Barrier-breaking designer. Genre-bending artist. Visionary. These are some of the ways people have described Virgil Abloh after it was announced that the 41-year-old creative died on Sunday following a private two-year battle with cancer. Over the last decade, the prolific designer — the founder of streetwear label Off-White and Louis Vuitton’s men’s artistic designer — produced no shortage of memorable designs, ranging from Off-White’s “Little Black Dress” (that was displayed at the Costume Institute 2020 “About Time” exhibit) to sought-after collaborations with everyone from artist Takashi Murakami to brand giants like Ikea, Evian, and Nike.

But unlike most other designers that have reached similarly dizzying levels of cultural success, Abloh always viewed his place in fashion as closer to the earth. Maybe because, regardless of the numerous accolades, he never stopped thinking of himself as an outsider — a “skater kid” from Chicago, an architect who didn’t go to fashion school, a DJ, a Black designer working in luxury fashion. What comes to mind for me right now, is the “You’re Obviously In The Wrong Place” installation that I saw at Abloh’s retrospective at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art in the summer of 2019. This, I imagine, is a phrase that Abloh heard often on his ascent to the highest echelons of the industry, one that influenced his career’s trajectory. 

The creative’s story is well-known by now: The son of Ghanaian immigrants, Abloh first started working with Kanye West in the mid-2000s, going on to found Off-White, the Milan-based brand that bridged streetwear and luxury fashion, in 2013. By 2018, he was appointed as Louis Vuitton’s men’s artistic director. And while it’s the latter that marks the apex of his designer career by conventional standards of high fashion — in addition to being chosen to lead a storied house, an honor for any designer, Abloh also made history by becoming the brand’s first Black artistic director to do so in its 167-year history — it is far from the most important legacy that he is leaving behind.

Abloh was often quoted saying that everything that he did was for the “17-year-old version of myself.” Not only was he continuously inspired by the youth culture for his designs, but he was also dedicated to making room for others. And that’s the refrain heard most this past weekend — stories about times that Virgil reached out to work together, to create a community, to inspire others to follow dreams. “He always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they — unlike himself — would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in,” Edward Enninful, the Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue, wrote in an Instagram post following the news. “Your advice and encouraging words were priceless and will never be forgotten,” echoed designer Sergio Hudson, who, earlier this year, debuted his collection at NYFW after dressing Michelle Obama for Inauguration Day. “You told me my destiny was set all I had to do was walk through the door. Those words gave me the confidence to ask for what I wanted and to push even harder.”

In the decades to come, Abloh will most certainly be credited for marrying streetwear with luxury fashion. He will go down in history for poking fun at fashion — see: Off-White’s signature scare quotes that challenged consumers to view everyday items as luxury ones — and exposing the ways in which high-end aesthetics are ultimately pedestrian pursuits. He will be remembered for democratizing luxury fashion, by injecting youthful, modern touches into Louis Vuitton, a brand that has long prided itself on tradition and experience over innovation. But, as Abloh continued to break boundaries of the notoriously exclusive industry, he remained as transparent about his design process as, as some have pointed out, the see-through suitcase he designed for Rimowa. For Abloh, this collaboration and sharing of ideas were as important as the tangible end products.

Abloh shared his knowledge with the future generation of creatives in an official capacity when he taught classes at London’s Architectural Association School and through mentoring programs, but, according to his friends and collaborators, he selflessly gave advice to anyone who happened to cross paths with him. “What is very important about Virgil’s work is that the whole time he’s doing it — whether you’re a young budding designer, musician, or architect — he is ‘giving you the cheat codes,’ as he likes to say,” said Benji B, whom Abloh appointed Louis Vuitton’s Music Director, in a 2019 interview with GQ. 

Following the news of Abloh’s passing, other creatives confirmed this quality that made him a monolith among a field of gate-keeping designers. “You were a mentor to all of us. If you had the privilege of chatting with Virg for even a minute you would know he dropped gems,” wrote HBFIT founder and DJ Hannah Fallis Bronfman on Sunday. “Every time I left our convos he would leave me with a piece of advice that was so simple and yet so deeply profound. Thank you for leaving us with so many of your gifts.” In her post, former magazine editor and Instagram’s Director of Fashion Partnerships Eva Chen added, “He always wanted to help kids realize their dreams.” Given this sense of camaraderie and collaboration, it makes sense that the word that the Costume Institute chose to describe the Off-White piece selected, a delicate tulle gown skirt paired with an anorak by Canadian outdoor label Arc’teryx, for this year’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibit was “reciprocity” —  “the quality or state of being reciprocal (mutual dependence, action, or influence).”

As a fashion designer, Abloh broke all the rules and changed the luxury fashion game. His contributions to fashion and design through his creations will never be forgotten, but it’s his legacy — to inspire every 17-year-old to dare to dream, to never wonder whether they are in the wrong place — that will live on.

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“We wanted it to look like a fairy godmother took her wand and enchanted everything,” says Susan Korn, the creative director and owner of Susan Alexandra, explaining the charm of the brand’s first brick-and-mortar store that opened earlier this month in New York City.

This sense of magic starts before you even enter the space as a beaded, banana-shaped door handle greets visitors. While kitschy by most fashion standards, the whimsical aesthetic makes perfect sense for the accessories brand that has skyrocketed into viral fame thanks to its Instagrammable beaded handbags that come in shapes ranging from a martini glass to a watermelon. As is the case with every Susan Alexandra bag, the banana door handle was entirely handmade.

“It was extremely challenging. We had to unscrew the door handle, we had to figure out how to paint it, and then we actually sent it over to one of our manufacturers. The same woman who makes all of our bags, she had to wrap it [with beads],” says Korn. “It took months and months and months to create.”

