When it comes to the business of being Katy Perry, over-the-top always trumps subtlety. And who could blame her? As a global pop star and continuous risk-taker on the Met Gala red carpet, her career has called for her to embrace fashion in a quirky, fun way, which only few can pull off with that much confidence. Therefore, one can only imagine how her personal style, say, heightens while performing for a huge crowd. Last night, the singer performed in Adelaide, Australia, for her Witness world tour, and she continued her theatrical aesthetic by choosing a cheeky ensemble that recalled one of her biggest smash singles to date.
Performing on stage with her backup singers in tow, Perry wore flowy checkered pants with a belted, ruffled waistline. But it was her futuristic top that was the real headliner—she wore a “T.G.I.F”-inspired crop top, which was illuminated by a flashing video screen. (Talk about high-tech fashion.) It was surely a nod to “Last Friday Night,” her hit single about Friday night debauchery. She accessorized the look with sporty white sneakers, which were perfect for maneuvering the stage.
In 2016, Kanye West took to his (then active) Instagram account and posted an image of his matte silver Mercedes-Maybach, and matching Rolls-Royce vehicles. While the post seemed to present the opulence of West’s lifestyle, it was a message in how the artist views fashion—and last night, the musician did it again with wife Kim Kardashian West, where he matched her wardrobe with his vehicles in Los Angeles. As the duo enjoyed a kids-free evening, Kardashian West matched their ride, the matte silver Rolls-Royce, like a futuristic Barbarella in a liquid silver skirt.
Kardashian West has often stepped out in sultry, futuristic ensembles—the blingy Balmain she wore to the 2016 Met Gala, or teasing out pieces from her husband’s Yeezy line in Calabasas and Tokyo—but last night’s approach married a directional touch with practical silhouettes. Kardashian West topped her ensemble with a pearlescent, body-skimming bodysuit for subtle shimmer, while the chainmail skirt (reminiscent of the Vetements dress she wore while twinning with daughter North in 2016) was a daring foil. Amping up the date night flavor was an Angelina Jolie-esque slit, while bi-color, ankle-strap stilettos grounded the look with a leg-lengthening effect. Exaggerated The Matrix-style shades finished it off with a fresh alternative to the micro sunglasses trend.
As for West? He was his own canvas and kept things simple in a dad T-shirt, which was offset by paint-splattered jeans. Combat boots of his own design finished the father of three’s outfit with a comfy and tactical approach to low-key date night style.
Angelenos are in luck: James Veloria, the one-year-old, once cult vintage shop turned New York fashion institution, is bringing its incredible selection of vintage to L.A. In April, Collin James Weber and Brandon Veloria Giordano staged a Jean Paul Gaultier pop-up at Opening Ceremony Soho, less than 15 minutes from the hole-in-the-wall shop they maintain in the East Broadway mall, followed two weeks later by a selection of Prada Sport and Miu Miu. It was, according to OC’s fashion director Carol Song, an unqualified success, and now the beloved duo will bring an expanded offering of all three brands to the West Hollywood store.
The pieces hail largely from the ’90s and include many carefully collected sets. Think a Prada Sport tank and matching calf-length skirt cut from a sheeny pink nylon, or a sweet powder blue jacket and baby duffel bag. There are of course plenty of JPG mesh tops, liquid stretch dresses, and a few statement belts. As per James Veloria’s MO, prices are quite reasonable—$150 for a nylon tank or frosted gray Prada sunglasses, $375 for a suede Miu Miu crossbody bag, $225 for a JPG mesh top—save for collector’s items like an ’80s Gaultier blazer with the iconic op art torso print ($1,250).
Photo: Ashley Abtahie and Mary Dickson
The month-long capsule will live in Opening Ceremony L.A.’s Little House, a clapboard cabin that showcases the store’s accessories—fitting, as Giordano notes that the bags take the forefront this time around. Indeed, there is a jaw-dropping assortment: A red gingham Miu Miu backpack that matches a perfect little red check dress, a black Prada Sport nylon tote backed with fur, and plenty of tiny nylon sacs to tuck over the shoulder. New Yorkers are no doubt gnashing their teeth in envy. Get it while you can.
