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5 trainer trends that will be everywhere this autumn
5 trainer trends that will be everywhere this autumn
From the office to the gym, trainers are a wardrobe essential. They’re especially key in autumn, when sandal season is long gone but you’re not yet ready to pull on your winter boots. Retro sportswear is having a huge influence on the sneaker scene at the moment, with everything from minimalist styles to bright colours ready to jazz up your new season wardrobe. Here are five essential trainer trends to know about this autumn… 1. Gorpcore 2.0 As the hugely popular ‘gorpcore’ trend evolves, we’re seeing a new wave of sneakers inspired by hiking gear. With mega-grip treads, chunky soles, hiking boot laces and flashes of neon, these high-tech trainers are ideal for rural and urban explorers. Sorel Women’s Kinetic Breakthru Tech Lace Endive/Bleached Ceramic Trainers, £72 (were £120) Merrell Women’s Agility Peak 5 GORE-TEX Non Waterproof Atoll/Cloud Trainers, £170 Columbia Women’s Facet™ 75 Alpha Outdry Lightweight Waterproof Hiking Shoes, £155 2. Run with it “We’ve seen a surge in the popularity of running and trail shoes with brands like On, Salomon and Asics leading the way,” says Drew Haines, merchandising director for sneakers and collectibles at online marketplace StockX. Emerging as part of the ‘ugly’ trainer trend, these styles have had the seal of approval from model Gen Z tastemaker Bella Hadid as well as Rihanna, who wore a pair of red Salomons for her Super Bowl performance. Haines says: “It’s exciting to see these types of shoes blend seamlessly into mainstream sneaker culture – these brands have made running silhouettes a part of everyday fashion.” Asics Gel-1130 White/Birch Trainers, £115 3. High-top heroes Basketball shoes have sat at the crossroads of fashion and sport for decades, with Nike leading the way. According to Threadspy, the brand’s Air Force 1, Air Jordan and Dunk trainers were the top three most-Googled trainers between 2020 and 2023. This season, high-top styles are coming to the fore with classic colour combinations amping up the vintage vibes. Nike Jordan Air 1 Mid Black, £130, JD Sports Gola Classics Men’s Allcourt High White/Moonlight Trainers, £120 4. Soccer silhouettes When even Kim Kardashian declares herself a soccer mum, you know footie fashion has hit the mainstream. “In the year of the Women’s World Cup, soccer-inspired silhouettes are going stronger than ever,” says Haines. “And they’re getting a fresh boost with new versions. Exciting collaborations are also keeping the soccer trend alive and kicking.” Earlier this year, British menswear designer Grace Wales Bonner collaborated with Adidas on a version of the much-loved Samba. Now, Rihanna has reunited with Puma to bring fans her take on the soccer boot-esque Avanti, available in black and silver. Fenty x Puma Avanti VL Unisex Sneakers, £140 5. Quiet luxury Second only to Barbie pink, quiet luxury has been one of the year’s biggest fashion trends, and now footwear brands are getting in on the action. The opposite of gorpcore, these lifestyle trainers are chic, understated, and devoid of loud logos. Choose from neutral hues like black, navy, grey and beige. These minimalist masterpieces will go with just about everything in your autumn wardrobe. Gobi Dim Grey Cashmere Low-Top Trainers, £199 Allbirds Natural Black Women’s Couriers, £115 Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 11 ways to work autumnal wonder at home Why is my teenager sleeping so much? Kate gives a lesson in autumnal power dressing in a green trouser suit
2023-09-28 16:27
Dubai’s Emaar in Talks to Build Housing Projects in Saudi Arabia
Dubai’s Emaar in Talks to Build Housing Projects in Saudi Arabia
Emaar Properties PJSC, the Dubai-based builder of the world’s tallest tower, is exploring opportunities to develop housing communities
2023-09-28 14:50
From princesses to Risky Business: How to avoid overdone costumes this Halloween
From princesses to Risky Business: How to avoid overdone costumes this Halloween
