If you’re (1) into fashion and (2) on the internet in any capacity, you likely fell head over heels Susanna ankle boots this week for Chloe’s dreamy 2026 Winter campaign.

“For this campaign, I wanted to express devotion through women, the vastness of open landscapes, and craftsmanship,” Chemena Kamali, the brand’s Creative Director shared in an artistic statement. “Nature brings us back to instinct, freedom, and connection. In that openness, femininity unfolds with untamed strength and togetherness.”

The campaign comes to life through “shifting light and untamed landscapes, where savoir-faire, natural elements, and instinctive femininity converge in an expression of humanity, freedom, and connection,” the brand continued in the statement.

Dutch-American fashion photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin captured the stunning images and also acted as film directors for the creative. Casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro tapped Raquel Zimmerman, Jacqui Louise, Thalita Ferreira and Sarah Isaksen to tell the visual story.

As I was perusing reviews of the campaign, I loved how Erin Fitzpatrick, Associate Director of Fashion News at Who What Wear, wrote about how Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” started playing in her head the moment she saw the campaign’s images.

I, too, couldn’t help but hear the mood of the campaign through the photography. As I discovered the images one by one, different songs and specific lyrics came to mind.

One look at this photo and I could hear Bono…"And so she woke up, woke up from where she was, lyin’ still.”

And if The Dead Deads’ rock anthem “Deal With Me” were to exist in a single photo—hot damn, this is it.

Because I love my readers and there’s no greater act of love than making someone a mix, I put together an 11-track playlist of songs spanning R&B, rock, and Americana favorites that I feel capture the spirit of the campaign. I hope you love it.

The Chloé Winter 2026 Feeling

“Bring Me My Queen” by Abigail Washburn, from the 2011 album, City of Refuge.

“Someday” by Ryan Adams from the 2022 album, FM.

"Sparkle and Shine” by Steve Earle from the 2007 album, Washington Square Serenade.

“I Think I’m a Ghost” a 2026 single by Morning Verses.

"Embrasse-moi” by Les Nubians from the 1998 album, Princesses Nubiennes.

"She’s Already Made Up Her Mind” by Lyle Lovett from the 1992 album, Joshua Judges Ruth.

"Come On” by Lucinda Williams from the 2007 album, West.

"Mythological Beauty” by Big Thief from the 2017 album Capacity.

"Running to Stand Still” by U2 from the 1987 album, The Joshua Tree.

“Still Want to Be With You” by Tom Schreck from the 2009 album Outsider.

"Deal With Me” a 2021 single by The Dead Deads.

If you had to describe the feeling of this campaign with a song, what would you add to the playlist? Drop your recommendations in the comments.

A rural, religious town.
Two teenage boys forced through a horrifying ritual designed to purge them of their desires.
And a demonic entity that takes the form of the person they love most.

Imagine dressing that story.

NEON’s Leviticus, written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, is a film about faith, desire, and the terrifying cost of conformity. But much of the film’s emotional language exists before the characters ever speak.

It lives in the clothes.

Rather than simply dressing the world of Leviticus, Costume Designer Zohie Castellano uses wardrobe as a powerful form of storytelling—examining who the characters are, who they’re expected to be, and the painful space between the two. Through muted color palettes, imperfect silhouettes, and what she calls “demon textures” inspired by creatures of the natural world, every detail has a purpose.

Working closely with production designer Bethany Ryan and director of photography Tyson Perkins, Castellano created a visual world where costume and environment quietly mirror the film’s emotional arc, moving from repression and fear toward the freedom of self-acceptance.

As audiences eagerly wait for Leviticus to hit streaming platforms, I spoke with Castellano about the symbolism in the film’s wardrobe, the art of building a character through clothing, and the message she hopes viewers carry with them after watching the film.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Mixed Prints: Congrats on the film. Before we jump into the costumes, I’d love to know…what was it about Leviticus that made you say “yes” to the project?

Zoe Castellano: I would say yes to anything Causeway Films offered me because I have great respect for the producers [Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, and Hannah Ngo.] They’re really trailblazing the industry in Australia, so I’m proud to be involved.

It was my first horror film, so I was excited by the creative exercise of dealing with supernatural subject matter. That was the most exciting part for me.

MP: This film explores themes of suppression, desire, and shame. How did those ideas influence your approach to color, texture, and costume?

ZC: Rather than going straight to any specific costume, I began with the feeling of what we were trying to do. I was looking at Francisco Goya paintings of those incredible, dark demon shadows, and looking through the script for things that stood out—the snake eating the frog [in the opening scene,] the frogs being dissected in the school classroom, or when Ryan teases Naim about the funnel-web spider on his shoulder.

I was looking at how best to evoke what’s in the story—bringing out the texture of these frogs, snakes, and spiders, and bringing that into the fabric choices, like lace, leather, or knotty knits.

The deliverance healer’s suit, for example, is pressed incorrectly so it’s shiny, almost like frog skin. Because the film is really about longing and yearning, it made sense to have a very restricted color palette to enhance those feelings.

MP: You coined the phrase “demon textures” to describe some of these details. Can you expand upon that?

ZC: We’re dealing with demons and predators, so everything [in the costume] has meaning even in the little things. On one of Naim’s jackets, for instance, I had a little shark embroidered.

I was laughing with one of the actors about how this “demon texture” concept was really just how I convinced them to wear a lot of ugly clothes!

MP: The costumes feel deeply connected to the dark, haunting world of the film. What was your collaboration like with production designer Bethany Ryan and the rest of the creative team?

ZC: It’s the second time Beth and I have worked together. We did Of an Age as well with Causeway. By this time with Leviticus, we understood each other. We kind of had a shorthand, and if I had a problem I wanted to solve, I would go talk to her.
Beth and I have similar tastes in a kind of restrained way. I think we’re both good at subtle narrative in our work. It’s quite complementary. We kept all of the ideas circulating to really get into world-building.

MP: It must feel so amazing when all the individual creative choices come together and the film’s world starts to feel real…

ZC: It really is special. That’s why I love filmmaking. I love collaborating—you get to make something that’s bigger than any one person.

.MP: What’s your process like in creating looks for the actors? Did the lead actors, Joe Bird (Naim) and Stacy Clausen (Ryan), influence the process as all?

ZC: I map everything out so I can have an idea of the character journey. Often with actors, when we have our first fitting, I’ll sit with them with my boards, my designs, and what I’m thinking. I like to do that before we actually start trying anything on. It’s a bit of a journey: this is what we’re looking at doing, let’s see how it feels for you. Then the actors can respond with, “This feels good,” or “I’m not sure about this.”

With Stacey and Joe, they were a total breeze. It was the middle of winter, so I just needed to make sure no one was freezing on set, covered in blood in just a t-shirt!

MP: How did you use clothing to explore the tesion between who Naim and Ryan are, and who they’re expected to be?

ZC: I tried to create an environment where things could emerge about their identities, because we’re dealing with other people’s judgment, or people trying to be something other than themselves.

It was a process of feeling it through and thinking about what would feel right in this small town in an isolated rural setting. Even I had to resist the temptation of wanting them to be cool kids, because that just wasn’t what we were dealing with. They’re kind of in the middle of nowhere, so I needed to think about what they would actually have access to.

MP: How do you know when a costume is truly finished and is communicating everything it needs to in a scene?

ZC: I think it’s just a feeling when something isn’t right. Often the costume is not complete until that very morning, when we finish tweaking and deciding exactly which accessories will finalize the styling.

It’s a process of intuition and referencing the story. In the creative process, if you ever feel lost or like you’re not sure of something, it’s always good to think: What’s the story? What’s the subliminal message that’s meant to be coming through in this scene?

I often like to name each look after where the characters are in the story. To bring it back to what the look is saying, emotionally. We called that first look of Ryan in the tank top “The Look of First Desire,” which does recur again as the monster entity [in the scene where] he comes around the side of the bus.

MP: Let’s talk about silhouettes. Naim’s oversized, slightly ill-fitting clothes—especially in the funeral scene—make him feel boyish and vulnerable. What are we learning about him through this wardrobe?

ZC: At the beginning of the film, he’s lost his father maybe only six months earlier, he’s being bullied at school, and is obviously figuring some stuff out, so yeah…it’s like he’s hiding at the beginning. He’s actually wearing his school uniform shirt and shoes at the funeral, so there are these mismatched, ill-fitting pieces, which kind of add to the character.

That’s also the first time we see the Ryan monster—at the funeral. He’s actually wearing a slightly different shirt and tie compared to what the real Ryan is wearing inside. The monster’s not a complete copy just yet. He hasn’t quite got the details correct. But then when he comes back later in different looks, you’re not sure who’s who.

MP: What makes the Ryan monster so unsettling is that he looks almost angelic with the deep blue eyes and blond curls. The horror comes from the contrast between what we see and what’s actually happening.

ZC: Exactly. Because it’s also a love story with horror elements. That contrast is across everything, which is lovely.

MP: How did you dress the film’s religious community to reflect their beliefs and sense of modesty without making the costumes feel too on-the-nose? I think you really struck the perfect balance, there.

ZC: We did some research on churches that are more along the lines of pop culture/mega churches, and the feedback was that they’re actually a lot more casual than you would think.

With the church scenes, wardrobe was very much informed by the color palette. I took inspiration from Roy Anderson films.

