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Thursday, October 31, 2024

I Wear-Tested Dolce Vita’s New Extra Wide Calf Boots — And They’re Good

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If there is one thing I’ve learned in all my years as a plus-size influencer, it’s that all wide-calf boots are not created equal.

I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve been disappointed thinking I finally found a cute pair of boots, only to discover that the purported “wide calf” was an inch or so larger than the standard calf circumference (which is already too small for many shoppers). As someone with 18.5-inch calves, I’m often left with the few boots that actually fit, many of which are outdated, borderline ugly, and, for some reason, always seem to be made of the most unnatural-looking, plasticky fake leather. I don’t want to have to settle, so I’m constantly on the lookout for new options that are wide calf in more than name only.

So, when my influencer friend Gia Sinatra reached out to let me know she was working with a major shoe label to help it develop its wide-calf line, I was instantly intrigued. Gia has great taste (her sexy, trend-forward plus-size fashion label Gia IRL is one of my favorites), so her involvement gave me hope that the new assortment would be comparably cute.

Sinatra consulted with Dolce Vita to expand its wide-calf offering, which was first introduced in August 2023. The standard “wide fit” assortment was designed to fit calf widths from 16 to 19 inches — a range that, while serving many new customers, still ultimately left others out. Dolce Vita acknowledged this, and vowed to expand: It hosted numerous fit testing sessions in its NYC office for the new-and-improved extra-wide range for 18-to-21.2-inch calves.

I attendws a few to see what the styles were looking like. And, from the first pair I tried on, I was impressed. Dolce Vita has built a reputation for great leather and suede boots at an attainable price point, and I was happy to see those materials carry over to its extended sizing.

The first drop focuses on some of Dolce Vita’s best-selling boots, including a sleek mid-heeled western style, a pointy-toe kitten-heeled one, and a water-resistant chunky low-heel silhouette perfect for every day. Since I’d already tried on some of the final samples at the brand’s last fit event in April, I was optimistic about the calves fitting me, but I still needed to wear-test them to confirm how they’d hold up to day-to-day life.

I generally walk a lot— typically about 12,500 steps in a day, or just over 5 miles — so I really put them to the test. I tried the Auggie in Black Leather, the Raj in Dark Brown Suede, and the Ryatt in Silver Distressed Leather in my usual shoe size. My thoughts on each ahead. (Spoiler alert — they’re really good.)

Dolce Vita Auggie Boot, $250

Tall, sleek leather boots have enduring appeal — the type of wardrobe staple that never truly goes out of style. I’ve been looking for a good wide-calf pair for almost a decade at this point, so this knee-high kitten-heeled one feels like a godsend. I love the clean lines of the boot and the lack of weird, extraneous embellishments. (This is something that’s oddly all too common when it comes to truly wide-calf boots. I can’t even count how many times I’ve found an otherwise great pair but had to pass because of some inexplicable add-on.)

The extra-wide-calf version zips up comfortably on my calves, and there’s even a bit of room to spare — something that feels pretty remarkable after years of having squish my flesh and force too-small boots on with sheer stubbornness and determination. The Auggie has been one of Dolce Vita’s best-sellers across calf sizes, and it isn’t hard to figure out why: The heel height is low enough to be walkable, but still gives a little height and polish to any look. I first wore them with a Tyler McGillivary dress from Nuuly for a Bridal Fashion Week show, and got almost as many compliments on my shoes as I did on the gorgeous statement dress — a true testament to how great they look in person. And when I wore them more casually, they felt comfortable throughout the day. The construction feels sturdy, and my feet felt supported, even though I rarely wear heels.

Dolce Vita Raj Boot, $200

It’s almost as much of a cliche as florals for spring at this point, but that hasn’t stopped suede from being the trend on every fashion girl’s lips this fall. After Coach’s Brooklyn — the It Bag of the season — suede boots are the most sought-after item of the season. So, when I saw the lush dark brown suede option of this Dolce Vita customer favorite, I knew I had to give them a shot.

Just like the Auggie boots, these pared-down Western boots are even better in person. The chocolate brown is a really lovely hue, and the material and thickness of the suede feel comparable to boots that retail for two to four times as much as these.

The footbed on the Auggie was instantly comfortable, but I found that this style took a bit of breaking in. I threw on a thick pair of boot socks and wore them around the house for a few hours before wearing them outside for the first time, and everything felt good from there on out. I loved how they looked with this Abacaxi sweater dress, and I already have a ton more outfit ideas for them in my head.

Dolce Vita Ryatt Boot, $260

Whereas the clean lines of the Raj make it feel almost minimalist, the Ryatt is decidedly not — especially in this shiny, chrome-like silver leather. This isn’t just a “Western” boot: It’s a full-on cowboy boot, detailed stitching and all. And it’s glorious.

This style is a true statement boot, perfect for the “Eras” tour or a night out. But it can also punch up a more laid-back outfit, and looks great peeking out from under a long skirt. And if you’re looking for a little style confidence boost, they’re an absolute compliment-magnet.

