Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, September 25, 2015 — 7A

TV REVIEW

HULU

Am I culturally relevant yet?.

LONDON FASHION WEEK RECAP

 Burberry was the final show 
of this year’s London Fashion 
Week, and they did that role 
justice. Stakes were high for many 
reasons: the star studded front 
row, the national Snapchat story 
and just the simple fact of it being 
Burberry in the heart of London. 
The label could not have done a 
better job of encompassing every 
aspect of what a true fashion 
show is.
 Burberry CEO Christopher 
Bailey, in an interview during the 
show, said explicitly that above all 
else, it was a show. This was done 
in many ways. First, there was the 
unbelievable music. A 32-piece 
orchestra sat in the center of the 
arena playing music for Alison 
Moyet while these models walked 
down the runway wearing the 
latest Burberry looks. Next there 
were stars — everywhere. Cara 
Delevingne sat in the front row 

along with Kate Moss and actor 
Benedict Cumberbatch. But 
the show wasn’t complete until 
world-renowned fashion queen 
Anna Wintour walked in to 
support the show.
 The looks modeled on Monday 
were all impeccable. They 
had different vibes, but all of 
them carried on the traditional 
Burberry feel. Whether it was 
a soft white lace dress or a dark 
black leather jacket, all of the 
pieces were finished delicately 
and simply allowing for the 
typical Burberry class to shine 
through. 
 This show was absolutely 
fantastic. From the music to 
the people in attendance to 
the clothes, Burberry yet again 
proved themselves as an absolute 
powerhouse brand. 

- JULIA DOYLE

 Pringle of Scotland remains an 
anonymous brand to most of us here 
in the States, which comes as such 
a pity considering it has the flare, 
boldness and eccentricity to comete 
with any fashion risk taker. 
 Some of the key looks were embla-
zoned with structured patterns that 
use both shadows and tricks of the 
eye to create a living piece of wear-
able art. The colors were very true 
to the season — many creams, golds 
and whites gave off an ethereal feel 
as models strutted down the runway 
with a summer glow.
 Who said knitwear and crocheted 
patterns were for the winter? Prov-
ing to be a huge trend in the spring 
and summer collections this year, 
Pringle of Scotland was not one to 

hold back with the knitted vibes. 
Showcasing skirts, dresses and a 
tunic or two with the bold pattern — 
there’s nothing wrong with bringing 

a bit of warmth with you during your 
summer holidays.

-MARIAM SHEIKH

 Sunday, Sept. 20 was a busy day for 
LFW between Topshop and Vivienne 
Westwood. With Topshop’s Unique 
show bringing back looks from the 
’80s with sophisticated twists, com-
bined with Westwood’s societal mes-
sages, it was a fun-filled occasion in 
London.
 Topshop Unique brought back 
quintessential ’80s looks this Sunday. 
From bright colors to faux stolls to big 
patterns, it felt as though they were 
on the set of “Ferris Bueller’s Day 
Off.” The designers took this show to 
the next level though, and they did so 
by adding a twist to what could have 
been any ordinary ’80s apparel.
 Sexy. Whether that meant an 
extremely high slit on a dress, or a 
plunging neckline on a blouse, every 
look had a sexy and revealing aspect 
to it. This allowed for the whole show 
to be eye-catching from start to finish. 
 The show closed out with a series 
of lace gowns, continuing on the com-
bination of ’80s and sexy. Each gown 
was either embellished with pops 
of bright color or finished off with a 
discreet yet extremely high slit on the 
leg. These gowns were my favorite 
looks of the show, as they pulled off 
being discreetly sultry with a girly 
feel. 
 I give Topshop an A+ for the execu-
tion of the show. It was trendy and 
memorable, combining old looks with 
wearable twists. It fit my expecta-
tions for Topshop, of always being a 
brand that is ahead of the time but 

doing so in a way that allows people to 
wear looks straight from the runway. 
 Vivienne Westwood’s show could 
not have been more different from 
Topshop’s if it tried. The show itself 
didn’t blow me away. Every look 
seemed tired, outdated and frankly 
bland. I saw it as a try-hard attempt to 
push the bar … but a failed one. The 
looks seemed simply all over the place.
 The single most memorable part 
of the show itself was the makeup. 
The makeup was the only part that 
seemed to work in conjunction with 
the clothes well. It had a dark, omi-
nous, look. It complimented the tired 
clothes in a way that allowed for the 
designers to somewhat reach what I 
believe they were going for. But obvi-
ously this is a fashion show, not a 
makeup show, so it’s safe to say that I 
was disappointed.

 
 
 
 

Of course this wouldn’t be a true 
Vivienne Westwood show if it wasn’t 
topped off with some sort of activ-
ist message. Vivienne led a group of 
protestors marching together to end 
climate change. Westwood was at the 
front, speaking on how even activ-
ists downplay the severity of climate 
change too much. 
 I respect Vivienne Westwood for 
her attempt to make a change in the 
world. But all I have to say is that 
there is a time and a place for every-
thing. If she was going to do this, she 
should have made sure her clothes 
were incredible, because now all any-
one remembers from this show was 
her protest. Though I am not entirely 
sure that forgetting her looks is a bad 
idea …

-JULIA DOYLE

 Issa’s Creative Director Jamie 
O’Hare proved that the whole “no 
wearing white after Labor Day” 
myth is in fact just a myth as the 
opening looks for ISSA’s SS16 col-
lection were paraded through LFW 
in troves of elegant and refreshing 
whites. Issa is known to be a brand 
that is somewhat more accessible 
in design, as well as more readily 
available for the everyday person to 
work with. Sleek and bold designs 
from white jumpsuits to textured 
dresses, the theme of this show was 
a mix of knitwear-inspired looks 
and layered ensembles. 
 Paired with bold shoes and 
accessories, the clothes still man-
aged to stand on their own. O’Hare 
took a risk with this collection and 

experimented with both crocheted 
patterns and different textures. 
What could’ve undoubtedly been 
seen as a catastrophe of a design 
manages to look both posh and tea 
party ready — and by that of course 
I am referring to his series of lay-
ered dresses, tiered like a perfect 
wedding cake.
 The collection isn’t all elegance 
and grace, however. Issa can have 
a bit of grunge and edge to it as 
well — with stand-out designs 
with plunging necklines — so be 
prepared to show off some serious 
summer skin. Versatile and accessi-
ble, Issa’s SS16 LFW has something 
in it for everyone this season.