We can all agree that the pigtailed cowgirl or the smudge-faced Joker costume is all a bit overplayed on Halloween. Are they classic? Of course. But creative? No. Each year, planning for Halloween is like preparing for a middle school dance. There’s the overly-enthusiastic people who spend months drafting ideas, buying props, and purchasing outfits until the picture in their head becomes a reality. Then there’s the not-so-thrilled ones, who dread Halloween and leave their look for the last minute. I’m the latter. Still, both groups are guilty of making one simple mistake: reproducing the same characters and costumes, only to find five or six more of the same costume at every Halloween party. While it can seem nearly impossible to think of an original and unique Halloween costume idea, it’s actually very doable. Here’s how to avoid overdone costumes this Halloween. The key is to abstain from “eleventh hour” looks - princesses, Grease-themed outfits, and even the classic Tom Cruise in Risky Business costume. It’s time to retire these iconic characters, even though they often require minimal thought, and consider something unique instead. There’s always the internal dilemma of not wanting your costume to be too obscure, or else no one will know who you are. Nobody wants to receive uncomfortable blank stares and pity nods when asked about their Halloween costume. For example, I was Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Halloween last year. But because I wasn’t packing a blow-up suit underneath my blue track set, not one person guessed who I was, even though I had a blue nose and chewing gum. Depending on how much you care about people recognising your Halloween costume, there are few things to keep in mind so that you appear original on the spooky holiday. Avoiding unnecessary consumption is beneficial to both your wallet and your costume. If you begin by looking for ideas while shopping, you run the risk of purchasing pieces and props that you’ll never wear again. Steer clear of all Halloween-themed stores until you have an idea, and don’t go looking for inspiration in stores that organise their inventory based on typical Halloween characters. Run through your wardrobe. You don’t have to own eccentric clothing or accessories to use something already in your closet. An old blazer, a button-up shirt, and a pair of suspenders are all perfect for a Peaky Blinders-inspired look. Meanwhile, a flowing white dress and cream-coloured headband is the foundation for Florence Pugh’s finale outfit in Midsommar. If there’s absolutely nothing from your personal collection that could work as a Halloween costume, I suggest digging through your local thrift store to find one-of-a-kind items you wouldn’t find on the rack of every other retailer. Plus, you can always add something extra to a character or costume idea to make it more personalised. If you have a favourite film and found an item that can easily become a costume, try to incorporate elements of the movie or character into your costume so that it connects to the overarching theme without being so basic. For example, take the Barbie movie. Director Greta Gerwig’s live-action film prompted a pink fad for the summer, so it’s likely you’ll be spotting many people dressed as the Mattel doll for Halloween this year. While it’s more than fine to be dressed as everyone’s current obsession, try embodying a different version of Barbie - Weird Barbie, President Barbie, or Mermaid Barbie. This way, you can fuse easily recognisable elements of the iconic doll, like her blonde tresses or cursive “Barbie” branding, while still wearing something other than a white tank top and hot pink mini skirt. It’s okay to think outside of the box and show up in a costume that’s not automatically recognised by Halloween partygoers. It can even be a great conversation starter and you’ll feel more triumphant when someone does recognise your Halloween costume. Remeber, if model and Halloween superstar Heidi Klum can manage to shock each year with an unexpected and original look, then so can you. Read More Halloween decorations 2023: From Ghosts to Jack-O-Lanterns. Here are some idea’s for the spooky season Jellycat’s new Halloween cuddly toys have landed in time for spooky season Heidi Klum hints at her ‘really extra’ 2023 Halloween costume: ‘It’s going to be good’ 11 best kids’ Halloween outfits that will scare and delight 9 best horror stories to read this Halloween and beyond Kourtney Kardashian’s skeletons and other celebrity inspiration for Halloween
2023-09-28 05:52
Delta CEO Promises SkyMiles Update After Plan Changes Irk Frequent Fliers
Delta CEO Promises SkyMiles Update After Plan Changes Irk Frequent Fliers
Delta Air Lines Inc. is planning more changes to its SkyMiles loyalty program after an overhaul earlier this
2023-09-28 05:16
Usher and Aya Nakamura are stunned by Erykah Badu’s hat at Paris Fashion Week
Usher and Aya Nakamura are stunned by Erykah Badu’s hat at Paris Fashion Week