The fit on this style is perfect throughout the calf. They zip up with ease, and I appreciate how Dolce Vita tapered the shaft a bit at the ankle to highlight the shape of the leg more (something that’s true of all the styles I tried from this collection). Like with the Raj, these felt tight through the foot when I first put them on. The leather took longer to break in than the few hours I needed for the suede Raj, but, in the end, they were totally wearable. However, if I were ordering these again, I would probably size up a half size to a 9 to skip that breaking-in period altogether.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Jordan Underwood x Universal Standard Is A Size-Inclusive Collaboration Done Right

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At this point, influencer clothing collaborations have become an expected part of the fashion industry. Sometimes, it feels like there’s a brand launching a new one every day. In theory, it’s a good premise — a way to combine the style and creativity of a popular creator and the fit knowledge and economies of scale of an existing company to create something new. In practice, however, it doesn’t always pan out so well: Oftentimes, it ends up being more of a curation or rubber-stamping of styles already in production, and feels more promotional than anything. When the influencers chosen for these collabs all look pretty much the same, it isn’t too surprising when the collections start to blend together, too.

Universal Standard is launching an actually unique, adaptive, truly collaborative collection today with Jordan Underwood (they/he), a fat liberation advocate, model, and artist. The five-style capsule wardrobe is a departure from the size-inclusive label’s usual offerings: The press release promised “the brand’s first-ever fully adaptable collection, deviating from the hyper-femme options popularly offered to the plus-size market.” This is a real gap in an already underserved size range, particularly when it comes to extended plus sizes (generally considered anything over a size 3x/24W).

“I’m so proud to say this process was a true collaboration, finding where my style meets the Universal Standard customer, who also lives a busy full life and needs clothes to support that,” Underwood tells Refinery29. “I was excited about implementing my first-hand experience as a customer into the making of a collection, and the design team and I worked closely from start to finish. We spent hours sourcing fabrics, reviewing potential silhouettes, brainstorming cool details and finishes, discussing colorways…no detail was ignored.”

Underwood was the first person to try on each sample during Universal Standard’s extensive fit process. “It was so important that the clothes fit in the way I envisioned,” they said. “I wanted the tank to have a bit of a crop; the pants to be a bit looser on the legs; the sweatshirt to feel a bit oversized — small adjustments that really made the collection feel like me.”

The multi-hyphenate shared more about how the collaboration came about and what they’re most excited about for this innovative androgynous fashion collection.

When did you first think about doing a clothing collab?
As a model and content creator, I have always used clothes to spread joy, encourage self-love, and express myself. I’m a long-time customer of Universal Standard, and have also worked with the team on social campaigns and modeled in their shoots over the years. I’ve always appreciated the brand’s commitment to the customer, to exceeding the community’s expectations for fashion. So, when Universal Standard approached me about collaborating on a capsule collection, I was beyond words.

While I love fashion and styling, designing my own collection that other people can actually shop — let alone a capsule in the world’s most inclusive size range — was never something I thought I would have the opportunity to do. It’s so rare that a brand recognizes, trusts, values, and celebrates its community in this way. It’s been so much fun collaborating with the Universal Standard team to put my passion for styling and aesthetics to work through a design medium that’s completely new to me! I hope that the joy that filled me through the creation of this collection is felt in the pieces.

What do you think is missing in the fashion industry today?
Access to quality, stylish, well-made, well-fitting plus-size clothing — access to clothing above a size 24, period. We make clothes to fit bodies, we don’t make bodies to fit clothes. That shouldn’t be a controversial statement. Universal Standard shares that same belief, which is why it’s the only brand on the market providing access to premium fashion that actually fits intentionally on every single size.

Jordan x US is designed to give shoppers choice: the choice of fit, the choice of styling, the choice of size. Customers deserve to walk into any store they love and find clothes they want to wear. That’s what we’re pushing for, and why collaborations like this are so vital — they allow all people to not only participate in fashion but make choices in how they participate.

Why Universal Standard for this collaboration?
As a person who has been, at my largest, over a size 30 and who believes deeply in fat liberation — that a person’s size is completely independent of their worth, that fatness is not a moral failing, and that people of all sizes are valuable and deserving of access, safety, and respect — it’s important to me to work with people who share those values and understand that, while we’re working together on a clothing line, this is not, and has never just been, about clothes.

What was the decision-making process for what pieces to include in this capsule?
When we had our first design meeting, I came with a handful of ideas, most of which ended up in the final collection! It was super important to me for the pieces to not only be a representation of my personal style but also be comfortable and functional, because, as a person with a very full and active life, those are the things that I most prioritize when I’m getting dressed every morning.

I’ve worn the pieces from the collection consistently since receiving the final samples. You can even scroll back through my Instagram and peep a couple of posts that caught me in the samples before the launch. Jordan x US was designed to blend my aesthetic and high standards for comfort with Universal Standard’s commitment to quality and fit, so the customer can confidently wear these everyday pieces again and again.

