Carly Cushnie — the designer behind Cushnie, a beloved fashion brand that was forced to close down during the pandemic — is back thanks to a partnership with swimwear brand Summersalt. Available starting today, COLLECTION is a line of summer-ready bikinis and one-pieces with a focus on luxury fabrics and high fashion silhouettes. Oh, and every piece is made with recycled materials.
The two design teams created a total of four swimsuit styles — two bikinis and two maillots — in three nature-inspired colors — driftwood, limestone, and canyon. Also included in the capsule are five crochet cover-ups, ranging from sarongs to halter dresses. The collection is available now in sizes 2 to 22, and ranges in price from $70 to $145.
“I worked with [the Summersalt] team to design silhouettes in sumptuous recycled fabrics in sparkling earth tones with intricate braiding detail, that feel great on the body and perfect to soak up the sun all summer long,” Cushnie told Refinery29 ahead of the launch. It was the designer’s attention to detail and craftsmanship that drew Summersalt’s team to Cushnie. “Carly’s designer eye paired with her sense of shape and form shine through in the collections’ handcrafted accents on some of our best-selling silhouettes,” says Lori Coulter, Summersalt’s co-founder and CEO. For Cushnie, it was the brand’s dedication to sustainability that led her to work with Summersalt. “Their commitment to making goods sustainably while maintaining the integrity of the fit function and design is paramount and really spoke to me,” she says.
This isn’t the first time the two partnered up. In May, Cushnie starred in Summersalt’s Every Body Is A Summersalt Body campaign, alongside DJ Hannah Bronfman, soccer players Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, Special Olympian Chelsea Wener, and 19 other women across a variety of different careers.
Shop COLLECTION by Summersalt below and on summersalt.com.
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Everyone’s favorite ugly sandal brand is getting the Jil Sander treatment. On Thursday, Birkenstock released a collaboration with the luxury fashion house, and it includes new takes on the footwear company’s most popular styles.
“We have worn Birkenstocks for as long as we can remember,” said Jil Sander creative directors, Lucie and Luke Meier, in a press release. “However the quality and integrity of Birkenstock is what convinced us to work with them.”
Taking the already existing styles — the Arizona, Berlin, and Milano — Jil Sander infused its elevated luxury aesthetic in the form of exaggerated silhouettes and rounded, wider outsoles and thicker straps. All to say: These are not your mom’s gardening Birkenstocks. There is also a new model called “Velan,” the Birkenstock answer to ballet flats which features wrap-around straps on the brand’s recurrent closed-toe style.
Although this is the first time the two companies have partnered, they are not strangers to the collab world. Jil Sander has brought its luxe touch to Uniqlo, dropping two capsule collections of elevated basics. Meanwhile, Birkenstock has partnered with some of the biggest names in fashion, from Rick Owens and Proenza Schouler to Valentino.
“We chose to work with Jil Sander, believing in the new interpretation of Lucie and Luke Meier,” said Birkenstock’s CEO in a press release. “Together we achieved what we always strive for — real newness and product innovation.”
The collection is now available to shop on jilsander.com, 1774.com, and mytheresa.com exclusively for one week, and starting July 8 at selected retailers and Jil Sander stores.
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The party playlist is queued, the Aperol spritzes ready to be poured, and the plans set in stone — now all that’s left to do before heading out for the long weekend is pick out an outfit (or a few, depending on your plans). Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially after a year-plus being out of the game. Do people still wear square-toe boots in the summer? Are midi slip dresses the ultimate nighttime frock? Can we wear a Nap dress to go dancing?
Yes, not necessarily, and, with the right shoes, absolutely, for those wondering about the triad above. But putting together the perfect going-out outfit extends beyond that. Which is why we thought it best to give you a refresher on the best party looks for summer, be it cowboy boots paired with lingerie-style slips or naked dresses styled with strappy sandals. And it’s all summed up in the 20 slides ahead, where we curated Instagram’s best going-out ‘fits.
Find one to recreate during the forthcoming holiday weekend, ahead.
This is the universe telling you to go out and buy a skort.There's nothing we love more than a naked dress.More tiny dress content, please!Someone's excited about Euphoria Season 2 (so are we!).What did we say about Nap dresses and heels?Match your going-out top with the bathroom at your late-night destination.Sure, linen doesn't scream party, but, with this silhouette, we're down to give it a try on our next night out.Crinkle cut baby dress, feather tiny purse, lace-up sandals — this look really does have it all.Big boots + little dress = the ultimate summer confidence booster.It's the tiny green bag for us.It's a cargo pants-and-crop top kind of summer.Every tiny patterned dress needs a tiny patterned purse to go with it.When in doubt, bring your Telfar bag.Spotted: Christopher John Rogers x Target out in the wild.The whale tail is back, and it's coming to a party near you.Not into the whale tail? Try this visible thong look instead.A lesson on styling your OV Athena dress with something other than sneakers.It's 2021, but you wouldn't know it from this Y2K 'fit.This mesh moment deserves some serious attention.Nothing says party like an extra-high slit.
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And within that world, a specific trend has emerged: archival fashion — pivotal pieces in fashion history, such as Vivienne Westwood’s corset, Raf Simons’ bomber jacket, and early 2000s John Galliano-designed Dior. This isn’t just any old vintage shopping. These are pieces that have helped solidify designer careers and are highly sought after. Though wily collectors long knew to sniff out archival pieces, more and more casual shoppers are joining their ranks. Increasingly, they’re broadcasting their finds on TikTok using #ArchiveFashion.