While Usher was decked out in red and black polka dots for Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, it was Erykah Badu who captured attention for her accessory of choice. On 27 September, the “On & On” singer was seated next to Usher and French singer Aya Nakamura at the spring 2024 Marni show in Paris, where Nakamura gave a not-so-subtle reaction to Badu’s oversized, wide rim grey hat with black polka dots. The three celebrities dressed their best for the occasion, as Usher complemented his red and black outfit with matching red sneakers, red gloves, and black sunglasses as well as a silver brooch and necklaces. While Badu’s large hat was the main attraction, the R&B singer also wore a black and yellow patterned suit with a similar checked shirt layered underneath. She completed the look with braids that went all the way down to her feet. As for Nakamura, the French pop singer wore a thigh-high slit dress with various shades of blue, as well as a silver choker and earrings. Prior to the fashion show, Usher performed at La Seine Musicale in France on Monday 25 September. The news comes after it was announced this week that the ”My Boo” singer will be headlining next year’s Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas. The music megastar, who has won eight Grammys, said he’s looking forward to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage. “It’s an honour of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.” Usher, 44, is currently performing his “Usher: My Way” residency in Las Vegas, which has drawn sold-out shows and rave reviews. He is expected to wrap up his residency in early December, before making his Super Bowl halftime debut in early 2024. Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Usher the ultimate “artist and showman” and was the person to call him with the good news, according to an interview with radio DJ Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “When I got this call, he said: ‘It’s time, it’s magic time. You know, it’s time for you to have that moment,’” Usher recalled Jay-Z telling him over the phone. However, the “I Don’t Mind” hitmaker had no idea what Jay-Z was talking about, and the rapper had to clarify that he was calling about the Super Bowl halftime show. In response, Usher told Jay-Z that he was prepared and excited to do something he’s always dreamed about doing. “Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course,” Jay-Z said of Usher, who released his debut self-titled album in 1994. In total, he’s released eight studio projects filled with hits, including, “U Got It Bad”, “U Remind Me”, “You Make Me Wanna”, “Nice & Slow” and “Love In This Club”. ​​“Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” Jay-Z continued. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.” Read More Dior triumphs with Parisian runway melding women's past and future Balmain’s creative director claims more than 50 of his Paris Fashion Week pieces were ‘hijacked’ Usher to headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas Kim Kardashian wears Chanel Barbie necklace in new Super Bowl ad with Usher Angelina Jolie says she’s figuring out her style as she opens up about being ‘hurt’ Sarah Jessica Parker’s custom 2014 Met Gala dress goes up for auction
2023-09-28 04:48
Angelina Jolie says she’s figuring out her style as she recalls wanting to look ‘soft’ after being ‘hurt’
Angelina Jolie says she’s figuring out her style as she recalls wanting to look ‘soft’ after being ‘hurt’
Angelina Jolie has admitted that she’s still trying to figure out what her style is, as she opened up about wanting to look “soft” after being “hurt” in the past. The actor, 48, spoke candidly about her fashion sense during a recent interview with Vogue to discuss her new brand, Atelier Jolie. She began by describing how she believes people perceive her based on the clothes she wears. “Sometimes the way you dress says: ‘Don’t mess with me - I’ve got my armour on,’” she said. “But I want a woman to feel safe enough that she can be soft.” The Maleficent star revealed that when she was faced with a difficult time in her life, she was ultimately encouraged to choose clothes that made her look “soft”. “After I went through something where I was hurt, I had a therapist ask if I would try wearing a flowing garment,” she said. “Sounds silly, but I assumed that pants and boots projected a ‘tougher’ look, a stronger me. But was I strong enough to be soft?” While Jolie confessed that she didn’t feel too strong at time, she acknowledged