What fit changes did you make in the process, and how was adaptability factored in?
Something that came up a lot in the fit process was the leg size of the garments. It was important to me for the fit of the leg to be more oversized to accommodate folks with different body shapes and proportions. I have a lymphatic disorder called Lipedema that causes non-metabolic tissue to build up in the legs, so finding bottoms that fit me well and comfortably has always been difficult, ever since the onset of my disorder when I was around 13. That’s part of what made this collaboration so special for me: I finally felt like I could support the creation of a product made with bodies like mine in mind.

Though some brands offer plus sizes, many fail to recognize the diversity within the same size. Throughout the collaboration process, my eyes were opened to how obsessed with fit the Universal Standard team is. But with Jordan x US, we wanted to offer something beyond the clothes fitting perfectly — we wanted to make the collection as adaptable as possible, so customers can adjust the clothes to fit exactly the way they want.

Throughout my life, I’ve had to have a lot of my clothes altered because my body shape was different from the standard patterns other brands use to design their clothes. The biggest issue I’ve had with clothes, specifically because I have Lipedema, is with the waist-to-hip ratio, as well as with my leg circumference being larger than the size that would fit my hips and waist. Folks with Lipedema typically don’t have the same tissue build-up on the waist, causing a very significant waist-to-hip ratio. This often makes clothing shopping very difficult, and, in many cases, causes us to size out of clothing lines altogether. With Jordan x US, we’re serving as many people as we can with multi-functional styles that accommodate as many body shapes and sizes as possible. When designing this collection, we decided to have all of the pieces have a drawstring at the waist, allowing folks to size up to have the leg and hips of the pieces fit looser, but not fall down or necessitate tailoring.

How did you incorporate your personal style into this line?
When I get dressed in the morning, I weigh style, functionality, and comfort equally. I typically wear bright colors because they make me happy, and, obviously, I want pieces in my wardrobe that I can mix and match and wear a million times. I wanted to make elevated basics that are both fun as individual pieces, but also versatile, because that’s so often what I find lacking when I’m looking for clothes in my size.

It’s very rare to see a visibly plus-size person helming a clothing collaboration, let alone someone not presenting femme. What do you think this representation will mean for the community?
To be completely honest, while I do believe in the power of representation on an individual level, what I hope this collection offers people is resources for self-expression, whatever that means for them, and maybe a possibility model for folks to live authentically as whoever they are and however they choose to show up in the world. When I was a fat, queer kid, even more than representation, I needed access — access to clothes that were age-appropriate, to clothes that allowed me to explore my gender presentation, to clothes that fit me, that allowed me to be me.

Representation is limited. I’m one person, and I can’t represent everyone. I can only show up as myself, as authentically as I can, which is something that I strive to do every day. And I do hope that that inspires people to do the same. And I hope that, one day, these systems of oppression are dismantled and that we no longer have to beg for representation, because it’s just the reality that we all deserve to be seen and heard (and clothed).

Ultimately, my opportunity to do this collab was only possible because of the incredible work and advocacy of the fat, queer fashion icons who came before me. I hope that I’m making those people — many of whom I’m lucky to call my friends — proud.

Who do you envision wearing your collab?
Anyone and everyone who feels that these pieces can represent a little piece of who they are!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Rihanna & Her Sons Shine Bright In Savage X Fenty Holiday Campaign

All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission.

The holidays have come early, because Rihanna has gifted us with her and her family’s presence in Savage x Fenty’s new campaign. The singer rarely puts her children, RZA and Riot, in the spotlight, but when she does, they never fail to shine bright … well, you know the rest! Modeling the brand’s first-ever family onesies for its new holiday collection, the trio look cute and cozy.

In a new Instagram post featuring her cuddling family, Rihanna captioned it: “Yea I know! We are officially one of those families that match for the holidays.”

The new iterations of the bestselling Forever Savage Hooded Onesie are available in several festive prints — like the Holly Daze Print pictured above — as well as several size ranges — from adult to baby — to help dress the whole family for the holidays. And Savage x Fenty rewards members can shop them today.

‘Tis the season for holiday gifting, so Savage X Fenty’s full holiday collection will be released on November 1. In addition to the onesies, you can expect to find curated lounge sets, new flannel and satin pajama styles, and fluffy slippers that you can cart up and box up for your friends, family, or yourself!

The collection’s pieces will range between $12.95 and $79.95. So if you’ve been searching for under-$100 holiday gifts, this is your chance to shop for everyone on your list in one place.

Shop all Savage x Fenty

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Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Free People Movement Is Your One-Stop Holiday Shop: 21 Gifts Under $100

It’s truly never too early to start holiday shopping, and Free People — more specifically, FP Movement — can be your one-stop shop for all the fitness buffs and cozy connoisseurs in your life.

The Refinery29 reader-favorite retailer has a gift shop full of athleisure essentials, lounge styles, and activewear accessories, many of which are priced under $100. Whether it’s a $98 fleece sweatshirt, $50 slides, or a $20 ribbed beanie, we’re sure anyone on your list would be ecstatic to receive any of the Free People gifts this holiday season. (Also, a FP Movement gift card will always delight your giftee.)

Ahead, peruse the best under-$100 gifts worth carting up at Free People this holiday season.

All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission.

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