They have this very neutral color palette throughout, and I brought that into the costuming. It starts off lighter, and then as the film gets darker, they all get darker because it’s kind of representing this hellhole that the boys are trying to escape from.

MP: One thing I loved about the film is how time feels almost undefined. Until Naim pulls out a smartphone, you’re never quite sure when the story is set. Was that intentional?

ZC: Yeah, it was actually. The film is obviously not period, but it was a bit lost in time because that’s sometimes how we feel in Australia. Like we’re lost in time. Australia is this landscape that’s unlike anything else, and we’re geographically surrounded by a lot of space.

MP: The final bus scene feels like a turning point for Naim and Ryan. There’s a sense of lightness and possibility that we haven’t seen before. How did you use costume to reflect that emotional shift?

ZC: Thinking about light and dark, it’s as simple as Naim’s hoodie being a pale gray one. It’s like his aura is lightened from the experience. It was really about reworking a different kind of feeling, and we were looking at references like My Own Private Idaho, and what those boys are wearing together.

With everything in this process, I felt like it would look more real and authentic to not have too many garments introduced in the film. It’s sort of as natural as it can be.
It’s about finding different ways of styling different pieces to get a different feeling, which is how we arrived at that final look.

MP: From a process standpoint, were there any major challenges on this film when it came to wardrobe?

ZC: I think the biggest challenge for me, honestly, was just the schedule because I had to establish about 100 looks in the first two weeks.

MP: What did you learn from Leviticus about your own creative process?

ZC: Every time I do a film, I refine my craft more and more. It’s about trusting my own creativity more, learning how to communicate, and understanding that it’s a process to get there.

You have to be willing to go on a bit of a journey to discover the character as well in the context of the whole story.

MP: At the beginning of this conversation, we talked about the feeling of the wardrobe. What do you hope audiences will feel through the costumes, and take away from this movie?

ZC: I want them to feel…that they can give themselves permission to step into their authentic self.

MP: I love that. That’s a beautiful lesson.

ZC: In the end, I think that’s what it was all about, really.

Leviticus will be available on digital platforms July 28, 2026. To keep up with Zohie Castellano and her work, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

When the photograph surfaced on my Instagram feed, I couldn’t scroll past it.

D’Angelo, the year his debut album Brown Sugar was released, but before the world knew its significance. Standing on a New York street with a grin that feels almost too big for the frame. Childlike and unguarded, like he’d been caught mid-laugh. It’s the kind of smile people rarely wear once the world starts paying close attention.

There was a story sitting inside that image that I wanted to hear.

With the 31st anniversary of Brown Sugar approaching on July 3, I called award-winning photographer (and fellow FIT Alum) Eric Johnson—who shared the photograph publicly for the first time last year after D’Angelo’s passing—to ask about the afternoon it was made.

Based in New York, Johnson has spent four decades documenting youth culture through music. His photographs have appeared in The Face, Vogue, The FADER, and V Magazine. His work has helped define how artists from Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans to Erykah Badu, Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, and Doja Cat are seen.

Yet when he talks about his work, the photographer behind the iconic images from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (let that sink in) doesn’t dwell on celebrity. He talks about trust and curiosity. About creating enough comfort for people to stop performing and simply exist in front of the lens.

That’s exactly what happened on a day in 1995 with D’Angelo.

Before Brown Sugar introduced him to the world, and long before Voodoo, Black Messiah, 4 Grammy wins and a whopping 14 career nominations, D’Angelo was just another young musician trying to make something of himself in New York City. Johnson, a burgeoning photographer at the time, had actually met him months earlier in one of those only-in-New York chance encounters. While sitting in his vintage convertible listening to music, Johnson and his friend Sarah, from the band D-Influence, spotted D’Angelo walking down the street.

“She thought he was cute, so we started talking to him,” Johnson laughs. “There was a studio on West 25th Street that all the rappers and musicians were recording at, so he was going there. But he hadn’t put out any music, so we didn’t know who he was.”

Months later, they crossed paths again.

Interview magazine had commissioned Johnson to photograph a group of emerging soul artists including Faith Evans, Omar, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, and a then-unknown D’Angelo. The magazine’s budget was so small that Johnson, who didn’t yet have a studio, invited everyone to his Brooklyn apartment instead.

“We climbed onto the roof and took the group portrait there,” he remembers. “One thing I remember is D’Angelo was really low-key. Even in a group setting, he was kind of doing his own thing.”

After seeing the photographs, the magazine changed its tune and came back with a different request for Johnson to photograph each artist individually.

That’s when the real story began.

By then, Johnson had traded the convertible for a red Toyota 4Runner. For D’Angelo’s solo shoot the “set” for the day was whatever awaited them on the streets of New York City.

“We just picked him up on the street,” Johnson says. “And it was cool back then because people showed up by themselves, you know? No teams, no publicists. It was just you and the artist figuring it out together.”

The radio in Johnson’s 4Runner drifted between WBLS and 98.7 KISS FM. Someone rolled a blunt. D’Angelo didn’t show up with weed, but had the foresight to bring the rolling papers, Johnson remembers.

“That was his contribution,” Johnson laughs. “He was hoping somebody else would have the weed.”

They talked about music and life as two emerging creatives on the cusp of something. Whenever a block caught Johnson’s eye, they’d pull over, hop out, take a few photographs, and keep driving. There was no shot list.

Looking back, it’s tempting to read the photographs as prophecy, but Johnson doesn’t.

“We were all so young. I knew he had incredible taste in music. I knew he was cool. But we had no way of knowing our impact—him as an artist or me as a photographer at that point.”

When I asked Johnson how he got the famously reserved D’Angelo to open up for the session, he pointed to something much simpler than art direction or technique—familiarity. It had been building long before the shutter clicked that day.

There was the random run-in on the street. Then the rooftop shoot in Brooklyn. By the time Johnson pulled up in his SUV for the second assignment—with another young Black creative in the passenger seat and music spilling into the street—D’Angelo wasn’t climbing into a stranger’s car.

“You can imagine why he’d think, ‘These are my boys,’” Johnson says.

Legend has it the assistant riding shotgun had quit his day job at Supreme that very morning just to work the shoot.

“It’s so New York and so punk rock,” Johnson laughs. “I didn’t even know that until recently. I just knew he was available that day.”

The entire afternoon continued to unfold almost accidentally.

They wandered through Lower Manhattan, stopping whenever a block caught Johnson’s attention. He distinctly remembers photographing D’Angelo around 14th Street, Sixth Avenue, and Tribeca.

After the shoot, he remembers someone handed him a scrap of paper with a phone number and the name “Michael Archer” written across the top.

“I remember looking at it afterward thinking, ‘Who’s Michael Archer?’”

Only later did he realize a modest D’Angelo had written down his number and his legal name. Johnson kept the paper for years. It was a relic of the day, which, by the way, ended up being one heck of a deal for Interview magazine.

"Interview used to pay $75 a shoot back then,” Johnson recalls, “but you know what’s so funny? I never billed them once. I wasn’t money-driven like I probably should have been, blah blah,” he recalls. “It just wasn’t that much and you’d have to wait to be paid, so I just never billed them.”

Following the shoot, both D’Angelo’s and Johnson’s stars continued to rise. That early instinct of favoring real, raw moments over spectacle went on to define Johnson’s career as a photographer.
"My photos aren't so performative. I feel like it took a certain kind of artist to understand what I was wanting to do. I just stayed [true to] myself. And now when I look back, there are so many genuine moments.”

Even when agents pushed for more controlled, polished imagery over the years, he resisted.

“I knew I was right in capturing those chill, nondescript moments,” he says. “At the time, they weren’t always the pictures [the client] chose. But now those are the ones that matter.”

The artists who understood that instinct became the ones most associated with Johnson’s work. Erykah Badu. Foxy Brown. OutKast. D’Angelo.

“They were comfortable enough in their own skin to let me photograph them as themselves,” says Johnson.

Over the years, D’Angelo and Johnson drifted into separate lives, but not loo long ago, Johnson discovered just how much their afternoon back in 1995 had meant to the artist.

“A couple of years ago I was on vacation in Malta with my friend Mali Wilson. She used to have this studio in Atlanta where everyone would record,” recalls Johnson. “So suddenly Mali gets a call, and it’s Angie Stone, and D’Angelo was there with Angie.”
After a brief conversation, Wilson mentioned something casually that stopped Johnson cold.

“When Mali told Angie she was with me,” he remembers, “D’Angelo was in the background saying, ‘Yo, that’s my boy.’”

Johnson was stunned.

“This was like twenty-five years later. I wouldn’t have thought that until the very end he thought of me that way. If I’d known that, I would’ve been available for whatever he wanted to do over the years.”

Today, a younger generation is rediscovering Johnson's work through social media. Many weren't even born when his most celebrated images were made, yet they respond to them instantly. Maybe it's the renewed obsession with the '90s. Or maybe it's that Johnson's photographs capture something increasingly rare: moments that weren't engineered for an audience, but simply lived. They belong to an era when you really just had to be there.

It’s no surprise that Johnson’s peers and fans have been asking for a photo book of his storied career. He resisted for a long time, but recognizes now might be the perfect moment for such a project.

“People would always say, ‘You should do a ‘90s book,’” he says. “But that just didn’t feel like my story. And I’ve always been the type where I don’t want to do it if it doesn’t sell out,” he quips. “I didn’t want my book just sitting on a shelf at The Strand.”

