Paweł Lewandowski
Rebekah Wing
Lisa Dengler
Billy Hazel
Samantha Mariko
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You can’t blink once in Seoul without seeing Twice—selling bottles of Pocari Sweat on TV, grinning coyly from posters in every other subway stall. Since their creation in 2015, and the explosive popularity of songs like “TT” and “Cheer Up,” the nine-member multicultural girl group has swung the K-pop pendulum back toward unadulterated sugar pop. It’s the twee hand gestures and wide-eyed innocence first made famous worldwide by bands like Girls Generation and Wonder Girls and that Twice themselves are taking overseas, as seen in a headlining set at KCon New York this year. Yet Twice is putting their own spin on the thing. Take their latest album Twicetagram, which officially debuted this morning with a new music video for the lead single, “Likey” that racked up more than 2 million views in five hours. It is entirely made for and by the social media generation (the girls range from 18 to 22 in age), named after the Instagram account they use to communicate with more than 3 million followers. Rather than album art or other promotional fare, they share cute, casual selfies, often enhanced by heart stickers and the cat-ear Snow filter. “On set, in the waiting room, every moment we get, we are constantly taking photos and videos to share with our fans,” they revealed as a group. The key is sheer quantity (Nayeon and Chaeyoung shoot the most) which then, they humbly admit, leads to quality: “If we take a ton of them, a lot of pretty ones are sure to come out, no?”
There is a strange little area of Seoul called Seongsu-dong, sliced off from both Gangbok and Gangnam by the Han River, where few travelers go. It is quiet, populated by a handful of family-owned factories and chic cement-lined cafés set in former warehouse spaces. The neighborhood feels worlds away from the chaos of Dongdaemun, the district more often associated with the country’s fashion industry. Seoul Fashion Week takes place there each season at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and a great deal of production occurs in the market across the street, between stalls hawking bootleg sweatshirts and skewers of fishcake. While international coverage of Korean fashion is usually focused on the clothing labels that show in Dongdaemun, Seongsu-dong has lately become its own fashion hub. It is the birthplace of Seoul’s footwear revolution, where some of the most clever and coveted Korean creations are being made by a small collective of groundbreaking shoe designers. This new chapter of modern shoe design can be traced back to 2010 when three ambitious brands launched in tandem: Reike Nen, Yuul Yie, and Flat Apartment. Together, as close friends, they carved out a unique design identity in an uncharted field. “There are a lot of new shoe brands now,” Yuul Yie founder Sunyuul Yie says, “but back then, there were just three of us.”
Designer Emma Brewin may be outfitting London’s cool kids with her fantastic faux fur creations, but she herself is happily tucked away in Sandwich, a small seaside town in South East England, with her partner and pet bird, Jelly. “I really enjoy being out here in the middle of nowhere and doing my own thing,” she says. The flaxen-haired 27-year-old is calling from her studio, a converted pig barn, which is filled with dried flowers, antique lamps, vintage clothes and accessories amassed at boot fairs, and rolls upon rolls of faux fur. (“The quality of fake fur these days,” she explains, “is too much to turn down.”) It’s here, in her “little bubble of inspiration,” that she individually hand-makes the fuzzy toppers that have been spotted on every It Brit from Adwoa Aboah to Iris Law, who recently paired a lavender version with a Gucci gown to ring in her 17th birthday.
Over cacio e pepe in Soho, the team behind Florence’s Pitti Uomo menswear fair outlined their plans for 2018’s winter edition, to be held from January 9 to 12. The biggest story? Despite the fact that the men behind the festival—and a fair amount of men in attendance—were in suits, athleisure and althluxury will be the focal point of the upcoming showing. Nearly all of the invited brands have a streetwear or athleisure bent, and a monumental amount of space within the exhibitors’ portion of the event—Pitti is split into fashion shows and a trade fair—will be dedicated to sporty clothing. No, athleisure isn’t new—things have been trending toward tracksuits for several years—but the fact that one of menswear’s most sartorial-focused fairs is turning an eye to the comfortable world of ath-anything cements the comfortable clothing movement as more than a fad: It’s the future of men’s fashion. Not only will Pitti Uomo be celebrating athleisure, but it will also be changing up the formulas within the worlds of street and sport by bringing brands together in new collaborations. Here, seven things to look forward to in Florence this January.
For fashion girls, the most wonderful time of year is party season. But there’s nothing like a spiked stiletto heel to take all the fun out of festivewear. Fortunately, Gigi Hadid is here to offer a comfy-chic solution to carry you through this season with style: The model has teamed up with Stuart Weitzman once again, this time to create a collection of ultra fancy mule flats that can go from morning to night, cocktails to dinner—and just in time for the holidays. “Anyone can pick the most sparkly, random, amazing shoe they can find,” Hadid tells Vogue. “But I wanted something that spoke to me and that I could wear every day.” That meant two unique styles done in a range of goes-with-everything neutrals, like slate gray, rust brown, and a deep indigo blue (a portion of proceeds will go toward Pencils of Promise). While Hadid has worn her fair share of over-the-knee stacked heel boots and strappy sandals, lately, she’s more about footwear that’s low on height and high on function. “I’ve gotten more into my comfort zone in terms of clothes in the sense that I’m just super down to be comfortable all the time—even when I need to get dressed up,” she says. “I feel a lot more confident in something that’s comfortable. The flat is sleek and chic but you don’t feel like you’re thinking of your feet all day because they’re taken care of.” Those who keep a close watch on her street style will recognize the silhouette—she’s been wearing it for months. “If someone is looking for something that they know came from my hands, it should be something they can see me wearing a lot.” The shoes are modified with unexpected trim, artful stitching, and a toe box lined with shearling. “My toes are always cold!” says Hadid. “I love flats and I wear them all the time, but they could give your toes a little more love.” She also offered another clever layering strategy for the chillier months ahead. “A really simple but feminine sock could be cool,” says Hadid. “You could do it with cropped jeans, a long sweaterdress—really anything.”