While this may seem like a long time to spend on a single handle, Korn has dreamed of opening an IRL space for the last 15-plus years. (She drew her first store rendering in 2004 while in high school in Ohio.) After signing the lease on the Lower East Side space in April —  she attributes being neighbors with “great independent brands” like Sandy Liang, Bode, and Coming Soon as one of the reasons she chose the area; her office and apartment are nearby as well — Korn dove into the design research headfirst. In fact, she met Lula Galeano, one of the store’s two architects, while on the beach, reading a book on tiles: “It was like the universe brought us together.” (Korn met the second architect, Levi Shaw-Farber, through a friend.)

After several pandemic-related design setbacks, Korn moved forward with the store, settling on a yellow-, blue-, and-pink color palette. “I had all these visions and ideas, and the issue was that a lot of things were out of stock because of COVID. So I had to change the design so many times. And it’s very hard to do that because you get really excited, and you place the order, and you’re ready to go, and then [you find out] it’s all back-ordered,” she says. “Finally, we got to this point where it was like, ‘Okay, these are the things available. What can you do with this?’ And I was able to make it work. I would have never decided on that [palette originally], but I think it came out really well, and I’m very happy with the final product.”

The result resembles the inside of one of Susan Alexandra’s multicolored handbags, which Korn confirms was the intention: “We laid the tile out just like we lay the bag design out.” Rows of Jolly Rancher-esque glass bricks make up the counters and frame the design centerpiece of the store: a tile fountain depicting a woman’s face, which Korn has come to view as a wishing well after visitors started throwing coins in it. “I think it just is magical to have a fountain,” says Korn. “[It] is based on the Best Friend Necklace, which is one of the first things I made. And it fits over your heart, and the intention is for it to be a protector and something to carry with you and protect you everywhere you go. It utilizes the evil eye…. [When it came to the store,] it was like, We need a protector. We need something or some entity looking out for us and bringing us joy and luck.” 

Design details like hand-beaded chandeliers and fruit-shaped sconces spotlight the shelves filled with Susan Alexandra products. “Why do a normal light when you could do a magic fruit?” Korn says of the custom-made watermelon-, strawberry- and grape-shaped fixtures that she plans to sell in the future. “We wanted to create this experience that was like walking into this dream world,” says Korn. “That’s what my intention is with all of my ideas. I just want to create things that are different and transport you to a different time in your life.”

While the front half of the store primarily showcases the bags, organized by collections, the second part houses a jewelry bar. “One of our best-selling items is the build-your-own jewelry. You can choose charms or letters or numbers, and you can design your own necklace or bracelet,” says Korn. “So a couple of times a week, we’re going to have jewelry artisans in the shop, so you can actually have something made while you shop.”

In addition to shelves filled with the brand’s home goods, like beaded tissue boxes and colorful glassware, there is also a section where Korn carries items from other designers, like candles made by her sister Janie Korn, handmade mugs by Dominique Ostuni, and ceramics by Samantha Kerdine — offerings which Korn will add to and rotate. “When I was starting my line, I was working for other designers. On the weekends, I would schlep all my stuff to all these craft shows and crafts fairs and events. I tried so hard to put myself out there, and I was always scrambling for any opportunity to put myself into the world,” says Korn. “It was expensive, and it was exhausting. Now, I have such a cool privilege of being able to have a showcase for other designers who don’t have IRL places to exist. I want to welcome people to have a space where they can show their work and be supported.”

While the space is unquestionably Instagram-worthy — see: the indoor fountain — Korn says that she felt no pressure to translate her brand’s exact aesthetic into the boutique. Instead, she prioritized creating an experience that went beyond traditional retail. “It’s easy to just take a white box and put bags in it,” she says. “But if you want to create something that leaves an impression and makes people feel a certain way, you have to put a lot of energy and emotion into the design of it.” 

Visit the Susan Alexandra store at 33 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002.

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When it was revealed that Gucci would be closing down L.A.’s Hollywood Boulevard for its Spring 2022 show — the brand’s first in-person show in almost two years — it was safe to assume that the collection would be a love letter to Hollywood. After all, the film industry — to say nothing of the many celebrities who have worn the heritage house’s designs on the red carpet over the years — has played a big hand in making Gucci as recognizable a name as some of those engraved on the Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. Then too, Ridley Scott’s Lady Gaga-starring House of Gucci is the film that everyone’s already talking about, even though it isn’t coming out until later this month. But as it turns out, while the show, titled “Gucci Love Parade,” was indeed a cinematic homage, creative director Alessandro Michele’s inspiration came from a much more personal place.

“Mum worked in the film industry as an assistant in a production company. I remember all the stories she told me, and the details and the sparkles, about that dream factory,” the show notes from Michele explained. “There was the alabaster paleness of Marilyn Monroe and her diaphanous voice. There were the black satin gloves of Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake’s velvet hair, as well as the bewitching allure of Rock Hudson and Kim Novak.”

To bring that magic to life, Gucci cast big names — and frequent brand collaborators — to model the looks: Jared Leto, Jodie Turner-Smith, St.Vincent, Jeremy Pope, and more. Macaulay Culkin appeared in a Hawaiian shirt look that looked part-White Lotus, part-Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Phoebe Bridgers walked in a Jackie Kennedy-esque satin coat and pillbox hat, and Miranda July modeled pin-up stockings with Gucci-emblazoned bloomers and a fur-trimmed, strawberry-print cardigan.

