Indisputably, she’s made news for years, but there’s one artist who netted herself plenty of coverage in 2023—even in the realm of academia, and certainly in the realm of pop culture—and that’s Taylor Swift. Her Eras tour has been seen by millions of fans, and she’s released a 165-minute film of it (Taylor Swift: the Eras Tour) as well, cementing her earnings for the year. Not many have crossed over into multiple media this successfully but Swift has knocked it out of the park.
Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton, OBE has never been one to seek glory or fame, not even in the wake of Alexander McQueen’s death, when she was appointed to take over her friend and colleague’s label as creative director, or when she created the then-Kate Middleton’s wedding gown. She instead set to work continuing McQueen’s legacy, making sure each collection was a sure-fire hit for customers and fashion critics. It was, therefore, noteworthy that Burton stepped down as creative director of Alexander McQueen, with her final show in Paris during the spring 2024 shows (featured in Lucire issue 48). We’ll be keeping an eye on her next move.
UKinUSA/Creative Commons
Greta Gerwig certainly made news in 2023, becoming the highest-grossing female director in history for Barbie and marrying her partner of 12 years, Noah Baumbach, on December 19. She scored her first directorial Golden Globe nomination as well. Barbie itself was a clever take on the Mattel doll, with Margot Robbie in the title role, bringing light not so much into Barbieland, but on to the politics of our current world. Some US politicians who couldn’t see that this was a fun film were up in arms, which is always a good sign: if the intolerant hate it, then the general public must love it, and they did, to the tune of over US$1·4 milliard, making it the highest grossing film of 2023.
Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.
If you’ve mentioned Greta Gerwig, then Margot Robbie deserves one, too, as the lead in Barbie, and as one of its producers. It was Robbie who, through her production company, secured the rights from Mattel, hired Gerwig, and decided to take on the role herself when others declined. She earned herself a US$12·5 million pay cheque for the role, the highest for an actress in 2023, as well as another Golden Globe nomination. It’s hard to see anyone else embody Barbie so well. And isn’t it astonishing how, just half a year since Barbie’s première, we’ve forgotten just how much anticipation there was for the film and how many covers Robbie was on?
Aveda
Hannah Dodd created plenty of buzz when she took over the role of Francesca Bridgerton in the acclaimed Netflix series Bridgerton, in the role originated by Ruby Stokes. Trained in dancing as a child and having modelled for Burberry, Aveda, Rollacoaster and Wonderland, the limelight doesn’t faze her—and the important thing is she has some real acting chops. An actress to watch.
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