Cart Curator #70 - Where the It Ends with Us drama Started
Deep diving into the It Ends With Us drama, the it-girl heel and are trains chic-er than planes?
Hi CC friends,
Nic did a lot of socialising last week, so is trying to lay low this week (we’ll see). FYI for all the Sydney CC readers, Wills in Coogee is doing free cheeseburgers with any alcoholic drink over $10 this month. Talk about a girl's dinner.
Jess is finally home (London) from her travels and is of course sick (what’s new). Some relaxation time is definitely needed as well as healthy, home-cooked meals and all of the supplements.
Enjoy,
Popshop
Our favourite pop culture or industry moment of the week.
As you know, we love a chaotic press tour here at Cart Curator, and one of the most highly anticipated films of the year - It Ends With Us - is delivering such unhinged levels of chaos, that we are finding it hard to keep up.
For those who may not be familiar with It Ends With Us, it is a fictional novel by American author Colleen Hoover, which blew up on #BookTok during the pandemic. It is worth noting before we get into things that the book’s storyline is built around Domestic Violence, so not a light-hearted topic. Feel free to skip this chat if you need.
Fast forward to 2024 and It Ends With Us (the movie) has just hit cinemas after director Justin Baldoni (from Jane the Virgin) acquired the rights to the book - noting here he also plays the male lead.
The TikTokers were keen to see the book come to life and immediately started tracking the filming of the movie. The reception was immediately icy, with fans displeased with the casting of Blake Lively as lead character Lily Bloom (Bloom is 23 in the book, Lively is 36…), and had lots to say about some of the interesting outfits she’d been styled in for filming.
There was then a little bit of a hurdle where they appeared to re-cast a younger Lily Bloom, seemingly to appease online feedback, and made Lively an older, future version, which apparently involved a lot of reshooting.
Fast forward to now, mid 2024, where the dumpster fire of a press tour begins, and the first time that people started questioning the state of the relationship between the aforementioned Justin Baldoni (male lead, director, and film rights owner) and well, pretty much everyone else involved with this film.
As soon as press events and red carpets started to roll out, fans noticed that Justin - despite being the lead/director - never actually appeared alongside his co-stars, or the author Colleen Hoover for images or interviews, often appearing alone or with guests of his own.
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A quick social stalk then showed that Justin followed all the cast + Colleen on Instagram, but they did not follow him back. Which, as you can imagine led people to initially ask “What did Justin do?”, “Why is everyone staying away from him?”. This sentiment lasted a hot second, before the tides begun to turn on Blake Lively (and her husband, Ryan Reynolds - we will get into that…), and her whole approach to the movie.
As more and more interviews around the film started to emerge, social media started to call out Blake for the way she has approached the film and the PR surrounding it.
Here is a good recap from a TikTok user:
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OK, so now let’s dive into aallllllll the issues coming up. Bear with us, there is a fair bit to get here.
1: Blake taking control of film direction. Rumours are that Blake Lively took control of the directing, voicing out Justin and attempting to make this her own project. It also didn’t help that her husband Ryan got involved too, actively rewriting scenes and getting his hands all up in the project.
I meannnnnn oooooofffft if this doesn’t says it all.
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2: How DV is discussed. This is one that is really grinding people. Whilst Justin appears to be really focused on highlighting that this is a DV centric movie, and how distressing it could be for viewers, and how important it is to draw attention to these issues, Blake is making It Ends with Us out to be a fun watch to bring your girlfriends along to see.
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“Grab your friends, wear your florals”… and watch DV?
In general a lot of the press around this movie ignores these DV themes which could have been a huge moment to shine a light on what is a huge issue for a lot of women.
This has got to be the weirdest one… Like genuinely what is she saying.
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3: The Cringe Cross Promotion. Blake’s husband - Ryan Reynolds - has also released his own film, Deadpool x Wolverine, at the same time. They’ve attempted to do a Barbenheimer style cross promotion of the movie, with Ryan and Hugh Jackman (who plays Wolverine) turning up at every opportunity. This feels unnecessary, given they’ve tried to do this is funny, comedic way, when It Ends With Us is about DV.
And this super weird Vogue shoot with Lively and Jackman…
And this even weirder stunt where Ryan tries to do a funny by playing a controlling husband, which is SO TONE DEAF WHEN YOU ARE PROMOTING A MOVIE ABOUT DV.
4: The Obvious Brand Push. ICYMI Blake recently (and conveniently) launched her own haircare line Blake Brown Beauty. And is using eveeeeery opportunity on the press circuit to promote it. The Barbie tie in is lose, but Margot did ride the high of Barbie wave into launching her gin brand Papa Salt.
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Simply check the comments on this Instagram Post (we can’t embed, IG has blocked it which is SUSS).
5: The press tour outfits. We have spoken in the past about the trend of dressing to a movie theme when it comes to a press tour and I’m sure we all remember the iconic Barbie-themed press tour outfits Margot Robbie donned for her appearances.
Blake has taken a leaf out of Margot’s book and is wearing florals in all press moments, a nod to her characters name (Lily Bloom) and her profession (a florist - which is just LOL writing). People online have felt this is a very misguided tactic when it comes to this movie's promotion.
Back to the Barbie comparison, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
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Will you be seeing the film? I (Nic) wasn’t the biggest fan of the book so I will probably sit this one out, and absorb snippets through TikTok osmosis.
Add to Cart
What’s sitting in carts, or what’s been checked out.
Jess
St. Agni Gathered Kitten Heels
Everything St. Agni releases easily fits into the no notes category and these Gathered Kitten Heels are beyond perfect. We’ve seen 10000+ kitten pointed toe kitten heel variations at this point yet this pair still feels so different, chic, and modern making this style fresh once again.
