Racial profiling leads minorities to shop online rather than in stores

By Priya Elan

In-store shoppers also adapt behaviour to avoid false accusations of shoplifting, study by French beauty company Sephora reveals

Shoppers from minority groups are more likely to shop online than go into a store, in order to avoid racial profiling, according to a new report.

The study from the French beauty company Sephora found that in order to avoid incidents such as being falsely accused of shoplifting, minority shoppers avoid touching product samples, make a point of chatting to sales assistants and make sure they are well dressed, all in order to lessen the possibility of being racially profiled when “shopping while black”.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/18/racial-profiling-minorities-shop-online-in-stores

Long johns for Prada as Milan fashion week goes online

By Morwenna Ferrier

Collaboration between Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, only the second for the designers, includes gloves and comfort-wear

At a time when the relevance of high fashion is being questioned, Prada’s menswear show in Milan addressed the criticism with an unusually practical item of clothing: a pair of long johns.

Speaking after an audience-free show at a largely virtual Milan fashion week, Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada, co-creative directors of the brand, described the item as symbolic of the current situation. Worn by every model, and intended as a second skin, they were inspired as much by pyjamas and babies as wetsuits and “rockers”, though Simons was quick to add: “We didn’t want it to look like activewear.”

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/17/prada-long-johns-jacquard-knits-milan-fashion-week-online

'Hate-wear' and 'sadwear': fashion's new names for lockdown dressing

By Priya Elan

NYT and Esquire coin terms for the ways people are expressing frustration through clothes

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With online sales booming but retail in sharp decline, the pandemic has changed shopping for ever. Practical, comfortable items suitable for a lifestyle of working from home and occasional trips outside – such as Ugg boots, Crocs and trousers with elasticated waistbands – have seen rising sales.

But with many of us grappling with our emotions during lockdown, the way we feel and speak about our clothes has altered too.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/17/hate-wear-and-sadwear-fashion-new-names-for-covid-lockdown-dressing

Fashion goes soft as Fendi turns boots into slippers

By Jess Cartner-Morley

Milan fashion week is virtual this year, but Fendi has a six-minute menswear showstopper focusing on lockdown comfort

The first outfit in Fendi’s latest luxury menswear line-up was showcased on Saturday in a music video-style film streamed from a digital-only Milan fashion week. It starred the padded olive silk inner lining of a coat – “the softest part”, said Silvia Fendi – with the smart, structured top layer removed.

“This is therapeutic fashion,” explained Fendi, the men’s and accessories creative director of the brand founded by her grandparents 96 years ago, speaking via Zoom from her Milan studio. “It’s impossible to talk about fashion and not to talk about what’s happening in the world right now. It changes the clothes and it changes the way they are presented.”

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/17/fashion-goes-soft-as-fendi-turns-boots-into-slippers

Biden's plan to wear Ralph Lauren fits inauguration's sober, unshowy tone

By Priya Elan

Fashion brand reported to be dressing the president-elect, a move that would subtly signal a distancing from the Trump era

Joe Biden is being dressed by the fashion brand Ralph Lauren for his presidential inauguration on 20 January, according to Women’s Wear Daily, in a move that has prompted a round of speculation about his meaning and motives at a time of crisis in the US.

Related: Ashley Biden on athleisure and why her father would make a fantastic president

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/17/joe-biden-ralph-lauren-inauguration-suit

Bodycare products: 10 of the best | Funmi Fetto

By Funmi Fetto

Soaps, lotions, peels and treatments that really go skin deep

Aside from Ameliorate launching products to treat keratosis pilaris (the rough bumpy skin that resembles a plucked chicken), body care hasn’t been particularly innovative. Yes, there are oils that smell so good they double up as scents; there are moisturisers that penetrate your skin, as opposed to lazily languishing on the surface; body washes that don’t dry and irritate… But proper innovative formulas using active ingredients? Pah. But that’s changing. Now there are salicylic and lactic acid-infused washes (La Roche-Posay) and sprays (Murad) to treat and prevent acne and breakouts below the neck. Body lotions that incorporate vitamin C (Beauty Pie) and retinol (Paula’s Choice) to combat skin dullness and ageing. Luxe moisturisers (Augustinus Bader) now deliver much more than indulgence, as do antioxidant-rich exfoliating soaps and scrubs (Glossier and Aesop). “Doctor” brands such as Dennis Gross and Sam Bunting are using ingredients like bakuchiol and niacinamide to ensure your body gets treated as well as the skin on your face. Funny how no one thought of this before…

