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Read Now: <i>Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power</i> Episode 1 Recap: A New (Old) Age – 101 Latest News
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The saga begins, perhaps intelligently, with a flash of the familiar. A girl with hair that can only be described as golden sits alongside a brook, so picturesque in its countryside aesthetic that it feels more dream sequence than memory. We do not know this girl, this Galadriel, but of course we know Galadriel—and this girl is immediately, unquestionably Galadriel, the eventual Elven royal played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson’s revered Lord of the Rings films. As her brother teaches the young Elf a lesson in hope and perseverance, Amazon’s monumental fantasy series The Rings of Power makes its intent clear from the start: The series will use every possible resource, both monetary and narrative, to evoke the author J.R.R. Tolkien’s hand presiding over its production. But emulation can only accomplish so much.
What made Jackson’s films so singular was Jackson’s ability to summon Tolkien’s sensibilities without attempting to become him. His movies felt both reverential and separate, singular, enjoyed apart from the books. (Plenty of fans, including the man who played Frodo Baggins, will admit never even reading the original series.) Perhaps a religious analogy best explains the complicated nature of this endeavor: LotR fans desire communion, a unique encounter with the object of their devotion, but not for any interpreter to act as God himself. That would be blasphemy. Toeing the line between worship and invention is where The Rings of Power will either falter or fly. And—to top it all off—the show will need to placate viewers who might have no familiarity with Middle-Earth whatsoever.
And so this opening sequence is essential, in which an older Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) narrates the dawn of the Second Age, a period many years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. She describes the rise of Morgoth, the first Dark Lord and predecessor to LotR’s primary antagonist, Sauron. After he destroys the trees Laurelin and Telperion in the Elven home of Valinor, a.k.a The Undying Lands, the Elves—including Galadriel’s brother—sail to Middle-Earth and battle Morgoth’s orc forces in a war that killed thousands and lasted centuries. After Morgoth’s defeat, the sorcerer Sauron rose up in his place, and after her brother fell by Sauron’s hand, Galadriel vowed to (literally) take up his sword. But after leading her battalion in a wild goose chance around Middle-Earth, her followers have grown tired.
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In the icy lands of Forodwaith, she and her company explore a deserted orc citadel, where they discover Sauron’s mysterious sigil carved in ice. “He was here,” Galadriel says, and demands her group rest before they hunt the sorcerer father north, where it’s sure to be even colder. Her guard protests; the company exceeded their orders months ago. But she insists, no matter how deeply she yearns to go home, that she cannot abandon her quest until “every trace of our enemy is vanquished.” Unfortunately, Galadriel has to cut off her inspiring speech to slay a snow troll, which proves the last straw for her companions. They lay down their weapons; if she wishes to pursue Sauron further, she must go it alone.
Galadriel is stubborn, but she’s no fool. She won’t survive amongst the blizzard conditions on her own, nor can she face Sauron with nothing but her brother’s dagger. And so she temporarily quits her mission to travel to Lindon, the capital of the High Elves, where she meets an old friend: Elrond (Robert Aramayo), whom many will recognize as the eventual Rivendell Elf-ruler and father of Arwen. But here, he is young, many years from the birth of his daughter and the Third Age’s Fellowship of the Ring. To Galadriel, he reveals that the High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) is not altogether pleased with her insistence upon chasing Sauron, risking not only her own life and limb but those of the armies. She has repeatedly disobeyed any restrictions placed in her path, which makes the king’s commendation of her victories a mercy rather than a true congratulation.
At the ceremony, Galadriel struggles to smother her instincts. When the king bends to place a gold wreath upon her head, she resists bowing for him, their gazes waging a silent scuffle for dominance. When, finally, he announces that she and her fellow warriors will be rewarded for their bravery with a trip to Valinor, to the Undying Lands, even Galadriel cannot hide her emotion. Valinor is her home; she has longed for it for centuries. Perhaps only Elrond understands the position this puts her in: Fulfill her heart’s deepest desire, or carry out the mission she promised her brother’s corpse she’d finish?
Elsewhere, in Tirharad of the Southlands, the Elf-human relationship is balancing on a razor’s edge. We’re introduced to Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova), a Silvan Elf out of Mirkwood, assigned to scout the Southlands and, in essence, keep watch on the humans, many whose ancestors fought on behalf of Morgoth years ago. The humans feel stifled and unfairly oppressed on behalf of old grudges; for the Elves, who live far longer than humans, the past does not feel so distant. “One day, our true king will return, and pry us right out from under your pointy boots,” one pub patron spits in Arondir’s face. But his insolence doesn’t offend the Elf, who’s been getting pretty close with some of these underlings—in particular the human woman Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), with whom he’s developed an Arwen-Aragorn-like flirtation. (Although it’s hard to call it flirtation; for most of episode 1, they exchange little more than uncomfortably long looks.) Arondir’s fellow Elven scout is convinced this match will end in death, like the pitiful few Elf-and-men pairings before it, but Arondir has no chance to defend his affections before news from the High King arrives: Now that Galadriel and her company are sailing to the Undying Lands, the war is considered over. The outposts will be disbanded, meaning the Elves will leave the Southlands and return home.
