Julia Alcântara
Lauren Peacher
Manuella Lupascu
Mirka Germanova
Ala Konturek
Rihanna can head to Cannes in couture and pull off avant-garde Commes des Garçons, but her love of dramatic fashion is only one side of her persona. This bad gal looks just as good when she opts for simplicity. For her trip to Revolve and Madeworn’s Los Angeles bash last night, she proved this point slipping into a warm weather staple. Wearing an oversized Juun J menswear shirt cinched in with a clear Maison Margiela PVC belt, Rihnanna borrowed from the boys to provide a fresh take on the shirtdress. Elegant, uncomplicated, and best of all just right for the California heat, the outfit was a win. Unbuttoned to reveal a silver link necklaces, and a hint of her tattoos the shirt looked far sexier on Rihanna than it seemed on the runway. The right belt can transform an ensemble, but Rihanna’s choice of a transparent option added a modern touch. Unique without drawing attention away from the shirt itself, the Margiela piece complemented the oversized pockets and voluminous sleeves, making the combination feel seamless. With her slick waves and neon manicure adding to the summery feel, Rihanna seemed ready for everything the night had in store.
During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly threatened that he would exit the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, an international treaty signed by 195 countries pledging to fight climate change, were he to win the election. Unfortunately for all of us living on this increasingly warm planet, it seems, in this case, he’s decided to stick to his word. On Thursday, the White House confirmed that Trump had decided to pull out of the Paris climate deal. Minutes before Trump made the announcement, as a Marine jazz band played in the White House rose garden, a White House memo was sent out explaining his decision. “The Paris Accord is a BAD deal for Americans, and the President’s action today is keeping his campaign promise to put American workers first," it read. The withdrawal comes only days after the president met with global leaders at the G7 summit in Sicily, where he notably refused to sign a pledge promising to significantly reduce carbon emissions, made vague threats toward America’s NATO allies, and provoked German chancellor Angela Merkel to remark over the weekend that “the era in which we could rely completely on others is gone, at least partially.” Aside from facing international pressure to stay in the accord, Trump also dealt with strong opposition back in the United States, and reportedly even from within his White House. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, economic adviser Gary Cohn, and daughter Ivanka Trump were all reportedly lobbying Trump to stay within the Paris deal. Additionally, hundreds of corporations, including Starbucks, eBay, Tesla, and Monsanto signed an open letter since November affirming their commitment to fighting climate change and urging the president to honor the accord. “We want the U.S. economy to be energy efficient and powered by low-carbon energy,” the letter read. “Failure to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk.” Earlier this month, Exxon Mobil’s CEO argued that the United States should “maintain a seat at the negotiating table” in the fight for climate change, and that remaining in the Paris climate agreement would “achieve economic growth and poverty reduction at the lowest cost to society.” When asked during Tuesday’s press conference where Trump stood on the Paris accord, press secretary Sean Spicer said that the president was still weighing his options. “He wants a fair deal for the American people,” Spicer said. But the White House seems to be conveniently forgetting that the majority of the American people, 69 percent to be exact, actually want the United States to stay in the Paris agreement. In fact, only 28 percent of Trump’s base believes the U.S. should drop out of the accord. In the end, even those concerned with job creation and “making America great again” still want to be able to breathe in fresh air. So what happens now that the United States, the world’s second top carbon polluter after China, exits the agreement? Scientists and economists fear the U.S.’s decision could potentially trigger a domino effect of other countries abandoning the deal, leading to a global increase in carbon emissions and a dangerous rise of global temperatures at a much faster rate. According to Michael Oppenheimer, a professor of geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University, the aftermath of pulling out of the accord could be catastrophic for the planet. “Four years of the Trump administration may have only modest consequences, but eight years of bad policy would probably wreck the world’s chances of keeping warming below the international target of 2 degrees Celsius,” he explained. “The odds of our avoiding the climate danger zone would fade to zero.” Now how is that a fair deal for the American people?
Sisters are having a major moment in fashion right now. (See: Balmain Fall 2015 campaign.) Joining the ranks of stylish sibling pairs like Kendall and Kylie, Poppy and Cara, Beyoncé and Solange, are Gigi and Bella Hadid—the next It sisters on everyone's radar. And while Gigi Hadid may already have an impressive résumé as a model, both on runways and in magazines, little sis Bella is following fast and close—as evidenced by her latest gig.
