टीवी सीरियल 'ये रिश्ता क्या कहलाता है' से लेकर कान्स फिल्म फेस्टिवल तक का सफर तय करने वाली भले ही इन दिनों फिल्मी गलियारे की तरफ अपना रुख किए हुए हों, लेकिन उनका स्टाइलिश अंदाज आज भी बी-टाउन हसीनाओं के टक्कर का है। इस बात में कोई दोराय नहीं कि हिना जो कुछ भी पहनती हैं उसमें कमाल की लगती हैं। लेकिन कभी-कभार स्टाइलिश दिखने की होड़ में अभिनेत्री ऐसा कुछ पहन लेती है जो उनके फैंस को कतई भी रास नहीं आता। इस बात को नकारा नहीं जा सकता कि जब भी बात टीवी एक्ट्रेसेस के फैशन की आती है तो उस लिस्ट में हिना खान का नाम सबसे ऊपर होता है, ऐसा इसलिए भी क्योंकि अक्सर हिना अपने खूबसूरत और ट्रेंडी लुक्स से सभी को मात जो देती हैं। ऐसा ही एक बार हमें तब देखने को मिला जब हिना खान ने हर बार की तरह सज-धज कर स्टाइलिश अंदाज में अपनी कुछ तस्वीरें शेयर कीं। लेकिन इस बार हिना का फैशन पॉइंट पर रहने के बजाए आम जनता के लिए एक सिर दर्द बन गया। दरअसल, बात तब की है जब हिना खान बिग बॉस के घर से बाहर निकल अपना स्टाइल स्टेटमेंट बनाने में लगी हुई थीं। इस दौरान उन्होंने चमकीले रंगों वाली रफल्ड A लाइन मैक्सी ड्रेस पहनी थी, जिसके साथ मैरून रंग का हेयरबैंड और सनग्लासेज लगाया हुआ था। बात करें हिना के ओवरऑल लुक की तो उन्होंने इस कैजुअल लुक के साथ मिनिमल मेकअप, स्मोकी आईज और वर्मिलियन लिप्स के अलावा अपने बालों को खुला छोड़ा था। हालांकि, हर बार की तरफ उनका बेहद स्टाइलिश लग रही थीं, लेकिन ट्रोलर्स को हिना का यह लुक एकदम प्रेग्नेंट वूमेन वाला लगा। जी हां, हर बार अपनी तस्वीरों पर तारीफ पाने वाली हिना को इस ड्रेस के लिए जमकर फजीहत झेलनी पड़ी, जहां कुछ लोगों को हिना इस ड्रेस में स्टाइलिश लगीं तो कइयों को हिना को देख मैटरनिटी पीरियड की याद आ गई। हिना की इस तस्वीर पर सोशल मीडिया यूजर्स ने उन्हें बुरी तरह ट्रोल करना शुरू कर दिया। इन तस्वीरों को देखने के बाद कुछ यूजर्स ने उनसे कमेंट करके पूछा, 'क्या आप कहीं प्रेग्नेंट तो नहीं हो।’ वहीं, एक लेडी यूजर ने कमेंट करके कहा कि, ‘जब वो प्रेग्नेंट थी, तो वह हिना खान जैसी ड्रेस को पहनती थी।’ इतना ही नहीं, जहां कुछ यूजर्स ने प्रेग्नेंट कहने से बाज नहीं आए तो कुछ लोगों को हिना की यह ड्रेस किसी बेडशीट से कम नहीं लगी।
इस बात में कोई दोराय नहीं कि फैशन के मामले में बॉलीवुड एक्ट्रेसेस सबसे आगे हैं। स्टाइलिश दिखने वाली ड्रेसेस के साथ जूते, कैसी एक्ससेसरीज़ पहननी है, यहां तक कि साथ में कैसा मैचिंग का बैग कैरी करना है, बी-टाउन हसीनाएं इन तमाम बातों का ध्यान रखना नहीं भूलतीं। लेकिन तब क्या जब इन स्टार्स को पीछे छोड़ उनके बच्चे आगे निकल जाएं। जी हां, अभी तक सबसे फैशनेबल स्टारकिड्स की लिस्ट की में सारा अली खान, अनन्या पांडे, सुहाना खान और खुशी कपूर का नाम ही शामिल था। लेकिन अब लगता है कि बहुत जल्द एक नया नाम जुड़ने वाला है, जो इन स्टारकिड्स को टक्कर देने में सबसे आगे होगी। बॉलीवुड एक्टर की 2 साल की बेटी नुर्वी नील मुकेश को तो आप सभी अच्छे से जानते होंगे, जिन्होंने छोटी सी उम्र में ही सभी को अपना दीवाना बनाया हुआ है। अक्सर नील नितिन अपनी बेटी नुर्वी की खूबसूरत तस्वीरें और वीडियो फैंस के साथ शेयर करते रहते हैं। वहीं अब बीते दिन एक्टर ने गणेश चतुर्थी के खास मौके से जुड़ी कुछ तस्वीरें अपने इंस्टाग्राम पर शेयर की हैं, जिसमें उनकी लाडली यानी नुर्वी नील मुकेश महाराष्ट्रीयन लुक में सजी-धजी नजर आ रही हैं।