1. Dr Sam’s Flawless Body Therapy £29, drsambunting.com
2. Paula’s Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment £33, paulaschoice.co.uk
3. Beauty Pie Superdose Vitamin C Brightening Lotion from £11.43, beautypie.com
4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Micro-Peeling Gel £14.50, boots.com
5. Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Exfoliating Body Treatment £58, cultbeauty.co.uk
6. Murad Clarifying Body Spray £38, murad.co.uk
7. Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion £24, ameliorate.com
8. Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub £27, aesop.com
9. Augustinus Bader The Body Cream £130, selfridges.com
10. Glossier Body Hero Exfoliating Bar £12, glossier.com

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jan/17/bodycare-products-10-of-the-best

Kings of the robe: 12 of the best dressing gowns for men - in pictures

By Helen Seamons

Whether you go for short and silky or luxurious and fleecy, why not bring some old-school elegance to lounging around at home?

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/16/kings-of-the-robe-12-of-the-best-dressing-gowns-for-men-in-pictures

The edit... 20 socks to bring you joy - in pictures

By Peter Bevan

Give yourself happy feet in these cold, gloomy months with a pair of warm, bright and colourful socks

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/16/the-edit-20-socks-to-bring-you-joy-in-pictures

We love: fashion fixes for the week ahead – in pictures

By Jo Jones and Helen Seamons

Loewe team up with cult animated film My Neighbour Totoro; Lazy Oaf take a hike, and Hush launch activewear

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/16/we-love-fashion-fixes-for-the-week-ahead-in-pictures

20 of the best... Men's hoodies – in pictures

By Peter Bevan

It’s the weather to hunker down in a stylish hoodie. Here’s our pick of the best in show

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/16/20-of-the-best-mens-hoodies-in-pictures

The makeup and scents that lifted my 2020 | Sali Hughes

By Sali Hughes

The best eyeshadow, primer, infinity powder, mascara and fragrances for the year of Zoom and social distancing

My favourite makeup picks of 2020 inevitably reside mostly above mask level. My thoughts on my favourite luxury eye palette, Vieve’s The Essentials (£43 for 10 x 3.1g), were well-documented in a recent column, but it bears repeating that this was the year’s best bumper eyeshadow lineup.

For lower-maintenance days, which in 2020 outnumbered my more effortful ones so many times over, I’ve been wowed by the unfeasibly cheap and useful elf Putty Eye Primer (£5 for 5.3g). These, though indeed useful as an underlay, are way more impressive as the easiest, longest-lasting, neither-thought-nor-much-dexterity-required single cream shadows, available for less than a bargain bottle of merlot. There have been countless forgotten Zooms when I’ve hastily smeared on the Clay or Sand colourway with my middle finger and felt instantly more presentable. I’ve said it before and haven’t wavered a bit: they are little marvels.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/16/the-makeup-and-scents-that-lifted-my-2020

David Bowie's golden years – in pictures

The new biopic Stardust takes a wry look at the star’s first attempt to break America in 1971. Here’s how he went on to define his own style in the decades that followed

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/15/david-bowies-golden-years-in-pictures

'We need to be in it': fashion labels vie for a role in Sex and the City

By Hannah Marriott

TV show’s return offers a lucrative opportunity for any designs lucky enough to be featured

After a bruising 10 months of store closures, falling sales, cancelled red carpets and nixed shows, the fashion industry finally had something to smile about this week with the announcement of the return of Sex and the City.

“Everyone has been talking about it. People are saying: we need to be in it,” one PR at a major fashion brand told the Guardian, expressing the sentiments of an industry that greeted the news with the enthusiasm of Carrie Bradshaw at a Manolo Blahnik sample sale.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/15/need-to-be-in-it-fashion-labels-vie-role-sex-and-the-city

How to wear ugly shoes | Priya Elan

By Priya Elan

When it comes to Uggs, Crocs and other soft-sole shoe saviours, there’s only one rule, and it is: there are no rules

What is this look? Is it normcore? Is it pure sloth? Dad shoes? I really don’t know anymore. And frankly, I don’t care. As we drag our slovenly bodies through the first weeks of 2021, our feet are begging us to shield them. They don’t want hard soles. They can’t go back to heels. They want to stay earthbound, clinging to the grass, the floorboards, the carpet. And ugly shoes, which gained currency in fashion circles about five years ago, have risen to the challenge.