He admits his point of view on his legacy changed after Abbey Road Studios invited Johnson to London to receive its first-ever Icon Award in 2022. Sitting in the audience, Johnson watched decades of his images unfold on screen, D’Angelo among them, alongside a lifetime of artists who had stood before his camera.
“Everyone was crying,” he says. “I started crying…there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

Now, a monograph finally feels inevitable. It’s not a nostalgia play, but a document of youth culture across several decades of unmatched creative output. The eras were different, but Johnson’s instinct remained the same. It’s always been about the pursuit of honesty over commercial polish. He is currently in conversations with publishers about what that book might become.

No doubt, a handful of selects from his day on the street with D’Angelo will make the edit.

Thirty-one years later, Johnson still remembers that afternoon for what it was, not what it would eventually come to represent.

“I don’t think everything has to be super deep,” he laughs. “I just look back and think, what a chill, beautiful day that I had with the homie. Imagine D’Angelo literally sitting next to you in the front seat driving around the city, talking shit, listening to music, and getting stoned. There’s no better day.”

That’s the real gift of Johnson’s photographs of a young D’Angelo. He wasn’t trying to capture greatness. He was just trying to capture a moment.

Before it became part of music history, it was just a day.

To keep up with Eric Johnson and his work, follow him on Instagram.

Last week, I was reading commentary about Andy Sachs’s character development in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (which, notably, I still haven’t seen) when I had a realization: If we’re talking about stylish movie heroines, nobody has ever topped Sue Charlton.

These are fightin' words, I know, but in my opinion, neither Carrie Bradshaw nor Andy Sachs even come close.

So I rewatched Crocodile Dundee, a movie that occupied a permanent spot in my comfort-watch rotation growing up in the ’90s. As a kid, I was completely fixated on Sue Charlton, the journalist played by actress Linda Kozlowski.

I loved everything about her: her career (a reporter and photographer making a name for herself at Newsday), her attitude (equal parts ambitious New Yorker and fearless adventurer who could sling a camera in the Australian bush), and, of course, her wardrobe. The sharp separates. The dramatic evening looks. The impossibly good hair.

Watching it again as an adult, I realized something else: Sue may have been my first career role model.

When I think about my move to New York at 18 and building a career as a journalist at a major media company, it’s hard not to see the connection. Ten-year-old me would be thrilled to know I eventually became many of the things I admired about Sue: curious, ambitious, camera-adjacent, and occasionally overdressed for the occasion.

I learned recently that Norma Moriceau, the film’s costume designer, had her own Sue Charlton-esque chapter before making it in movies. According to a 2016 story in The Sydney Morning Herald, Moriceau worked in fashion journalism in London during the early 1970s, at the “achingly hip but short-lived” London Life before stints at the Evening Standard and Nineteen magazine.

Moriceau, who died in 2016 at age 72, went on to build a notable career across fashion and film, with credits including Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Patriot Games, The Punisher, and the first two Crocodile Dundee films.

Ask the average person about Crocodile Dundee and they'll probably point to Paul Hogan's oddly charming croc-inspired getup as Mick Dundee, the fish-out-of-water comedy, the unlikely romance at the center of it all, or the fact that some of the dialogue hasn't aged particularly well. Fair enough.

For me, Sue's wardrobe had a plot of its own. It’s a story about ambition, confidence, and a woman who knows exactly who she is, and exactly what she wants.

In the Outback, she’s wearing oversized hats, gauzy scarves, and scoop-back bodysuits that somehow manage to look both practical and impossibly chic. She’s not dressed like she’s trying to prove she can hang with the guys. She already knows she can.

Back in New York, the wardrobe shifts, but the message stays the same. The dramatic evening gowns and sharp tailoring aren’t reserved for special occasions. They’re simply what a successful woman wears while moving through her life.

That’s what makes Sue’s character stand the test of time. Her clothes aren’t there to make her more likable, more approachable, or more relatable. They’re there because she likes beautiful things and has somewhere to be.
The wardrobe works almost like a second script. Before Sue says a word, you understand exactly who she is.

Watching the movie again all these years later, what strikes me most is how unusual Sue feels compared to many modern heroines. She's not a mess. She's not "relatable" in the way we've come to expect women on screen (and increasingly in culture) to be. She's competent, successful, stylish, and completely unapologetic about any of it.

Maybe that's why I'm still not over Sue Charlton, wardrobe and all.

They say no one can predict the future, but one thing’s for sure: the future of fashion is bright thanks to the top talent coming out of FIT.
On Thursday evening, the renowned creative institution—recognized by Vogue Business earlier this year as one of the world’s top fashion schools—held it’s 2026 Future of Fashion show at the Joyce F. Brown building on the school’s campus in Chelsea.

Fashion critics, industry insiders, FIT faculty, and tastemakers including K-pop band Big Ocean, were among the invite-only attendees lucky enough to get a seat at the show, which featured hand-crafted looks created by a select group of 2026 graduates in FIT’s Fashion Design BFA program. The run of show was organized into 5 key concentrations—knitwear, sportswear, special occasion, intimate apparel, and children’s wear.
Macy’s, which served as the title sponsor for the event, said it was “proud” to “celebrate the next generation of designers and creators” and honored several students with standout awards for their designs.

Student Athmiha Saravanen, named the Macy’s Capsule Collection Winner, will have her winning look produced in a short run and sold in select Macy’s stores, including the iconic flagship in Herald Square.

FIT’s new President Jason Schupbach, who took office in January of this year, offered enthusiastic opening remarks at the top of the show, repeatedly praising students’ “innovative and game-changing” designs.
“Tonight’s FIT designers are really tomorrow’s household names, and you get the advantage of seeing them here first,” Schupbach told the crowd. “How exciting is that?”

Watch the 2026 Future of Fashion show livestream here.

April 9th: The Palace x Nike Air Max 95 NYC Raffle Goes Haywire

In early April, Palace Skateboard Apparel in SoHo apparently thought they could trust grown adults to behave themselves for a hyped-up sneaker drop. How pure of them! According to a Complex Magazine story, sneaker fans were lined up as early as 5 AM (do any of you people work?) on April 9th in hopes of scoring a wristband that would make them eligible to enter the store April 10th and purchase the coveted Palace x Nike Air Max 95 collab.

The moment retail associates began handing out wristbands, all hell broke those and multiple altercations broke out. The NYPD eventually showed up to shut down the wristband raffle. Palace later communicated to fans and shoppers that the drop was being moved to online purchasing only due to the morning’s events.
In other words, you’re all grounded, go to your room.

April 28th: Matthieu Blazy Shows a Little Too Much Toe at Chanel

Listen. I don’t care who you are, I don’t want to see your feet.
Keep those thangs in a sock, a shoe, a boot, a pump, or at the very least a peep-toe sandal. This is coming from someone whose feet have been through it after decades of track, cross-country, and marathon running so maybe I’m just projecting, but I’m pretty confident in saying — the only people who really wanna see your dogs are the same jabronis blowing their rent and utilities on an OF subscription.
ANYWAYS…
Chanel debuted its 2027 Resort collection in Biarritz, France on April 28th and almost immediately, fashion folks went toe-to-toe (heh) over a standout sandal.

The sandal that stole the show is essentially just a heel cap with laces.
No vamp, no fuss, no sole. It’s a look for sure, and plenty of critics loved the daring display of feet. I however, have to agree with Vogue editor Anna Cafolla, who exclaimed, "Fear struck me—I’m not pedicure-ready! My toes must stay securely ensconced, for now.”
Girl, same.

April 30th: Off The Wall Fans Go Off the Rails Over Satoshi Nakamoto x Vans OTW Collab

I guess nobody learned anything from the Palace x Nike drop because sneaker lovers from New York to Los Angeles were camping out overnight waiting for the April 30th release of the Satoshi Nakamoto x Vans OTW Era 95 Gems collaboration. You can guess how this went. Fights erupted and multiple outlets reported that several folks got arrested at the New York release. Designed in collaboration with presumed creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, the shoes “rework the iconic low-top silhouette with a stripped-back, dystopian edge,” said the brand.

I love Vans forever, but imagine getting arrested over sneakers. Off the wall, indeed.

I like to think I’m well-versed in the worlds of Ann Demeulemeester and Patti Smith, which made it all the more surprising to discover, 26 years late, that Demeulemeester’s Spring/Summer 2000 collection was largely inspired by Smith’s 1992 memoir, Woolgathering. Better late than never, I suppose.

To be fair, I was 16 when the collection debuted. Thoroughly fashion-obsessed, but still two years away from attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, my access to fashion was limited: reruns of runway shows on the Style Network, the few glossy magazine subscriptions my mother was willing to foot the bill for, and whatever weirdo indie zine I could find during weekend trips to Yellow Rat Bastard in SoHo.

I knew Patti Smith had a massive influence on a young Ann Demeulemeester after she discovered Horses. I’ve read the story of Demeulemeester, as a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, tracking Smith down during her Detroit era and sending her custom shirts. Somehow, I completely missed the Belgian designer’s 2000 collection named after my favorite Patti Smith work—which, to be fair (again), I didn’t discover myself until 2012.

For the Woolgathering collection, Demeulemeester drew from Smith’s vast artistic portfolio, embroidering excerpts from her writing onto sheer tulle. These romantic layers fell over sharply tailored pieces inspired by Smith’s androgynous style.