Available in both black and this crisp white the slip on heel is made of leather and has a squared off toe which I think is why these feel so different. I also love the visible stitching that gives this shape nearly a cowboy boot-esque finish (really the only thing I can think of to describe this).
If you need any more convincing look how stunning they are in situ!!
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I have owned the Bala Bangles since Covid but I am now just getting back into using them as a space and money saving option in London. My FYP has seen a real resurgence of easy arm workouts in amongst the latest trend of wearing them whilst cooking/doing your hair/other household chores and I am so here for adding these into my new morning routine in London while I battle with the decision of whether or not to join a basic gym or sell a Kidney to do pilates classes at a studio.
Added bonus is that these can be used on both arms and legs so you can do a huge range of exercises with these as well as wearing them on your hot girl walk for an added burn.
Nicole
Ah the jort. Such a controversial denim cut, but one that appears to not be going anywhere - especially as we head into warmer months here in Australia.
I previously had been tracking this exact pair of Toteme Jorts via the Carted app, but earlier this week came across Elka Collective’s version. Sorry Toteme, these are the winners. They are a much friendlier price point, are actually in stock in my size and the denim wash is much more versatile, especially for weekend wear as let’s be honest - I won’t be heading into the office in these (or… should I? Up for debate?).
Elka generally as a brand has quickly became a cool girl brand for elevated basics - similar to St Agni, as Jess featured above, is now a mainstay on my shopping wishlists.
A Canadian tuxedo moment for me this week, with my second Add to Cart being another denim piece.
Cos is having a bit of a moment right now, I’m constantly getting served TikToks talking about all the Row-esque styles they are pumping out.
I love this denim shirt from Cos for so many reasons, but namely because you can’t go wrong with one in your wardrobe. Also - I’ve seen this cut/neckline sooo much in knitwear pieces, but never in denim before which makes it super unique.
Beauty Counter
Prod of the week.
Jess
Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Boy
For someone who doesn’t love lip products I sure can’t stop featuring them. But this one is sooo different. I love anything barely there/sheer/your lips but better and this Rouge Coco Flash in Boy definitely fits into that category!
This is the perfect topper for any nude lip liner with a creamy, balm-esque consistency and a shade that can built slightly to a nude with a sheen/hint of shimmer.
I will say the price tag does hurt a bit but every Chanel product I have invested in has never done me wrong and has always weaselled its way into my favourites and I can’t imagine this will be any different!
Nicole
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
Ok, this is a slight cheat Beauty Counter because it has been recommended on here before - but by Jess, and almost a year ago I believe, so I think I might be in the clear?
I picked this up at Chemist Warehouse when I was at that point in my period where you truly feel so ugly, and are scared to look in the mirror. I’m sure all my girls can relate.
I’ve taken collagen before (I’ve mentioned how much I love Pearl here in the past), but I ran out and I needed something ASAP, because I had gone into a full spiral of starting my wedding beauty prep (keep in mind I’m about 13+ months out from my wedding), and am trying to grow my hair ASAP.
This is such an easy way to get both protein and collagen into your daily diet, and is easily absorbed in either hot or cold drinks (I prefer hot), but I sometimes also mix it into my yoghurt which I’m not sure is approved but it’s still ingested- right?
One to Try
Recent openings and discoveries.
I (Nic) am such an advocate for Adelaide and its surroundings after holidaying through wine country last year.
Home of Plenty is a chic cellar door located just over an hour out of Adelaide CBD (past McLaren Vale) that looks like you could be in Palm Springs. Good wine, excellent food and fun music - what more could you want.
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Lottery Win
A girl can dream.
All over my TikTok last week was creator Cat Spanti’s layover in Dubai, where she stayed at SIRO - a luxury hotel in Dubai that specialises in easing jet lag with fitness, nutrition and biohacking facilities.
From menus individually designed for each guests, HIIT classes and in-room treatment facilities, this puts your Qantas lounge layover to shame.
The reason this is a lottery win is not just the price of staying there, we will let you justify that yourself, but the luxury of spending time in a layover city as opposed to maximising your annual leave and squishing it all in.
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Consumables
What we can’t stop binging.
If like me (Nic) you are already missing watching the Olympics and can’t fathom transitioning back to your normal TV shows, then this is the perfect transition.
The Netflix docu-series follows the fastest sprinters in the world as they train and race for the hundred metre title ahead of the Olympics (the show was filmed in 2023). Because of this it means that you can compare their performance on the show to see how it all paid off at the Olympics (cue YouTube-ing of all the 100m and 200m heats and finals).
Honestly the main question I had when watching is how on earth do they manage to run so fast whilst still wearing their chunky gold and diamond crossed jewellery, huge hair extensions and the longest nails I’ve ever seen. That is a feat in itself.
IYKYK
Super specific recs and niche hyper-fixations.
European train travel/Intercity/Eurostar
Okay so last week's issue was actually written during my 6 hour train trip from Amsterdam back to Berlin - I absolutely loved it and will be opting for a train where possible from now on. Was it cheaper? This time no, but if I could get myself organised ahead of time it definitely would be and when you consider how long it takes normally to travel to the airport, arrive early for an international flight, board the flight, travel time, waiting for bags etc. the travel time doesn’t actually start to seem that bad.
With aircon, WiFi, and comfy seats including ample leg room (tall people rejoice) I spent some time listening to podcasts, watching Netflix, and of course scrolling on my phone (now you can’t do that on EasyJet). Big fan.
If you’re new to Cart Curator, take a read of some of our recent editions.
Cart Curator #69 - Are you ready for this Jelly (shoe)?
Cart Curator #68 - The Fashion Games
Cart Curator #67 - Do we need to stop re-making movies?
Cart Curator #66 - Who Did He Date Not Marry?
Cart Curator #65 - Witchery and Love Potions