Arondir’s watch warden insists the patrolman be grateful he need never see humans again, as “the blood of those who stood with Morgoth still darkens their veins.” But Arondir doesn’t believe humans are so inherently evil; if that were the case, why is he so drawn to Bronwyn? Sure, it could be because her son is probably, maybe, definitely hiding an evil sword in the barn floorboards, but she seems nice, too!
As they scout out the nearby town where Bronwyn was raised—and where mysterious dark forces are afoot—Arondir gently confronts Bronwyn about her people’s association with Morgoth. She’s offended by mere association with the villain’s name. Her people are good people. Arondir agrees, but then again, he doesn’t yet know about that sword.
Meanwhile, miles away, in the land of Rhovanion, the nomadic Harfoots—ancestors of Hobbits, with the hairy feet to match them—emerge from their hiding places in a delightful scene of cottagecore whimsy. Their faces are flushed and smudged with dirt, their hair tufted and uncombed, their baskets and wheelbarrows and bowls stuffed with root vegetables and berries and snails, the lush vegetation of their surroundings weaved—quite literally—into their clothing and furniture. Here, we first meet Nori (Markella Kavenagh), our Bilbo/Frodo stand-in, the only one amongst her kin who seems keen on—as any Baggins would endorse it—a good adventure. Her laughter punctuates the glorious score by Bear McCreary, sure to become a favorite of study groups everywhere.
Her fellow Harfoots chide her insatiable curiosity, but the Harfoot elder Sadoc Burrows (Lenny Henry) finally lets slip a juicy bit of neighborhood gossip: The skies and their stars look strange these days. And those travelers who passed by with giant antlers on their backs? An unusual sight this time of year. Something’s off. Something’s about to happen.
And something remarkable indeed happens, as a meteor bolts across the sky, visible from all corners of Middle-Earth. When it lands with an explosive blast in Rhovanion, it brings with it The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), a man left asleep and encircled in a quaking wheel of fire within the rock’s crater. Whether human or giant or wizard, we don’t yet know—only that his grand entrance is a blatant rip-off of Stardust. Neil Gaiman, cut a check.
But back to the girl with golden hair. In the realm of Elves, Galadriel finally sails for the Undying Lands, while Elrond frets over whether he convinced her to make the right choice. Gil-galad brushes off his concerns, convinced that, should she have continued her search for Sauron, Galadriel would only have perpetuated the evil she sought to eradicate. Instead, he assigns Elrond a task: Work for Celebrimbor, the esteemed Elven smith who’s “about to embark on a new project, one of singular importance.” Gil-galad doesn’t reveal what this important project is, but we can take an educated guess based on the show’s title. (Book readers, I know you know. Let’s not spoil it for everyone else.)
Still, Galadriel won’t let Gil-galad and the rest have it so easy. As Valinor opens up before her, its eternal light bathing her company in radiance, she turns to stare at her brother’s dagger resting on the ship deck. In LotR lore, Valinor is a form of heaven, a place of perpetual peace and beauty, where the gods invited Elves to rest millennia ago. But those Elves who chose to remain too long in Middle-Earth—and those who left Valinor to battle within Middle-Earth—risked becoming “Lingerers,” fading until the afterlife catches up with them. This is important to understand, in order to grasp what Galadriel is giving up here: It is nothing less than the possible dissolution of her soul, and an eternal severance from her home.
But she would not be the leader so respected in the film franchise’s Lothlorien if she were to abandon a fight before it is won. As Valinor welcomes her company with the heart-stirring harmonies of a sacred choir, Galadriel dives off the edge of the boat, where she is alone to navigate the troubled waters ahead. (And to, presumably, swim across an entire ocean?)
The Rings of Power’s first episode, like its much-discussed budget, is big. It is pretty to look at. It’s a bit slow, and not all the characters feel as intimately wrought as Galadriel. Not all the dialogue is written well, nor is it delivered elegantly. But the episode is immersive in a way that few other fantasy series have accomplished, including the new Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. House of the Dragon has yet one advantage: Its source-material mastermind is nestled neatly into a co-creator’s chair. Tolkien is not so within arm’s reach for The Rings of Power.
But even having Martin so close might not be enough to restore Thrones to its full glory. And sometimes a student must take up the mantle of the teacher. With the right group of stewards handling its precious artifacts, The Rings of Power just might do as it dreams.
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers news and culture.
