No 6. I stole a knife from an airbnb cause it was necessary
Two week catchup: Cannes film festival, serendipitous run ins, packing, and this knife I can't even explain
I had to. On tiktok we’ve talked about Korean spoons, my holy grail flatware brand (which I will make a post about), my love of my new refrigerator, and all other random household obsessions. Maybe if I’m diagnosed someone with more degrees than me will let me know that this is the flavor of *tism I have but I have a passion for the everyday.
And for the last two weeks my everyday has been in complete flux as my 9-5 has become my 24/7 at the Cannes film festival.
We gotta catch up.
My main personal takeaway from the past two weeks is that the economy surrounding the image of wealth is still booming - but it is like a niche royal family you’ve never heard of. Perhaps from far away might have some element of glamour but unclose feels like migrated facial filler mixed with neon green jealousy.
But lots has happened.
Cannes
The past few weeks I’ve been on the road (again) to London and France. In my 9-5, I work in film and this was my first year experiencing the Cannes film festival in all of its tiers - tiers of economy . In the past, I’ve worked in and around film. I produced a season of a PBS show on foreign policy and a documentary on the SDGs which hasn’t fully been distributed (needs to be though). But now, I’m fully in the entertainment world. Pivoting from my past in foreign policy, human rights, and security into truly one of the major centers of power in this world which is media and let me tell you it’s fascinating to see under the hood.
Our company had a film premiering at Directors Fortnight so this was the first time I got to go. Someone asked me if Cannes was really glamorous and I felt like I wanted to give them the full picture. It is fun, but it’s hectic. It truly seems like a physical version of LinkedIn for people working in the industry where you will be walking down the main beachfront street of Cannes called the Croisette and people will bump into so many people they know just in the span of a few buildings. In that way it’s fun! But there are different levels of industry, A list talent will either stay away from Cannes at the Hotel du Cap or in one of the major hotels on the Croisette for their premier and then fly out the next day. The beginning of the festival is quite full on as it coincides with the major bulk of the film market where people are purchasing films to share in different global territories. There are all kinds of parties hosted by people with a film or a distributor or a streamer or a brand that overlap. In between the parties, people will grab a drink outside a restaurant and cafe on the cobble stone streets and call up friends in the in-between.
Coming from a hyper-professionalized environment and also being neurodivergent, figuring out my uniform and “how to be” causal and professional is a new one to figure out but exciting.
But there was something on the edges of the festival that seems to be crumbling in. We’ve all been talking about the end of celebrity culture, a call for the deconstruction of all layers of greed, and a reckoning for late-stage capitalism. The festival still maintains some image of glamour, but honestly it did not feel like a glamorous spot. Around the festival is an ecosystem of pay-to-play to the point where most events can be bought into for the right price. As you walk up and down the Croisette you can see people who have bought photography packages to mimic the red carpet, donned in full ball gowns taking photos in front of hotels whereas others have chosen to pose in front of neon colored luxury cars. I’m not yucking anyones yum because whatever makes one happy should be enjoyed especially these days, but what I see is the cracks.
It was interesting to be there right after the met gala, so much chatter was in the press about a list to be circulated around the festival of another list of industry predators and some deciding to not come. In the end, it was a relatively quiet festival in contrast to what I was expecting. But what was clear was that the real power players dip in and out without any of the trimmings of glamour, people circulate the festival as tourists to the image of what the festival was before, and then there are the filmmakers - creatives trying to navigate a shifting industry where more and more independent pictures don’t see distribution and therefore never make it onto our screens.
During the week, I feel like I was in multiple different cycles at once. Witnessing the ones on our screens about the state of the world, the cycle of creatives navigating an uncertain future, the cycle of industries trying to plan for the future, and a cycle ending of a type of fame and glamour that we gladly don’t have the palette for while some still do. It was a world of juxtapositions and naturally because I am an over thinker and anthropologist - I was thinking.
In Cannes, it felt the entertainment world was holding onto a past and completely unsure of where it was going. Just like so many other industries and places in the world. But in between that were inspiring creatives and people to meet that see through the cracks.
I’m consistently trying to hold onto hope these days and see where it’s possible to build and shift to the future because if I stop for too long I feel paralyzed, you know?