Alexa de la Cruz may be the mysterious blunt-bobbed woman showing up on your favorite Instagram accounts, but this arresting face does much more than make cameos in her designer friends’ lookbooks. After taking online classes and enrolling in a design workshop, the 23-year-old launched an 11-piece line of strikingly simple jewelry this past spring: an asymmetrical donut-like pendant, baroque pearl and tiger bead drop earrings, and a bracelet strung with black agate spheres. If the less-is-more aesthetic feels at odds with the Mexico City native’s at-times frenetic surroundings, she insists they are connected: “Sometimes it’s very chaotic in this city, but then you just look around and everything is so elegant and beautiful with the light that falls.”
Her pieces take more than visual inspiration from the design capital, though, as they’re also made locally. With the help of her engineer husband, De la Cruz first molds her forms on a 3-D printer, before passing them off to a downtown craftsman (and De la Cruz’s mentor), who uses local silver and coral that De la Cruz handpicks on the Mexican coast. From there, she roams the streets, camera in hand, to shoot the objets on her close friends. “It’s more natural for me [than using models],” she says.
This sense of ease sits at the heart of her collection. These are not fussy, Instagram-bait accessories or ones that come with a four-digit price tag. Rather, they are the kind of weighty heirlooms that can be passed down from generation to generation—much like her grandfather’s signet ring. It inspired her first design, the Estalon, which is centered around a circlet of green jade. “It’s a very sentimental piece for me,” she says. “That’s what jewelry is: a treasure of yours.”
Queen Letizia of Spain was spotted earlier today in Majorca, enjoying a summer holiday with her husband King Felipe VI and daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia. And just like Prince William and Kate Middleton did in the French Alps in March 2016, Her Majesty took the opportunity to get in an official photo session. To mark the occasion, Letizia fell back on a familiar name in her wardrobe, Hugo Boss—punctuated with the ultimate summer shoes.
The was completely in character for the monarch: earlier this month, she embraced the white skirt suit (by local designer Felipe Varela) for a military ceremony, while another occasion in July saw her slip into a body-skimming sheath in the same color, also by Boss, to take in audiences at the Palace.
Today’s A-line dress benefited from a built-in belt that enhanced the nipped-in silhouette, while neutral-tone espadrilles by Spanish label Mint & Rose offered a breezy, leg-lengthening finish at a sub-$150 price point.
Princesses Leonor and Sofia complemented their mother in eyelet-trimmed dresses in white and blue, making for a perfectly posh portrait.
Model Frank Nadolny first captured our hearts and Instagram feeds with his wild Y2K look, as well as posing for Zayn Malik’s merch and Alexander Wang. Now, the alt heartthrob can add designer to his résumé. Nadolny and his hometown friend Steve Crispin have launched the micro-label Poser. The pixel-fused tie-dye clothing is a peek into the duo’s hyperactive minds. The pieces come in leggings and shirt sets, in manic hues and prints like nuclear green with highlighter yellow blotches (“It’s a picture of the neurological pathways in the brain,” says Nadolny), while a mouthwash-blue shirt boasts what resembles an apocalyptic firestorm (“an explosion”), and a third shirt is an on-acid smattering of dots (“particles, cosmic particles”). All together, the three designs conjure up into one metaphysical meaning. “It is the events that lead to human life, like the big-bang theory, the particles in the air, and the spinning of planets,” says Nadolny
The launch of Poser came at the perfect time for Nadolny. He had met his design partner, Crispin, a little over three years ago just after graduating high school. According to Nadolny, the two gravitated toward one another being the only “weirdos” in their small desert town of Palmdale, California. “I went to this party and there was this dude with crazy hair and cowboy boots and I started talking to him,” says Nadolny of Crispin. A few months ago, the two were approached by the Los Angeles–based creative collective Other People’s Children (OPC). At the time, Nadolny had been sketching logos and designs on his own, as well as designing and tagging with Crispin. Impressed with their work, OPC helped launched what is now Poser.
Steve Crispin and Frank Nadolny
Photo: Courtesy of Gabbriette Bechtel for Poser
While the label certainly has more of an intergalactic-meets-Zen feel, the materials boast a hard edge. They are manufactured by Newaza, the same company that produces the high-quality gear for ripped fighters in mixed martial arts and jiujitsu, two sports where a flashy, self-expressive athletic uniform is the norm. Poser’s work with Newaza gave the label its first gig: Nadolny and Crispin have designed the uniforms for the U.S. team participating in the United World Wrestling 2018 Grappling World Cup in Kazakhstan that was held this past weekend. (For the uninitiated, the event is the Super Bowl of wrestling.) For Nadolny, while the sports are a bit foreign to him, he considers the fighters to be “just as much artists as anyone else.”
