn playlist. So here is one by l3lyalice on Spotify that I’ve been playing religiously, as well as my own September playlist that has a mix of witchy tracks and new releases.
Lastly, I can’t go without mentioning how much these small town TV shows make me realise the importance of surrounding yourself with friends. Not for the aesthetic or the sake of taking pictures of coffee dates, but just letting yourself have memorable moments of fun and relaxation through the week.
I hope you get to sit at the end of a long day and binge whatever show you’re loving to your hearts content. And if it’s this one, let me know which liar is your favourite ;)
fiction: ‘the creative act: a way of being’ by Rick Rubin
While technically it’s not ‘fiction’, I couldn't help but make it my first recommendation on this newsletter. My dad kindly bought this book for me after reading it himself. Being someone who, as of recently, can get impatient with reading, one of my favourite things about this book is the fact that you can pick it up and put it down at any desired moment. Each chapter is, on average, about 5 pages. You could spread out getting through it over a month, or a year. Rubin labels his chapters as ‘78 Areas Of Thought’, each one addressing a new dilemma we face in the creative world.
I find it beautiful that he opens his first chapter so invitingly, to “creatives” and “academics” alike. He says that, in truth, creativity is not a ‘rare ability’ only a ‘special few’ can access, but rather a ‘fundamental aspect of being human’, and our ‘birthright’.
Even being in the entertainment industry I’m constantly wary of labelling myself as an artist. I measure my success by the volume of my CV, and worry that little experience is a testament to little creativity.
In one of my favourite chapters, ‘Listening’, Rubin writes the following:
To listen impatiently is to hear nothing at all.
Listening is suspending disbelief.
…
While creating and defending a story in your own head, you miss information that might alter or evolve your current thoughts.
This, to me, doesn’t just have to apply to the physical act of listening. When I read these words, they also resonate with me in terms of reading, writing, watching, speaking…
Anxiety can cause us to be reliant on the things we know, because once we’re sure that something has worked out, and we have sat comfortably with it in the past, it’s like a safety net.
I avoid trying new things when I know there is an easier option, and the same happens when I’m actioning things creatively. The majority of the chords I know on the guitar are all in the same tuning, because that’s all I know, so that’s all I go back to. I write in a similar style on my blog, newsletter and short stories, about the same sphere of topics, because that’s the extent of subject matter I’ve experimented with. If I like a song, chances are I’ll play it over and over until I’ve run it dry…
I go into all these activities (playing, writing, listening to music) with a set intention, and while that can be really productive and motivational in some areas, it doesn’t allow much room for growth in these ones.
‘The Creative Act: A Way Of Being’ if one of the few books that have impacted the way I move through life now. I am reminded of a transformative line from each chapter when I carry out a specific task, and how I can adjust my life accordingly to open myself up to imaginative thinking.
Recently, and much to my own surprise, I have felt a pull back into the idea of religion. The last time I was familiar with it, or even went to church, I was young and in school. We went because we were obligated, and so it held little meaning to me as I grew up, other than the sense of community and celebration of life. But I’ll leave you with something from the chapter ‘Habits’, which to me is a nice reiteration of the idea of opening yourself up to new possibilities, ideas and practices and seeing what comes your way. As I read it, I feel comforted by the idea that Rubin is implying - you’re not signing a contract; this new feeling or inspiration or habit that makes its way into your life doesn’t have to be permanent. It’s healthy to allow it to grow; run its course, and once it has no use any more, let it free and begin with the next thing…
When we stay open and pay close attention […] (we) begin to explore new practices. Ones that come in and out of our creative lives like temporary collaborators, remaining as long as they serve the work and departing when they are no longer beneficial.
food: apple crumble loaf with wild blueberries and cinnamon sugar
Yes it’s as good as it sounds, zero question. This cake takes 30 minutes to prepare at most, and 50 to bake. Anddd it’s eggless :)
crumble ingredients:
cinnamon
2 tbsp butter (softened)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup flour (any)
cake ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries (or regular)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup white granulated or golden caster sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (and a little extra for a cinnamon sugar layer)
3 apples (preferably red/pink lady)
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup icing sugar (and 2 tsp water for icing)
instructions:
preheat your oven to 170C
combine your crumble topping ingredients - sorry to say… this part is easiest using yours hands.
cut one of your three apples into cubes - you can leave the peel on this one if you like - and put in a small greaseproof pan with 2 tbsp of water. leave them for about 5-10 minutes on the pan to soften, occasionally stirring. if they begin to stick/ burn, add a little more water.
for the cake, mix the oil, white/golden sugar and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. add your softened apple cubes, as well as the vanilla extract and milk.
sift in your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and your desired amount of cinnamon (I like to go for 1 tbsp).
mix until smooth, make sure you don’t miss any flour pockets!
grab a loaf tin and some greaseproof paper. line the tin on the bottom and up the sides so you can pull the cake from the tin once it’s cooked.
pour 1/3 of your mix into the tin, spreading evenly on the base.
grab a small cup and combine an even amount of cinnamon and dark brown sugar - enough to cover a layer of the cake. sprinkle the combined mixture evenly over the first layer.
pour your 2/3 layer of cake mix into the cake, and spread evenly again. then sprinkle a layer of frozen blueberries, covering the layer.
lastly, pour your third and final layer of cake batter over the blueberries, and spread out again. then take your crumble mixture and cover the top of the cake.
bake for 50-55 minutes at 170C (350F) and check that a stick/knife comes out clean. leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin - if you remove the cake and then leave it to cool on a plate/cutting board, it may sink a little and become flat.
after 10ish minutes, remove from the tin and place on a plate. combine the icing sugar with the water in a separate cup (you can also add some cinnamon if you wish). drizzle this over the crumble topping.
This is the perfect recipe for having friends over, a little autumn picnic, some tea and cake in the early afternoon… I personally think the baking time is also a perfect amount for a Spotify dance party, so you can’t go wrong. Let me know if you try it out, and any suggestions you may have for the recipe!
Well, aliens, that’s all for this week. Thank you so much for reading my very first fff newsletter. I hope some of my suggestions come in handy, and I hope you are having the most dreamy autumn. I’ll see you next week, which will no doubt come around at light speed.
All the very best,
