Sunday 15th June 2025

Culture

Common threads: Historical fashion and its lessons for our time

When we think of historical fashion, images of towering wigs, tight-laced corsets, heavy brocades and voluminous skirts often spring to mind – ornate, impractical, and rooted firmly in the unenlightened...

Food, fashion, and escapism in a cost of living crisis

Food costs have been front and centre in newsreels as of recent months, whether...

Oxford Fashion Gala’s ‘Metamorphosis’ reflects the beauty of change

The Oxford Fashion Gala was back and bigger than ever, with a larger venue,...

Tailoring expectations: Couture culture shocks

Academia has a historic relationship with fashion, both officially and unofficially. The former manifests...

“Staying in the trouble” at Oxford

“Staying with the trouble”. This was a quote from feminist geographer and all-round academic queen Donna Haraway (2016), cited in Elwood and Leszczynski’s (2018)...

Snow way! Centenary Varsity Ski Trip fails to sell out

The Varsity ski Trip continued to sell tickets up to a week post release. It marks a stark contrast to last years’ record-breaking sell-out...

Before Midnight: ‘Linklater manages to paint a picture of love that feels real, without sacrificing any sense of beauty or magic’. 

'Before Midnight, then, beautifully and honestly draws Linklater’s Before trilogy to a fitting conclusion. As a meditation on love and relationships it reminds us that it’s not always plain sailing, but that this doesn’t erase or dampen our past experiences.' Josh McGrane evaluates the final instalment of Richard Linklater's beloved 'Before' trilogy.

The Duchess of Malfi: A Review

"Evocative performances, convoluted script, limited visual resources"

Christian Girl Autumn : hot or hated ?

"Just as in any form of creative form of self-expression, there is never and there will never be a completely original thought"

We need to talk about Pasoori

Although it took me a long time to decipher, I was immediately struck by what I perceived as queerness. Tucked alongside the old-Bollywood duet of forbidden lovers are stills of a young man in gem-studded makeup, piercing gazes from a woman in a room of flowers, a boy in bright yellow and blue clothing. Their meanings just beyond reach, their stories untold.

Skin Review 

"A constant motif of entrapment"

Hallucinogenic, but haphazard: A review of Honest Fool’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

"Lives and relationships intertwine in the depths of the woods"

A rogue Vogue cover: Drake and 21 Savage’s IP gamble

What appears to have happened here is a calculated risk – a legal roll-of-the-dice for a (potentially larger) commercial gain.

Things Forough Farrokhzad taught me 

"She taught me never to be ashamed of living a bold life"

Ruminations on Tokyo fashion

"Tokyo and its style have certainly left a deep impression on me"

Why Isn’t Dystopian Fiction Fun Anymore?

"I wonder if the dystopian novels that we read...are really so far off from our own reality"

Radcliffe Department of Medicine DPhil Scholars Programme

The Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford is a large, multi-disciplinary department, which aims to tackle some of the world’s biggest health challenges by integrating innovative basic biology with cutting edge clinical research.

Muse ‘Will of The People’ Review : My expectations were low, and yet…

"Well done to the boys for trying to write about such a serious subject. I just wish the music didn’t sound like it belongs on Scooby Doo."

Interviews to be held online for third year running

Oxford University has announced that the 2022 interviews will be conducted online, following a similar procedure to interviews carried out online in 2021.  Interviews moved...

Slumber Party Pop: A New Authenticity with Chappell Roan

Everything about Chappell Roan is DIY. A glint of becoming shines through her music and style. Not only is the 24-year old’s look intended...

“Colorful Queer & Bright”: Jasper Soloff Reflects on His Creative Style

Jasper Soloff isn’t afraid to call Hollywood out on its false virtue signalling regarding queer representation. In a comment on Instagram in May, the...

Balliol student ejected from accommodation

A contentious week of mounting disorder saw one disgraced Balliol student ejected from their accommodation. Boris Johnson, former president of the Oxford Union as well...

Copyright or copywrong: the Shape of You case and its implications

We can only hope the decision results in a further backlash against the culture fostered by the Blurred Lines decision and a reduction in the number of frivolous lawsuits against musicians. They are bad for artists, bad for all genres of music, and fundamentally, bad for creativity.

Irmgard Keun’s normal superwomen

Lori Latour reviews the life and work of the 20th century German novelist Irmgard Keun.

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