that she’s still figuring out what her style is - despite being hurt in the past. “I felt vulnerable. Now I wonder if I don’t know what my style is because I’m still understanding who I am at 48. I guess I’m in transition as a person,” she added. The Salt star seemingly alluded to some of the personal challenges she faced over the years, including her split from ex-husband Brad Pitt in 2016. “I feel a bit down these days. I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into,” she said. Jolie added that she’s in a place in her film career where she’s “only taking jobs that didn’t require long shoots” after spending the last seven years doing “a lot of healing”. She also noted that while she’s “still finding [her] footing”, her work with her fashion brand has offered her a new perspective. “I think part of this has also been therapeutic for me - to work in a creative space with people you trust and to rediscover yourself,” the actor explained. “I’m hoping to change many aspects of my life. And this is the forward-facing one.” In May, Jolie took to Instagram to announce the launch of Atelier Jolie, which she described as “a collective where everyone can create”. “Atelier Jolie is a place for creative people to collaborate with a skilled and diverse family of expert tailors, pattern makers and artisans from around the world,” she wrote in the caption. “It stems from my appreciation and deep respect for the many tailors and makers I’ve worked with over the years, a desire to make use of the high-quality vintage material and deadstock fabric already available, and also to be part of a movement to cultivate more self-expression.” During her interview with Vogue, the Mr & Mrs Smith star spoke candidly about her new career in the fashion industry, noting that her brand is “not really about fashion”. “I don’t want to be a big fashion designer,” Jolie said. “I want to build a house for other people to become that.” Read More Angelina Jolie says her children ‘saved’ her as she opens up about ‘healing’ after Brad Pitt divorce Salma Hayek reveals what she loves most about her friendship with Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ‘set to try and resolve’ longrunning vineyard dispute Angelina Jolie says her children ‘saved’ her as she opens up about Brad Pitt divorce Salma Hayek reveals what she loves most about her friendship with Angelina Jolie Sarah Jessica Parker’s custom 2014 Met Gala dress goes up for auction
2023-09-28 04:15
Sarah Jessica Parker’s custom Oscar de la Renta gown from 2014 Met Gala goes up for auction
Sarah Jessica Parker’s custom Oscar de la Renta gown from 2014 Met Gala goes up for auction
Fashion lovers will soon have the chance to own a custom Oscar de la Renta gown worn by Sarah Jessica Parker at the 2014 Met Gala - for the hefty price of $7,500. The black and white floor-length gown is being auctioned on the luxury fashion label’s resale site, Encore, until Friday 29 September. The dress, made custom for the Sex and the City star, features a black velvet bodice with a v-neckline and petal-like pattern at the bottom. The gown’s ivory skirt also includes a trellis embroidery, complete with Oscar de la Renta’s signature at the train. “When Sarah Jessica came to the office for our first design meeting, she had a binder full of references to share with Oscar. It was a truly special collaboration,” said co-creative director Fernando Garcia in a statement. “And for me, who didn’t ever go to design school, it was the biggest fashion lesson I could have gotten - on the floor of Oscar’s office.” The commissioned piece took 224 hours to make. Nine years later, it was returned to the atelier where it was made to be restored to its original condition. Thirty per cent of proceeds from the sale of the dress will benefit the New York Public Library. In 2014, the And Just Like That star recounted the gown’s design process in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I said to Mr de la Renta, please let me use scarlet embroidery thread, and splash your name across the back. It was my idea. He would never in a million years have it done, he’s far too modest,” Parker said at the time. The theme for the 2014 Met Gala was in honour of legendary designer Charles James, called “Charles James: Beyond Fashion”. The dress code called for “White Tie and Decorations” - full evening dress of white bow ties for men and evening gowns for women. Parker, along with actor Bradley Cooper and de la Renta, served as co-chairs for the annual fashion event. Parker’s black