सबसे दिलचस्प बात यह है कि बप्पा को खुश करने के लिए नुर्वी ने पहली बार साड़ी पहनी है। गणेश चतुर्थी के खास मौके पर जहां बॉलीवुड सेलेब्स से लेकर स्टारकिड्स तक सब एक से बढ़कर एक ऑउटफिट में दिखाई दिए तो वहीं पहली बार साड़ी पहन सभी का ध्यान अपनी तरफ आकर्षित कर रही थीं। नुर्वी के ओवरऑल लुक की बात करें तो गणेश पूजा के लिए यह ड्रेस खासतौर पर उनके लिए डिज़ाइन कराई गई थी, जिसे रेडीमेड साड़ी स्टाइल में तैयार किया गया। साड़ी में बनी प्लीट्स एकदम स्कर्ट की तरह थी वहीं साड़ी के पल्लू को खुला छोड़ा था। यही नहीं, नुर्वी के लुक को महाराष्ट्रीयन टच देते हुए माथे पर बिंदी, बालों की पोनी, मांग में बोरला और गले में क्यूट सा पारंपरिक हार पहनाया गया था, जिसमें उनकी क्यूटनेस देखते ही बन रही है। बता दें कि नील ने गणेश चतुर्थी के मौके पर फैमिली के साथ भी कुछ फोटोज और वीडियोज शेयर किए हैं, जिसमें नुर्वी का चुलबुला अंदाज देखने लायक है। खैर जो भी हो, हमें तो नील नितिन मुकेश किन लाडली नुर्वी नील मुकेश का बप्पा को खुश करने का यह तरीका बेहद ही पसंद आया। वैसे आपका नुर्वी की इस क्यूटनेस पर क्या कहना है? हमें कमेंट करके जरूर बताएं।
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump arrives to speak during the Republican National Convention in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. President Trump plans to appear nightly during the four-day convention, which will be staged mostly from Washington because of the coronavirus pandemic. Photographer: Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
On Tuesday, Republicans reconvened for the second night of the 2020 Republican National Convention. Among the night’s speakers were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Eric and Tiffany Trump, and many more. But it was First Lady Melania Trump who concluded the evening, with a speech live from the recently renovated (to the dismay of many a Jackie Kennedy fan) White House Rose Garden. While her speech centered around offering empathy to the “many people [who] are anxious” and scared about COVID-19, it was her choice of dress that became the focal point of the evening’s address.
For the occasion, Mrs. Trump chose an ensemble outside of the norm of her prior public appearances: an army green, double-breasted blazer with gold buttons and structured shoulders. The jacket was cinched at the waist with a two-buckle belt of the same shade, and paired with a pressed, knee-length pencil skirt. The entire look was by British label Alexander McQueen. Her choice of shoes, Louboutins in the same hue of green as her outfit, sported heels as pointy and spiked as a bayonet.
