Podcast Summary: Fashion People — "The Timmy-Kylie Discourse and Jonathan Anderson’s Big Year"

Host: Lauren Sherman
Guest: Tallulah Harlick (stylist, consultant, founder of Silva)
Release Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Fashion People dives into the biggest inside conversations in fashion as 2025 draws to a close. Lauren Sherman and guest Tallulah Harlick reflect on Jonathan Anderson’s standout year, the evolving direction at Versace, the cultural spectacle of Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, the ongoing shakeup of generational power in fashion, and the intersection of beauty/wellness with apparel in Silva, Harlick’s own new brand. The hosts bring a blend of sharp industry analysis and playful, candid commentary—offering listeners not just reporting, but the kind of real talk that happens behind the scenes in fashion circles.

Key Topics & Takeaways

1. Jonathan Anderson’s Banner Year

[03:06–12:34]

• London’s New J.W. Anderson Store

  • Anderson’s new store on Pimlico Road is seen as a brilliant move by Harlick, representing a clever interior-focused luxury retail strategy.
  • Tallulah Harlick: “The fact that he’s marching into every section of our lifestyle and lives fills me with deep happiness.” [03:11]
  • The concept blurs fashion, lifestyle, and curated objects, creating an upmarket, British-centric vision of luxury.

• Brand Transformation & Lifestyle Curation

  • Anderson is moving from categorically selling ‘entry designer’ goods to curating a holistic lifestyle—a long game that’s “nice that it’s not just clothes and shoes.” [05:48]
  • The focus is on UK/Ireland-made goods, supporting craftsmanship post-Brexit, and bringing luxury back to London.
  • Lauren Sherman references a “very insidery menswear guy” DMing about a sweater, illustrating Anderson’s growing cross-gender, cross-national appeal. [05:48]

• Anderson as Multidisciplinary Culture-Maker

  • Beyond fashion, Anderson’s collaborations with filmmakers (e.g., Adam Curtis) are praised:
    “He is the culture maker.” —Sherman [07:33]
  • Harlick admires Anderson’s earthy sensibility:
    “He grew up on a farm in Ireland...he knows how to pull a carrot from the ground.” [08:20]

2. Commercial vs. Cerebral Luxury & The Vulgarity Debate

[09:37–13:49]

• Wrestling with Commercialism at Dior

  • Sherman and Harlick discuss Anderson’s work at Dior, balancing ‘cerebral’ and ‘vulgar’ traditions in luxury.
  • Notable quote (Karl Lagerfeld, as read by Sherman, 13:11):
    “Vulgarity is not disturbing while people are young. But as years pass, people start to do things they shouldn't.”
  • Gianni Versace: “Vulgarity doesn’t exist. It’s an attitude. Stupidity is vulgar.”

• Personal/Emotional Design

  • Anderson’s designs often provoke discomfort, pushing boundaries on what’s considered desirable.
    “It can be questioning or perhaps a little uncomfortable at first glance...but in the end, they completely land within desirability.” —Tallulah [11:23]

3. The Timothée Chalamet & Kylie Jenner Discourse

[14:03–18:51]

• Fashion Couples in Pop Culture
  • Sherman and Harlick debrief the internet-shaking appearance of Chalamet and Jenner in matching Chrome Hearts outfits.
  • Tallulah’s reaction: "Fucking horrible. I mean, it's fucking hideous." [14:05, 14:20]
  • They debate: Is the relationship strategic or just authentically weird? Both doubt it's a calculated PR move.
  • Sherman laments the lack of “preppy Timmy”:
    “I want preppy Timmy...preppy Timmy with like pared back Kylie is a beautiful situation for me.” [16:07]
  • Reflection on how hyper-scrutinized celebrity couples (“Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce,” etc.) shape fashion narratives in real time, unlike the intermittent headlines of earlier eras.

4. Generational Shifts, Millennial Ascendancy, & Authority

[20:56–25:41]

• Millennials Taking Charge
  • Harlick is excited that younger creative directors (in their early 40s) are finally leading fashion's top houses:
    “Let’s go, millennials, let’s go. I am so sick...of Gen X’s in the fashion industry who’ve taken grip and hold for way too long.” [20:56]
  • Sherman points out both the need for change-oriented mindsets, regardless of age, and Marc Jacobs as an example of longevity through flexibility:
    “That is the theme of 2026: Let’s fucking go.” [25:41]

5. Inside Track: Versace's Future & the Value of Merchandising

[26:14–34:41]

• Reporting on Versace

  • Sherman teases her upcoming detailed reporting on Versace’s next creative director—naming Peter Mulier (Alaïa, ex-Raf Simons) as the likely candidate.
    “If Peter were to go to Versace...he would also be great at Versace because he is truly one of the...big talent[s] of that generation.” [27:44]

• The Unsung Role of Merchandising

  • Harlick and Sherman stress how vital a head of merchandising is to a brand’s commercial success—citing Gucci’s rise under Alessandro Michele and his chief merchant Jacopo Venturini as a model example.
    “You live and die by your head of merchandising.” —Tallulah [29:50]
  • They delve into how Mulier transformed Alaïa’s commercial viability with cult accessories and how that sets a precedent for his move to Versace.