and white gown was one of the last designs de la Renta showcased on the red carpet before he passed away in October 2014, five months after the Met Gala. The Hollywood star and fashion icon has been a mainstay on the Met Gala red carpet - which is rolled out every May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City - for many years. Parker recently looked back on some of her many memorable fashion moments, including the time she attended the charity event with late designer Alexander McQueen in 2006. Speaking to Vogue in 2022, Parker explained that she “immediately” wanted to work with McQueen to design their matching tartan ensembles for the Met Gala’s “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion” theme. However, she felt that she “didn’t really know him well enough to be so presumptuous” to assume he would want to attend with her. “Like everybody else, I was in love with him,” she told Vogue. “I have every pin he dropped from his mouth in my possession still. I have everything he cut off in my possession still. I have things that seem like nothing, from every fitting I ever did with him in my possession.” The groundbreaking designer died in 2010 at the age of 40, and was later commemorated by the Met Gala in 2011 with the theme “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”. For last year’s Met Gala, Parker paid homage to the first Black female designer in the White House - Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley - in a black and white gown designed by Christopher John Rogers. However, the style icon has maintained that preparing for fashion’s biggest night of the year should be “labour intensive”. “All I ever think about is the theme and influence,” she told Vogue in April 2022. “Whenever I go to the Met, I don’t understand how everyone else doesn’t spend seven to ten months working on it. Like how do you not arrive exhausted by the details of getting it right?” “It would be so easy to find a beautiful dress to wear that night,” Parker added. “Like that would be a great relief and like going on vacation. But that is not the assignment, the assignment is the theme.” Read More Sarah Jessica Parker reveals she adopted Carrie’s kitten from And Just Like That Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker feud: A timeline of the beef between Sex and the City co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker rewears iconic Vivienne Westwood wedding dress in And Just Like That Victoria’s Secret was never feminist – why are they bothering to try now? Kim Kardashian debuts buzz cut and thin eyebrows for new photo shoot Travis Kelce wears ‘1989’ inspired outfit after leaving NFL game with Taylor Swift
2023-09-28 00:26
'She’s like a pro when it comes to putting on make-up...' Victoria Beckham praises daughter Harper's beauty skills
'She’s like a pro when it comes to putting on make-up...' Victoria Beckham praises daughter Harper's beauty skills
Fashion designer Victoria Beckham has revealed that her 12-year-old daughter Harper is becoming quite the young beauty expert and is already "like a pro" when it comes to applying her own make-up.
2023-09-27 23:20
'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' kicks off short but sweet versions of Roald Dahl
'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' kicks off short but sweet versions of Roald Dahl
Wes Anderson's brand of straight-faced weirdness can be an acquired taste, but the writer-director finds a hospitable outlet for his sense of whimsy in "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," a 39-minute adaptation of the Roald Dahl story. He also finds the right outfit to bankroll that in awards-hungry Netflix, which surely has visions of Oscar nominations dancing in its head as it kicks off a week of Anderson-directed Dahl shorts.
2023-09-27 21:47
Dubai Starts Repaying Bailout Loan as Part of Huge Debt Cutback
Dubai Starts Repaying Bailout Loan as Part of Huge Debt Cutback
Dubai said it began repaying a $20 billion bailout loan from Abu Dhabi and country’s central bank, as
2023-09-27 16:47
Culinary and Bartenders Unions in Las Vegas vote to authorize a strike
Culinary and Bartenders Unions in Las Vegas vote to authorize a strike
The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 voted Tuesday to authorize a strike, they said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
2023-09-27 13:56
Victoria’s Secret was never feminist – why are they bothering to try now?
Victoria’s Secret was never feminist – why are they bothering to try now?