While Nadolny’s new age philosophy on style and his newly launched label is a bit poetic, it’s also poignant. “We believe that style is one of the best ways that people can express themselves. You just do it every single day and you are creating something for people to look at,” says Nadolny. “Every day, you wake up and you paint a picture on yourself with clothes.” Looks like Poser’s clothing might as well be worth a thousand words then.
When Selena Gomez loves a trend, she goes all in—especially when it comes to denim. Though the pop star’s wardrobe is filled with a variety of shades and washes, one cut has emerged as her favorite: the step hem. An early adopter of the look—short in the front, long in the back—Gomez has been spotted wearing it countless times this summer. Whether paired with blouses, oversized sweatshirts, or lacy tanks, the style has allowed Gomez to make even her simplest looks visually interesting.
Yesterday morning in Santa Monica, Gomez demonstrated that by pairing a vintage-inspired AC/DC T-shirt from Brandy Melville with 7 For All Mankind’s Josefina high-waisted jeans and a pair of Balenciaga’s square toe ankle boots. The combination merged several of Gomez’s current obsessions—concert tees, Jennifer Fisher hoops, and luxurious heels—into a cohesive look.
While Gomez’s preferred denim tends to come from premium brands like 7, McGuire, and Re/Done, you don’t have to splurge to get the same effect. A pair of scissors and a little know-how are all that’s required to update an old pair of jeans. It’s a hack worth testing out this summer—and thanks to its built-in boot-friendliness, it will be equally versatile come fall.
Meghan Markle attends celebrations for the Royal Air Force at Westminster Abbey in London in custom Dior (July, 2018).
Photo: Getty Images
Over the past year, Meghan Markle has become synonymous with the boatneck, or the “bateau,” neckline. The Duchess of Sussex first made waves with the classic, clavicle-baring cut at her wedding to Prince Harry this past May, for which she wore a custom Givenchy gown by artistic director Clare Waight Keller. (Fun fact: There was a spike in Google searches for “boatneck” on that very day.) Since then, the newly royal Markle has flashed her collarbone at the majority of her outings, including two back-to-back events in early July: a polished olive dress by Ralph Lauren to Prince Louis’s christening and a black Dior dress to the RAF100 event.
While Markle looks quite elegant in a boatneck dress, the silhouette draws a great deal of criticism. I mentioned it in a team meeting and was met with a collective eye roll. Terms rang out like “dated!” and “old!” I later did some digging with my colleagues to figure out exactly what made the cut so disliked. “Country clubby Waspy!” said Vogue Culture Writer Bridget Read, adding, “It just makes me think of my mom’s late-’80s bridesmaids dresses at her wedding.” Another colleague, who preferred to stay anonymous, flatly noted: “It is a neckline that we haven’t seen in forever. I can’t remember seeing it anywhere,” she said. “It feels ’50s housewife.” True. I searched the Vogue archives and the last time there was even a whisper of the word “boatneck,” it was a shirt sunken into a lone page in 2015. Welp.
Markle wears a custom Givenchy wedding dress by artistic director Clare Waight Keller in Windsor (May, 2018).
Photo: Getty Images
But why should we hate the boatneck so much? It does not fall into that divisive bad-taste-good-taste category, like the wallet chain or thong sandal. The boatneck belongs to prim wardrobes. It first appeared in the pages of Vogue in the ’40s, as vacation garb for upper-crust New England beaches. Fast-forward to the cusp of the millennium: Vogue included a charming orange quarter-length-sleeve boatneck shirt by Petit Bateau in its May 1999 Index. It was titled “Prep Talk” and sat smack-dab next to the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, a summertime icon. For eveningwear, it recalls the polished ’50s—say, Hubert de Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly. (Vogue Senior Fashion Writer Janelle Okwodu said it makes her think of: “French people, Jackie Kennedy, and Oleg Cassini.”) The boatneck is a signifier of old-timey glamour and buttoned-up money, which should translate to positive polish. But it is for those very reasons that the boatneck is not particularly cool or accessible; it may even read as out of touch. It’s marooned in its ivory tower, especially when the world is responding to critical issues with trends like “warcore.”
Markle at the christening of Prince Louis in Ralph Lauren (July, 2018).
