fashion

август 7, 2025

It’s All About Range: The Art of High-Low

The article argues that the old dichotomy between high and low culture has dissolved, and that cultural capital is now fluid and democratized. It highlights examples of celebrities and intellectuals who are bridging the gap between high and low culture, such as Julia Fox, Dua Lipa, and Gabby Windey. The article also discusses the implications of this shift for brands, which need to be able to speak multiple cultural languages to remain relevant. Book Clubs With Dua Lipa, Neurotic Chats With Bella Freud, and Labubu Birkins

When high culture meets pop culture, magic happens. Explore how today's icons effortlessly blend the worlds of luxury and the everyday, breaking down barriers in ways you never expected.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING. High Meets Low. Prestige Meets Pop. And No One Blinks Twice

There was a time (was there, really?) when culture had lanes. Intellectuals read The Paris Review. Reality TV was dismissed as fluff. The two worlds didn’t mingle; and not because they couldn’t, but because the highbrow simply refused to.

Those boundaries have long since dissolved.

Maybe the turning point was the Kardashians. Born out of reality TV, they broke through the velvet ropes of culture, becoming both fashion icons and pop-culture titans. Since then, the lines have only blurred further. Reality stars now sit front row at fashion weeks, lead major luxury brand campaigns (as I explored in this article), and actively shape the cultural discourse.

Gabby Windey is one of the newest faces of this shift. Once a contestant of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, she has now built a broader cultural presence through her podcast Long Winded, where she tackles everything from mental health and antidepressants (with the insight of a trained nurse) to feminism and politics.

And then there’s Dua Lipa - a global pop star turned cultural curator. Through her editorial platform Service95, she’s created a space where literary recommendations sit alongside bold recipes, political essays, underground travel guides, and artist interviews. It’s part newsletter, part lifestyle digest, and entirely her own. Unsurprisingly, audiences are eating it up.

Masters of High-Low: Dua Lipa’s viral book club, Mary-Kate Olsen in Adidas and The Row, Julia Fox signing Down the Drain, and stars feasting on In-N-Out after the 2024 Oscars.

Julia Fox offers another kind of metamorphosis: what began with her meme-worthy “Uncut Jahms” moment has evolved into something much deeper. With her excellent memoir Down The Drain (4.37/5 on Goodreads, if you’re into stats), Fox has redefined herself as a talented writer, fashion muse, thought leader, and feminist voice.

The Olsen twins are another example. Founders of The Row - the pinnacle of quiet luxury and sophistication - they’re often photographed in Vans and wine-stained bags, perfectly blending high-end cashmere worth thousands with casual, lived-in pieces that mirror their clientele. Meanwhile TikTok has given us the Labubu Birkin phenomenon, where users adorn their Hermès bags, long-time symbols of status and taste, with collectible Labubu toys, the latest mascots of internet kitsch. And let’s not forget: it’s now practically tradition for celebrities to wrap up Oscars night with In-N-Out. High-low is not just a statement anymore; it’s a lifestyle.

And just as I write this, I’m listening to model and internet sensation Alex Consani on the Fashion Neurosis podcast; a perfect example of this cultural shift. The host? Fashion designer Bella Freud - yes, that Freud - daughter of Lucian, great-granddaughter of Sigmund. With credentials like hers, high-minded conversation is expected, and it’s certainly there. But so are guests like DJ Honey Dijon and beauty entrepreneur Trinny Woodall. In the latest episode, Consani moves easily between fashion philosophy, identity politics, TikTok skits, and her very relatable mission to score a Birkin.

This is what cultural fluency looks like now. We’re in the age of collapsed taste, where high and low aren’t opposites but collaborators. Intellectuals binge Love Island. Addison Rae reads Joan Didion. And deep in the Scottish Highlands, in a castle with questionable Wi-Fi, Countess Luann is having a girls’ weekend with Tilda Swinton.