Wings! Fake tans! Low body mass indexes! For millennial women, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was an annual reminder of the myriad ways in which we were failing to adhere to exacting and exhausting beauty standards. When it was cancelled in 2019, few mourned it. But fashion loves a comeback story, and today the company unveiled Victoria’s Secret: The Tour ’23 on Amazon Prime Video, its first televised catwalk event in five years. According to the company, the feature-length film is the “ultimate expression” of their ongoing efforts to rehabilitate a brand that has been mired in scandal. Alongside long-standing criticisms over promoting an unrealistic body image, the company’s former marketing executive Ed Razek was also accused of behaving inappropriately with models in a New York Times report (he described the allegations as “categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context”) and a recent Hulu documentary Angels and Demons explored troubling links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Visually, strategically, everything about it is the incarnation of where the brand is going,” Victoria’s Secret president Greg Unis has said. Instead of the usual structure, which was centred around a straightforward runway show, The Tour ’23 is roughly divided into quarters, each focusing on one of four locations: Lagos, Nigeria; Bogota, Colombia; Tokyo, Japan; London, the UK. In each city, a local designer has dreamed up their own fashion collection to be modelled by the likes of Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski, Adut Akech, and Gigi Hadid, who does double duty as the show’s narrator. In London, the chosen designer is Michaela Stark, whose corsets aim to celebrate a diverse range of body shapes, rather than constrict them. She agreed to take part in the VS show 2.0, she suggests, so that she could counteract the damaging messages put out by the original runways. “It was a big thing” when she was a teenager, she recalls, “but it was also that culture around it, of not wanting to eat after you saw it”. Her comments inadvertently raise a question that looms over the whole production: can you ever truly detoxify a brand practically built on the insecurities of a generation of women? Founded by Roy Raymond in the late Seventies, who felt awkward buying lingerie for his wife in his local department store, Victoria’s Secret began life as a women’s underwear shop aimed specifically at men. In 1982, Raymond sold the business to Limited Stores founder Les Wexner for $1m; Wexner went on to transform the brand, envisaging it as a more affordable version of the fancy European label La Perla. In 1995, when the company was facing competition from Wonderbra, the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show took place at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. It proved successful enough to become an annual event. In 1999, the show was streamed on the internet for the first time, prompting the website to crash as 1.5 million users tried to tune in. Two years later, the VS show celebrated its inaugural TV broadcast, during which the National Organisation for Women (NOW) protested outside a New York branch of the shop. “Some people are terribly blase about this, that this is not a big deal, that we ought to be used to this kind of daily sexuality,” Sonia Ossorio, NOW’s vice president for public information, said at the time. “But I think we need to keep questioning the ever-extending sexualisation of women in mass media.” The following year, NOW branded the event a “softcore porn infomercial”. By then, the blueprint for future VS shows had been set. A lineup of models would don bras encrusted with millions of pounds worth of jewels and embarrassingly themed lingerie (never forget Cara Delevingne’s god-awful outfit circa 2013: a sort of miniature shell suit likely pitched in the boardroom as “sexy football fan”). Somewhere between the models, a famous singer would pop in for a brief performance; if they were a woman, they’d be decked out in a VS creation of their own (Taylor Swift got a particularly raw deal in 2013, too, when she had to wear a Union Jack-inspired number, complete with a tiny red, white and blue top hat). This glittering, over-the-top spectacle, much closer to a beauty pageant than a Fashion Week presentation, spotlighted the world’s most beautiful women – who were not just genetically blessed but worked hard, too, we were told ad nauseam. They had been preparing for the show like endurance athletes, sticking to carefully tailored diets and intense workout schedules. These wing-wearing “Angels” were selling a dream, one that we lesser mortals could supposedly buy into by picking up some synthetic underwear at our nearest Victoria’s Secret branch. But it was their painstaking fitness regimens, not the pants they were wearing, that were the real focus of fascination. In endless interviews, the models were asked to detail exactly how they whittled themselves down to “Victoria’s