Thursday, December 28, 2017

Jared Leto, Kit Harington and More Have This One Thing in Common


December 26 is an easy day to overlook—Christmas has just passed, New Year’s Eve is right around the corner. But if you do a little digging, you might understand what Italian artist Alighiero Boetti meant when he said that “dates possess this beauty. The more time passes, the more beautiful they become.” For example, on December 26, 1971, Jared Leto was born, a man who would popularize teen angst, post-grunge rock, and, perhaps more famously, ombré dye jobs and the man bun. That same day in 1983, another healthy baby boy was delivered by a Taiwanese-American couple in San Francisco, who named him Alexander Wang—a moniker that would become just as synonymous with cool urban separates as it is with glossy, flowing waves. Just a few years later (1986, to be exact), across the pond, the world welcomed Christopher “Kit” Catesby Harington, who would go on to inspire legions of Game of Thrones watchers committed to the dark curls of Jon Snow.

Seeing a pattern? Let us remember that this is fresh off the heels of Jesus’s birthday, who, if Da Vinci is to be believed, didn’t fall short in the hair department, either. Which is to say there’s something in the water—or cosmos or, at the very least, the gene pool—this time of year that gives way to legendary strands on its male progeny. So, after we put away our holiday presents and before we cement our resolutions, let us celebrate this day as unofficial Hot Guy Hair Day. Huzzah.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Beyoncé’s New Holiday Merch Is the Antidote to All Those Ugly Christmas Sweaters


Last year, Beyoncé released a clever and cool line of sweatshirts emblazoned with the words I Sleigh All Day, in celebration of holidays and, of course, the release of her award-winning album Lemonade—and subsequently, the introduction of the word slay into the American-English lexicon. Call her Santa Bey. This season she is back with additional cheeky Christmastime phrases printed onto T-shirts and hoodies for the “Holidayoncé” capsule collection she dropped today ahead of Black Friday (her timing, it should be noted, is always impeccable). The collection includes a Shinin’ glittery sweater and hoodies printed with photographs of Mrs. Carter at home for the holidays. There’s one stamped with the phrase Have a Thicc Holiday too. And because Queen Bey wouldn’t deign to put her name on an actual ugly Christmas knit, she’s made her own version: a crew-neck T-shirt emblazoned with the words Beyoncé Holiday Sweater.

The merch is available beginning today on her website, with prices ranging from $35 to $55, and it’s undoubtedly going to sell out fast. We can always hope for a Christmas miracle, i.e., perhaps other celebrity merch geniuses—Drake, Bieber, Kanye, we’re looking at you!—will release their own anti-ugly Christmas sweater campaigns. This week, however, it’s all about Beyoncé. Her holiday capsule collection is certainly something to be thankful for. After all . . . Sis the Season.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Japanese Supermodel and Aughts Icon Ai Tominaga Was Tokyo Fashion Week’s Best-Dressed Woman


Ai Tominaga was a regular presence on the runway for labels like Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Valentino during the aughts, and today she remains one of Tokyo’s most visible supermodels. As one of the few homegrown talents to land on the cover of Japanese Vogue, she opened doors for the new generation of Japanese beauties, and at 35, she now balances modeling with motherhood and a successful lineup of hosting gigs on television and radio. During a streak of appearances at this past Tokyo Fashion Week, Tominaga also served as an unofficial ambassador for the Japanese fashion scene, combining the vibrant eclecticism of the city’s youthful street style crews and the classicism of its heritage brands to emerge as the week’s best-dressed woman.

Tominaga set the bar high from the start, arriving at TFW’s opening reception in a fresh-from-the-runway Sacai skirt covered in Lawrence Weiner’s text art. At Toga, she wore an oversize plaid jacket over a taupe sweater dress with decorative ruching adorning its hemline, while Tai Ashida’s classically minded collection called for a silver ball gown with movie-star appeal. For a trip to Hyke’s sleek gallery space, Tominaga embraced minimalism in a modern update on sweater dressing that featured layers of slate knits. Though she captured the essence of each brand, Tominaga wasn’t just a mannequin; she styled each piece differently than it was presented on the runway, adding personal touches like delicate jewelry and sky-high Sacai platforms. And she documented her every outfit, alongside sneak peeks of her Fashion Week experience, on her Instagram—instantly making it a must-follow. Above, a few of Tominaga’s most noteworthy looks of the week.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

5 Ways to Wear PJ’s, According to Milan Fashion Week’s Street Style Scene



Ciao, bella! The showgoers of Milan Fashion Week are now departing for the runways in Paris, and what sartorial inspiration they’ve left in their wake. This season, the street style crew embraced pajama dressing and the cozy Danish hygge phenomenon in new and wonderful ways, proving that getting decked out for the photographers outside the shows doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort. There were silk pants with fuzzy, furry moccasins, overcoats with easy button-down blouses, and white denim (yes, after Labor Day) with slides and thin silk scarves. It was as if the most stylish travelers were living that dolce vita life, valuing ease over edge and backing away from full lewks—though, unlike most locals, they probably didn’t squeeze in that classic afternoon nap.

In the spirit of what seemed like a much more chilled-out Milan Fashion Week, here are five ways to get the breezy-chic wardrobe that defined the last few days of shows.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Corduroy, the World’s Most Unsexy Fabric, Makes a Cool Comeback

Corduroy—what is there to say about the rigid and ribbed fabric? Well, it’s somewhat unsexy. Not even a tight-fitting bell bottom or kicky cord shirt have graced red hot street style stars like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. (To add to its buttoned-up reputation, there’s a children’s book called Corduroy about a stuffed animal bear.) It is far from a nightlife staple; we have yet to see a corduroy slip dress saunter into a cocktail party. Corduroy is more of a uniformed schoolgirl go-to, a retro daytime material. At its best, it was once worn by Carolyn Bessette as a pair of flares with a simple black turtleneck.





But despite its uptight nature and distinct lack of romance, the fabric made a cool comeback on the Fall 2017 runways in autumnal hues like burgundy, chestnut, and canary yellow. (Ermanno Scervino went the outré route with a pretty shade of lavender.) Mostly, it showed up in its tried-and-true incarnations—as a suit at Kenzo, where the waist was nipped and a graphic pattern was traced down the arms and legs. At Prada, trousers got a much needed update on one model, who wore a low-slung pair of pants that slouched at the ankles. At Y/Project, there was even a ruffed cuff on some marigold slacks. Those searching for a more modest take on the fabric should look to Mulberry, which showed a maxi skirt in corduroy. The most hip take? Marc Jacobs managed to wriggle Jenner into some corduroy duds—blood red flares and a matching shearling-trimmed jacket—plus, a blinged-out necklace to add some shine. Now, let’s see if the paparazzi-bait model takes the head-turning look to the street and turns it all around.