With so many -cores trending, it can feel like we’re all in our own little fashion flocks with little in common. After all, there’s not a lot of shared ground between Coastal Grandmother and Barbiecore. But one item shows remarkable versatility and has been popping up everywhere: the pleated skirt. The preppy piece is back in a major way, thanks to designers like Miu Miu and Peter Do showcasing them on the catwalk this past spring. Since then, plenty of brands have jumped on the bandwagon with skirts that range from demure to daring. They pair perfectly with so many trends of the moment, like golf and tenniscore. You can also style them to be oh-so-Y2K, whether that means Cher Horowitz or Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. TikTok fashion creators helped surge the trend by sharing their favorite styles, like the viral skirt from Chopova Lowena. Now, fashion enthusiasts are embracing the timeless design and tapping into the full academia look, with the skirt as the essential piece. It’s also the perfect piece to take from summer to fall and pair with cardigan sweaters and knee-high boots.
Whether you’re already fully into the trend or just getting ready to head back to school (so to speak) and this is your first time perusing, we've rounded up the best pleated skirts. There are faux leather variations, cotton knit options, and even shiny satin items along with minis, midis, maxis, eye-catching handkerchief hems, high-low options, and even ones with side cutouts. It's your turn to find the perfect option for you.
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Free People Honey Pleated Skirt, $, available at Free People
According to antiquated fashion rules none of us should subscribe to, there are some colors combinations that should never be worn together. Navy blue and black, for example, are often regarded as ugly because (gasp!) they look too similar. Or, purple and green, which is often compared to a certain TV fictional dinosaur who insists we’re a happy family. Yet no color combo is more villanized than pink and red.
It’s the signature combo of Valentine’s Day, with millions of cheesy cards, giant plush toys, and chocolate boxes bearing the scarlet-and-blush combo, all exchanged by people wearing some version of this two-tone formula in the name of love, friendship, and a possible Tinder date.
Despite it being a color combo that everyone loves to hate, it has long captivated the fashion zeitgeist, with designers and celebs giving the Strawberry Shortcake-approved combination some justice. Back in 2017, Emma Roberts wore a red gown with a pink fur stole by Diane von Fürstenberg to the Met Gala. Later, in 2019, celebs, including Mandy Moore in Brandon Maxwell and Taraji P. Henson in Vera Wang, made headlines for wearing pink-and-red outfits at the Emmy Awards, while, in this year, Chloe Fineman wore a bright pink-and-red dress to to premiere of HBO Max’s Father Of The Bride, while Olivia Rodrigo sported a pink-and-red houndstooth dress from Versace for a 2022 Met Gala after party. For spring and fall 2022, even more designers seem keen on giving the color combo their definite stamp of approval — shushing the haters once and for all.
Take, for example, the Giambattista Valli spring 2022 lineup, which included a white feather dress featuring pink and red embellishments, paired with crimson sunglasses. Then, there was Portuguese brand Marques’ Almeida, which showed a brighter version of the color combo, in the form of a poplin, asymmetrical pink dress with an attached crossbody red sleeve, as well as a pink slip dress with a scarlet button-down shirt underneath.
Meanwhile, Blumarine showcased a pre-fall 2022 collection full of red-and-pink looks. A light pink stretchy dress with an asymmetrical hemline was paired with shiny red boots, while the reverse happened in a separate outfit. There were also red sweaters, paired with pink cargo pants (yes, the type that Regina George would approve of for Wednesdays!), as well flower chokers and fluffy bags in the color palette. And there’s nothing gimmick-y or juvenile about this full-fledged berry embrace. Then, there’s also the proliferation of Barbiecore, which blossomed thanks to Valentino’s fall 2022 collection, in which the brand showcased a lineup of head-to-toe bright pink looks, making pink a must-have color this year.
While the long-standing rule for colorblocking used to be that opposing shades in the color wheel (think: blue and orange or green and purple) were the best way to mix shades, brands and consumers are waking up to the idea of contrasting sister shades. And we’re realizing that we’ve been wasting time following unspoken rules for the sake of appearances.
To get in on this trend (and skip all the rules!), wear one garment that blends the both colors, as opposed to pairing two separate, contrasting pieces for a more minimalist look. Or, better yet, go with a monochrome red look with subtle hints of pink — be it a Y2K-ready flower choker or dainty rose sandals.
Get ready for the pink-and-red takeover with the styles below.
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Data suggests that that’s starting to change: Searches for black-and-white diamond engagement rings doubled over the past month, according to Google, while queries for black wedding ring sets increased by 130% over the same period. What’s prompting this? While black has often been more associated with funeral ceremonies, it’s slowly become an accepted color for wedding dresses, with more brides choosing to sport the dark hue on their walk down the aisle, including celebrities like Christine Quinn and Chloe Sevigny. So, it’s only natural that the color is now appearing on the ring finger, with gemstones like onyx, as well as black diamonds, getting their own time in the spotlight.
Ahead, take a look at some of the options that will make you reconsider the classic diamond ring.
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Three-Stone Ring
Three-stone rings have become one of the most popular types of engagement rings in the past few years. Adding a single black stone is a surefire way to keep tradition.