-MARIAM SHEIKH

BURBERRY

BURBERRY

TOPSHOP AND VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

ISSA
PRINGLE OF SCTOLAND

PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND

By HAILEY MIDDLEBROOK

Daily Arts Writer

There are two types of peo-

ple in the world: those who 
love Mindy Kaling and every-
one who’s not 
hanging 
out 

with her.

For 
her 

fans, 
“The 

Mindy 
Proj-

ect” star, who 
first 
stepped 

onto the TV 
scene in “The 
Office,” 
is 
a 

sort of magical 
hybrid between Amy Schumer 
(“Inside Amy Schumer”) and 
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) — an 
honest, oversexed pop culture 
queen and witty genius. But 
for her haters, Kaling is a bit 
whiny and self-absorbed — and 
judging from her memoirs, “Is 
Everyone Hanging Out Without 
Me?” and “Why Not Me?” — or 
her character’s insistence in 
season four that a “Southpark” 
pinball machine deserves floor 
space over a grand piano, they 
have a fair argument.

But despite her mixed recep-

tion among the public, critics 
adore her. Kaling was named 
in Time Magazine’s “Top 100 
Most Influential People” in 
2012, as well as one of Glam-
our’s “Women of the Year” for 
2014. In 2012, Kaling wrote, 
produced and starred in “The 

Mindy Project” on FOX, about 
an OB/GYN’s personal and pro-
fessional struggles at Shulman 
& Associates, a New York City 
medical clinic. The show was 
an immediate success, winning 
the Critic’s Choice Award for 
Most Exciting New Series.

It came as a shock when FOX 

cancelled the show after its 
third season last May. Despite 
critical acclaim and Kaling’s 
cult-like 
following, 
viewer-

ship was too low — probably 
because Millennials comprise 
the show’s core audience, many 
of whom prefer not to pay for 
cable TV. What 20-somethings 
do watch, however, are their 
computer screens. So, Hulu’s 
adoption of “Mindy Project” 
season four, switching the show 
from screen to stream, might be 
the best thing that’s happened 
to Mindy yet.

So far, Hulu doesn’t dis-

appoint. Season four begins 
dramatically: 
Mindy 
Lahiri 

(Kaling) 
and 
her 
cowork-

er-boyfriend, 
Danny 
(Chris 

Messina, “Vicky Christina Bar-
celona”), are expecting a child, 
but Danny has fled their shared 
NYC apartment for India to 
confront Mindy’s parents about 
his negative feelings toward 
marriage. 
Meanwhile, 
frus-

trated by her boyfriend’s stub-
bornness and abandonment, 
Mindy slams down his picture 
on their nightstand and falls 
asleep alone. But when she 
wakes, she finds herself in a 
“13 Going On 30”-like dream — 
cuddled beside her rich “Real 
Housewives” 
producer-hus-

band (“My favorite franchise 
of shows!”), played by none 
other than Joseph Gordon-
Levitt (“Don Jon”). 

It gets weirder (or, for Mindy, 

more fantastic). After her ini-
tial shock — “Oh no, did I break 
into Mariah Carey’s penthouse 
and fall asleep again?” — she’s 
swept up by her new life, where 
her pinball machine is promi-
nently on display and her rela-

‘Mindy Project’ new 
season pleasantly odd

A-

Mindy 
Project

Season 4 
Premiere

Hulu

tionship with Danny is back to 
their frenemy-ship of the past. 
Though the real Danny has 
a less-than-perfect scenario; 
Mindy’s 
Red 
Sox-obsessed 

parents have decided that an 
arranged marriage is fit for 
their daughter, so they enlist 
Danny to pick a prospective 
husband for Mindy.

Both Mindy’s and Danny’s situ-

ations soon spiral downwards, as 
Mindy realizes that she doesn’t 
want an open (fantasy) relation-
ship and Danny comes clean about 
his relationship with Mindy, sans-

marriage. Still dreaming, Mindy 
barges into Danny’s date with 
“Slumdog Millionaire” actress 
Freida Pinto — to whom she blurts, 
“You know, people tell me that 
we look so much alike. You must 
hear that, too, right?” — hoping 
to win him back. She jolts awake, 
then the real Danny materializes 
beside her, fresh from India with 
a surprise.

Where “Mindy Project” shines 

is with its whip-smart lines, cut-
ting into the core of pop culture 
and tradition. Talk of arranged 
marriages intermingles with Red 

Sox fandom, and Mindy’s guilt for 
cheating on her fantasy husband 
is quickly brushed off, as Gordon-
Levitt advocates open relation-
ships and encourages Mindy’s 
lingerie line, “slutty girdles for the 
sexually active obese.” The quick 
banter floats the show, allowing us 
to forgive its flaws, like cliché plot 
points (i.e., is Mindy really kiss-
ing Danny in the pouring rain?) 
and the characters’ overinflated 
quirks.

But really. Whether you like 

her or not, it’s about time to start 
hanging out with Mindy.

Despite her 

mixed reception 
among the public, 
critics adore her.

Like her or not, 
it’s about time 
to start hanging 
out with Mindy.