Supermodels including Amber Valletta and the late Stella Tennant walked the runway.

Originally published in 1992 and reissued in 2012, Patti Smith’s Woolgathering is a collection of prose poems and autobiographical stories that read like intimate diary entries. I return to my signed copy often to journey through Smith’s memories. Of all her work, it’s no surprise this one moved Ann Demeulemeester to create. Its imagery and lines linger, like this excerpt from the final paragraph of “The Woolgatherers.”

And the image of the woolgatherers in that sleepy field drew me to sleep as well. And I wandered among them, through thistle and thorn, with no task more exceptional than to rescue a fleeting thought, as a tuft of wool, from the comb of the wind.

1. Ryan Coogler’s Music-Inspired Braids at the Oscars

At the 98th Academy Awards, filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s win for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners wasn’t his only defining moment of the night. Coogler’s hair offered a stylish nod to the Mississippi Delta roots, blues, and bluegrass music that shapes the film’s score. The guitar and treble clef braided design was reportedly created by his longtime hairstylist, Tyzanna B.

2. Shannon Hoon’s Baby Barrettes at Woodstock ‘94

Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon’s Woodstock ‘94 performance remains one for the books. It was widely reported that Hoon, who struggled openly with drug addiction, was under the influence of LSD at the time, resulting in a set that was as passionate as it was unpredictable. The late singer wore a white dress, smudged mascara, and mismatched pink and blue baby barrettes in his hair, a look as arresting as the performance itself.

3. Susie Cave’s Bob in the Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2026 campaign

For Spring/Summer 2026 at Tom Ford, Creative Director Haider Ackermann tapped the eternally alluring Susie Cave to help bring the campaign to life. In a statement accompanying the collection, Ackermann noted, “Seduction is the feeling I am exploring at Tom Ford. To seduce is to see as much as it is to be seen, to be both the subject and an object of desire.”

Captured through the lens of photographer Drew Vickers, Cave’s sleek bob perfectly frames a deep, lacquered red lip. This is very intentional. Ackermann continued, “The photographic gaze is charged with desire: it draws close, lingers on surfaces, caresses satins, leathers and skin, entices touch.”

4. Basket Weave Hair at Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2011

The Spring/Summer 2011 show for Alexander McQueen remains a defining moment for the house, as it marked former Creative Director Sarah Burton’s debut at the helm following McQueen’s tragic death in February 2010. While the nature-inspired collection was widely celebrated, it’s the hair that endures for me. Dreamt up by renowned hairstylist Guido Palau, the intricate basket-weave styles were nothing short of showstopping.

5. Grace Jones’ Hi-Top Fade on the Cover of Nightclubbing

The cover of Grace Jones’ 1981 album, Nightclubbing, sent shock waves through the music industry when it dropped, thanks in part to her androgynous chop. In an article for the Guardian, photographer and artist Jean-Paul Goude said, “I wanted to focus on Grace’s masculinity—to use what other people thought an embarrassment, and turn it around to her advantage. I wanted to create with her, of course, a new character. It went beyond just a haircut, it was an attitude. It was new and strong and ambiguous. You didn’t know if it was a man trying to be a girl or a girl trying to be a man. It was a revolution. I remember the A&R guys at Island [records] saying, ‘Are you fucking crazy? This is never going to work.’ And of course it did.”

Italian photographer Amedeo Bellini didn’t have an invite to Saint Laurent’s
fashion show in Paris, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him from catching a glimpse of Anthony Vaccarello’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection.
“Saint Laurent is my favorite brand,” the photographer told Mixed Prints earlier this week. “The visuals, the campaigns, the style…I love everything about it. If I had to choose only one brand to show up for, it would be Saint Laurent.”

Having missed the chance to travel to Paris for the September shows, Bellini committed to making the trip this season. Aside from shooting street style throughout the week, he had no expectations—that is, until a fashion-focused account he follows on social media dropped the address for Saint Laurent’s show the night before the event, set beneath the Eiffel Tower’s sparkling lights.

"I didn’t know if I’d be able to see or how it would go. I just went to the venue with my camera.”
For the show, the fashion house constructed a venue inspired by the “golden age of corporate offices" as W Magazine put it, including beige carpeting, wood paneling, and the best part—walls of glass.

"Once I got there and saw the construction, I realized I could see inside. I could see the runway very well,” said Bellini. “I took up a spot where, fortunately, there were very few people, and I just got in the zone.”

Armed with a Nikon Z8 and a telephoto zoom lens, Bellini positioned his camera between the cutouts of the barricade surrounding the venue, ready to shoot as the show began.

“I was lucky to land in exactly the right spot,” he recalled. “From where I was, I could see the models approaching, turning, and walking in front of me for a few seconds before disappearing behind a structure. Then they’d reappear, turn again, and walk the full runway. The composition was perfect. It wasn’t planned at all. It was just the right place at the right moment.”

Bellini said he was simply focused on capturing the essence of the show and experimenting with different shots.
"I didn’t even think about the outcome. I was just happy to be there and to witness the show. It’s the elite show.”

After returning home and downloading the images, Bellini edited a selection of his favorites and posted them to Instagram.

“I thought, ‘these will make a cool post,’ and that was it,” he said.

After publishing, he tagged Outlander Magazine, thinking they might be interested in the photos.

They were.

Outlander shared Bellini’s images with its 670,000+ followers. The rest, one could say, is Fashion Week history. Instantly, the comments, likes, and shares poured in. Other media outlets picked up the images, while fashion followers were quick to praise the shots.

Hundreds of Instagram users cheered Bellini’s photos as campaign-worthy. Others pointed to his unique vantage point, calling the unexpected view from outside the best seat in the house.

Even a representative from the brand responded, saying they “loved” the photos. The runway show’s stylist chimed in too, reposting the photos to an even broader audience.

"I was over the moon,” said Bellini. “I wanted to cry…I wanted to laugh…it was just…happiness. You can’t plan something like this. When I went to the show, I didn’t know if I would be able to see or not. I just got lucky. To get recognition like that, I just didn’t expect it. It was such a surprise.”

Bellini’s Paris Fashion Week success story didn’t end there. Using a similar creative approach, the photographer captured striking shots from outside the ALAÏA show, while also documenting the street style he initially set out to shoot—including VIP arrivals at the week’s most buzzed-about shows.

"It was a fantastic week. The experience was amazing,” he said.

During our conversation, Bellini was quick to point out that he’s still relatively new to photography, having picked up a camera for the first time in 2020. He began by shooting the sport of cycling, later experimenting with animals, portraits, and friends before discovering his passion for fashion photography.

"I’m still developing my style and searching, and learning new things all the time,” he said, adding that creatives should “never assume you’ve arrived. Be curious.”

"When you keep practicing, you arrive at the moment when you know how to use your skills and do your thing. And everything you learned will reward you at the right moment.”

To keep up with Amedeo Bellini’s work, visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

Not since an 80-year-old Joan Didion showed up as the face of Celine in 2015 have I been so excited to see fashion spotlighting what all us proud Oldsters (Thanks for creating the space, ) know to be true: getting older is so chic.

Throughout Fashion Month, which kicked off in New York in February and wrapped this week in Paris, a different kind of supermodel moment stood out this season. The runways were ruled not by emerging fresh faces but by women and men in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond—proof that in fashion, experience is the ultimate accessory and age, increasingly, the industry’s most compelling muse.

From New York to London to Paris, here are some of my favorite model moments of Fall/Winter 2026, featuring the lived-in allure only people of a certain age can posses.

70-year-old Billy Idol at Ann Demeulemeester

For Creative Director Stefano Gallici’s “Dear Night Thoughts” collection, the British rock icon walked the runway in a fringe leather cape.

65-year-old Ahn Duong at Carolina Herrera

The French painter walked in the Carolina Herrera Fall/Winter show along with several other artists, including painter Amy Sherald (52) and photographer Ming Smith (79). Creative Director Wes Gordon said the show was dedicated to women “whose work and influence have shaped the landscape of art” in his show notes.

57-year-Old Christy Turlington at Michael Kors

“It’s not just her beauty, it’s the way she lives her life, it’s her style, it’s her compassion for other people,” Michael Kors said of the supermodel as she closed his 45th anniversary show at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC.

50-something Romae Gordon at Proenza Schouler

After a 30 year hiatus, Romae Gordon returned to the runway this show season walking in Matthieu Blazy’s couture debut for Chanel and Rachel Scott’s debut for Proenza Schouler.

61-year-old Kristen McMenamy at Tom Ford

Haider Ackerman’s Fall Winter collection for Tom Ford featured the sharp tailoring the fashion house is globally loved for, including this standout suiting moment on androgynous icon, Kristen McMenamy.

57-year-old Gillian Anderson at Miu Miu

Actress Gillian Anderson, a rare runway sight at a petite 5’3”, closed Miuccia Prada’s “Mindful Intimacy” Miu Miu show in an ornate shift dress.

52-year-old Kate Moss at Gucci

Let the record show that I think Demna should rot under the jail for that atrocious Balenciaga kids campaign that happened on his watch, but shoutout to the casting directors for his debut at Gucci, who called upon fashion’s favorite waif to close the show in a sequin stunner.

50-year-old Mel B at Natasha Zinko

The former Spice Girl closed Natasha Zinko’s London show in a bathrobe-inspired plaid dress, and gave show-goers a peek at her signature leopard print bra underneath the ensemble.

