Last week, a New York Times article celebrated the return of high heels after a year of slippers and sneakers. But Dior’s latest collection screams, “Not so fast!”
On Thursday, the Parisian house debuted its Cruise 2022 collection full of ethereal gowns with futuristic sneakers, showing that glamour and comfort can maybe — just maybe — go together post-quarantine.
Shown in Athens, Greece, the collection is inspired by “a series of photographs of one of Monsieur Dior’s haute couture lines, taken near the iconic Parthenon in 1951,” according to the press release from the brand. It’s also a nod to the Olympic Games, which — while taking place in Tokyo this year — originated in ancient Greece in 776 B.C., and were held in Athens in 2004. The show even took place at the Panathenaic Stadium, “where in ancient times games in honor of the goddess Athena were held.” (According to the press release, Dior worked with Greek archaeologists to ensure the historic site’s preservation for the duration of the event.)
A Greek goddess-inspired collection also seems fitting for designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has a long history of centering feminism in her runway shows. Style-wise, just like in past collections, Chiuri showcased long gowns and calf-length dresses emblematic of her brand — one that mixes unabashedly feminine aesthetics with functionality. This time, Chiuri showed draped ivory dresses, worn with gold metallic belts and the aforementioned sneakers. There were also gowns with mesh cutouts embellished with crystals and vaccination-approved cold shoulders.
As if to add to the Olympian theme, the Italian designer featured sportswear, a departure from her usually delicate silhouettes. A turtleneck crop top, paired with knee-length basketball shorts and leggings, featured a star-studded print in a blue-, white-, and-lime green color-blocked combo, as well as oversized ‘80s graphic jackets.
Dior also took the opportunity to partner with local ateliers and craftsmen in Athens, who were commissioned to create pieces and details included in the collection, such as sketches of women in Greek mythology that appear in the folds of dresses by Greek artist Christiana Soulou and embroidery by Aristeidis Tzonevrakis, among others.
You can watch the full collection of Greecian gowns and comfy sneakers, below.
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VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL – Victoria’s Secret’s legendary Angels take to the runway for the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Holiday Special, showcasing an all-star lineup of musical guests, including Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, Rita Ora, Shawn Mendes and The Struts. Merging fashion, fantasy and entertainment, “The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Holiday Special” will air SUNDAY, DEC. 2 (10:0011:00 p.m. EST), on The Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Jeff Neira via Getty Images) VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOWS
Victoria’s Secret is replacing its Angels. On Wednesday, the lingerie company announced the “Victoria’s Secret Collective,” a group of new ambassadors, in an article in the New York Times.
The collective’s seven members include soccer player Megan Rapinoe, model and body positivity advocate Paloma Elsesser, journalist and Girl Gaze founder Amanda de Cadenet, freeskiing World Champion Eileen Gu, actress and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas, transgender model and activist Valentina Sampaio, and model and mental health advocate Adut Akech. To mark the relaunch, the VS Collective will sit down to share their personal stories on a podcast hosted by de Cadenet. This rebrand follows years of criticism over the lingerie brand’s antiquated beauty standards and lack of body and gender inclusivity and racial diversity.
“I’ve known that we needed to change this brand for a long time, we just haven’t had the control of the company to be able to do it,” the brand’s CEO Martin Waters told the publication.
Earlier this year, the brand unveiled its 2021 swim collection. While the campaign featured plus-size models Paloma Elsesser and Jill Kortleve, the line fell short in product sizing.
On Wednesday, Elsesser told The New York Times that she chose to join the VS Collective because it would allow her to make “radical change” for body diversity and lobby to increase the brand’s sizing to a 5XL. (The brand provided no size range for its expanded sizing plans in the article.) The rebrand also includes working with its new set of ambassadors on new product lines, set to launch in 2022. The pieces, according to Rapinoe, will focus on redefining sexiness. “As a gay woman, I think a lot about what we think is sexy, and we are afforded the ability to do that,” she told The New York Times.
For decades, Victoria’s Secret was known for its supermodel ambassadors, including Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima, Tyra Banks, and Alessandra Ambrosio; million-dollar Fantasy Bras; and over-the-top runway shows. But, in the face of inclusive offerings from brands like Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty and Parade, Victoria’s Secret sizing and version of sexy felt outdated for many consumers even prior to 2018. Instead, the market has gravitated toward brands that prioritize the female gaze, diversity, and size inclusivity.
“We need to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want,” Waters told The New York Times of the rebrand.
Only time will tell if women will buy it.
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One week after photos surfaced of Kanye West and Irina Shayk together in France, the supermodel was spotted again — this time, in New York City sans West. For a stroll through Soho, Shayk chose to wear not one, but two of fashion’s most talked-about (and controversial) trends.