Black Onyx Engagement Ring
Go for floral-shaped side stones for a non-traditional look.
Onyx Three-Stone Ring
Who said three-stone rings need to be uniform?
Emerald Cut & Pavé Ring
Let the black stone be the star (with an added shimmer, just in case!).
Reversible Onyx Ring
A ring made for those who get bored easily.
Single-Stone Onyx Ring
If black stones seem too out-of-the-box, keep things simple.
Sphere Ridge Ring
Chunky rings may be a fashion trend, but this ring shows just how classic the style can be.
Flower-Shaped Engagement Ring
Flowers? On an engagement ring? Truly groundbreaking.
Marquise Ring With Black Diamonds
Sometimes adding black details is all you need to forgo tradition.
Black Diamond Thorn Engagement Ring
A ring fit for a Game of Thrones fan.
Oval-Shaped Onyx Ring
Oval-shaped rings are a big trend right now, so switching a traditional diamond for a black stone is a good option to break from the pack.
Oval Black Diamond Engagement Ring
While black center stones may be considered non-traditional, adding diamonds on the halo and setting keeps the shimmer intact.
Solitaire Ring
Sometimes all you need is simplicity.
Inverted Princess Cut Ring
A vintage-looking ring will ensure it remains a generational heirloom.
Double Spiral Diamond Ring
Not into bridal-looking rings? Play with shape and color instead.
Pear-Shaped Onyx Ring
For fans of pear-shaped diamonds, just switch the center stone for a black onyx.
Three-Stone Black Pavé Ring
If black is your color, you can go for both center stones and pavé in the dark hue.
Super Nova Black Diamond Ring
Add an edge with a wavy gold setting.
Fusion Wave Large Black Diamond Ring
If you want to keep your diamond engagement ring, this one’s a good option to add as a wedding band.
Blackened White Gold Diamond Ring
For lovers of minimal jewelry, a black diamond band still adds some sparkle without looking bridal.
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Alyssa Hardy is a freelance writer for InStyle, Fashionista, Glossy and more. She has previously worked as a fashion editor at Teen Vogue. She is also the author ofWorn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins, which covers the labor rights movement in the fashion industry. You can follow her newsletter “This Stuff”here.
For many influencers and celebrities, a rite of passage into the fashion world is not hitting a million followers or gaining a certain amount of likes on their outfit photos. It is when they are branded; stamped and approved by a designer logo. In 2018, Kylie Jenner solidified her status as fashion elite by donning Fendi’s head-to-toe Zucca print outfit and a $12,500 matching baby carrier, provided by the brand. Others, like Emma Chamberlain, do it in subtler ways, by representing the designer they are working with as ambassadors by carrying logo-clad bags and wearing outfits that flash a quaint but visible name (in Chamberlain’s case, Louis Vuitton). It’s a marketing move that works both ways: The brand gets a new audience, and the influencer gets luxury approval.
It also makes the rest of us clamor for the same association.
In my book Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins, I wanted to highlight the relationship between logomania, influence, and consumption. I found that this seemingly simple part of the fashion ecosystem contributes to a global crisis in ways that are so hidden, they are easy to overlook if you don’t look. That’s because on a larger scale our logo obsession is the catalyst for a multi-billion dollar market of watered-down trends and cheap copies — and workers around the world are the ones who have to deal with the fallout.
Our need to consume clothing stamped with recognizable names is often driven by our desire to belong and to be seen a certain way which extends far beyond the luxury pieces themselves and drives fast trends, dupes, and counterfeiting. As the luxury accessory market is set to grow to 85 billion dollars, according to Statista, the counterfeit market will grow just as fast. A recent article on Buzzfeed highlighted an emerging trend on TikTok in which creators explain why they are turning to dupes. Brett Staniland, a model, told the outlet, “I don’t care that this is fake because I deserve to wear clothes that look good and make me feel good and celebrated regardless of whether they’re real or not.”
The general sentiment seems to be that buying fakes or fast fashion dupes is about sticking it to an inaccessible brand. The logic misses the fact that counterfeiting and cheap fast fashion dupes are only possible because workers are not paid their fair share and are often subject to horrific working conditions. Worn Out lays out different scenarios in which workers are abused and paid well below legal wages for creating these goods. In one instance, for example, a person running a workshop for counterfeit goods was arrested for abduction of the workers. Some of them were pregnant or children.
Why, then, should our need to fit into a specific aesthetic dictated to us by brands outweigh the problems this cycle causes?
As long as we prioritize access to trends over the protection of people, there will be a market for copies and incentive for the unfair labor practices used to create them. The issue comes when we look at accessibility in fashion from a hyper-individualized perspective. There is nothing morally superior about having access to a trend or brand at a lower price when the reason it’s cheaper is that the people who made it were mistreated, underpaid, and more. It’s natural to want to own something that you like, and it’s valid to feel that it’s unfair that some can buy in while others have to watch from afar. But, we need to rethink why we feel a logo is a marker of a certain level of success, and raise awareness about what it really means when we decide we have to haveit no matter the consequences for others.
Alyssa Hardy’s Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins is out on September 27. You can buy ithere.
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