The knife I snagged
Now only the knife — In the process of the festival we stayed in two different Airbnbs and the second one had this knife. I used one the evening we arrived and thought that the top had been snapped off, marking it in my head to remind them that this wasn’t my fault. But then in the morning I *got it.* As one does in France, you need to get your cafe au lait, bread, and various spreads for breakfast. When I sat down and took the (what I thought was broken) knife to the butter I then realized what it was for. From the tip of the knife curled the most perfect little button nose of butter for my bread and I audibly gasped at how genius it was. No one is ever using the tip of a flatware knife to actually cut anything because it's not serrated - but this! This is genius. I counted that the house had over 20 of them so I didn’t feel that bad slipping it in my bag for research purposes. Which we can all now enjoy…
It has no brand. I have been unsuccessful in my google image reverse search to find an alternative, but I will continue the hunt until I have these in my home because their genius.
Trip Randoms
The first airbnb we stayed in was really gorgeous and modern and they had a full suite of Gaggenau appliances which if you don’t know are very exclusive and insanely gorgeous / expensive appliances made by this company that has been around since the late 1600s. They are basically appliances built and improved upon by chefs who create a wishlist of what they would like. I was shocked these appliances were in an airbnb and took full advantage of their $15,000 oven to heat up my frozen pizza. It was a joy to handle and the pizza was well… frozen pizza. (which I love.)
I am gluten free but not by choice! I developed a severe allergy when I was 25 after a big night of beer pong and ended up in the hospital. This later turned into being shuffled around doctors and an endoscopy and since then I’ve been a GF girly. But I did try an eclair while in France after wondering about the difference in wheat there versus here. It was…. a success! I ate about half with no side effects and now I’m curious to find the right timing to push it and eat a whole eclair soon enough.
Most exciting run in was randomly seeing a friend I’ve known since the summer before middle school! I was sitting in a cafe having a quick lunch and a man and a woman walked in after looking at a menu. He had sunglasses on, but thanks to being consistent instagram friends I quickly got up from the table and said whose name I thought it was. He turned around and we both had a minute of shock! We both had no idea we were going to both be at the festival as neither of us has posted on social media and it was purely by chance we ended up in the same cafe cause we had both walked up and down the walking street trying to decide on a place. This friend helped me survive physics my senior year and was technically my first date because we both accompanied our best friends who were going on a date the summer before middle school. We got to catch up on all things we’ve noticed from people post-high school and reflect on the harder parts of growing up in our town. Me with my single mom in a town of affluence and him being Chinese and not openly queer in a public school and town that had limited diversity and rampant early 2000s bullying. But the best part about seeing each other was that it felt super serendipitous and warmed my hear to connect with someone from my youth that is just so cool and a deeply wonderful human being. Very grateful for that run in.
Packing List Favorites
These target parachute pants in black and tan are incredible and I wore them with a black silk top and heels then I wore them to the Monaco Grand Prix (which I’ll make a post about). They just make me feel cool and chic at the same time.
Thief proof clutch! This book purse deserves its own freaking post because it’s so awesome. Handmade by an artist in the Czech Republic - I was so stoked to see someone did one for Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. One of my favorite books on existentialism. It’s honestly the perfect thing to bring to a party as a person who would much rather be home reading a book and also the person at the party who enjoys deep conversations with people from the get go. I got a lot of fun compliments and it was such a fun way to start conversation about something I love.
I’m convinced that nothing else is the perfect balance between causal and chic than cream denim. I brought this pair from & other stories that made my bum feel sky high! I wore them with espadrilles, flats, sandals, black shirts, blue shirts, pop of red! The cream just works every time. Ultimate packing and closet staple for me now.
My madewell bucket tote in the Amber Brown is my new computer bag and in a lighter leather was perfect for south of France vibes and just felt chic with the gold buckle. Perfect packing companion.
I’m currently in London and will catch up on all things being back in the UK because honestly being here when there is a smidge of sunshine just makes me miss being in West London or walking around Notting Hill with a coffee. My friend gave me the best hook up for second hand finds and I had a serious score this Saturday that I’ll share later!
Sending all good vibes.
Xx Bailey
❤️❤️❤️