The collection read like a retrospective of Hollywood’s fashion over the last century. There were (faux) furs, screen siren-like evening gowns, and opera-length gloves of the Golden Age years; the razor-sharp tailoring and bold colors of the ‘70s; and the red carpet minimalism of the ‘90s. (The latter was confirmed by attendee Gwyneth Paltrow, who appeared in a reimagined version of the iconic Tom Ford-designed red Gucci suit she wore at the 1996 VMAs.) 

While Gucci has long built its name on exquisite occasion dresses and red carpet attire, where Michele really shines as a designer is in the off-kilter, irreverent details that the brand has become known for since he took the job in 2015. Think: the heart clutch in the shape of the actual organ shown during spring’s Aria show, or his partnership with North Face that made a 2021 It Jacket out of the decidedly ordinary puffer everyone had in the ‘00s. 

This season, the flashes of Gucci genius were most apparent in the styling. Sneakers were paired with tuxedo shirts and three-piece suits, bike shorts were shown alongside cowboy hats, and Latex gloves peeked out from underneath bulbous maribou dresses. And while, at first glance, these combinations may appear outlandish, or even unruly, on everyday people, they also wouldn’t look out of place on members of Young Hollywood — Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, etc. — who were also in attendance.

“L.A. is not a fashion city, but it’s so fashionable,” Michele told Vogue backstage before the show. “Sometimes they are not appropriate, but in being not appropriate they are so precise. Maybe it belongs to my way of looking at fashion — it’s personal.”

In an industry plagued by lightning-speed fashion calendars and the churning of trends, personal style may seem like a novel idea, but after the last 18 months — marked by athleisure, party dressing, and the obliteration of all dress codes — isn’t that how we should all think about style? 

See the full show on Gucci.com.

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Every season, a new selection of soon-to-be bestsellers hits our favorite fashion retailers. With so many products and trends to keep up with, it’s hard to know what to “add to cart” when the time comes. In our New Arrivals series, we consult the buyers, editors, and fashion insiders at our go-to shopping destinations to find out their best bets for the season’s MVPs (most valuable products).

With cooler temperatures quickly on the way, it's time to swap our summer dresses and sandals for some of fall's biggest fashion trends. To find out which boots, coats, and knits are trending this season, we've tapped buyers and editors at some of the most popular retailers.

Statement jackets — "coats that not only look great but are also functional when spending more time outdoors," according to Liane Wiggins, Head of Womenswear at MatchesFashion — will dominate in the outerwear department. Meanwhile, summer's party dresses will be swapped for more practical frocks. "Knit dresses are starting to trend as the weather gets cooler," says Libby Page, Net-A-Porter's Senior Market Editor. "A cult piece this season is Khaite’s black knitted cashmere A-line dress."

Ahead, the other fall trends that fashion insiders are adding to their shopping lists now.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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A decade ago, luxury fashion brands didn’t even acknowledge the existence of sales, let alone participate in the resale industry; brands would rather burn excess goods before selling them at consignment prices. But thanks to the rising popularity of secondhand shopping in the last few years, as well as consumer cries for more sustainable ways to consume fashion, more brands have begun to partner with companies that sell pre-loved goods. Earlier this month, this culminated in luxury conglomerate Kering, which owns Gucci and Bottega Veneta among others, acquiring a 5 percent stake in the Vestiaire Collective, a popular luxury consignment retailer. The deal signals a powerful shift in the relationship between luxury and resale. 

“There has definitely been a shift in the way brands have been thinking about resale over the last few years,” says Fanny Moizant, the co-founder and president of Vestiaire Collective. “Brands are [now] considering resale as integral to maintaining value.” The RealReal‘s Allison Sommer agrees that the shift has been significant. “In the past, there was a common misperception that resale cannibalized the primary market. The reality is that the vast majority of our community regularly shops the primary market,” Sommer says. “It’s a strong motivator for a shopper to purchase a luxury item in the primary market knowing they can sell it on the secondary market down the line and make back a significant portion of their investment.” Then there are studies that predict that the secondhand market will boom: According to thredUP’s 2020 Resale Report, it is expected to reach $64 billion by 2024 — up from $28 billion in 2019. 

Last month alone, there were several notable partnerships between resale companies and designers, Kering aside. Victor Glemaud dropped its first shoe collaboration with Nigerian accessories brand Shekudo exclusively on The RealReal during NYFW. Conceptual fashion label Imitation of Christ, too, partnered with the company to sell its spring ‘21 collection exclusively on the luxury consignment site. Taking it a step further, designer Christian Siriano pulled two dresses from his past collections from thredUP — before altering and sending them down the runway alongside new pieces. Years ago, it would have been difficult to imagine a brand embracing its own secondhand clothing; now it’s a way for brands to signal that it is committed to responsible and sustainable practices.

“I’ve always loved thrifting and believe it’s one of the best things we can do for the planet,” says Siriano, who previously collaborated with the online consignment and thrift store to create the Thrift Logo. “I believe reuse will define the future of fashion. I wanted to make a bold statement by showcasing used clothes alongside new, and show the world that thrifted clothes have a place at New York Fashion Week. As fashion designers, we don’t always need to promote brand-new looks.”

“I believe reuse will define the future of fashion.”

Christian Siriano, Designer

This is the thought process behind Depop’s new sustainability commitment, for which the Gen Z resale marketplace enlists designers who use pre-existing materials. Most recently, the company partnered with Kenneth Nicholson on Division 332, a line made from deadstock fabric. “I was interested in doing the capsule collection with Depop because of their commitment to sustainability,” Nicholson tells Refinery29. “I am a big believer that it doesn’t necessarily take the most expensive or most rare materials to create luxury items or items of worth.” 