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Read Now: Stay Cool and Stylish This Summer With These Outfit Ideas for College Students – 101 Latest News
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This post will show you 11 cute summer outfit ideas perfect for college students, with everything under $100.
Who else is stoked for summer?! From beach days to concerts and everything in between, the summertime is brimming with fun events and (hopefully) sunshiny days that are going to require some seriously cute outfits.
Consider this your go-to summer college outfits guide, with 11 outfit ideas perfect for college students. (And even if you’re stuck attending summer school, I’ve got you covered with an outfit for that.)
Best of all, every item featured is under $100, a.k.a. you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank to dress well this summer. So, read on and get inspired for a stylish summer ahead!
Coastal Cowgirl Summer Outfit
One of the hottest trends this summer is the “Coastal Cowgirl” aesthetic, which is all about wearing beachy-meets-Western-inspired clothing. Remember the “Coastal Grandmother” aesthetic, which was extremely popular last year? Take those breezy, lightweight pieces of clothing and style them with cowboy boots and/or cowboy hats for the Coastal Cowgirl effect.
One cute and easy Coastal Cowgirl outfit idea for summer is to pair a flowy slip dress with some girly cowboy boots—this off-white pair of boots is studded and has a small heel. Any dress with a breezy silhouette and airy fabric works, but I especially adore the polka dot pattern and delicate lace trim on this trapeze slip dress.
Accessorize with a chunky silver chain necklace featuring an oversized heart pendant and a raffia cowboy hat, which perfectly captures the beachy, Western vibe we’re going for.
Summer Vacation Outfit
Got vacation plans this summer? You can’t go wrong with a crop top and maxi skirt set; sets make getting dressed a breeze and make you look incredibly put-together. They can also be worn with other items in your suitcase (or wardrobe, in general), making them ultra-versatile, as well.
This white cropped tube top and maxi skirt set features a stretchy crinkled material that is lightweight enough for hot weather, and you won’t have to worry about it getting wrinkled when packing it in your suitcase. Wearing all white also feels particularly fresh for the summer, but FYI, the set is also available in gray and beige.
You can wear it during the day with flat sandals or low-top sneakers and at night with heeled jute sandals—I’d advise against packing ultra-high heels or stilettos on vacation. Opt for a short block heel instead; you’ll be much more comfortable!
A rattan straw handbag will match the summery vibe of the sandals, and a gold layered necklace will add a glam touch to this summer look.
Related reading: Our All-Time Cutest Go-to Outfits for Summer Vacation
Summer Concert Outfit
Summer concerts just hit different, so if you’ll be attending one, you’ll obviously need an extra cute ‘fit.
Why not be a little *extra* and wear this low-rise silver sequin mini skirt that has gone viral on Instagram? A concert (especially one like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé) calls for a fabulous outfit, and you can get away with going over-the-top with your look.
Put on your dancing shoes—a pair of white faux leather cowboy boots with Western-inspired embroidery, duh— and a top that balances out the skirt. This white tee looks simple enough from the front but has a trendy open-back that makes it concert-worthy.
Play on the skirt’s silver sequins with a pair of sculptural silver twist link hoop earrings, and stash your belongings in a clear crossbody bag that is stadium-approved and features a silver chain strap.
Related reading: What to Wear to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour
Summer Music Festival Outfit
Summer is also a prime time for outdoor music festivals, which call for a different type of outfit than your standard concert.
Embrace this season’s crochet trend and go for a boho look with a coordinating crochet top and skirt (which, BTW, can also be worn as a beach cover-up). The beige crochet mini skirt and corset-inspired crochet top with a lace-up back are both lightweight enough for dancing around in a crowd.
You’ll want to wear some sturdy footwear if you’ll be outdoors and standing/dancing for hours, so consider a pair of comfy footbed sandals with a durable rubber outsole and velcro straps to keep your feet secure. These sandals have a slight platform which is actually ideal: they’ll give you a slight boost so that you aren’t sinking into the ground.
Be sure to accessorize with some eye-catching pieces like a cord pendant necklace and some fun hair rings with charms that will help you create the coolest hairstyle.
Related reading: The Ultimate Guide to Summer Music Festivals (What to Wear & Bring)
Summer Beach/Pool Outfit
Hopefully, you’ll get to spend some time at the beach and/or pool this summer—it is the season for that, after all! Whether you’re going away on vacation or hitting your local swimming pool, you’ll want to look stylish as you soak up those sun rays (while wearing SPF, of course).
As I mentioned, crochet is having a major fashion moment this summer, and it happens to make for the cutest swimsuit cover-up material. This crochet cover-up dress is a great option, featuring lace-up detailing at the front and a neutral hue that works with any color swimsuit.
If you wear a brightly-colored bathing suit, like this turquoise triangle bikini top and bottom, it’ll peek out of the open-knit design for a fun effect.
