On Thursday, Ivanka Trump hit up one of her usual haunts, the Oval Office, to witness the signing of a new technology bill. As the Trump family does little without the presence of a camera, Ivanka posed ever so stiffly for a photo that invited immediate comparisons to another authoritarian regime. She wore a teal pussy-bow dress in the same shade and silhouette as those worn by the wives of commanders in Gilead, the fictional dystopian version of the United States that exists in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name.
Soon after Ivanka posted the photo on her personal Instagram, Diet Prada followed suit, though the notorious fashion canceller didn’t stop at just that one photo. They added a selection of comparison images that portrayed just how eerily close in style and color Ivanka’s dress was to those worn by the show’s star wife Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). Diet Prada even went as far as to describe the shade as “Gilead blue.”
The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a zealously conservative and religious regime where powerful men called commanders control everything: women, reproduction, the food supply, thought, capital punishment, religion, and more. Commanders are assigned handmaids to bear their children; they rarely reproduce with their wives due to infertility (which is always blamed on the woman). Handmaids, clad in fiery red, represent sinful carnality and impersonal breeding vessels, who bring children into the world through ritualized rape ceremonies. Serena Joy is married to Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), one of the most prominent leaders in Gilead. She wields his status like a weapon, especially because she also had a hand in crafting the regime. Serena Joy was once a well-regarded public speaker. Now, she’s relegated to the domestic sphere, cooing over other wives’ babies as she yearns for her own.
It’s debatable whether Serena Joy has truly realized the error of her — and Gilead’s — ways in later seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, but she’s curried far more viewers’ favor than Ivanka has in the real world. “Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, there are no writers that can offer Ivanka a redemption arc like they gave Serena Joy, the anti-feminist First Lady of Gilead who came to represent cowardice and complicity,” Diet Prada captioned the Instagram slideshow.
Unfortunately, while the similarities between the two dresses are certainly apparent to anyone who’s watched the show, it’s unlikely that Ivanka gave the outfit a second thought. According to Footwear News, this isn’t even the first time she’s worn the long-sleeved, ankle-length dress. She first debuted it in September at an election event in Pennsylvania. Though the First Daughter and apple of her dad’s eye probably wasn’t trying to conjure thoughts of Gilead, we’ll accept Diet Prada’s comparisons. The damage her father has done during his administration is a chilling reminder of Gilead’s controlling regime. But, blessed be the fruit, Trump’s reign will be over in a month, and we will no longer be under his eye.
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At this point, it shouldn't surprise you that dad trends are on the rise. Last year, we saw Hawaiian shirts, chunky sneakers, and Bermuda shorts — all of which were previously considered "lame" — make an appearance on the runways at fashion week and the street style parade outside. But the trend didn't stop there. The latest dad-inspired silhouette to get the style treatment? Sweater vests.
From Louis Vuitton and Coach to Tory Burch and The Row, so many designers are embracing the sweater vest this season. And the 2020 iteration doesn’t look anything like the ones stored in your dad's closet. The new sweater vest ranges from edgy to dainty, cropped to oversize; there’s really no end to the colors, fits, and styles you can choose from. So while you run the risk of showing up to dinner in the same look as your middle-aged father, at least you'll be doing so in style.
Ahead, see how designers incorporated sweater vests into their spring '21 collections and shop our favorite options that are available now.
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. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Louis Vuitton
Paired with baggy trousers, a collared shirt, and a big belt, this sweater vest is the perfect stolen-from-dad ensemble, except unlike your father's look, it has Nicolas Ghesquière's stamp of approval. Photo: Peter White/Getty Images.
Dries Van Noten Intarsia Merino Wool Tank, $, available at Net-A-Porter
FP Beach Donna Sweater Vest, $, available at Free People
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen can do no wrong, so when they say sweater vests are cool, they mean it. Pair yours with extra slouchy jeans or slacks for a comfy, chic look that's perfect for your next Zoom meeting.Photo Courtesy of The Row.
Acne Studios Ribbed Knit Vest, $, available at Acne Studios
The Series NY Granny Tank Custom, $, available at The Series NY
Coach
When stealing a look from dad, you might as well go full send by pairing your favorite kitschy sweater vest with a trench coat and Birkenstocks à la Coach.
Daisy Street Oversized Sweater Vest, $, available at ASOS
This story was originally published on September 24, 2020.
In September, Lily Collins took to Instagram to announce her engagement to Charlie McDowell, the film director who Collins has been dating since last summer. “I’ve been waiting my lifetime for you and I can’t wait to spend our lifetime together,” the Emily In Paris star wrote alongside a three-part slideshow of the proposal, which, it appears, McDowell performed mid-hike. The third photo shows a close-up of the show-stopping ring, a cushion-cut set on a yellow gold bezel band. McDowell also posted a photo — in which Collins is smiling while showing off her new jewelry — with the caption: “In a time of uncertainty and darkness, you have illuminated my life. I will forever cherish my adventure with you.”