1. Don’t spend one more second buying into the tired fashion faux pas of “clashing” color combos. Pink and red is an amazing pairing. Black and brown play well together. Wear them at will.

2. Ladies, wear more menswear. Boxy flannels, argyle dress socks, 3-piece suits.

3. I don’t care how old you are, invest in a good pair of overalls. They’re a year-round staple.

4. Never dress for anyone else. I hate to break it to you, but no one’s looking at you.

5. Build an occasion around an outfit. This was one of my favorite things to do in 2025. I recommend a rental service like Nuuly or Rent the Runway for the temporary joy of expensive, formal pieces that you don’t want to splurge on for keeps. Rent the gown and find an event to wear it to, host a fancy dinner party, create a reason to dress up.

6. Push the envelope of what’s possible with a cowboy boot. For inspo on how to shake up the look, check out the way fashion stylist Jeffrey Ampratwum pairs cowboy boots with everything from formal wear to streetwear.

7. Buy more vintage. Find the good thrift stores in your area and dig.

8. “When in doubt, overdress.” Vivienne Westwood said so.

9. Ask a child in your life what they think you should wear. A few years ago, my niece told me to pair a tulle lilac cocktail dress with a bright orange blazer to come watch her dance recital. Fall in love with color like a kid.

10. Go Gothic. Between Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein in 2025, and Dracula: A Love Tale due to hit theaters this February, I am completely consumed by goth-romance-punk-noir style as we enter 2026. Who’s with me?

11. Shrink and refine the circle of folks you look to for fashion inspiration. Get on that Kelly Cutrone energy, and follow more high fashion models who are doing their own thing.

12. Incorporate fringe in a non-Western wear way. Good news: it was all over the Spring/Summer 2026 runways.

13. Embrace the blues. Yves Klein Blue to be exact.
The bold cobalt-like hue trademarked by 1960s French artist Yves Klein peppered the Spring/Summer 2026 runways and is sure to be everywhere this year.

14. Let’s all wear more fun socks with elaborate designs whether they’re visible or not.

15. Create ways to play with color—just because. Pantone’s color of the year is Cloud Dancer, a soft airy white. How can you incorporate it into your wardrobe all year long? Every month on the calendar has a dedicated birthstone color. Can you find one thing to wear each month this year that celebrates that color?

16. Lean on the feeling of your favorite albums when getting dressed. Make it a Car Wheels on a Gravel Road day. A The Bends week.

17. Make corporate heels great again. I know women of a certain age (mine) remember this life. Gen Z, I love y’all, but you’ve nearly eradicated heels in the workplace, and I am yearning for a Diane-Keaton-in-Baby-Boom year at work.

18. Wear things that remind you of people you love.

19. Build entire outfits around a specific piece of jewelry.

20. Subscribe to fashion and art magazines. Retrieve them from your mailbox. Mark up the pages. Devour the scoop.

21. Get into the 2026 combo of silk scarves + blazers.

22. Overall, play more with fashion and try to make/sew/knit yourself something. According to acclaimed psychotherapist Esther Perel, “play is the infinite testing ground for creativity,” and the unhinged, lawless world of fashion makes for a pretty great playground.

23. Don’t feel like you have to lint roll every last ounce of pet hair off your clothes. Keep a little piece of your favorite floof with you throughout the day.

24. Use fancy evening clutches as every day purses once in a while.

25. Long live the band tee.

26. And lastly, but most importantly…mix your prints! You knew I was going to say it.

The older I get, the more grateful I am to have come of age when I did.
Especially when I think about being a young girl who was obsessed with fashion and beauty in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Remember the faces and features that defined beauty, especially in fashion, at that time?
Karolina Kurkova’s aquiline nose.
Alek Wek’s gap-tooth smile.
Gemma Ward and her “alien” wide-set eyes.
Stella Tennant’s androgynous look.

These are the faces that were rising in culture and securing a well-deserved spot in the zeitgeist because they were unique.
How in the heck did we descend into this homogenous hellscape of women with the same sculpted noses, absurd eyelash extensions, and perfectly plumped lips as the poster children for beautiful faces?

Journalists have been chipping away at the answer for the better part of the last decade. In 2019, writer Jia Tolentino was the first to coin the term “Instagram Face” in a viral New Yorker article, a term which now has its very own Wikipedia page, and is defined as the “beauty standard based on the filters and influencers popular on Instagram.” Last year, an article about plastic surgery trends published by The Independent was still asking the question, “Are We All Going to End up with the Same Face?”

With 2026 just around the corner, the tide—thankfully—seems to be turning. Just this week, popular Instagram influencer Paige Lorenze spoke out about removing her breast implants and warned young women against plastic surgery, filler, and chasing validation by changing their appearance.
Actress Kate Winslet—who could have a black belt in warding off body shamers at this point—came out swinging in an interview with The Times this month, lambasting social media for how it’s distorting young women’s perception of beauty.

Social media can certainly be an absolute nightmare for women, but I found myself on the right side of the algorithm recently when Instagram served me a reel by NYC-based fashion model, Riley Hundley Woodell. It wasn’t just her (flawless) face card that stopped my scroll. (Though I would liken her to a mythical Gothic queen straight out of Guillermo del Toro’s dreamlike universe.)

It was the message accompanying the video in which she doubled down on not wanting a nose job—and the tens of thousands of shares, likes, and comments—that really caught my attention.

“I have been really shocked by the response,” Woodell told Mixed Prints during a conversation earlier this month. "I’ve been sprinkling in this kind of content because it does seem to resonate so deeply with a lot of people.”

As she winds down a successful year of modeling and preps for international Fashion Week, I caught up with Woodell to chat about her rising career, the road to self-acceptance, and why showing up authentically is "the ultimate rebellion.”

Mixed Prints: What made you want to start talking openly on social media about your nose and your decision to not “fix” your appearance?
Riley Hundley Woodell: Over the last year or two, I’ve seen more and more content around beauty being standardized and I completely disagree with that. I just thought it would be fun to start creating content and see if people even related to it, and I was really shocked by the volume of people who were like, ‘this is 100% me,’ or ‘I always felt like I’ve been underrepresented in this category.’

I also feel like I’m familiar with both sides of this experience. In the fashion industry, I’ve been very accepted and embraced, but also I’ve been cut out of beauty campaigns because my look was too unusual.
It felt like an opportunity for me to do some A/B testing and see how things would go with this kind of content. If you look at my social media you’ll see that fashion is what I live and die for, but I’ve been sprinkling in this kind of content because it does seem to resonate so deeply with a lot of people.

MP: Have you always been confident about your nose, or did you struggle with insecurities?
RHW: I did have experiences growing up where kids were really mean about, ‘you don’t look like most girls,’ or ‘your nose isn’t cute and tiny…your features are not soft.’ When I was really young, I thought I just wasn’t pretty and I’ll have to accept that or change it eventually.
I lived in that headspace for a long time as a kid, but when I started modeling, I was like, ‘this is actually a really good thing.’ It makes me cool. It makes me different. People take an interest because I don’t look like other people. People in the industry liked me for my look in a lot of scenarios, so that shifted my mindset and I really started to embrace it.

MP: The first reel I found of yours is a clap back to a commenter asking if you’re going to fix your nose. Do people seriously message you with this nonsense?
RHW: Oh, absolutely. I get DMs that are lovely and beautiful, but also DMs that say I should consider xyz because I look xyz. I try to monitor my comments the best I can, but sometimes when a video takes off that can be hard to do. I get a mix of comments for sure and I certainly get my fair share of mean ones.

MP: I know the internet is unhinged, but that’s still kind of shocking to hear.
RHW: I always say it’s either someone who is mindlessly trolling or someone who is deeply insecure in themselves. Maybe they see something in me that they’re personally insecure about, but I’m displaying confidence so they feel the need to tear me down.
I’m in my late 20s, so I can understand the difference between where the online world is, and where real life is, but it’s always scary to think about younger girls posting themselves and being subject to these kinds of comments…and what that could do to their confidence.

MP: That’s why it’s so cool to see you in fashion, and rejecting the idea that you need to change yourself to succeed. Plus, it seems like your decision not to get a nose job has actually rewarded your career…would you agree?
RHW: One hundred percent. I have been with agencies who have signed me specifically because of my nose. The first thing my EU agency said when they got on the call with me is, ‘We are so taken with your facial profile.’
So I do feel like my nose has benefitted me in a big way.
If changed it, it would be really hard for me to stand out. I’d be trying to mold myself to fit something that already exists. If you’re trying to be something extraordinary, you have to embrace standing out.

MP: I also love some of your reels about not wanting to erase parts of your lineage by changing your face. How has that influenced your perspective on beauty?
RHW: My mom has a pretty cool nose. I would say I get my nose from my grandma and grandpa on my mom’s side. When I was younger I always thought my grandmother was kind of unusual looking, and so cool and whimsical with the way she was into star signs and tarot cards. Something about her being herself and having a very unique look really inspired me as a kid. She’s not with us anymore, and I really do feel like when I look in the mirror I see parts of her. If I were to change those things, I might not see that in my day-to-day anymore.
If you think about it through the lens of ‘I look like someone I love,’ I think you’re much nicer to yourself.

MP: Wow, I love that sentiment.
RHW: There’s two sides to that [thinking] for sure. I’ve also gotten comments from people saying they don’t get along with family, so they don’t like looking like family. But, I believe you can pull beauty from anywhere you’re willing to see it, and I can definitely see it through my family.