When fictional journalist Andie Anderson set out on a mission to lose a guy in 10 days for an article in the 2003 rom-com, she did everything in her power to drive Ben away. From classic clinginess to poor table manners, she pulled out all the stops to prove that shedding someone close to you is as simple as displaying a few etiquette faux pas. But in truth, as we all know, breakups are more complicated than that—and it gets even worse when you have to break up with a friend. Few unwritten rule books even exist, let alone written ones. When it comes to letting go of a friend, we hesitate—not knowing how to break the news. This further prolongs the discomfort, explains Miriam Kirmayer, therapist and friendship researcher. It signals the loss not just of your friendship, but in many cases, your shared social circle. The terms of a friendship breakup itself are nebulous: Should you delete them from your life entirely, or cordially reach out on their birthday? While you may have had childhood plans to buy property next to each other and host dinner parties together well into retirement, major life transitions like moving abroad, starting a new job, or beginning a family can place you both in entirely different life stages. Suddenly, you find yourselves with little to talk about and a waning interest in each other’s day-to-day. It’s not that all good things necessarily must come to an end, but it’s crucial to be realistic about when the end might free you from the shackles of an expired friendship. Here, how to navigate breaking up with a friend.
When The Nue Co. launched its line of chic yet functional wellness supplements last January, the five organic food-based powders instantly sold out on Net-a-Porter—and racked up a 2,000-person waitlist for its complexion-brightening formula, Skin Food. Now, the beloved brand is back with the Reboot collection, a survival kit of five TSA-approved flight aids that are available for preorder online starting today and will soon be carried at the Ace Hotel. “I could find [travel] sets to help with skin and hair or miniature body lotions, but nothing that . . . dealt with the physical concerns of travel: muscle tension, immunity, sleep, energy, and gut health,” says The Nue Co. founder Jules Miller, who regularly bounces back and forth between New York City, Los Angeles, and England, where her products are developed in a Cambridge lab. Fans of the brand will recognize Prebiotic + Probiotic, the line’s signature gut food complex—this time offered in coconut oil–derived capsules. “Your gut is the backbone of your immune system,” says Miller, who recommends taking the rebalancing formula starting two days before airtime. New to the lineup are the protective Defence Drops—an in-flight essential considering that colds are 100 times more likely to be transmitted on a plane—as well as a gentle sleep-inducing tincture, which contains sedative valerian root, soothing chamomile, and anxiety-reducing catnip. Those who didn’t opt for extra legroom should reach for Magnesium Ease, a topical spray that reduces muscle tension and cramping thanks to its blend of magnesium chloride, lavender oil, and arnica oil. Meanwhile, groggy travelers need only half a teaspoon of Power Up upon landing for an instant jolt: “It’s a double espresso shot without the jitters.” Suddenly, that transatlantic flight isn’t seeming so bad.
“We met four years ago at a vintage furniture fair in Berlin,” Nina Kuhn, one half of the fashion line Rianna + Nina, recalls, remembering the moment she first locked eyes with Rianna Nektaria Kounou, the woman who would become her fast friend and business partner. Everyone else at that furniture show was traipsing around in boho black, while Kuhn and Kounou were clad in their typical garb—a riotous rainbow of magpie hues. According to Kuhn, they looked at each other and said, practically at the same time, “Who are you?” They were a fashion executive (Kuhn) and the owner of a Berlin vintage shop (Kounou), and it turns out they had more in common than just a penchant for nutty hues. After a fabulous Greek dinner at Kounou’s house, they realized so much chemistry was too good to waste and decided to found Rianna + Nina, an utterly unique collection ensconced, for the next two weeks, in a pop-up on the third floor of Bergdorf Goodman. (Go up there after tomorrow night and you can see the holiday windows!)
What did you miss this week in the fashion-verse? Just look to Instagram. First, last Monday, Bria Viniate of The Florida Project was hanging out with Fernanda Ly in Sandy Liang fur backstage at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards. Also looking stellar this week was actress Salma Hayek, who headed to the LACMA Gucci Art+Film Gala literally glittering in her dress with a little help of the kirakira+ filter. Speaking of Gucci, Model Hari Nef model Hari Nef looked positively royal as she reclined in a Gucci dress? On the more casual front, Sita Abellan kept it cool in a pair of purple sweatpants and a crop top, along with some flashy kicks. Serving up some Y2K looks was dancer-model Alton Mason, who sported a pair of Ed Hardy jeans along with some monogram-heavy Gucci pieces. Rapper Tommy Genesis went the monochrome route, staring down Instagram in an oversized orange leather jacket pared with matching sunglasses. Also loving a tangerine hue was Venus X, who radiated cool in a Come Tees shirt. As for who takes the chic cake, though? Leave the laid-back ensemble to Caroline de Maigret, who was effortlessly chic in China in none other than head-to-toe Chanel.