On the other end, there are brands partnering with resale sites to get rid of excess product. In July, sustainable fashion brand Mara Hoffman teamed with The RealReal for an archive sale as a way to stay afloat in the midst of the pandemic and release inventory. But even prior to this, Hoffman expressed support for customers who buy her clothing secondhand. “A garment’s life shouldn’t end after one person is done with it. You can design classic, high-quality pieces, but people’s tastes will still change. It’s not realistic to think that someone will keep a piece in their closest forever. Resale platforms give garments a chance to live another life, keeping them in the circular world and out of landfills for as long as possible,” says Hoffman. With that in mind, the designer just launched Full Circle Marketplace, an in-house resale platform that buys and sells pre-owned Mara Hoffman garments. “As a brand, we are committed to promoting the longevity of our garments,” says Hoffman. “The hope is that our customer will wear their Mara Hoffman piece for as long as possible, and once they feel like they want to let it go, give it a chance at another life.”

According to Sommer, since The RealReal began working with sustainability trailblazer Stella McCartney in 2018, the retailer has noticed more labels rethinking their relationships to resale. “Brands started coming to us to talk about ways we could work together, and the volume of conversations we’re having has increased every year since,” Sommer says. In October, in another move that sent waves through the industry, The RealReal launched an online shop with Gucci, which featured a mix of pieces straight from the luxury brand and a curated selection of pre-loved items from consignors. “Having one of the most well-known luxury brands in the world encourage its community to join the circular economy is incredibly powerful,” says Sommer. In a similar move in February, Vestiaire teamed up with Alexander McQueen on a buy-back program that allowed customers to sell their pre-owned pieces for store credit.

“Resale is not the silver bullet that is going to fix all of the industry’s problems… but it is a way forward toward a circular fashion system.”

Steve Dool, DEPOP’s head of brand partnerships

According to a 2020 Vestiaire Collective x BCG survey, 62% of consumers would be more willing to buy from fashion brands that partner with resale platforms. “By buying and selling a brand both new and secondhand, consumers are increasing their engagement with the house and adding lifetime value,” Moizant says. In other words, if you know that your luxury pieces can have several lives, you will be more likely to spend more money on them, participate in circular fashion practices, and become a loyal consumer. 

Given that the rise of resale has predominantly been driven by younger consumers’ interest in sustainability, we can only expect partnerships like this to continue. As Gen Z’s spending power continues to increase, brands would be smart to engage with resale in some capacity, whether in the form of partnerships with resale sites or in-house take-back programs.

“Resale is not the silver bullet that is going to fix all of the industry’s problems regarding waste and overproduction, but it is a way forward toward a circular fashion system that is kinder to the planet,” says Steve Dool, the head of brand partnerships at Depop. “Designers, especially independent and emerging talent, know they need to take responsibility for what happens to the clothing they produce after it leaves their stores or warehouses. By making pieces that are built to last and can therefore be resold, and engaging directly with [customers] who are already invested in circular consumption, designers are taking active steps toward extending the life of their clothing.” 

And that of their brand, too.

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There’s plenty of overlap between Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 comedy of the same name, and Black Panther — and not just because the former referenced Wakanda early on in the trailer. For one, both films center around the homecoming of American sons, who go to their ancestral (and fictitious) African countries with plans to ascend the throne. And, secondly, they’re outfitted by costume designer Ruth E. Carter, who not only became the first Black woman to win the Oscar for her Afrofuturistic looks in the Ryan Coogler’s Marvel film but, last month, was awarded a Walk of Fame star (she’s only the second costume designer to receive the honor). 

Taking place 30 years after the original, Coming 2 America follows King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) as he discovers that he has an adult son, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), in New York, and brings him to Zamunda as his heir. Like Black Panther‘s Wakanda, Zamunda’s combines a mix of African cultures and aesthetic traditions, which are reflected in Carter’s costumes in a vibrant display of traditional prints, fabrics, and silhouettes.

“I didn’t do the same kind of research that I did with Wakanda because I felt like this was more of a lighter, more comedic film. And so, it had to have more [about the] fashion,” Carter tells Refinery 29. “I remember the fashion from the first movie, and I really wanted to honor that, but also bring some new fashion that I was seeing around the internet.” As part of her research for the film, Carter looked at brands like Ikiré Jones founded by Nigerian-American designer Walé Oyéjidé, South Africa’s MAXHOSA by Laduma Ngxokolo and Mantsho by Palesa Mokubung, and the British designer Ozwald Boateng (of Ghanaian descent). 

Carter’s talent for combining contemporary silhouettes and traditional designs is best embodied by the fashion of Akeem’s three daughters who are modern-day princesses with distinct looks. While the youngest Tinashe (Akiley Love) wears cutesy styles, the middle daughter Omma (Murphy’s real-life daughter Bella) opts for loose dresses in statement prints. The oldest, Meeka (Kiki Layne), the obvious Zamunda heir to everyone but Akeem, displays the most fearless style of the trio, preferring daring cutouts, tighter fits, and dramatic silhouettes. Her fight-training outfit, a bright yellow-and-green set with a fringe skirt, is especially powerful. 

“KiKi told me that she wanted to wear the flag of Zamunda,” says Carter. After finding some flags online, her team sourced matching fabrics to make the outfit. “We added some movement by putting fringe on it and draping it so that it could have a nice flare as she moves around. It was like dance.” In a later scene, Meeka wears an athletic Puma halter dress with cutouts and armbands that read “democrazy” (photo below), created by Jahnkoy, the Brooklyn-based brand by Siberian-born Marusya Kazakova and Burkina Faso-born Burkindy.