MP: With the new year approaching, what’s next on your horizon? Anything you’re particularly excited to be working on or striving toward?
RHW: I would love to do a high-end beauty campaign. That’s one area where I hope to get more work, and once you connect with the right people you can make it happen. So I’m trying to work toward that.
And Fashion Week is right around the corner! It always creeps up on me. That’s the next thing that’s going to consume a lot of my time, but in a really positive way. I love traveling for fashion week, I love the friends I meet, and the experience as a whole. It can be stressful, but if you have a good support system and people around you whose company you enjoy, it’s a really positive experience.

MP: Will you do the international Fashion Weeks or focus on New York?
RHW: Yes! I think this year is going to be New York, London, and probably Paris as well.

MP: I know you aspire to achieve a lot more, but how does it feel to have arrived at this point in your career—in a very tough industry—as someone who has so boldly accepted yourself for who you are?
RHW: Very rewarding. As an adult, having all of the success associated with my nose, I wish I could go back and tell little me that it’s going to be okay. Because as a kid, I was self conscious about it. You have to give yourself a chance. In the end, it’s very character building to grow into yourself.
I’m very glad that I gave myself the chance and didn’t decide to let go of something that would ultimately change the trajectory of my success.

MP: Thank you so much for this convo, Riley. Something I really admire about the way you broach the subject of plastic surgery is that you’re not judging anyone else for their choices, you’re just speaking openly about your perspective.
RHW: I have many people in my life who are pro-plastic surgery and I love them! I would never want to judge or alienate anybody who decided to take a different path. I think it’s important for people to have someone representing them in whatever direction they decide to go. And it’s important for the big nose girlies to have somebody who’s like, ‘I’m with you, and it’s cool to be this way.’

To keep up with Riley Hundley Woodell, visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

March, 2026—Portions of this article have been updated from the original version. The interview from our December 2025 conversation appears as originally reported.

Spend even five minutes with costume designer Kate Hawley and it’s obvious why director Guillermo del Toro has tapped her again and again as a collaborator on projects including Pacific Rim, Suicide Squad, Crimson Peak, and most recently his 2025 adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Hawley lives and breathes art, using costume as a visual language for character and mood—something she and del Toro recognized in each other almost immediately.

“A huge part of Guillermo’s storytelling is not just in the script, but the visual itself,” she told Mixed Prints.

In del Toro’s Frankenstein, Hawley’s breathtaking costumes pull the audience into a sartorial fever dream. On screen, Mia Goth’s ethereal Elizabeth glides from scene to scene in archival Tiffany & Co. jewels and floating tiers of silk, while Oscar Isaac’s Victor Frankenstein storms through the story in velvet robes like a mad-scientist-turned–punk dandy. The fashion in the film might as well be another character entirely.

The work just earned Hawley the Oscar for Best Costume Design at the 98th Academy Awards, following her inaugural Costume Designer of the Year honor from the British Fashion Council.

On a red carpet interview with IndieWire, Isaac cheered Hawley’s “insanely evocative, expressive costumes,” that he credits with doing “at least 70% of the work” for his character. For her part, Hawley is quick to share praise with her fellow partners on the film, from the art and production departments to the actors.
"We’re all elevated by each other’s work at Guillermo’s baton. It’s like an orchestra,” she said. “He’s a conductor.”

It was an honor to speak with Hawley in a wide-ranging conversation last year about her creative process, the beautiful “accident of collaboration,” and why experiencing rejection is key to making great creative work.
"It allows you to get over yourself, really,” she reflected. “And discover something more.”

Mixed Prints: It’s so great to meet you and thank you for taking the time. I know you’ve been on the interview circuit for this film, so I’ll try not to bore you to tears by asking the same questions…
Kate Hawley: Oh, there’s always another layer to unpack somewhere. That’s the richness of what Guillermo has created. And costume design is so intrinsically linked to what every other department is doing, so there’s always something.

MP: Guillermo has talked a lot about Frankenstein being a lifelong dream project for him. As a storyteller and a creative yourself, what were your initial thoughts when you were approached for the project?
KW: Obviously I’m a lover of the gothic, but also the classical world. For me, it’s all about the director I’m working with, and my job is to serve the director and the text. I’ve always loved the novel. And when Guillermo is asking you to be involved, you know there’s going to be a whole world that’s built and visual language and storytelling that makes it different.

MP: In this case, a totally different time period!
KW: The period Mary Shelley set Frankenstein in was the 18th century, and she [published] it in 1818, but Guillermo made a definite decision to set it in the 1850s. Even though it was set and grounded in a certain period, the language of the film became very operatic and theatrical. Yes it’s timed to things like the Crimean War, but it’s a dream or an echo of it. We’re not doing a documentary. Time periods are a thing people can get caught on, and we’ve taken liberties.

Victor’s childhood in the film, for instance, is a nod to Mary Shelley’s world in the time that she wrote the novel, and that was a deliberate decision. But when we open on the steps with Victor’s mother in the red veil, that’s a classic moment where Guillermo is establishing the language of the film.

MP: Being that you’ve worked with Guillermo before, I’m sure there’s a common language between you two, creatively.
KW: What I love about working with Guillermo—among many, many things—is you’re dealing with someone who’s a Renaissance man. He’s steeped in literature, art history, and contemporary culture so there’s a lot of reference points. A big part of the process is our common understanding of a certain language, but also understanding that there’s possibility for new things.

MP: When you first connected, is it true that he didn’t really care to see your portfolio or drawings, but instead went straight to your bookshelf?
KW: Yes! He was very interested in that, and the fact that I had done opera. His comment was, “We can work together.”

MP: Creative projects are so much more fun when you click with your collaborators.
KH: Way back when we first met, I was trying to do the thing, as a solo parent, of finding jobs to make a living that could still allow me to be creative. Guillermo said to me at the time, “You’ve got to work with those that you have a chemistry with.” I think I ignored that for a while, but there’s a lesson there. There’s such an alchemy of parts and if you can work with people you have that chemistry with, it’s a much richer process, rather than just a job.

Because of timelines, every movie is a challenge. When you have that chance to try and grasp the muse—which is kind of what Frankenstein is all about—it’s rewarding and it keeps the crew going. It feeds you. In trying to grasp one thing you unlock something else, and in working with Guillermo it’s like that all the time. We’ll unlock something in the art department that inspires something for the camera, and then up opens a whole lot of possibilities and world building.

MP: A scene where that process really shines is when Elizabeth is in the lab looking over the exposed spine of the cadaver, and she comments about “God’s design” as the camera showcases the corsetry on her dress. How do you and Guillermo collaborate on these moments between the script and the costume?
KH: What happens is that nothing is left to chance. Ideas are discussed, outgrown, rejected, and developed. A huge part of Guillermo’s storytelling is not just in the script but the visual itself, and repetition of imagery is a huge part of that.

In that scene we made sure only Elizabeth’s clothes had the lace up back, where everyone else had a closed back. How Guillermo frames what’s given to him as part of the storytelling is always the magic. The angle that he and [cinematographer] Dan Laustsen chose to shoot that is why it works.
And then look at the Evelyn Tables, that was a big part of that language. The patterns echo the corsetry on the dress. You look at those things together and you know there’s an opportunity there.

MP: I love how repetition is a huge theme in the wardrobe and the entire film. It’s like all these little Easter eggs…
KH: The circles in the architecture of the Medusa, repeat the circles of the windows in the the lab, which is repeated in the same angelic form of the bonnets.
There’s this intent. As art departments, we all understand the language, and then we answer to the call and create those moments.

MP: Speaking of moments, can we talk about—my favorite moment in the film—when Elizabeth meets the Creature?
KH: It’s quite erotic isn’t it?!

MP: It is! To me the wardrobe here plays a massive part. The Creature is so exposed in only his wrappings while Elizabeth is very covered. The way he and she both start disrobing her to reveal her humanity is so beautiful.
KH: It’s classic Guillermo storytelling. When the Creature appears at the end of Victor’s bed, Victor peels his gloves off to show his hands. Then it’s repeated with Elizabeth, but it takes on that slightly erotic yet innocent quality.

MP: YES. It’s the innocence that brought a tear to my eye. He’s trying to discover her from this place of childlike curiosity.
KH: It’s like another skin coming off. And we chose translucent layers like that, not just for the luminous quality and to give her that ethereal feel, but to suggest layers of skin. In that whole moment, Elizabeth’s colors change and almost go radioactive in Dan’s lighting. Her dress has some different prints on velvet, but again it’s classic Guillermo how the tones and the skin that [special effects artist] Mike Hill painted onto the Creature are present on her.
It’s so wonderful because Elizabeth just has curiosity and in her love of nature, she sees the beauty in creation that makes nature fantastical and amazing. That’s such a big theme of Guillermo’s work.

MP: In terms of your process, where does a costume begin, and where does it end or feel finalized with these characters?
KH: It doesn’t really. It keeps changing and adapting. Actors will make discoveries or Guillermo will change a path or remove a scene, and it can shift the whole structure of the costume. With Guillermo there’s always a linear vision, but within that I’m quite organic in terms of how I work. I’m thinking, what are the textures? What are the colors? There’s exploration going on all the time. There will be one word said in a fitting that shapes things, like how Guillermo brought in the David Bowie reference for Victor’s medical lecture scene.