Shayk opted for a black, Bridgerton-inspired corset by Are You Am I and a pair of low-rise, straight-leg jeans from Frame. She then added a leather blazer, pair of black combat boots from Both Paris, a sold-out white Burberry cross-body bag, Celine sunglasses, and jewelry from Chrome Hearts and Missoma.
Corsets like Shayk’s have been trending for months now thanks to the Regency-era Netflix drama that was released in December. Since, celebrities have hopped aboard the trend, including Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, and more. But while we’ve seen our fair share of celebs wearing the lingerie-style silhouette on red carpets and glossy magazine covers, we haven’t yet seen one on the streets.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 16: Irina Shayk is seen in the West Village on June 16, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)
More controversial than her bustier are her jeans though, and not only because they’re straight-leg. Rather, it’s the ultra-low rise. The style, which first became popular in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, is gearing up for a major comeback in 2021, despite the fact that many swore they’d never wear a pair on ever again. Only time will tell if the masses, including the most adamant of low-rise haters, will change their minds.
Shop what’s available of her look, below.
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Shot Girl Summer, Vax Girl Summer, Hot Vax Summer — whatever you want to call it, it’s here: the time to unleash all the pent-up energy, inhibited creativity, and most importantly, unworn ‘fits to make up for the last year and a half. That strappy, diaphanous dress you pre-ordered last February that has been collecting dust in your closet? Consider now its moment to shine. The fancy bag you couldn’t bear to waste on a grocery run last year? It’s finally time to let it see the light of day.
In other words: We. Are. Ready. But if your closet isn’t quite there (and neither is your wallet), we’re here to help. Ahead, we partnered with Reef and content creator Taylr Anne Castro to bring you nine fashion hacks that will help you achieve Shot Girl Summer-worthy looks with pieces you already own — and, really, without any effort at all. Dress up your ride-or-die sandals with key accessories or flawlessly execute a day-to-night look for a seaside soiree without changing out of your two-piece (yes, it’s possible).
1. Anklets are back: Clip on a dainty, threadbare chain for the tiniest hint of glint or take a more maximalist approach and layer a stack of beaded styles (daisies, seashell charms) that promise to spark joy.
2. Look for no-frills sandals to let your ankle jewelry shine. You need a strong base as your foundation, and these simple, yet chic two-strap slides (which honestly work for all looks and all occasions) are just the thing.
3. There’s nothing more delightfully Parisian than a luxe scarf jauntily tied around your neck. Bring it down to your ankle to add that trademark charm (which just so happens, also mimics a surf leash for an unexpected cool, beachy edge) to your go-to pair of vegan leather sandals.
4. Take a break from butterfly clips and hair claws this summer — inject color and texture by weaving a scarf through your braid, instead. Leave the ends long for a breeze-catching effect.
5. When you’ve committed to consecutive beach excursions, and all your cover-ups and trusty oversize button-downs are in the wash, tag in your scarf, which you can fashion into a sarong by wrapping and knotting it at your waist. If it’s long enough, it doubles as a beach towel as well.
6. As much as we’d like to pretend we can go to the shore with nothing but a towel and sunscreen, the opposite almost always occurs: finding ourselves invariably weighed down by bags crammed with snacks, back issues of The New Yorker, multiple tubes of sunscreen, and wireless speakers. If you find yourself needing another bag, tie the opposite corners of a scarf over your haul (mandarins, anyone?) and then tie the remaining ends over it to create a cute, easy-to-carry bundle.
7. You’re likely already well-versed in the pros of suiting — it’s the simplest, most surefire way to look polished and exude badassery at the same time. This summer, for your next fête, try mixing and matching your co-ords for a new look. Two quick notes: Stick to linen or lightweight cotton fabrications (no one wants to be sweating in wool), and embrace a wide-leg silhouette — when paired with a flat sandal, it’s the epitome of laidback refinement.
8. Day to night, seaside to barside: Throw on mismatched suiting over your swimsuit (your bikini top and your one-piece both work) for an outfit change that requires little to no prep time.
9. The success of all-day outings is dependent on one thing: comfortable, versatile footwear, like this waterproof pair from Reef that boast molded footbeds and a durable outsole, that can take you from here to there, from a.m. beach hangs to p.m. sunset dinners.
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IRL workouts are back, and PANGAIA is making sure gym-goers have sustainably made activewear for their next pilates class.
On June 29, the eco-friendly brand behind the celebrity-approved matching sweatsuits is launching a line of gym-appropriate loungewear. “The PANGAIA Gym collection harnesses the latest science and technology,” reads a statement from the PANGAIA collective. This resulted in a collection made from bio-engineered materials and fabrics, such as bio-based nylon and seaweed fiber. An ‘80s-inspired “Let’s Get Physical” campaign, which sees models in leg warmers and headbands working out in a retro infomercial, accompanies the launch.