For the many intricate crowns and headpieces featured in the film, Carter turned to Laurel DeWitt, a go-to designer for Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Lady Gaga. “In her showroom, there were crowns waiting for queens to wear them. And I scooped them all up and brought them with me to Atlanta,” she says. “So anytime one of our princesses or our queen was getting ready in the makeup and hair trailer, there were four or five crowns to choose from to match their outfits.” This opulence extended to the rest of the jewelry, too, which Carter worked with several designers to create, including L.A.’s Melody Ehsani, whose designs feature Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, to create.

 “We were really interested in everybody who was addressing the African diaspora with their work,” says Carter who, according to WWD, worked with 39 independent designers for the film. “We really were picky about [the pieces] having a regal appearance.”

For the celebrations shown in the film, which involved Carter dressing large groups of people for several scenes, color was key. “We had dancers, we had a choir, we had the ballroom full of Zamundans. That just gave you license to be colorful,” says Carter. “When you look at a lot of African beadwork, you see a lot of brights, you see a lot of primary colors. When you look at [West African] Ankara fabrics, you see beautiful color combinations and prints and patterns.”

While the costume designer employed a whole spectrum of jewel-toned colors throughout the project, red was the prominent go-to, appearing on Akeem and the royal palace attendees. In one of the earlier scenes, the Rose Bearer Priestess (Garcelle Beauvais) enters the ballroom in a giant off-the-shoulder ballgown in red-and-gold, which Carter chose after being inspired by the East Indian influences in the first film. “We had permission to mix cultures and borrow, because Zamunda’s not hidden by a hologram, it’s an immersive place,” she says, referring to Wakanda’s strategic isolation from global influences. After buying the dress off the rack from an Indian designer, Carter wasn’t sure where the gown would fit in. “It took up half of my office,” says Carter. “Everyone was like, ‘What is wrong with Ruth?’” Once she learned of Beauvais’ scene, Carter says she knew the gown was meant for it: “It was such a good opening dress.” 

Blue was another prominent color featured in the film. It first appears on Queen Lisa (Shari Headley) in the form of a sleeveless gown with cowrie bead detail, embellishments frequently used in West African designs. Upon arriving in Zamunda, Lavelle’s mother Mary (Leslie Jones) plucks a blue halter gown in an Ankara print with a matching headpiece from Lisa’s closet. According to Carter, it was an homage to the original film. “[Costume designer] Deborah Nadoolman Landis had big shapes, big headdresses,” says Carter. “It was a really beautiful fit on Leslie… She could actually wear the outfit to the Oscars.”

While Carter collaborated with various designers for the film, most of the costumes were created from scratch. “They’re the Royal family, so I didn’t want anything like, ‘Hey, that’s Tom Ford.’ I didn’t want it to be recognizable from the racks in a store somewhere,” says Carter. “I wanted it to feel aspirational.”

But while Coming 2 America is distinctly its own film when it comes to fashion, Carter did include nostalgic nods to the original. When returning to New York, Akeem and Semmi (Arsenio Hall) wear the same gray and navy caped looks they first arrived in Queens in. In a later scene, Akeem also wears the same Mets jacket, and Semmi a blazer. “We had to remake the blazer that Arsenio wore in the first film 30 years ago. That wasn’t easy. We had to paint it and find a wool that was close in tone,” she says. “I looked at the sequel for the first time, and I could not see where the old footage ended and the actual new footage began.”

If that’s not the true mark of Ruth E. Carter, I don’t know what is.

Coming 2 America is out on Prime Video.

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“Old” Millennials on TikTok had a rough last week when they found out that it’s no longer cool to side-part your hair, use the laugh-cry emoji, and — the toughest pill to swallow — wear skinny jeans.  

I am a Millennial who partakes in all three of these Gen Z faux-pas. But, I’m also a fashion editor who saw the skinny jeans condemnation coming. Skinny jeans have largely been absent on the runways, which have been featuring baggy jeans for seasons now. Celebrities like Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, and Sofia Richie have been exclusively wearing baggy-fit jeans for a while, too. I myself have declared the skinny denim trend over in public on the internet — all while continuing to wear my go-to pair of skinnies on the side. Now that they’ve officially been relegated to “mom jeans” status, I don’t feel any sting.

I know that trends are cyclical, and it was only a matter of time before the belly button-covering loose-legged jeans — previously only worn by moms in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s — came back around. Conservative, unimaginative, and asexual, these “mom jeans” (the irony!) were the sartorial antithesis of everything that we saw in ’00s celebrity culture.

As such, we opted for excess during that era: blinged-out bootcut jeans with crystals covering the entire pocket, jeans with butt signage as flashy as billboards, flared denim underneath skirts and dresses, and — the most extreme of them all — ultra-low-rise jeans that made it impossible to sit down without pulling up your pants at the same time. (Anyone who lived during this era knows the shimmy move I’m talking about.) 

Like everyone else, I let my G-string show. Deep down though, as an adolescent surrounded by flat stomachs that I absolutely did not have, I was desperately uncomfortable — self-conscious that my love handles were out and that my hips lacked pointy bones I saw in music videos and on TV. As if to add to the insult, the jeans often featured long hemlines that were made with supermodel legs in mind. My jeans dragged on the floor, getting more ripped and dirt-stained with each wear. Yet when my mother once offered to shorten a pair so the hemlines wouldn’t get destroyed with every Converse-clad step I took, I was horrified that she would even suggest such a “mom” thing. Now, I’m horrified at the amount of dirt I tracked back home; if I was my mother, I would have made me take off the jeans at the door. 