Secret ready” size – so that we could try and copy them. To combat the criticisms of objectification, the brand relied on its models to pay lip service to just how “empowering” the whole circus was, offering up their take on choice feminism. “There’s something really powerful about a woman who owns her sexuality and is in charge” – model Karlie Kloss was peddling this line to the media as late as 2018. “A show like this celebrates that and allows all of us to be the best versions of ourselves. Whether it’s wearing heels, make-up or a beautiful piece of lingerie – if you are in control and empowered by yourself, it’s sexy.” Naturally, it was very convenient that this “best version of ourselves” aligned with the oppressively narrow conventional standard of sexiness Victoria’s Secret was selling. By the late 2010s, though, as the fashion industry began to (slowly) address its diversity problem, Victoria’s Secret started to seem more and more like an anachronism. As other brands took small steps to spotlight plus-size models on their catwalks and in their advertising campaigns, the VS show remained the preserve of the extremely thin. They had been preparing for the show like endurance athletes, sticking to carefully tailored diets and intense workout schedules Placing white models in culturally insensitive outfits (see: Kloss walking down the runway wearing a Native American-inspired headdress) only added to the glaring PR problem, which was later exacerbated when the brand’s marketing boss Ed Razek made controversial comments about transgender people and plus-size models to Vogue in 2018. “It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in your show?” he said, apparently recalling questions from critics. “No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.” Elsewhere, he claimed “no one had any interest” in seeing bigger bodies on the VS catwalk. Razek later apologised, admitting that his “remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive”. His comments about plus-size bodies went unaddressed. In 2019, against a backdrop of plummeting TV ratings and declining sales, the brand confirmed that the VS show had been cancelled; instead, they said, the company would focus on “evolving” their marketing. The news came just a few months after the revelation that Jeffrey Epstein had provided financial advice to Victoria’s Secret founder Wexner – and had exploited his personal connection to the brand as a means to lure in young women. “Being taken advantage of by someone who was so sick, so cunning, so depraved, is something that I’m embarrassed I was even close to,” Wexner said to investors. “But that is in the past.” He left the company the following year. Since then, Victoria’s Secret has made some high-profile attempts to rectify past missteps. The company brought in a majority female board of directors; they ditched the “Angels” concept in favour of the new “VS Collective” whose ranks include actor Priyanka Chopra, US football star Megan Rapinoe, and plus-size model Paloma Elsesser. Last year, an ad campaign featuring a more diverse array of women was accompanied by the slogan “we’ve changed” – supposedly into something “ever-evolving” and “real”. How much has Victoria’s Secret “changed”, really? The latest show features a handful of plus-size models, Elsesser included, but many of the old VS cohort are present and correct, including Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, and Adriana Lima. The nods to body diversity can’t help but feel a bit cursory when the overriding vision is still one of impossibly thin women parading up and down a runway – albeit a runway that now snakes around a Brutalist building in Barcelona as opposed to a swanky New York City hotel. The outfits too, are more arty, less skimpy this time around and mercifully there hasn’t been the usual media battery of stories on extreme exercise and diet in the run-up – but that doesn’t mean those practices have ended altogether. “We haven’t forgotten our past, but we’re also speaking to the present,” the brand’s chief creative director Raul Martinez said before the film’s launch. In an era when more inclusive, dynamic lingerie labels, like Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty, reign supreme, the VS show can’t help but seem like a relic. And as long as its legacy of impossible body standards lives on for many of us, any attempts to dress the spectacle up as empowering feel very hollow indeed. Read More Naomi Campbell and Gigi Hadid lead first Victoria’s Secret runway show in five years Victoria's Secret overhauls its racy fashion catwalk in its latest moves to be more inclusive Chioma Nnadi at Vogue: All hail the era of the Black female fashion editor Naomi Campbell and Gigi Hadid lead first Victoria’s Secret runway show in five years Kim Kardashian debuts buzz cut and thin eyebrows for new photo shoot Travis Kelce wears ‘1989’ inspired outfit after leaving NFL game with Taylor Swift
2023-09-27 13:45
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