Don’t forget some waterproof sandals (this pair is non-slip and matches the dress perfectly) and trendy sunglasses for a put-together look.
Summer College Outfit for School
If you’re taking summer classes, you may not be thrilled at the idea of attending school instead of say, sitting on a beach. Make the most of it, though, with a practical yet cute athleisure-inspired look that is ideal for walking around campus comfortably.
I know what you may be thinking: a dress to class? No thanks! But this isn’t your typical summer dress. It’s an activewear dress with built-in shorts (plus side pockets!) that will keep you cool on your potentially long walks to class. Wear it with some comfy sneakers and a matching baseball cap to shield your face from the sun.
Even if it’s sweltering hot outside, I suggest throwing a lightweight zip-up jacket in your backpack because classrooms always tend to have AC blasting. This sleek jacket is sweat-wicking and made with an activewear fabric that pairs well with the dress.
Effortless Summer Outfit
Flowy white linen pants are a total summer must-have: they look polished yet effortless and are practically as comfy as sweatpants!
They are perfect for everything from a nice dinner out to running errands to getting brunch with your friends, as well as being a vacation staple piece.
There are tons of ways you can style white linen pants, but a no-fail outfit formula for the summer is pairing them with a cute top. This green strapless split-front top is going to pop against the white and will show off your tan in a major way.
Keep the outfit looking laid-back with some chic yet easy white slide sandals featuring a geometric cut-out detail, and play up the outfit’s green color palette with a green straw clutch bag that gives off total summer vibes.
Athletic Summer Outfit
Products: Tank and Shorts Set, Hat, Belt Bag, Sneakers
If you’ve got Hot Girl Walks or gym sessions on your summer agenda, there’s no reason you still can’t look cute and put-together as you get your sweat on. In fact, I feel like I always am more motivated to work out when I’m wearing a coordinated athletic set rather than baggy old sweats.
Since it is summertime, opt for a brightly-colored workout set in a sweat-wicking material like this seamless ribbed tank top and high-waisted shorts set, which comes in over 20 different hues.
Wear it with your athletic sneakers and a lightweight trucker hat featuring an outdoorsy logo, along with a belt bag worn crossbody-style (the ultimate HGW accessory).
Casual Cute Summer Outfit
Whether you’re sightseeing somewhere new or hanging out in your own hometown this summer, you’ll need a cute, casual outfit to wear that looks effortless but shows off your fashion sense.
As I mentioned previously, maxi skirts are having their moment this summer, especially flowy white tiered maxi skirts. (These also are great for achieving the Coastal Cowgirl aesthetic when paired with cowboy boots.)
A skirt like this is perfect for a hot summer day; give it a laid-back vibe by wearing it with some cool low-top sneakers, like a pair of Adidas Gazelles or Sambas. Flat sandals work too, but sneakers give the ensemble a street-style edge and add contrast to a girly floral print tank top with delicate lace trim.
Amp up the look with on-trend accessories like a printed head scarf and a layered gold chain necklace.
Summer Dinner Outfit
Who doesn’t enjoy dressing up a bit to enjoy an al fresco dinner out on a nice summer evening? This is your chance to pull out a chic summer dress and heels, eat a yummy meal… and maybe get some outfit snaps for your feed while you’re at it.
There are plenty of summer dresses to choose from, but I love the babydoll silhouette that this puff-sleeve mini dress has, along with its bold green hue that feels fresh. It also is made with a poplin fabric that is lightweight yet looks luxe.
Wear it with some neutral-colored heeled sandals—these braided mules are so versatile they’ll pair well with almost everything else in your summer wardrobe.
Elevate the ensemble with stylish accessories like some chunky gold hoop earrings and a white bag in a woven material for an added summery touch.
4th of July Summer Outfit
Independence Day isn’t very far away—the Fourth of July is just around the corner, so it’s time to start planning a festive red, white, and blue outfit for BBQing, fireworks, and partying.
You can never go wrong with some high-waisted denim shorts on July 4th, especially when worn with a crop top or bodysuit, plus sneakers.
This knit crop top features a red, white, and blue color palette that is perfect for Independence Day but still “fashion-y” enough that you can wear it during the rest of the summer (without looking like a full-on flag). For example, wear it with white linen pants and flat sandals on another summer evening.
For the Fourth though, go all out with a fun stars and stripes hair scrunchie scarf and some white low-top sneakers, which are ideal for backyard hangs. These Nikes have blue accents for an extra-coordinated look, but any white sneakers will do.
Don’t forget a trendy pair of retro-inspired aviator sunglasses to complete the ensemble.
What do you think of our summer college outfits?
Would you wear these outfits? Which summer outfit is your favorite? Leave a comment and let us know!
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