According to Andrew Brown, the CEO of WP Diamonds, Collins’ ring features a 2-to-3 carat morganite center stone, “set in a diamond halo with a brushed yellow gold setting.” The stone itself is a cushion-cut, meaning that it has a “square or rectangular outline with rounded corners,” says another gem expert, Elizabeth Doyle of estate jewelry store Doyle & Doyle. But what’s perhaps more newsworthy than the popular stone shape is what it’s crafted out of. In the last few years, we’ve seen more and more jewelry designers embrace morganite as an affordable, yet nonetheless stunning alternative to diamonds. Morganite is a pink semi-precious stone in the beryl family, which also houses aquamarines and emeralds. Morganite gemstones have a high clarity rating, and, unlike diamonds, they won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Dare we continue?
After spending far too much time admiring Collins’s ring, we rounded up 13 morganite engagement rings that are similarly stunning. Click ahead to see her ring and maybe bookmark one of your own.
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. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.Click through for a close-up.
Angara Prong-Set Cushion Morganite Solitaire Ring, $, available at Angara
David Yurman Châtelaine® Ring with Morganite & Diamonds in 18K Rose Gold/11mm, $, available at Saks Fifth Avenue
Yi Collection Morganite And Black Diamond Ring, $, available at Olivela
Topshop, one of the buzziest stores of the last decade, has become the latest COVID casualty — and the one that hurts the most. This week, it was announced that the besieged Arcadia group, which also owns Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Miss Selfridge, and Burton, had gone into administration, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. A decade ago, the idea that Topshop, the jewel in Arcadia’s crown, could be on the brink of collapse would have been unimaginable.
But somewhere along the way, Topshop lost its luster. The 90,000-square-foot Oxford Street emporium that was once the beating heart of London fashion, synonymous with cutting-edge clothes that could be worn by those both in and out of the industry, became just like any other fast fashion store, peddling unremarkable designs in cheap, disposable fabrics. My generation, once outfitted in head-to-toe Topshop, began to move onto fashion-forward, mid-range brands like & Other Stories or Ganni, while younger Gen Zers flocked to online retailers like ASOS and Boohoo, which had eclipsed Topshop with their ruthlessly low prices, rapid turnover, and savvy influencer marketing strategies.
At the start of the pandemic, Arcadia’s cancellation of over £100 million ($135 million USD) worth of clothing orders from suppliers in some of the world’s poorest countries did nothing to cast the brand in a favorable light. In an age of more mindful consumption, it became hard to justify shopping at Topshop with knowledge of Green’s tax avoidance and short-changing of pensioners, while leading a champagne-soaked lifestyle of private jets and superyachts. Yet, despite Topshop’s dramatic fall from grace, its collapse is tinged with sadness for millennials like me who grew up during its heyday. For those of us who came of age in the early noughties and 2010s, Topshop was our entry point into fashion. It was the go-to destination once we outgrew Tammy Girl’s sparkly slogan tees, through which we could envision a life for ourselves beyond the humdrum of suburbia.
“Topshop was always on the horizon as the first place I ever wanted to buy clothes,” says Anna Loo, who works in publishing. “I feel like it was a gateway for pre-teens to discover your own style and it was where you shopped for the first time when your parents stopped buying your clothes. I used to go to the one in Cabot Circus in Bristol and that was like a classic weekend event with friends. We’d get on the train — it was only 15 minutes from Bath — and it was always so exciting to see what new stock they’d have.”
Topshop democratized glamour and style by making runway trends available at accessible prices to fashion-obsessed teens like me, who spent hours pouring over runway photos on the now-defunct style.com. It also gave us iconic designer collaborations which have become the stuff of fashion lore, from Christopher Kane’s grungy, grommet-studded 2009 collection to Kate Moss’ many sell-out lines, which saw scores of young women queue outside the flagship store for hours (the one-shoulder buttercup-yellow chiffon dress can still be found on eBay).
“Up until the age of 15 or 16 I thought it was just the epitome of aspirational cool,” says fashion writer Rosalind Jana. “This was the point where they’d just begun doing collaborations with young designers like Preen and the late Richard Nicoll. The Christopher Kane one is still particularly memorable. I was a big part of the fashion blogging community as a teenager and every single blogger was wearing either the studded minis or that tunic with the aggressive crocodile face.”
“I just think Topshop represents the kind of first foray into adult fashion for so many girls,” says Loo. “I think for a lot of people, Topshop will have been such a big part of their lives. It will be sad to see it go.”
“When I was at that age when Topshop was at its biggest, you would have thought that they would be untouchable,” says Kerntiff. “So even though it’s probably been a long time coming, it still feels like the end of an era.”
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