This line includes a hoodie, crop top, sweatpants, jumpsuit, T-shirt, and bike shorts in green, black, pink, grey, lilac, and navy blue. Like other past collections, all items include visible text detailing what fabrics and treatments were used to make each piece.
For the new line, the brand also incorporated new materials and treatments, designed for activewear needs: Roica V550, a stretch yarn which can be degraded by microorganisms over the course of five years, and PPRMNT™, a biobased durable odor control finish and antimicrobial treatment made from the peppermint plant. This line also uses bioWick, a biocarbon and wicking treatment — aka, what allows the fabric to absorb the sweat off your skin — made from microalgae.
Brands like Subsurface, Miaou, Musier Paris, Aya Muse, and more have made it their mission to bring back the flossy, revealing look that ruled the late ‘90s and early ‘00s fashion landscape. And it’s working: Across Instagram, G-strings are appearing out from under pants, skirts, and more. On TikTok, #WhaleTail has more than 32 million views. That said, it’s one thing to wear a visible thong in a photo that was taken in the safety of your bedroom or, if you’re lucky, your backyard. It’s a whole other story when you actually have to step foot into the world, your underwear exposed for all the world to see.
To find out what it’s really like to wear a visible thong in public, I spent a week testing out a variety of whale-tail-style garments, from pants with a thong-shaped cut-out in the back to midi skirts fit with strings that give the appearance of exposed underwear. Hell, I even wore a G-string pulled up over the waistband of a pair of parachute pants.
I started off my tale of whale tails in a pair of yoga pants from Miaou that featured cut-outs on both hips, which gave off the illusion that I’d hiked a thick-strapped thong up over the top of my low-rise loungewear. To add to the Y2K theme, I accessorized with red-lens sunglasses and a shrunken shoulder bag. As I walked through Soho in New York City — my hips out for the world to see — I felt surprisingly comfortable, despite the fact that patches of skin that so rarely saw the light of day, were out. Truthfully, I felt weirder about the fact that I was wearing yoga pants in 2021 (despite them being an Emma Chamberlain-approved trend) than anything else.
Still easing into my experiment, I wore a Musier Paris knit skirt on day two. Probably the least thong-like of all the items I tested, this skirt features two strings that stem from the center of the waistline and tie around the waist, barely teasing the look of peek-a-boo undergarments. Given the heat, I paired the cream-colored skirt with a cropped navy blue tank top and a matching shoulder bag. For the second time, I was unscathed during a walk through the neighborhood. As I headed to meet a friend for dinner nearby, I even got a compliment — and not the creepy kind.
At that point, I figured I had the hang of this whole whale tail thing. Maybe Paris Hilton and Christina Milian had it right when they wore their thongs above their pants after all. So I tried to style a real G-string. Since I don’t own any low-rise pants — I’m still team high-rise for the time being — I had to settle for wearing vintage parachute pants worn low enough on my hips so that my underwear would peek over. Almost immediately upon stepping outside my front door, I felt uncomfortable. As I walked to Trader Joe’s, I noticed that people were looking — no, staring — at me.
Within five minutes, I turned around, skipping groceries and heading back to my sartorial safety net of baggy jeans and a hoodie. Every last piece of photo evidence was, in turn, deleted from my phone.
The next day, I decided to give thong pants one last go by trying a pair of black, ribbed flares from Los Angeles-based brand Subsurface, the likes of which have been garnering attention on Instagram. In the photos I took of myself wearing them, I appear nonchalant at having a large part of my lower back-upper butt region exposed in Manhattan. I didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable posting the photos, either. But Instagram isn’t reality, and for the second day in a row, I found myself bee-lining for my comfort clothes as soon as I took the photo.
I went into this experiment with two possible outcomes in mind: (1) I’d be met with catcalls that so many people, women especially, experience whenever they leave the house, whether their clothes are revealing or not; or (2) visible thong fashion would become a staple in my wardrobe for the summer of over-the-top dressing that’s ahead. And yet, neither ended up being true. I wasn’t catcalled by strangers in the street, nor did I walk around freely, embracing my bare-all bottoms. Instead, it was my own feelings of discomfort that led me to the realization that maybe whale tails ended back in ‘06 for a reason. Sure, they look great on red carpets and magazine covers in 2021. I even understand wearing them on Instagram, where it’s easier to “pull something off” than it is IRL. But when it comes to Y2K trends to actually wear, I’ll happily stick with micro-minis.
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