To be clear, Ana de Armas and BLACKPINK have no connection, at least not that I know of. But there’s been so much good fashion from both of them and they all deserve OOTW mention. Let’s start with Ana because, frankly, up until recently her styling has been rather underwhelming. The outfits duringThe Gray Manpress tour were pretty forgettable. I guess now we know why?

She was saving it forBlonde.

Ana’s been on press forBlondeall week, and it’s been hit after hit. This white and gold gown in Deauville is exquisite:

Ana de Armas attends the "Blonde" Premiere during the 48th Deauville American Film Festival on September 09, 2022 in Deauville, France

I love how the looser fit balances out the embellishment – it’s dreamy and breezy but still formal, a timeless dress and she looks like she’s so comfortable wearing it.

From there, though, she took it full Marilyn and pure Hollywood at the LA premiere in a sequined halter – it’s fitted and sexy, big on glamour, big on drama, and perfect for the occasion. A real Movie Star’s dress to play one of the true Movie Stars of her time, of any time, really.

阿马斯安娜参加洛杉矶盎eles Premiere Of Netflix's New Film "Blonde" at TCL Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2022 in Hollywood, California

And then, going three for three, it’s Ana in a red power suit, but with a skirt instead of pants. I see it as a hybrid of herself and the icon she’s portraying in the film. Red for Marilyn’s signature lip colour and of course the dress in Gentleman Prefer Blondes. A pencil skirt as a nod to the silhouette of Marilyn’s era. But the blazer makes it modern, and that’s for Ana, in her time doing business in the biggest moment of her career. Ana’s on a hot style streak of bangers and we love to see it.

Speaking of bangers though…

BLACKPINK’s new album,Born Pink, dropped today. I haven’t had time to go through it and that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to watch the latest video for the album’s second track, “Shut Down”, which is a f-cking bop! And it’s not like I wasn’t already all in on “Pink Venom”, the lead single. But “Shut Down” is even better, at least for me. This is BLACKPINK on mellow swagger, a more relaxed groove than “Pink Venom” but no less hype. And catchy.“When we pull up you know it’s a shut down”is an instant brain invasion and it should be the soundtrack to all the girls rolling up to the club this week making an entrance.

So we’re already working with gold here…and then the video. The VISUALS!

The “Shut Down” video is self-referential: Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé are bringing back some of their own iconography so this is definitely fan service. But it’s also smart. Because they’re in expansion mode right now, about to embark on their world tour, breaking through to another level of popularity and cultural dominance. So while the fans will recognise all this imagery, it also works for newcomers arriving to this visual feast. Like the tank. The tank is back. The DISCO TANK is back.

If you’re curious about what the tank initially looked like, there’s been a glow-up:

The shopping bags hanging from the gun barrel or the rod, whatever you call it, has always been my favourite feature. It’s basically taking this violent and aggressive thing and turning it into a clothes hanger.

As for the clothes… well, f-ck, there’s just so much to process. It’s a hurricane of coats and shoes and dresses and shorts and hats and other accessories and hairstyles on top of all the looks and how am I supposed to focus when I have to take notes for all the sh-t I’ll be ripping off?