Abundance

As a teenager I thoroughly decorated my bedrooms. There was the crescent moon lamp that hung on the wall by my bed in a sky of lipstick shades and makeup brushes that I cut from issues of Allure and Elle. There was the other wall completely covered in photos of friends and family, which I affixed with blue tack, pulling out the ladder once I’d reached the ceiling. Above my desk, I made an imaginary city out of magazine cut-outs in which the right half of George Clooney’s face formed a jagged skyscraper. In college, I hung paper seahorses from the ceiling and handwrote poems which I taped below the window by my bed. It was never too much, or rather, it wasn’t ever enough. I wanted to put myself up on those walls and be seen.

I have since striven to carry this maximalist spirit with me into adulthood, and for a long while I was made to feel like some kind of rebel in a world of so many neutrals and clean lines. But the tide is changing, as some have perhaps finally realized that elegance actually requires having a personality.

The stories in this issue revel in indulgence and self-expression, from wearing multiple makeup looks in one day and dressing oneself in seemingly clashing patterns to eating with useless but beautiful cutlery and baking towering multicolored cakes. These stories emanate a time in our lives when being practical wasn’t the most important thing. They embrace abundance, the most comforting of luxuries.

This one goes out to Jess, whose designs have imbued each issue with a generous, overflowing spirit.

Elisa Wouk Almino
Editorial Director

Image logo by Georgina Treviño For The Times