#style-confidence

#style-confidence

"Monograms let you know that the wearer has achieved a certain level of success; they can afford to [customize something] from a time and a financial perspective."

Aera, founded in 2018, released its first two watches in 2022, showcasing modern tool watches with design codes from the mid-20th century.

Casa Kahlo offers an unprecedented look into the famed Mexican painter's family home, Casa Roja, which stands just blocks away from Casa Azul in Mexico City. Kahlo would retreat to Casa Roja when Casa Azul got crazy.

The exhibition 'Chawan Cabinet' presents limited-edition ceramic vessels that embody the concepts of ritual and contemplation, showcasing the artistry of Japanese ceramicists.

Washi, because of its quality and texture, offers something not just tactile but psychologically soothing. It's about one-third the weight of cotton, light, breathable and dry to the touch.

Brittany Antoinette Wilson's dad has been a collector for over 30 years, starting with comics and expanding to baseball caps and sneakers. His sneaker collection, now around 500 pairs, reflects his passion for fashion and appearance.

Emily Porter found a woven sweater labeled 'Maria Rodriguez Chicago' at a resale shop, highlighting the significance of local designers in Chicago's fashion history.

Chloé is anything but homogenous, with its name chosen simply for aesthetic appeal, allowing for a fresh creative direction that Kamali is now exploring.

"The name is a paradox. They never functioned as a collective," says Kaat Debo, MoMu's director. "Some of them still describe that label as a blessing and a curse. But they were friends."

"They're everyday professionals who simply don't have the time to shop the traditional way," said Kneen about J. Hilburn customers. Instead, stylists manage fit, fabrics and wardrobe planning, effectively outsourcing the entire process for busy professionals.

Embroidery is a historic mainstay of traditional clothing in Asia or the Middle East, as well as Western Haute Couture, but it is increasingly present in Paris, Milan or New York on modern men's shirts, bomber jackets or blazers. Designers at Dior, Dolce Gabbana, Kenzo or Gucci have adopted it in recent runway shows, while Louis Vuitton's celebrity rapper-designer Pharell Williams dedicated his entire June collection to India after visiting the country.

Stylist and writer Orla Dempsey tried on some ties for a week, following a big fashion trend for 2026 and following in the footsteps of some famous faces

In the show, "dirty" extends to anything that breaks fashion's pact with propriety. Here are clothes caked in grime, blotted with makeup, stiffened by salt, pieced from trash, frayed, and faded. The garments span decades, from the 1980s through the mid-2000s, when the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier built their fame on defying convention, to today, when corporatization has made such daring increasingly rare. But forgoing practicality frees certain designers from the demands that the body be polite-and thereby policed.

What if I took my design lens and built out my essentials capsule for the Everlane customer? I felt like that would be a really amazing opportunity for me to introduce myself as a designer to an audience outside of EB Denim.

The end of the show did not mark the end of the trip. Back at the Le Grand Bellevue the group divided between fireside hot chocolates and the hotel's spa. The hotel's Le Grand Spa is over 3,000 square metres and has eight different types of saunas, several ice showers, foot baths and an outdoor bubble pool (named thus as it's bigger than your standard jacuzzi).

Travelling for art can be incredibly virtuous and culturally rewarding, like collecting souvenirs for your eyes (and from the post card rail in the gift shop). Remembering to research what is on before I book flights is a lesson I learnt all too well after I missed the Metropolitan Museum's fashion exhibition in 2016 by one day. As a fashion obsessed 20 something, I did not take this well and have since improved my itinerary planning and exhibition calendar checking.

It's not a multi-thousand pound handbag from Hermes that best captures the new era of It bags, but a 149 tote from John Lewis. Launched this season, it's deeper (45cm) and taller (33cm) than your average handbag, and comes loaded with good intentions. It's able to hold your packed lunch, flask and book, as well at a push as your gym kit.