A post shared by Diet Prada ™ (@diet_prada) on Aug 26, 2020 at 7:34am PDT
Diet Prada compared the look to uniforms worn by a number of fascist leaders, including Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and the former Prime Minister of Romania Ion Antonescu. The well-known fashion canceler wrote on Instagram that the look was a signal to America that Mrs. Trump is an “out and proud fascist.” And, Vanessa Friedman, the fashion director at The New York Times asked the question: “What war, exactly, was she fighting?”
While it’s certainly reasonable to question why the First Lady, who wore a white pantsuit while making her speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention and a Tiffany blue coat and pillbox hat during her husband’s inauguration, would now don such militaristic attire, it’s also hard to know exactly what she means by it. As people across the country continue to protest against racial injustice, is the First Lady advocating for war against them? Or, was her wartime look a subtle reference to the fight against COVID-19, a topic that took up a significant portion of her speech? Or, was it neither? After all, as she made quite clear back in June of 2018, when she wore a $39 military jacket from Zara that read “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” while visiting children being held at the border, she isn’t the most empathetic person.
But we didn’t need the Zara jacket controversy to tell us that. In 2016, she made waves when she wore a hot pink pussy bow to the second presidential debate, which immediately followed the leak of an Access Hollywood tape, in which her husband can be heard saying that he likes to grab women “by the pussy.” Many thought her choice of garb was a subtle blow at her husband. Of course, Trump never confirmed it, but it’s hard to deny the potency of the message — even if Gucci’s Alessandro Michele was one of the few designers willing to dress the future First Lady.
We might never be able to say for sure what message Melania Trump was sending with her outfit at the RNC. But to even toy with fascist aesthetics (which Diet Prada has since named “fascion”) is irresponsible, if click-worthy. Still, compared to her husband’s horrific policies, which the First Lady supports, when it comes to her fashion choices, we don’t really care. Do you?
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Last week, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were spotted volunteering for Baby2Baby, an organization that distributes baby supplies to families in need. For the occasion, the royal duo continued their casual dressing streak — which started with matching beanies in Canada and was followed by coordinated baseball caps in L.A. — with Markle dressed in forest green cargo shorts, a flowy white button-down, and a pair of Stan Smiths; Harry wore gray khaki shorts, a white polo, and a baseball cap. Both also wore masks, Harry’s a similar gray to his shorts and Markle’s a blue-and-white striped style. Suffice to say, her mask was the clear winner in the fashion department.
A post shared by Baby2Baby (@baby2baby) on Aug 21, 2020 at 4:35am PDT
Markle’s seersucker mask, which is still available (!) and costs $15, is from New York-based fashion label Royal Jelly Harlem. All of its designs, which also include men’s and women’s clothing, furniture, and accessories, are made in NYC. The owners, mother-daughter duo Teta and Maya Gorgoni, founded Royal Jelly Harlem in 2011 after traveling to West and South Africa and feeling inspired by the beauty of the fabrics found there. Markle’s mask, which is lined with orange fabric on the other side and comes in colors including pink and red, is just one of the brand’s many unisex mask options. And right now, if you pick five masks from the site, you only have to pay the price for four. Sounds like a no-brainer purchase to us.
This more dialed-back look on the Duchess of Sussex is one of many from the last year, following the couple’s move from the U.K. to L.A Gone are the days when we’d report on yet another stunning jewel-toned Givenchy gown on Markle. Instead, these days, we’re more likely to spot her in an affordable summer dress or cargo pants and sneakers — and a face mask! — thus proving that Markle can wear, and look good, in it all.
Shop her Royal Jelly Harlem mask and other striped masks like it, ahead.
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There was a precise moment in pop-culture history that marked the demise of the Canadian tuxedo. In addition to being the famed ensemble-of-choice for Ralph Lauren (aka the king of jeans himself), the all-denim-everything trend was also closely associated with the uber-cool androgyny of the '90s before quickly losing its edge in the early 2000s. This was, in no small part, due to a fateful outfit choice that left an unforgiving stain on the style: an appearance at the 2001 American Music Awards where Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake wrapped themselves in a coordinated cacophony of the fabric. But brace yourselves to start seeing double-denim in a whole new light, fashion folk — because jean-on-jean style is making a cooler-than-ever comeback for fall.
