Issue 16.
The best of: the Shallow stories you couldn’t stop reading in 2025
Shallow is back! (sort of)I hope you all had an amazing break and survived the worst of the New Year traditions : manifestation guides, resolutions (I still have goals from 2022 on my to-do list, mortifying), and the endless social media in-and-out lists.
On that note, can we please put those god-forsaken lists firmly in the out column for good. At this point, there is nothing you can do that isn’t considered “out” by someone who just discovered the notes app on TikTok. By 2027 breathing air will be officially out for the year.
Anyway, please consider this issue the unofficial start of Shallow for 2026, I’ll be back properly next week, but I couldn’t resist sharing a recap of some of Shallow’s most popular stories from 2025.
These are the (skin) deep dives that sparked the most feedback, DMs, interest and traffic. The pieces you lingered on, messaged me about, and clicked on more eagerly than an Ozempic pen on the set of Wicked.
If you’re new to Shallow, I’m so glad you’re here, think of this as a taste of what’s to come.
Happy reading!
Harriet x
Game of Tongs: Top Sydney Chefs’ Spite Store Era
Melbourne can have their vapes and Adelaide their grapes. In Sydney, the only currency that really counts is how quickly it took you to test out the latest “ it restaurant”.
Along with knowing we’ve all been taken for mugs by our mortgage brokers, we share a kinship for our hospitality scene.
But this Game of Thrones approach to food appears to have taken a toll on the heartbeat of our dining scene. The chefs and owners who put their blood, money, and life on the line so we can scoff burrata and tuna tartare.
The House That Taste Forgot: Jeffrey Epstein’s Interior Design Crimes
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein just can’t stay away from bad publicity. You’d think being a convicted sex offender and trafficker would be enough of a contribution to the 21st century. Thanks to newly released photos of the late financier’s Manhattan home, we can now officially add terrible taste in interiors to the list.
Let’s take a (skin) deep dive into one of the worst décor disasters of all time.
3. Snooponomics
With the morals of a real estate agent in a bathroom cubicle, there’s not much the Dogg won’t do for a dollar and I’m 100% here for it.
Forget a signature scent: Snoop is a human Costco, with a product for literally everyone. Date night? Pour a glass of Snoop Cali Red or his cannabis-infused tonic, paired with a plate of Beyond Tailgate Dogg, his plant-based meat.
Why Does Every Sneaker Look Like It Belongs With a Bum Bag and a Mullet?
First, let’s look at the baggage they’re carrying — literally: every pair has a huge foamy base, like a jumping castle glued to the bottom.
Hoka, in particular, look like they took design inspiration from the NSW Government’s low- and mid-rise housing policy. Footwear stacked to ungodly heights.
Then we move on to the Salomons. My god, the Salomons.
As my eyes scanned the shelves, each pair was worse than the last: trail runners that looked like crocodiles, a shoe called the Pulsar in flaming orange made from material that looked like a condom wrapper.
The Koronation of Kris Jenner
Alongside death and taxes, we can add another certainty in life: a woman born Kristen Mary Houghton will be studied for decades.
High schoolers of the future will learn about the wiles and ways of a woman responsible for a modern-day empire. The 21st century’s answer to Greek goddess Hera, Queen of the Gods—Kris Jenner.
Fashions on the Field
Shout out to Peter V’landys, whose outfit at Sunday night’s NRL Grand Final made my eyes pop out of my head so fast I almost lost them on the ground. I briefly wondered if he had arrived at the match via clown car.
It takes a rare kind of confidence, and an even rarer indifference to aesthetics to make typical NRL fashions — rattails, ski masks, and speed dealers — look like French couture.
Oops… She Markled Again
A part of me feels guilty for joining the pile-on that occurs any time Meghan so much as steps into a room.
But unfortunately for the Suits star, every time she does a media piece to promote a new venture or share her ‘truth’ for the 956th time, she fumbles the bag.
Again and again.
The Real Succession: Wendi Deng Murdoch’s Masterclass to the Top
There is one figure in the Murdoch dynasty who makes succession battles, politics, and lawsuits look like small talk at a parent-teacher cocktail party: Wendi Deng Murdoch.
It’s almost criminal that Rupert’s third wife doesn’t have her own mini-series or at least a podcast. Instead, we’re stuck with Dancing with the Stars season 640 and influencer life hacks on Instagram.
Her rise is so improbable that even the most committed QAnon fanatic would have a hard time believing it. But the truth, as always, is stranger than fiction.
Black Friday Olympics
What was originally a single day of discounts has become a whole month of unapologetic consumerism, with more slashed prices than a rug warehouse.
Daydreams of deals, salivation for savings, and hallucinations about new homewares turn even the most disciplined mind into a walking SKU database.
The words of Kath & Kim’s inimitable Kim Craig ring in my head: “I think I’ve saved so much with what I spent, I might have actually made money!”
10. FRAUD-AND-DISORDER
If you need a case study in why mixing business with pleasure is a bad idea, look no further than NET-A-PORTER founder Natalie Massenet and Erik Torstensson, co-founder of FRAME.
This saga has everything: a public bust-up, million-dollar debt, A-list friends, elite business circles, beautiful homes, drug use, sex addiction, herpes medication, a Kardashian brand, and duelling lawsuits. You’d be forgiven for mistaking it as the plot of a 2pm drama on 7mate.
Merivale’s Mini Mic Man
It wasn’t on my 2025 bingo card to see Justin Hemmes pop up with a tiny mic online.
Either times are tough at Merivale and the owner-CEO is doubling as social media manager, or it’s a savvy move to divert attention from some of the bad press and allegations that have hit the company this year.
Either way, it’s smart and I’m into it.
Bridal Wars. Are You a Macro or Micro Bride?
With upselling skills to rival a Harvey Norman employee on Black Friday, and the stamina of an army lieutenant, wedding planners and their associated vendors are a force to be reckoned with.
They’ve weathered pandemics, Pinterest trends, and more three-hour-long father-of-the-bride speeches than you can shake a leg at.
But change is on the horizon.