6. Women in Ties: A Trend Dissected

[36:29–39:41]

• Divided on Women Wearing Ties
  • Prompted by a friend’s outfit, Sherman asks why she struggles with women in ties. Harlick agrees:
    “I think I tend to agree with you...editorially it can make a lot of sense...but I’m not as convinced out and about in it.” [36:29–37:53]
  • They recall cultural moments (Julia Roberts in Armani, Cat Power, ‘90s stylist tie obsessions), but mostly find the look ‘costumey’ or too tied to fleeting trends.

7. Brand Spotlight: Silva and the Skin–Wellness Apparel Category

[42:24–49:52]

• What is Silva?

  • Harlick introduces her new brand Silva, sitting at the intersection of beauty, wellness, and fashion.
  • The brand focuses on skin-friendly underpinnings made from scientifically advantageous materials (seaweed from Iceland, Austrian wood cellulose), intended to be worn beneath luxury clothing or for everyday wellness.
  • Tallulah: “Skin barrier is not just your face and your neck. Your skin is 70% across the rest of your body...how could that be something where a supplementary choice within your wardrobe could happen?” [43:22]

• The Return of Stirrup Leggings & Material Innovation

  • Sherman observes that stirrup leggings feel timely and that consumers are increasingly discerning about performance fabrics—citing the example of Uniqlo’s HeatTech.
  • Both hosts discuss how apparel’s value now lies in specificity, function, and health.

• Upcoming Silva Collections

  • Harlick reveals plans to expand into underwear, bras, and additional product categories, with events and retail partnerships to come in 2026.

Standout Quotes & Moments

• On Jonathan Anderson’s “Rural” Sensibility:
  “He knows how to kind of pull a carrot from the ground and what a seasonal green leaf is going to taste like...that through line of yarn and literally a quality of life.” —Tallulah Harlick [08:20]

• On Millennial Invasion of Fashion Leadership:
  “Let’s go, millennials, let’s go. I am so sick...of the Gen X’s in the fashion industry who’ve taken grip and hold for way too long...most of them haven’t had an original idea since 2014.” —Tallulah Harlick [20:56]

• On Timothée & Kylie’s Outfits:
  “Fucking horrible. I mean, it’s fucking hideous.” —Tallulah Harlick [14:05, 14:20]

• On the Value of Merchandising:
  “You live and die by your head of merchandising.” —Tallulah Harlick [29:50]

• On Modern Fashion’s Need for Change:
  “There are people who are 75 who can write a Substack and everyone wants to read it because they understand change and they understand, like, being in the moment. Then there are people who are 25 who don’t understand at all.” —Lauren Sherman [23:40]

• On Vulgarity (Lagerfeld & Versace, via 1993 Bazaar):
  “Vulgarity doesn’t exist. It’s an attitude. Stupidity is vulgar.” —Gianni Versace (as recounted by Sherman) [13:11]

Segment Timestamps

• Jonathan Anderson/J.W. Anderson Store: [03:06–09:37]
• Cerebral vs. Commercial at Dior & Vulgarity: [09:37–13:49]
• Timmy & Kylie Discourse: [14:03–18:51]
• Generational Shifts & Millennials in Fashion: [20:56–25:41]
• Versace, Merchandising, Peter Mulier: [26:14–34:41]
• Women in Ties: [36:29–39:41]
• Silva Brand Introduction & Fashion-Tech/Wellness: [42:24–49:52]

Tone & Language

The whole conversation is playful, candid, and rich in industry gossip. Both Sherman and Harlick blend respect for fashion as high culture with irreverent humor and a willingness to call out the industry’s failings and quirks. The tone is conversational with frequent asides, inside references, and metaphors that tie fashion’s business machinations to its cultural cachet.

For more reporting referenced throughout the episode, Puck’s Line Sheet by Lauren Sherman is recommended, especially for future in-depth takes on Versace and industry M&A.