Jessica Alba is speaking out in the wake of a new $5 million lawsuit filed against her business, the Honest Company. Entertainment Tonight reports Jonathan D. Rubin filed the lawsuit in the District Court of Northern California in San Francisco, alleging Alba's company makes false claims about its natural products. The suit states the company promotes products "deceptively and misleadingly," and that products contain "unnatural" and synthetic" ingredients. The suit names specific products, including Honest Diapers, Honest Hand Soap, Honest Dish Soap and Honest Multi-Surface Cleaner On Friday, Jessica released a statement in which she adamantly defends the company and its products. "The allegations against us are baseless and without merit," she stated. "We are steadfast in our commitment to transparency and openness.I know my children, Honor and Haven, are growing up in a safer home because of our products." The Honor Company is valued at more than $1 billion. In August, the company faced public backlash on social media, as numerous consumers voiced complaints about the company's sunscreen and its failure to adequately protect them. Jessica responded in a company blog post, telling the public: "We've gone through extensive third-party testing in accordance with government regulations and our Sunscreen Lotion passed all SPF 30 testing requirements. It also received the best score possible from the Environmental Working Group (EWG)."
In the business of blogging, it's a numbers game. Growing your social media followers should be a top priority, as it often translates directly to more opportunities as a blogger. There are a few ways to grow on each channel and network, so the tips are a little different for each separate platform. Below, I broke up the go-to tricks that most bloggers use to boost their counts on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
We may have a way to go until we achieve actual equality in the workplace, but the number of women leaders is growing—and The Limited wants to celebrate that. For their fall campaign "The New Look of Leadership," the company features more than 60 women who are forces in their industries, from motivational speaker, life coach, and author Gabrielle Bernstein to Tiffany Dufu, Levo League's chief leadership officer. The faces are a diverse, beautiful, and powerful reminder that absolutely anyone can be a trailblazer.
Really, truly, there is nothing more shiver-in-your-flippers scary than that moment when you emerge from a peaceful dip in the ocean to walk back up the beach to your towel. Things have shifted. Things are sheer, bunched, and clingy. And body parts are moving. As soon as I make the decision to get out of the water, I'm filled with dread because, while I picture myself looking effortlessly sexy whilst making that slow walk up that runway of a stretch of sand, I know it's just not the case. At all.
Disney and Warner Bros. will go head-to-head, both gearing up to release movie adaptations of The Jungle Book. Disney’s movie will star Lupita Nyong’o and Scarlett Johansson, while Warner Bros. has announced Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale as part of its lineup
The Savannah College of Art and Design has acquired some eighty buildings since its inception in 1978—many of which are historic, and so spread out that a campus tour requires a car—and the development is showing no signs of slowing down. The facilities are even more impressive. Fashion students are trained on state-of-the-art laser cutters, 3-D printers, and every type of textile and fiber contraption the mind can imagine. All of that has made SCAD a hot spot of emerging fashion talent, which the school proudly displayed at Saturday night's annual student fashion show. Beverly Sung's pleated, asymmetrical dresses (above, left) were a respectable nod to Issey Miyake. Sculptural, digital printed dresses from Wenxia Wang and Zenobia Duncan (below, left) were equally impressive. Elaine Lui, a former Alexander Wang intern, drew creativity from her native Hong Kong, with mesh-overlaid streetwear covered with prints of electric wiring and light-up LCD details built into the clothes (above, right). Across the board, fabric innovation was the big story here—burned Lycra, hand-plisséd skirts, digitally printed boiled wool. Dean of Fashion Michael Fink told us, "What sets this year apart is that there is so much textile and fiber development. The fashion students are actually making their own textiles in collaboration with our Fibers students." One-on-ones with the designers after the show afforded an opportunity to hear their stories and inspirations. Michael Mann's conceptual menswear referenced football, a comment on the offense and defense he struggled between while being bullied as a teen. Wesley Berryman's parents drove eight hours from rural Tennessee to come see him show androgynous creations that might feel at home on a rack beside Rick Owens and Gareth Pugh (above, right). Berryman's mother told us, "I don't know where he got his fashion sense—definitely not from me! When we used to go to Walmart [to buy clothes], I was always worried he would put up a fight! But really, I just want to support my son." The real joy in seeing a student fashion show like SCAD's is the opportunity to witness creativity without the commercial restraints many professional designers face. Free from the pressure of having to "sell" anything, and enabled by a supportive faculty and cutting-edge facilities, SCAD's runway served as a rare, unfettered fashion moment.
The sixth and final Vanessa Seward x A.P.C. collection will be unveiled this September, but come 2015, Seward will have a new project: her own ready-to-wear label. WWD reports that Seward will unveil her first namesake collection during Fall '15 Paris fashion week. A.P.C. will provide logistical and financial support for the venture. Best known for giving new life to Azzaro, Seward also held positions at Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. In an interview, Seward said she wanted to create a "chic, timeless wardrobe" for her new line. A.P.C.'s Jean Touitou referred to it as "sensible luxury." Seward's collaborations with A.P.C. are a prime example of the abovementioned aesthetic—she often uses luxury materials in a modern way to create garments at contemporary prices. "I'm going to be able to go futher with my own design identity," she said. The collection will include casual and formal pieces as well as shoes, bags, belts, and costume jewelry. Her first boutique is set to open in Paris in September 2015, and additional locations in L.A. and New York are a top priority down the road. With such strong support from Touitou, we can only expect great things.