I’m just one part of many people creating a character. I can start with an idea and listen to the response, but Guillermo will also have a path we’re going down, and the actor will bring their thoughts to it, and we’ve got hair and makeup. It’s just not complete until all those elements are singing off the same page. I’ve got to give a massive shoutout to [hair and makeup artist] Tim Nolan who played a huge part.
What Tim does and how he echos the character arc, particularly what we did with Oscar, is quite wonderful. The shape of the strong sideburns, and even the way the hair changes as Victor descends into madness and wildness. All of those things are echoed by the clothing choices we made.

MP: Do you start with sketches? Do you visit fashion archives? How do you begin the concept development?
KH: [Laughing] Um, by avoiding all of it! For as long as I can! To put your hand on a blank piece of paper, is quite a scary thing. But then Guillermo is like, where are my drawings…!

MP: Spoken like a true creative. Are you someone who procrastinates and then has bursts of productivity?
KH: A little bit, but the ideas have all been thought out. I can’t speak enough to those initial readings of a script, which are a meditation of sorts. All of my first instincts and responses are unique to me, and they’re unlocking and telling me something. Then I’ll get into the nitty gritty, and Guillermo will give me very structured notes, like wanting Victor to be a dandy, or using a particularly silhouette for the Creature. He specifically told me to look at Hammer horror films and the world of Mario Bava for color.

The text is my other bible. You’ll see the themes of religion and nature and all those motifs coming through. There was a sadness and melancholy seeping through the whole thing, so it’s very much about creating an atmosphere with clothes.
Then I’m working alongside Dan and Guillermo deciding it’s going to be single source lighting and candle light which isn’t always kind to color. I’d have failed at the first stop if Dan hadn’t supported us and been step-in-step with what we were doing.

MP: There must be so much trial and error in costume design.
KH: Sometimes you get stuck on a moment and in trying to unlock it you come back to the textile. In looking at how to make this world unique and dreamy, we looked at transparent and luminous layers and we just started playing with it. We had a lab out the back of the set with all our dyers and textile workers, and cutters. If we do this layering what happens? If we use this textile and overlay it with that what happens? The drawing provides the architecture, but getting it right is all happening in the work room.

MP: What were some of the unique wardrobe challenges?
KH: With crinolines you can’t have heavy fabrics. When you look at what they made dresses from in that time, it wasn’t heavy stuff. There’s silks and very light taffetas. So we needed to listen to that because movement is a huge part of Elizabeth’s character. And in a post-pandemic world of production, we can’t just get every color we’ve gotten before. We’re creating unique things and we’re looking at the imagery of insects and fractal patterns, and cells of the body…we used every trick we had in the tool kit, really. Some things were over-dyed, and we used discharge and negative printing. With Elizabeth’s wardrobe, we chose textiles like the malachite that was specially woven on a silk jacquard.

The shawl that she wears in the market is all knitted. It’s fractal patterns—knitted! That was a big R&D moment. Every time we chose a different color or material, it needed a lot of answers, and it needed to meet the demand of filmmaking and the budget.

MP: Budgets and creative projects are often at odds, aren’t they?
KH: We’ll, we’ve got all these main characters and then in the background, we’ve built the Crimean war, and we’ve built the crew of the ship, and the funerals and the soirées and the balls. They’ve all got to have the same language. We emptied the world of silk gauzes and organzas!

MP: I love how you handled the evolution of the Creature’s costume. As he experiences more of life, his wardrobe builds.
KH: With the Creature, we started at the end of his character arc, which is an interesting place to start. What we were doing for Victor had to mirror what was happening with the Creature, so the Creature couldn’t be unlocked until we had worked out what Victor was wearing. At this point in the story, Victor has lost a leg, he’s had his face smashed in, he’s going insane! His pursuit of the Creature is becoming wilder as he becomes more of a creature himself.

We did many, many silhouette studies for the Creature. Guillermo wanted to figure out the silhouette when we first see him from the ship captain and crew’s point of view. Are they seeing a beast or a man? We did a lot of thinking through that, and the next thing was building up those layers and working to the proportions of the actor. It’s a proportional thing because he’s not just wearing a garment tailor-made for him, it’s things he’s found. In all the adaptations of Frankenstein there’s the idea of a garment that doesn’t fit the Creature that’s come from another man.

The Creature is kind of noble at the end because he’s found his voice, he has eloquence, he has humanity and forgiveness, so he has a princely feel about him.

MP: It’s such a strong contrast to when we first meet him after the creation.
KH: At the beginning he’s like a newborn. The Christ imagery is very strong and open in Guillermo’s work, so even the table the Creature is created on is like a cross, and the audience sees that imagery repeated throughout. The wrappings and the leather were all part of the religious language. The first time we see him get clothes is when he comes across the bodies of Crimean soldiers and takes the coat, which was like the skin of another man on his body. For that, I was looking at references to mummies and how clothing disintegrates and is shaped by the body that was once there.
When he gets to the mill and experiences kindness through strangers, which is another form of love, he’s getting clothes from their world and he’s evolving and changing. All of these characters are going through some kind of metamorphosis. Victor, the Creature, Elizabeth…they’re always shifting and changing.

MP: One of the first items you created for the film was Elizabeths’ bridal gown, right?
KH: Yes! It was an easy one to get into because it’s so pretty and I knew it’d be a garment that Guillermo really cared about. At the beginning, when we were still working through the visual language, I showed him all these beautiful paintings of Victorian brides and he was like, BLAH.

MP: Ha! Hey, there’s value in failing fast.
KH: I thought, well…that was lazy of me, wasn’t it?! Of course he hates it!
I’m always trying to decipher the language of what the director wants and Guillermo wanted something more operatic than that. The bandages and wraps were something I did want to showcase in this dress. It felt important to have an iconic bride and you can’t ignore those references to all the different Frankenstein films.

But we needed to find something that worked within the language that we were doing. At that point in the story, we’ve left Victor’s world and Elizabeth is entirely mirroring the Creature’s world. The idea of the wraps and her bodice echoing the rib cage was a key thing once we had the shape. Even [production designer] Tamara Deverell’s set echos the rib cage and that of the Creature. It feels like you’re in some form of anatomy.

The look required luminous layers and using that final layer as an x-ray layer, a skin layer. The silk we made for the bridal dress was specially woven to be really light to maximize movement because we knew what the dress had to fulfill.

MP: The Tiffany & Co. jewelry was such an important piece of Elizabeth’s wardrobe, but it took some convincing to get Tiffany to open their archives for the film, no?
KH: To be fair to Christopher Young [Vice President of Creative Visual Merchandising, Events and The Tiffany Archives], when you hear Frankenstein, you think of the bolts in the neck and the creation and all the gory bits and the limbs.
He didn’t know there was a world of soirées and high luxury!
So when we took them through the drawings and the references, it all came together and we started working step-in-step. What I was doing in my work room in terms of how we approach colors and the way we worked off natural and organic forms was definitely how Louis Comfort Tiffany was working back in 1914.

Tiffany understood the world that Guillermo was building entirely, and they brought so much extra beauty. I found it really inspiring, and we needed that inspiration at that point. It was another spark that matched the visual language. A single piece of jewelry can be inspiring for a whole garment, you know?

MP: Like that beetle necklace!
KH: It was a mind blowing thing to be going into the archives and seeing the scarabs, the stained glass windows, the art glass. I’d never thought about how amazing and modern that was for the time, and how they were breaking the boundaries of the garland diamond necklaces and sedate form and control. They brought such wild beauty, and the stones they picked were a whole universe in themselves of light and depth.

It worked because our filmmaking perspective, and what Tiffany has done for hundreds of years, shared the same values. The links were too uncanny and too common and it continued to be like that. Even the jewelry that had never been worn fit Mia perfectly.

MP: It honestly sounds like the perfect partnership.
KH: It really was. And at first, I was like diamonds, shmimonds, because I didn’t know much about them. But with that Wade necklace? You put it on Mia and there’s power there. There’s an energy. In talking to the gemologists, they would say, “What does it make you feel, wearing this stone?” I think actors really respond to that and Mia certainly did. I found that absolutely fascinating. I will never take for granted that world again and what it can do. It wasn’t just decoration, it supported everything.

MP: Who would have thought Tiffany & Co. was meant to be a part of the Frankenstein story?
KH: It was really special. If I had a Cinderella moment in my tired, grumpy, middle-aged life, this was it!
I was brought up on wonderful dark, dark fairytales—I have my Mother to thank for that. And as a young kid, we all dream of being a princess one day. The princess moment is in creating this magic [with everyone.] Tamara in the art department. Dan with the lighting. To see the sum of the world we’ve all built on the same page with Guillermo…it’s really a celebration of why we do these things.

MP: I’ve heard Guillermo talk about this film being, in many ways, a celebration of the human experience, especially as the world embraces AI. Hearing you talk about the creatives who brought this film to life adds a whole other layer to that point.
KH: It’s the accident of collaboration. The fight. The differences. The disagreements. The challenges. No you don’t have enough money, no you don’t have enough time. Go back to the drawing board and think of something else.
AI can give you everything on a plate, but what about someone’s totally different perspective on something and the creative challenge that brings? I would say 99% of my job once we’re filming is: things have changed, so what else can it be?