All this is to say that, when skinny jeans first came around in the mid-‘00s, they were a revelation. They accentuated the butt without exposing it. Suddenly hemlines could remain clean and unchewed, and show off our boots rather than be destroyed by them. And while some — notably, moms — were scandalized by how tight skinny jeans were, I was just thrilled about not having my buttcrack out and my midsection on display. Nevertheless, it wasn’t an instantaneous fit: For one, it took me, a straight-size shopper that has no shortage of options, a few tries to find a pair that both fit my larger hips and smaller waist. I stopped wearing high-tops after being unable to overcome how monstrously clown-like my feet looked in them without a bootcut hem to cover the shoes. Still, in my eyes, they were a huge upgrade from the jeans I had been wearing.

Years later, I briefly dabbled with the “boyfriend” jean trend, the loose-fitting, straight-legged pants with cuffs, that started the skinny jean trend’s descent. Unlike many of my peers, who are now likely feeling smug about moving on early, I continued sporting skinny jeans. While boyfriend jeans were soft, comfortable, and allowed plenty of movement, they just never worked with my style. Instead, I upgraded to the even higher-waisted slim jeans, which I have been wearing ever since.

That said, like many, I haven’t really worn any form of real pants for the last year. With most time spent at home, I wear sweatpants or workout leggings; whenever I go outside, I pull out dresses, skirts, or loose leather pants — formerly “special occasion” article of clothes that I now wear on weekend walks. Skinny jeans are the last thing I would think to reach for today.

Which brings me back to TikTok. Following last week’s declaration that I am old and uncool, I thought about whether baggy jeans are my way of transitioning from sweats back to hard pants once the pandemic’s grip has loosened. But after a year apart from my skinny jeans, I can more clearly see the less savory parts of the style: That they make my socks slide off every time I take them off. Or how, after some long nights out, I have to ask my partner to pull them off of me as I lay on the couch, too exhausted to peel them off myself. Or how I still occasionally find myself unable to fit my hips into my supposed size of certain brands. “Weird” — a word that some on TikTok used to describe the style — isn’t the right word or reason for why I feel ready to abandon my skinnies. It’s more that there is, in fact, something deeply “uncool” about wearing clothes that work against me — especially after a year of only wearing clothes that serve me, that provide me with comfort.

So are the old mom jeans cool again? Yeah, no doubt about it. Are skinny jeans the new mom jeans? Sure. Is it time to retire the trend for good then? If I ever decide to wear jeans again — I am having a lot of doubts right now!! — maybe I’ll think about it. (Also, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten, but: What shoes do you wear with baggy jeans? 😂) Or maybe I’ll just wait out the next 10 years. After all, if the whale tail made a comeback in 2020, anything is possible. 

In the meantime, I’ll stick to my favorite sweatpants.

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We’re living in a new age of the Instagram mirror selfie. With the pandemic ushering everyone (and their outfits) indoors, even influencers — who had previously been photographed in exotic locales — are reduced to taking selfies in front of full-length mirrors at home, where they showcase outfits that often include pandemic staples like matching sweatsuits and cozy knitwear. But while it is refreshing to see more relatable content from people who no longer claim to be in full-outfit mode every day, there is still some curation involved — it’s Instagram after all. But, this new fashion-friendly aesthetic doesn’t involve a clothing trend or a specific accessory, but rather an instantly recognizable wavy mirror — all the better to frame an outfit.

As ubiquitous on the grid as checkerboard-patterned looks (blame The Queen’s Gambit — or, you know, the ‘70s making a comeback) are languidly curvy mirrors featuring full outfits, nail art, and artistically framed selfies. The mirrors range from being puddle-like to rectangular with wavy or oval frames, and pretty much all of them are crafted in eye-catching colors or interesting shapes. While statement mirrors are not innovative in the home space, what’s new is that they have now firmly entered Fashion Territory, as the unofficial It accessory of #OOTD posts. (Even the six-pound Italian Greyhound-Chihuahua influencer Boobie Billie is a fan of the trend.)

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After being haunted by these curvy mirrors on my feed, I reached out to the creators behind some of the most popular mirror styles to make sure it wasn’t just my algorithm serving me the photos that it thinks I want to see. Which, fine, maybe I do want a fancy mirror now — but, it’s not all in my head. All the creators I reached out to confirmed that there has been an increase in demand for their products in the last year.

While, at first, I was thrown off by the wavy mirror’s omnipresence in the feeds of fashion’s finest, the rise of the trend actually seems inevitable. “I think the result of many of us being restrained to our homes due to the pandemic has sparked a new wave of interest in interiors and homewares,” says Shantelle Hyslop, founder of Lotta Blobs, which sells handmade mirrors that feature a whimsy blob-like frame. “Our homes have become a part of our everyday environment, and it’s important we feel inspired by our habitat as this often reflects our mood.” 

More than just spaces we live and work, our homes also send the message of who we are to the outside world in a way that our clothes once did. While, previously, we communicated our style to our colleagues and acquaintances through our outfits, now we do so via our homes’ interiors. About six months ago, I redecorated my living room after realizing that the hastily put-up artwork I’d hung a few years ago — that appeared behind me in Zoom meetings — didn’t reflect my actual style to my colleagues, like my shoes once did. (If it were possible, I would also likely move my organized-by-color bookshelf, though, frankly, they are reflective of my personality; I require order and cohesiveness on the outside, even if it takes me forever to find a book when searching by author name.)

In its simplest form, a statement mirror adds interest to any fashion look — even one that involves the same house dress you have been wearing for two days in a row. With many peoples stuck taking outfit photos at home, a mirror can, according to Hyslop, “add a fun touch to every photograph.” Frame any look with an aesthetically pleasing mirror, and it has exponentially more Instagram potential.