In our current era of anything goes attire, (Sweat shorts for days! Head-to-toe tie-dye!), the Canadian tux is poised to rise again in all its vintage-inspired glory. If you're still harboring doubts about the look, we get it... the image of JT's cringe-worthy denim fedora is not an easy one to erase from the brain. But, we also believe in redemption — which is exactly what the denim-on-denim trend has achieved over the past few years in the form of stellar street style looks à la Bella Hadid along with the much-anticipated return of labels like Jordache. A slew of beloved brands are also backing the trend for fall, from the patchwork and two-tone denim pieces styled in harmony by STAUD to the range of accessories by MM6 Maison Margiela made to be the denim cherry on top of your monochrome style sundae.
Forget what you thought you knew about the Canadian tux, because if the fashion world has moved on then we should too. The romance that bound Justin and Britney in unholy matchy-matchy may have fizzled out fast, but we strongly believe the appeal of an abundance of denim never fully faded. And for those of you who still aren't convinced, we double dare you to check out the styles ahead that'll transport you back to a pre-2000s era of blue-tinged sartorial excellence.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
In June, following articles and social media posts calling to support Black-owned businesses, created following protests against police brutality sparked by Minnesota police killing George Floyd, designer Kendra Duplantier woke up to her phone blowing up. “I was at home minding my Black-owned business, still trying to figure out how to navigate through everything that was going on, when I found out I got posted on Black Owned Everything,” she recalls. A platform founded by Beyoncé and Chloe x Halle’s stylist, Zerina Akers, Black Owned Everything is a directory of Black-owned brands. In early June, Akers and Beyoncé compiled a preliminary list of brands and posted it to the singer’s website — and it included Duplantier. “My first response was, ‘Wait, what? Huh? Me?’” she says, followed by, “No! I’m not ready.”
After a decade of crafting her namesake brand in the wee hours of the night after a full day of work and experiencing setback after setback, the designer wasn’t sure how to react. “The day before I found out about the directory, I had a mental breakdown from everything that was going on,” she tells me. “I was crying — I was trying to hold it together.” But as she’s always done, Duplantier rose to the occasion. “I knew that I was going to do this — run my own business — because no, there weren’t a lot of people that looked like me in fashion. When I was doing internships and I would see another Black girl, I’d immediately be like, ‘Hey sis, oh my god, we’re here together,’” she says.
Ten years ago, when the Houston native was just finishing up her undergraduate studies at Savannah College of Art and Design, according to her, aspiring designers were taught to follow a specific path if they were to launch a brand: graduate from design school, intern, freelance or work for a designer or brand, and then, maybe, try their hand at starting their own thing. So, that’s what Duplantier did — or tried to do.
“For me, design was never about making sure my stuff was the best or ensuring that what I create is going to be on runways, because I was never exposed to that growing up,” she says. “I can’t sit here and tell you that I read Vogue as a kid, because I didn’t. I had an older brother. I read Vibe and played sports.” Instead, Duplantier got into fashion because she wanted to make clothes, something she’d enjoyed doing from a young age. “I never knew a career in design was a thing,” she says. “I was always just going to Hancock Fabrics and making garments at home, that or thrifting and upcycling things I already had.”
And because she didn’t grow up worshipping designers or the New York fashion scene, moving to Manhattan and entering into the fashion industry was a shock — one that caused her love of design to temporarily waver. “I was struck with the realization that you have to have the best internships, you have to work for these people, you have to be at New York Fashion Week, you have to dress a certain way, and be a certain way, and your work has to be done a certain way to succeed,” she says. “In that process, I think I kind of got lost.”
Despite checking off all the designer boxes (a design degree, experience, etc.) that she’d been taught were necessary to succeed, it wasn’t long into her career, which included stints designing sleepwear at Macy’s and eveningwear at KaufmanFranco, that she realized something. “I was like, Oh wow, people are starting their own brand. They’re not interning. They’re not freelancing. They’re just starting it. You can just start it, too,” she says.