Flip-flops, Uggs, Birkenstocks, sandals and Crocs have crept out of their rabbit holes and become the shoes of the pandemic. The rules are simple: hard soles are bad, soft soles are good. Hard soles are for clacking down the pavement and running for the bus to the office; soft soles for sloping out of the back door to take the bins out. Hard soles for marching purposefully into your 9.30am ideas meeting; soft soles for sliding under your home desk.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/15/how-to-wear-ugly-shoes

From morning candles to pavement scooters: this week’s fashion trends

By Guardian Staff

What’s hot and what’s not in fashion this week

The Blob Ugly trainers were due an upgrade. May we introduce the hilariously GQ-coined Blob, so-named because, well – look at it.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/15/from-morning-candles-to-pavement-scooters-this-weeks-fashion-trends

Specs appeal: how to buy glasses online – in pictures

By Melanie Wilkinson

With many shops still open to allow eye exams, it’s a good time to rethink your eyewear. Or why not order from some of the brands offering an array of styles online?

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2021/jan/14/specs-appeal-how-to-buy-glasses-online-in-pictures

'I came up a black staircase': how Dapper Dan went from fashion industry pariah to Gucci god

By Yomi Adegoke

In the 1980s, his Harlem store attracted famous athletes and musicians. Then the luxury brands got him shut down. Now, at 76, he’s more successful than ever – and still on his own terms

It was a mentor on the gambling circuit in Harlem, New York, who gave Daniel Day the moniker that would make him famous. Day was just 13, but had revealed himself to be not only a better craps player than his guide, who was the original Dapper Dan, but also a better dresser. So it came to be that Day was christened “the new Dapper Dan”.

It wouldn’t be until decades later that Day would truly make his name. Dapper Dan’s Boutique, the legendary Harlem couturier he opened in 1982, kitted out local gamblers and gangsters, then later hip-hop stars and athletes such as Mike Tyson, Bobby Brown and Salt-N-Pepa. His custom pieces repurposed logos from the fashion houses that had overlooked black clientele. A pioneer in luxury streetwear, Day screenprinted the monograms of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, MCM and Fendi on to premium leathers to create silhouettes synonymous with early hip-hop style: tracksuits, bomber jackets, baseball and kufi caps. In the process he became a pariah of the fashion industry – and to this day, now aged 76, still one of its great influencers.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/14/i-came-up-a-black-staircase-how-dapper-dan-went-from-fashion-industry-pariah-to-gucci-god

Edinburgh Woollen Mill rescue deal saves 2,500 jobs and 300 stores

By Joanna Partridge

Purepay acquires all of chains’ remaining stock, head office site and distribution centre in Carlisle

The high street retailers Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Ponden Home and Bonmarché have been bought out of administration in a rescue deal, which will save almost 2,500 jobs and 300 stores.

The chains, part of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group controlled by the billionaire Philip Day, collapsed last year as Covid-19 restrictions led to financial difficulties.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/12/edinburgh-woollen-mill-bonmarche-ponden-home-rescue-deal-saves-2500-jobs-300-stores

Marks & Spencer buys Jaeger fashion brand from administrators

By Jasper Jolly

Undeclared price paid in deal that leaves fate of Jaeger’s employees also uncertain

Marks & Spencer has bought the Jaeger fashion brand from administrators, in a deal that excludes the retailers 63 remaining stores.

M&S expects to complete the purchase of Jaeger’s stock and other assets by the end of the month, it said in a statement on Monday. The price it paid for the brand is understood to be in the low millions of pounds.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/11/marks-spencer-buys-jaeger-fashion-brand-from-administrators

Kamala Harris and why politicians can’t resist Vogue (though it always ends in tears)

By Jess Cartner-Morley

The latest row over a high-fashion magazine cover, involving the US vice-president-elect, illustrates the chaos than can ensue when alpha worlds collide

When Theresa May appeared in US Vogue in 2017, even her deliberately anodyne choice of a posh-end-of-the-high-street dress by British label LK Bennett did not prevent this newspaper calling the Annie Leibovitz shoot a “defining moment” which, “like Margaret Thatcher in the tank turret looking like a cross between Boudicca and Lawrence of Arabia … might easily become a signifier of all that is flawed in her prime ministerial style”. Michelle Obama’s bare upper arms appeared no fewer than three times on the cover of Vogue during her White House years, causing pearl-clutching uproar at the sight of her toned triceps.

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Via:: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/11/kamala-harris-politicians-vogue-vice-president-elect-fashion-magazine-cover