Photo: Getty Images
That said, it’s not all bad for the boatneck, at least visually. Its shape is great for the body’s figure. Vogue Culture Editor Alessandra Codinha shared a thought: “I think it is traditionally a very elegant neckline—and it tends to make the waist look smaller, by drawing the eye laterally at the top.” Vogue Market Editor Alexandra Gurvitch likes it, too, but from a modest point of view. “In the church [Markle] got married in, she had to be modest but she subverted it by the boatneck dress,” she wrote, adding, “the neck or clavicle is a woman’s best asset. Nothing more sexy!”
Markle wears a Theory blazer at Cardiff Castle in Wales (February, 2018).
Photo: Shutterstock
All things considered, the duchess is making it work for her and proportion-wise, it makes sense. Plus, Markle is under constant scrutiny, as the royal family dress code dictates how much skin she can show—whether she wears a dress with a semi-sheer bodice in her engagement portrait or shows too much shoulder at an event. The boatneck is a conservative way for the new royal to show some skin. Though, as for whether or not it will make a comeback on the runway? It’s unclear if the Markle sparkle will radiate that far into fashion. But like always, it could be worse, especially when it comes to those Buckingham Palace–mandated dress codes. Vogue Runway Director Nicole Phelps made a strong point: “Boatnecks aren’t as offensive as nude pantyhose.” Boatnecks are, indeed, just the tip of the iceberg.
When designers start working on a new collection, they likely ask themselves, What do women want and need right now? Maybe it’s an optimistic splash of color, or a return to power suiting, or clothes to wear for the resistance. Or maybe it’s stuff that actually comes in their size—something you’d think more brands would address, considering a majority of American women (67 percent, to be precise) wear above a size 14, while most brands stop at 10 or 12. Kaelen Haworth’s new line, Second Sight, nearly doubles that range with pieces in size 00 to 24.
You could say Haworth laid the groundwork for Second Sight when she was designing her first label, Kaelen, which quietly ceased production after Spring 2017. The business mirrored that of many New York designers: She designed four collections per year, dealt with the pressures of runway shows, and was dependent on wholesalers, meaning higher prices and little room to experiment or add extended sizes. Second Sight is practically the inverse of all of that: It’s online-only and direct-to-consumer, offering monthly “editions” of five elegant, softly tailored dresses and blouses, usually for under $500. “Something is changing, and [my former business] wasn’t sustainable,” she says. “Shows were never really my thing, and I’m not sure I ever really needed to do them. I was making clothes for the runway, and I always thought I’d work out [the kinks] afterwards in production, but I never had time. So when the collection got to the retail floor, it wasn’t always the best we could do,” she continues. “And in the age of the Internet, it’s really hard to ask people to look at the same stuff for four months, or to look at something [online] and realize you can’t buy it for another four months. With monthly editions, we’re still designing everything pretty far in advance, but we’re adaptable.”
Adaptable is the key word. When a fabric shipment was delayed for her most recent edition of tops and dresses, Haworth had to swap in an ivory jacquard—and on the fluid, feminine pieces, it worked nicely. Feedback from customers is crucial, too; she’s not necessarily crowdsourcing ideas, but takes every email, Instagram DM, and in-person comment into consideration. “It’s amazing to see how much easier it gets when people give you that [immediate] feedback,” she says. “We’ve been shooting on friends and family and a few people we’ve found on Instagram, so we’re using that as an opportunity to talk. It’s interesting to hear what their challenges are and what they want to see [being offered in their size]. A lot of the girls who model the extended sizes have said, ‘I don’t want to just show my shoulder or my ankles, I want to show other parts of my body.’ We’re hearing what they want instead of assuming what they want,” she adds. “But I think disrupt is the wrong word for it. I want to enable! It should be easier.”
Last night, Kim Kardashian West joined her sisters Kendall and Khloé and momager Kris at a charity poker tournament in Inglewood. Leading the pack was Kardashian West, fresh off her recent date night with husband Kanye and dressed directionally in a skintight bodysuit, PVC jeans, and clear heels.
Kardashian West has tested Matrix-inspired pieces in the past—a leather trench to offset dresses, micro shades with heels. Just on Saturday night, she wore a futuristic metallic bodysuit and high-slit skirt. Last night’s look married these elements. Kardashian West chose a Yeezy-friendly bodysuit (from American Apparel) with spaghetti straps to nod at classic 1990s styling. High-waisted PVC trousers infused the ensemble with a more seductive feel, which Kardashian West played up with translucent sea blue heels. Dior shades designed by Rihanna finished the look.
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