Now more than ever, people are experiencing fashion through their phones. In “Screen Time,” fashion writer Emilia Petrarca shares all the screenshots, double taps, and swipes she made this week.
After the recent death of Jessica Walter, the actress who played martini queen Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development, I started rewatching the show and discovered that it’s the perfect late-pandemic binge (until Succession comes back).
My first exposure to Arrested Development was in high school, when my boyfriend at the time was obsessed. But I was too young and naïve to get all the sly jokes, and I remember it making me feel stupid. I also didn’t fully appreciate the power of Lindsay Bluth Fünke’s looks. Rewatching the show now, I’m struck by how much her style embodies the carefree, over-the-top, slightly vengeful attitude I’m going for this spring when I re-enter society after being cooped up for so long.
Objectively speaking, Lindsay’s character is not someone you’d want to emulate. She’s a clueless, entitled former rich person who grifts her way though life with bare-minimum effort. But the passion with which she pursues her personal interests — cocktail parties, shopping, and $68 hair conditioner (“a small price to pay for self-esteem”) — is arguably somewhat aspirational. She knows what she wants and how to get it. The determination with which she goes after Bob Loblaw, for example, is inspiring. (“WHY WON’T YOU F*CK ME??”) She also goes to great lengths to get cat-called while visiting her father in prison, and to conceal her various purchases on the company credit card.
Overall, she is driven by an inflated sense of self-worth, a desperate need for attention, and an overwhelming desire to get back at her mother, all of which translates to an unhinged sense of style, which feels particularly appealing after a year of actually working from home in sweatpants. Below, some of my favorite Lindsay Bluth Fünke’s outfits from my week in binge-watching.
She Wears Going-Out Tops at All Times
Even when she’s in the house.
She Seeks Attention Like It’s Her Job
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
But She Has No Interest in Employment Whatsoever
When it comes to sleeping all day, she’s a professional.
She Cosplays “Office Attire”
Sometimes it’s fun to wear a tie.
She’s Always Shopping
Even when she can’t afford to go shopping.
She Wears Shawls
Oh yeah, shawls!
She Appreciates the Outdoors, to a Point
The only reason to save the wetlands is to be able to wear waterproof clogs.
She Uses Her Image to Support Causes
All the causes, not just good ones.
She Adheres to No Sense of Time or Place
“It’s the 21st century. We should be dressing like it’s the ’80s.”
She’s Just Living Her Best Life, With As Little Effort As Possible
Cheers to that. And arm warmers.
Daily Average Screen Time This Week: 2h 56m
Down 26 percent from last week. I finally set a time limit on TikTok.