But unlike some of her fellow aspiring designers, Duplantier didn’t have the luxury of quitting her day job to pursue her dreams. Instead, Duplantier took every design job in the business, with her motivation being that each one was a stepping stone to eventually launching her own business. “I can’t say no to a job because I need the money,” she says of her thinking at the time. “I always have to remind myself: Kendra, you’re taking this job because you need the money to finance your company, to finance your dream, and all that you want to build for yourself. Go out and do what you got to do.” With that in mind, after a full day of work, she would return to her apartment-turned-design-studio to cut patterns and sew samples together for her own line. “I came to New York in 2011, and I have not taken a day off since,” she says.
“I came to New York in 2011, and I have not taken a day off since.”
– Kendra Duplantier
With the threat of another decade spent juggling her need for a steady income and her creative goals, in 2019, Duplantier finished the samples, some of which were first designed in 2013, for her debut line. Still, she wasn’t convinced it was enough. During one particularly down day, she brought her designs — which, before this, had never been seen by anyone — to a former-boss-turned-friend. “I told her, ‘Honestly, I’m just going to give it up,’” she says, recalling her frustration of having worked for nearly her entire adult life on something that still hadn’t come to fruition. “I told her I was over it,” she says. But rather than allow her to give up, her friend said this: “‘Kendra, what are you doing? What are you talking about? You need to start doing what you can with what you have.’” This advice changed everything for the up-and-coming designer, bringing her back to the thing that she loves most: making clothing.
After moving to L.A. in June 2019 with her husband, she embraced the use-what-you-have-and-ask-for-what-you-want approach to launching her business. “New York really gives you this feeling like you are on your own. Nobody cares. Figure it out. Good luck,” she says. When Duplantier asked a female photographer in L.A. to help her shoot her lookbook, she received an immediate yes. “It needed to be a female photographer,” she tells me. “I’m a female. I’m making womenswear. I want the whole room to be nothing but females.” The model who showcased the looks was a member at Duplantier’s husband’s gym, and, likewise, was more than willing to help a female entrepreneur. “I shot that, and it came out beautifully,” she says. “And thank god I did.”
The capsule collection, which includes a timeless selection of asymmetric tank tops, expertly tailored trousers, and sexy, simple slip dresses, is proof of the years of work and dedication that Duplantier put into creating it. Every stitch, pleat, and fringe detail is intentional. Made up of only four pieces, it’s a lesson in slow and ethical fashion, one full of classic, yet elevated items that can be worn season after season.
With her lookbook in hand, Duplantier got to work building her website, which, in addition to the looks, includes everything from her own personal Tumblr moodboard to studio playlists. She then started cold-calling, Googling, and emailing factories in an attempt to find somewhere, anywhere to manufacture her first round of production at a reasonable price. “One woman that I reached out to responded to me,” she recalls. “She said straight out, ‘I can help you out. I can do it.’ And she did.”
While after years of work, everything seemed to have been aligning for Duplantier, the samples arrived alongside the news of a city-wide lockdown in L.A as a result of the pandemic. “I opened the box, pulled out my size, and tried them on. They were perfect. I took some photos, just for myself, and then I packaged it back up.” Suddenly, in addition to the millions of people affected by the health and economic crisis, the state of fashion and global retail was up in the air, too. “On a personal level, I was just trying to juggle my own mental health and my health overall,” she says. “And then, of course, we know what came next.”
On May 25, the Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. His death, along with the deaths of countless other Black men and women, including Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, sparked international protests for racial justice. “My heart has been so heavy these past few days… but I am encouraged by what is happening all over the world, everyone coming together protesting for justice and supporting my brothers and sisters. Praying for continued peace, understanding, and guidance,” Duplantier wrote on Instagram at the time.
Two weeks later, her brand was mentioned on Beyoncé’s website, which has resulted in an instant increase in orders and praise from newfound fans of the brand.
“So now here we are,” she says. And, she’s not stopping anytime soon. “It’s so funny. People are like, ‘Oh girl, I saw you on Beyoncé’s website. You’re making it now. You’re big.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I have to go, I’m on my way to work.”
This time, though, she has no doubts about where she is heading next. “I have a plan,” she says. “I know what I want, but I’m taking it one step at a time, making sure that I stay true to why I started my brand to begin with because the minute you start trying to fit into this mold of what a designer is and what your collection should look like, that is the minute you start to get lost.”
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