And then there’s the fact that the ‘70s are having a moment in decor — again. “Think about how everyone who’s renovated a house in the last decade probably went for a lot of marble, and a lot of gray. And now you see TikTokkers DIYing green kitchens, maximalist patterns, and terrazzo,” says Glare Goods co-founder Keri Gray, who was inspired to make the brand’s non-geometric mirrors with her husband Eli Gray after finding a broken Knitter-Duro Brevete mirror from the era; the puddle-like styles, made from salvaged and vintage material, are currently sold out on their website. “It seems like we’re in a bit of a colorful movement, ‘70s-meets-‘00s-meets-internet culture.” 

According to her, this is aided by the general rise of interest in sustainability, with vintage shopping and thrifting more popular than ever: “With access to all of these highlights of trends throughout history so readily available via the internet, it’s easy to discover things that may strike a new — or old — chord.” 

Look, for example, at the popularity of 20th-century Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass’ Ultrafragola mirror — you can find it inside the homes of Lena Dunham, Frank Ocean, and Sophia Amoruso, as well as stores like Nordstrom and La Ligne — in the last few years. Whenever Abigail Bell Vintage, a beloved Brooklyn home store, posts a photo of its personal Ultrafragola, a wavy-edged mirror that also lights up (not unlike a fancy Ring Light), most of the comments are about it, rather than the goods that are actually for sale. It’s gotten to the point that the store’s captions now preemptively include information on the mirror and how it’s not for sale. 

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“I don’t think anyone who isn’t already a vintage interiors buff would have known anything about this mirror prior to a few years ago,” says the shop’s founder, Abigail Campbell. According to her, since the mirrors have become produced again and featured in the homes of celebrities, they have become inescapable on social media — this despite the fact that they’re quite the investment piece, with prices starting at around $10,000 “All of this fame has turned the Ultrafragola into somewhat of a status symbol,” she says, comparing it to an It bag, an apt replacement, given how we are more likely to be broadcasting the contents of our home rather than our actual bags.

Where there are expensive It items, though, there are also affordable knock-offs. While Campbell — who says, “With nowhere to go these days, your mirror selfie is everything” — thinks that the statement mirror trend is here to stay, she doesn’t see some of the kitschier copycats, like the popular foam mirror DIYs of last summer, sticking around: “The designs that are here to last are the vintage ones that have already stood the test of time, and current designers with unique ideas like Gustaf Westman and Bi Rite.”

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One look at even my personal feed, and Campbell’s theory is proven correct; I find the wavy styles by Gustaf Westman (shown in photo above) — including the glam room of Demi Lovato! — as well as the oval mirror by Bi Rite, everywhere. When I ask Westman why he thinks wavy mirrors are everywhere right now, he says he can’t say for certain, but: “It may have something to do with the pandemic. We want to surround ourselves with more color and playful shapes to feel more happy.” 

And right now, one year (and counting) into the pandemic, we can all use any happiness we can find. Maybe happiness comes in the form of some guaranteed Instagram likes. Maybe it comes because you’ve found a new way to present yourself to the world: framed in colorful waves, the way you want to be seen, the way you want to live — even if you are wearing the same sweatsuit you’ve had on all week and haven’t left your house in even longer.

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Though not one of the major four, Copenhagen Fashion Week has, in recent years, been a hotspot for trends that matter. Between its effortlessly cool street style and roster of It Girl brands like Ganni and Cecilie Bahnsen, it has also made a name for itself as one of the leaders of the sustainable fashion movement.

Last year, Copenhagen Fashion Week launched a sustainability action plan. In addition to making a pledge to reduce its own footprint, it gave brands three years to meet a series of sustainability requirements in order to be eligible to have a spot on the official calendar. A year later and with a digital event as a result of the ongoing pandemic, Copenhagen Fashion Week released its first annual Sustainability Report that lists plans to become zero-waste by 2022.

“All industry players — including fashion weeks — have to be accountable for their actions and be willing to change the way business is done. The timeframe for averting the devastating effects of climate change on the planet and people is less than a decade, and we’re already witnessing its catastrophic impacts today,” said Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, during a press conference. 

This season, Copenhagen Fashion Week also partnered with Zalando, a European e-platform for fashion and lifestyle, to launch the Zalando Sustainability Award, which all brands on the calendar were invited to apply for. After looking at their sustainability strategies, a jury of experts selected House of Dagmar as the winner on Thursday.

Founded in 2005 by sisters Karin Söderlind, Kristina Tjäder, and Sofia Wallenstam, House of Dagmar has been committed to sustainability since the beginning, prioritizing design, ethics, and longevity as the house pillars of the brand. Instead of showcasing new trends, its new collection reimagines essentials like soft knits, relaxed suiting, and oversized coats — which the brand hopes inspires shoppers to wear their clothes season after season rather than a few times before the trend is over. “As consumers, we must realize the need to support the sustainability movement,” Söderlind told Refinery29. “Maybe we don’t need the season’s It garment. But we do need a great sustainable wardrobe filled with your essentials.” 

In line with its eco-friendly practices, 90% of the products in the collection were made using at least 50% sustainable fabrics. “Our goal is to become climate neutral and offer 100% sustainable collections. To get there, we measure our fiber footprint every year so that we make decisions that lead to actual change in an effective and transparent way,” said Söderlind. 

“We still have a very long way to go to achieve our own goals. This gives us a push to keep putting even higher targets,” Wallenstam said in the press release announcing the win.

Runner-up Marimekko, a Finnish fashion and home brand known for its can’t-miss prints, recently raised its sustainability targets to a much more ambitious level, promising to reduce the environmental footprint of its textile materials and its greenhouse gas emissions, among other initiatives, by 2025. “Deadlines are often the best motivator to hold ourselves accountable for any change that needs to be achieved,” Rebekka Bay, Marimekko’s creative director, told R29. “We also feel it’s important to be transparent to our community.”

