Gazelle Mba has good taste
Gucci mules, moleskins and a curriculum for developing good taste.
This series was born from two core beliefs: 1) taste is cultivated and 2) bad taste is a crime. As my duty to mankind, I bullied (politely forced <3) some people I know with fabulous taste to tell us how it got so good.
Like most guests in this series, I cannot recall how Gazelle and I met. I just remember realizing one day, “Wow, I love everything she posts,” — from food to outfits to interiors. So when I started developing this series, she was at the top of the list. I also thought she had such a cool name. I mean, Gazelle.
Other than being a fabulous addition to my feed, Gazelle is a writer and strategist based in London. Her work frequently appears in the London Review of Books and she is currently working on her first book while training to run a half marathon (more on that below).
In this edition, she discusses what she hopes to communicate each time she gets dressed, her ideal Good Taste curriculum and majorly cool places to eat and drink in London.
First of all, I LOVE your style! There’s a theory I have that all great writers have great taste which translates to having great style. There’s also this fabulous outfit of yours you wore to a Sex and the City themed event. What character were you channelling (Carrie?) and what was your thought process behind the look?
Thank you! I agree with your theory. I think a great outfit and a well-crafted sentence have a lot in common. They should both make you feel something. For that particular look, I was more interested in dressing to evoke a particular mood rather than channeling one of the characters, although if I had to choose it would be a tie between Samantha and Carrie. But that night, I simply wanted to dress like a glamorous, fun, sexy woman who has got her shit together and is having the time of her life; and when I opened my closet those pieces jumped out at me. The gold boots are becoming a staple.
What do you hope to communicate each time you get dressed?
This is such a great but difficult question. A few words come to mind; one of them being intentional. Dressing to show there was a level of care and thought in putting the outfit together, it wasn’t a frantic or haphazard process and that the clothes carry personal meaning. I basically just want to be chic. The others are better explained through this quote I read recently: ‘knit into our clothing, then, is both our future and our memory. Clothing irrevocably bears the traces of one’s own past.’ I try to dress for where it is I want to go in life and who it is I’d like to be, whilst showing what has shaped me and made me who I am: my influences, interests, past experiences. Clothing captures this process of gradual becoming and evolution.
If you had to develop a curriculum on good taste, what essays/articles/books/topics would you include and why?
Another tough one. I’d say everything by Teju Cole because he writes brilliantly about perception; the mechanics of looking and being looked at. MFK Fisher’s food writing in An Alphabet for Gourmets, she shows you how to do a lot with just a little. Toni Morrison’s Sula and every book of hers tbh, she is everything and more. I also think she is a great writer on beauty and sensuality. Would suggest reading Marx as taste is inseparable from capitalism. We’d also watch old Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Mugler fashion shows on YouTube.
What’s your favorite story you’ve worked on and why?
I don’t think I have an answer to this question. The next story is always the favourite story because you have an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, improve and make it better than the last one.
What was the last interesting thing you read, watched and/or listened to?
The book I’m reading now, called The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna. It’s about longing, lust and betrayal set in Sierra Leone in the 1960s. It also delves into psychology/psychoanalysis which I find really interesting. The writing is breathtaking — emotional complexity brought to life with elegance and precision.
I listened to this really great podcast episode called ‘What if the opposite is true?’ hosted by Ayandastood. It’s about letting go of assuming the worst and instead asks how we might align our actions with our best/desired outcome. I found it really energizing and it made me feel hopeful.
I watched a video of this little girl, Harper, attempting to jump from a chest of drawers into her dad’s arms. I think it should win an oscar. It taught me a lot about the importance of faith and trust.
What are three things you own that would make someone close to you go, “Of course, Gazelle owns one of those!”
My moleskin notebook collection. I go through a couple every year.
I really love shoes; I inherited a bunch of Gucci mules from my mum this year and I’m excited to wear them when it gets warmer.
My Margiela jeans.
Most interesting thing you Googled this week?
I’ve been trying to find the perfect running/trail running shoes and socks for long runs. So I’ve been researching the criteria for buying one and looking up different models and reading reviews in running blogs etc. I can get quite nerdy about things like this.
Also Korean tea workshops to go to with a friend, Mac’s Nightmoth lip pencil,
T-shirts and tickets, Danessa Myrick’s Yummy Skin Blurring Balm, Gabriela Wiener’s book Undiscovered and Katori Hall’s play The Hot Wing King.
What are your top non-touristy but majorly cool things to do in London? I’m talking subculture, IYKYK type activities.
There’s this really niche place that no one ever goes to called Soho House. Just kidding. I probably like going out to eat a bit too much, so my picks would be: Polentina, an Italian restaurant in a garment factory, Towpath in Hackney, Dalla also in Hackney and Session’s Art Club — the decor is immaculate. This isn’t that niche but if you like drinking wine, go to Gordon’s Wine Bar or 40 Maltby Street.
and u asked brill questions hehe
gazelle really does have great taste