Over the last two years, the Gen Z-beloved platform has allowed budding fashion archivists and fans of fashion history to find a community where they can learn, trade tips, and show off their closets. Unlike marketplaces like eBay, TikTok allows users to have a direct line to interact with each other in a candid way. As a result, the #ArchiveFashion tag has over 14 million views. Whether it’s sharing knowledge about archival fashion (i.e. rare Prada bags from the 1990s) or showing viewers where to find pieces, what to buy, and why to buy them, archival fashion enthusiasts have built a thriving community on the platform.
Twenty-three-year-old Landon Annoni is leading the pack, with over 94,000 followers. The Californian collects and archives fashion from musicians and pop culture icons. It all started when Annoni bought his first archival piece in the year 2016: a chiffon horse-printed top that Stevie Nicks wore during the Buckingham Nicks tour, as well as on Fleetwood Mac’s first tour with Lindsey Buckingham in 1975. Since then, Annoni has collected the Gareth Pugh costume that Lady Gaga wore to the 2013 Artpop album release party and the dress that Harris Reed made for Harry Styles’ Vogue cover shoot, among others.
“All the pieces I have are one-of-a-kind, and [as] there are over 15,000 outfits I have amassed, I can’t even choose a favorite,” says Annoni. “The video that people have reacted to the most would be the BTS ‘Life Goes On’ music video outfits! The BTS Army was flipping out that I owned those. They were so happy to see they were being taken care of, which made me feel good about what I do.”
Annoni started posting on TikTok purely to share how he was archiving clothing, but he has since found a niche community eager to have conversations about the craft of collecting. “There are definitely TikTokers that archive some amazing couture pieces,” he says. “TikTok is different from any other platform because they push [your content] to certain audiences to fit what you do. You get to meet and interact with new people every day, which I really enjoy.”
Fellow collector and Sacramento, California resident Ryan Kwong, 26, posts videos featuring pieces from his closet including Haider Ackermann FW14 reversible silk bombers, Raf Simons AW17 disturbed knit cardigans, and Balenciaga FW17 square-toe harness boots.
“Instagram was failing me as a platform, and honestly, I just wanted to have fun posting content without feeling the pressure of being conventionally ‘cool,’” says Kwong, who runs his own fashion brand.
For many, posting about archive fashion is deeply personal, as content creators tell stories about what they wear and why. Ari Avi, 27, a retail buyer from New York, posts videos of some of her most treasured pieces, from brands like Simone Rocha, Comme des Garcons, and Undercover. In one of her videos, she wonders aloud if what she does counts as “archiving” or simply “being a shopaholic.”
“Like many others during the pandemic, I was completely consumed by TikTok,” she explains. “I was mostly watching funny videos with nostalgic references and cooking, and I barely saw fashion videos. If I did, it wasn’t quite my same wavelength.”
In the early days of the pandemic, Avi remembered looking up hashtags for Undercover and Sacai on TikTok, but only finding sneakers rather than runway-focused content. Later, a video about Japanese designer label Hysteric Glamour showed up on her For You Page (TikTok’s version of the Explore or Discover page), and it inspired her to post a Comme des Garçons one.
Part of the appeal of archive fashion on TikTok is that it’s educational. There aren’t very many platforms where you can hear people who buy unique fashion pieces talking about them casually and in such an open way — many of these people say how much they paid or how they found these pieces, embodying a transparency that was until recently unheard-of in the world of collecting.
“Initially, I just wanted to share my collection because I’m really passionate about it… but as I posted more videos, more people started asking me questions and I thought, I can use my platform to help others develop their own collections,” she explains. Avi often talks about where and when she bought things, and tries to encourage others to search on the secondhand market for pieces they love — often without having to pay the original retail prices.
“It took me around eight years to curate my collection, which may be surprising to some, but it really takes time to find the right pieces,” she says. “My mom always told me patience is a virtue, but I never thought it would apply to finding vintage Prada.”
Londoner Millie Adams, 23, who runs Studded Petals Vintage, posts items she sells, from knee-high Dior boots to Versace Fall 1994 leather jackets, as well as finds she intends to keep for her personal archive. Her most viral video (780k views) is of her unveiling a 1980s Christian Dior wedding dress (which she bought when she was “very, very single”). The rarest piece in her collection is a museum-quality 1988 Vivienne Westwood gold corset.
“I’ve always had a love of high fashion and especially appreciate pieces from the ‘90s, so getting into the vintage resale business was a natural progression and a great way to fulfill my love of these items without hoarding just for myself,” Adams reasons. “I love to share my rare finds with everyone and I love knowing they’re going to other fans of archive fashion.”
For some, archive fashion is a way to interact with other fans around the world who they wouldn’t necessarily encounter in real life. Avi even connected with a childhood friend she once went on a cruise with and a neighbor who turned into a great friend on the platform.
“In the beginning, I didn’t see very many TikTok creators [focused on archive fashion], but after I started posting, the For You Page showed me so many different people worldwide with amazing collections and style,” she says. “Before, I wasn’t really trying to show off my collection on Instagram, I was just wearing my clothes. On TikTok, however, I wanted to fill a gap in content I hadn’t really seen, and wanted to show a different facet of fashion.”
At the end of the day, the fact that an item is rare or designer is beside the point. “The outfits are often outrageous, memorable, and larger-than-life,” says Annoni. “Connecting an outfit to a specific song or point in your life and being able to own and hold it is a feeling I cannot describe.”
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