To double down on its sustainability pledge, in lieu of a seasonal collection, the brand presented a conceptual film, highlighting its timeless design philosophy. “One of our goals was to make this film with a minimal environmental footprint, so the carbon footprint from the film’s production will be offset,” said Bay. “Our long-term vision is that our operations leave no trace on the environment.”

Many designers see Copenhagen Fashion Week as the venue to unveil their own sustainability projects. Last season, Ganni partnered with Levi’s on a rental collection during the event; the season before, By Malene Birger made some of its fall 2020 runway looks available for rent. Other brands like Stine Goya, Baum und Pferdgarten, and Rabens Saloner that appear on the schedule are transparent about their sustainability efforts year-round. But while Copenhagen Fashion Week does boast a large number of brands who are committed to better practices — at least, in comparison to cities like New York, London, or Paris where you are significantly more hard-pressed to list sustainable designers outside of Collina Strada, Mara Hoffman, Stella McCartney, or Gabriela Hearst — there’s still the issue of greenwashing, where brands claim to be more sustainable than they truly are.

With 17 requirements on its action plan, by 2023, Copenhagen Fashion Week will require that brands meet specific benchmarks — like pledging not to destroy unsold clothes, using at least 50% certified, organic, upcycled, or recycled textiles in all collections, and using only sustainable packaging and zero-waste set designs for shows — in order to be able to participate on the calendar. As for those who don’t? “Sustainability is not a game or a sport where only one brand can win,” House of Dagmar’s Wallenstam said in a press release. And while that’s true, there are many fashion brands that stand to lose if they don’t adapt to the times.

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From playing a 19th-century trapeze artist in The Greatest Showman to a young woman struggling with addiction in Euphoria, Zendaya’s acting has range. This extends to her fashion choices, too, with each look unexpected and unlike the one that came before it. Last year alone — a worse-than-usual year for clothes that weren’t sweatpants — she wore a plunging purple dress for the Emmys and a gravity-defining ballgown for InStyle (both by Christopher John Rogers), a hot pink breastplate by Tom Ford for the Critics Choice Awards, and very good bucket hats for GQ. Behind all those diverse, compelling looks is one stylist, Image Architect Law Roach.

Roach’s newest collaboration with Zendaya is on display in Netflix’s new film Malcolm & Marie, which marks the first time he worked with the star on a film project in their decade of working together. “I got the call from Zendaya saying that [director] Sam Levinson wanted me to be a part of the project. I was so happy and so grateful and so humbled because I never got a chance to work with Zendaya in this capacity,” Roach told Refinery29.

While the one-location film shows Zendaya in only two looks, the fashion featured is a testament to Roach’s signature touch — the ability to make any outfit, whether it’s an avant-garde red carpet gown or a tank top and sneakers, alluring — which has made him one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stylists today. (His other clients have included Celine Dion, Anya Taylor-Joy, Hunter Schafer, and Kerry Washington).

From the moment Zendaya’s character Marie appears on-screen, she exudes sensuality, dressed in a tight-fitting pewter gown with revealing cutouts and a thigh-high slit. “I think being sexy is a huge part of her personality and just who she is,” Roach said of Marie. “I think she owns her femininity and really loves to express that through her wardrobe.”

When discussing the dress prior to filming, Levinson’s one requirement was for it to be timeless. “He said, ‘When someone watches this film 20 years from now, I want this dress to still be relevant and beautiful,’” Roach said. “I was like, ‘No pressure Sam.’” 

To carry out this vision, Roach started by pulling some ready-to-wear dresses but decided to create a custom look after they didn’t feel “special enough.” After enlisting fellow stylist, good friend, and Aliétte designer Jason Rembert, Roach went back-and-forth with Levinson and Zendaya on sketches before landing on a few. “Jason was in New York and I was in L.A. on FaceTime with him while we were going through the fabric store and picking fabrics,” said Roach. Because the film is black and white, the material of the dress was key: “The fabric needed to have movement. We chose a lot of fabrics and sent them back to Sam and Zendaya, who did camera and lighting tests.” 

The work paid off. On-screen, the dress catches and absorbs light with Zendaya’s every move and camera angle. Up close, the details are even more mesmerizing. As Malcolm — played by John David Washington who was styled by Samantha McMillen — grazes Marie’s waist with his hands, the camera follows his fingers, showing every fold of the intricately rich fabric that looks made from liquid mercury. During one particularly emotional scene, Marie tells Malcolm that he should thank her “for looking so goddamn sexy in that dress.” Elsewhere, in a cooking scene sequence that’s not for the faint of (fashion) heart, Marie, still in the dress, throws open a stick of butter and tosses the just-boiled pasta into the colander without any pause — which I wouldn’t even do in an apron let alone a couture gown fit for a movie premiere.

Halfway through the film, Zendaya trades her red carpet look — which delightfully includes a pair of  Wolford tights with a back seam that get their own scene — for white underwear and a sheer tank top, a reference to Nicole Kidman’s look in Eyes Wide Shut. “We went through a bunch of different brands and cuts to get the best and the most flattering and still sexy silhouette.” The style that they landed on is refreshingly attainable, a ribbed tank from Aerie.

At one point, Marie throws a vintage floral robe over it, which, according to Roach, was “from Zendaya’s closet,” says Roach.

When speaking of coming up with the looks for the film, Roach says that he approached it like he would a photo shoot or a red carpet appearance with Zendaya. “Except I wasn’t dressing Zendaya. I was dressing Marie who is leaps and bounds different from Zendaya. But I think the process was still the same — finding something to be inspired by and creating a story with the wardrobe,” he says. “Everything that I do with Zendaya always starts with a narrative. It starts with us creating the character.”

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