MP: There’s so much meaningful problem solving in creative work.
KH: All the time. And yeah, you can type that in and get AI support, but it’s the collaboration that makes us tick and be excited. When I look back at Sumerian and Macedonian jewelry, I think, we could never build that today, how did they do that? I don’t want us to lose what crafts we have. Why would we want to give up the fun bits? Let AI do all the shit bits.

I really see this when I attend the panels and Q&As, which I’ve been lucky enough to accompany Guillermo to. The way he talks about film lights up everybody who works in the industry. It’s what we signed up for. It’s why we tolerate the long hours and the huge challenges. We do it because of the hit we get off collaborating and discovering something and making something wonderful.
If that’s taken away, it’s not worth it.

MP: I must admit, I cried quite a bit watching this movie, and—
KH: Guillermo would be quite thrilled to hear that! He loves it when people cry.

MP: Ha! I’m so glad. You previously talked about crying during the making of the film. What about this project made you emotional?
KH: Sometimes it was just hard, you know? We had a month called “the month of tears” because everything was happening that month. And then it became three months of tears.

MP: [Laughing] Anyone who’s ever worked on a production can relate to this.
KH: There were moments where we were like, what the f*ck, and how are we going to solve this? It was just mountains of challenges coming at us, but…you find a way. That’s what we do. And we thrive on it. Because we’re all collaborating and everyone helps each other. You’re not on an island and it’s not a competition.

And with Guillermo, you’re also part of the process. He invites you on set, you get to see the edits, you understand what he’s doing, and seeing that makes you aware of how the journey is going. So one minute you’re crying, then the next minute Guillermo will crack a really obscene joke and you’re laughing.

MP: How has this project grown or changed your working relationship with Guillermo?
KH: I can only speak to one side, but Guillermo is probably sick of me for the moment! Two, three years…that’s a lot.

MP: Wow, 3 years…is that how long you worked on this film?
KH: Pretty much, yeah. Not consecutively. But it’s been in my world for that long and certainly the last two years. Part of me is in mourning that it’s ended.

MP: I would imagine there’s deep grief in something like this coming to an end.
KH: Totally. And now it’s out there and we’ve got no control and everyone’s allowed to comment on it. Every time I work, but particularly on this project, I discover new elements of how Guillermo works. Him sharing the editing process with me was was a new thing for me. I saw someone who’s confident and knew exactly where he was going and what he wanted to do, and that was a wonderful thing.
And I’m remembering when I’m working with him, how wonderful it is to be working with someone who you can share a language with. And that it’s okay to start with a drawing and have it rejected. It allows you to get over yourself, really, and discover something more. I just have a huge amount of respect for this project. I cherish it. I think it’s one of the single most wonderful moments of my life.

MP: Beautifully said and congratulations on it all. In terms of what’s next, you’ve got a lecture series coming up! Can you tell me about that?
KH: To be honest, things in our industry have been erratic. There’s a lot of people asking, what do I do? We’re in an industry that’s changing, and part of that is the AI, but I’ve actually come through that and think—like Guillermo —f*ck that.
I’m not letting that pull me down. I’ll find other ways of being and working. I’m not going to be sold on that as the answer.

MP: PREACH! Continue…
KH: I got a scholarship to go to the Motley School of Theatre Design that was run by Margaret (Percy) Harris in England, and it taught me a process that I can use in my tool kit. I’m interested in sharing a little bit about that. I’m interested in people letting go of the Google research button and finding and developing their own language and tools. Looking at custom form and lots of different points of view, not just the figure that you’re dressing. It’s all about the text that you’re given or the relationship you have with those working around you. That’s how you build a world.

Our work on Frankenstein is a concept, but it came from the text. I guess I’m trying to teach a bit of what I learned, because it really helped me. It’s just sharing process and helping people to implement it in their own work.

MP: Given your resume, that’s an amazing gift to share with other costume designers and creatives.
KH: I don’t want skills to get lost, and I don’t believe in keeping secrets. I like sharing with colleagues…we need to keep these crafts going otherwise it’ll be gone for everyone and I don’t believe in that.
We fight for the art and the craft, and we absolutely need to.

To keep up with Kate Hawley’s work, visit her website, or follow her on Instagram. Kate Hawley Studio’s Costume and Character Design Lecture Series runs at different times from December 15th - December 22nd. Click here for more info or to register for the lecture.
Frankenstein is streaming now on Netflix.

I always get excited when a new year is around the corner because a recurring question with an ever-evolving answer always pops up: What version of myself am I stepping into?

I often look to style to uncover the answer, and this year that meant an unexpected turn: regular visits to my husband’s closet. His crisp dress shirts, easy tank tops, and perfectly broken-in bandanas became quiet staples. Now, with 2026 just six weeks out, I’m newly inspired by the elegant revival of traditional menswear in a woman’s wardrobe—especially in the realm of jewelry and accessories.
Below, the pieces I’m eyeing for the year to come, plus one carryover from 2025 I’m never going without again.

A Decorative Cigar Band
Cuban cigar manufacturer Gustav Bock is widely credited with being the first to place paper cigar bands on cigars in the 1850s as a way to protect the integrity of his brand. By the 1880s, inspired by the ornate and colorful designs on the bands now associated with status, jewelers began crafting flat, wide statement rings for men.
The cigar band ring was born.

You’ve probably noticed thick, solid gold cigar bands popping up more in women’s trends over the past few years, especially from DTC brands like Mejuri. While the solid gold look holds steady as a timeliness option, for 2026 I’m gravitating more toward highly decorative, elaborate designs like those found on traditional cigar bands.

A Bolo Tie
Every few years, western wear lassos the heart of the broader fashion industry, inspiring a wave of fringe, cowboys hats, and of course, bolo ties. The bolo made a triumphant return in 2024, most notably on the the Louis Vuitton men’s runway for fall, and as a stylish accent to several of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour looks. At the time, Vogue’s Senior Fashion and Style Writer Christian Allaire cheered it’s moment in the spotlight, calling the beloved accessory “deeply overlooked” and “forever-cool.”

Lately I’ve been wearing my husband’s bolo ties with everyday separates in an attempt to distance the piece from a typical western wear look. Think: a blouse, high-waisted trousers, and a bolo tie atop layered necklaces. Or, a shift dress and combat boots with a bolo. Punk-leaning retailer Straight to Hell apparel has a whole “ties and bolos” section (!) for women (!) on its website, and I highly recommend gathering inspo—and a piece or two—from there.

Teeny Tiny Cufflinks
According to the history books, it was around the 17th century when men dropped the ribbon ties and started using cufflinks to fasten shirt cuffs. Utilitarian at first, the cufflink became more decorative and stylish in the 18th and 19th centuries, and gained even more popularity as a fashion item as men’s suiting continued to evolve in the 20th and 21st centuries.
To be honest, I’m not sure what the temperature check is on the cufflink in modern men’s fashion. Outside of a wedding or special occasion, I can’t remember the last time I saw a man wearing cufflinks, though I’d be curious to check the wrists of of the gentlemen dining at Le Bernardin.
As someone who works 9-5 in a corporate setting, I’ve been looking for ways to elevate the dress shirt (with a wink, not a splash), and so begins my cufflink era. A quick Google search will show you there are loads of options on the market, including costume jewelry-style statement cufflinks if that’s your thing. For me, a barely-there detail at the wrist in an unexpected design is the surprise-and-delight energy I dream of for my 2026 wardrobe.

Honorable Mention for the Underwear Drawer: Boxer Shorts
They’re breathable. They’re perfectly boxy. They’re just…the best.
Earlier this summer, I was packing for a beach vacation the night before the trip when I realized the ideal coastal-chic outfit I had conjured up in my mind was missing a critical piece—a breezy boxer short.

Sure, it’s a traditional men’s undergarment, but just add a sheer, dainty crew sock and a metallic fisherman’s sandal and the men’s boxer short is ready for its women’s streetwear moment.
Next year, I’ll be ready.

* Pours one out for Diane Keaton. *

Do you ever stop to think about the fashion moments that built you?

You know the ones. The outfits, runway shows, accessories, or cultural moments that set up shop in your brain in the formative years, and end up deeply influencing your perspective on style, even long after the maturation of your frontal lobe.

I was born in 1984, so I’ll give you a peek into my short list:
Shalom Harlow and the paint robots on the Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 1999. runway.
The 90s Supermodels as captured by Herb Ritts.
Madonna’s 1990 John Paul Gautier cone bra.
Slash and Axl from head to toe.
Blind Melon frontman Shannon Hoon rocking baby barrettes at Woodstock ‘94.
And…Glenn Danzig’s skull belt buckle.

I first discovered Danzig and then The Misfits (yes, in reverse order) the way most tween girls discovered “heavy” music back before there was any digital device in the home—at the house of a friend who had an older sibling who was into that stuff. Plus, I was a latchkey kid. If Mom was tutoring late after a full day of teaching and I had no after-school activities to attend to, I could bus home and watch questionable content on MTV in uninterrupted peace.

I recently uncovered a Reddit thread that helped me piece together where the height of my obsession with Glenn Danzig’s sartorial decisions started. It was somewhere in the early to mid 1990s when I was around 10 or 11 years old. According to Danzig fans (who keep impressive records, by the way), the “Mother 93 Live” music video was topping a music video countdown on MTV for several weeks straight around that time. I distinctly remember watching that video on MTV.

I’m not the only one.

These things are pretty simple, especially when you’re a kid.
Glenn Danzig was a long-haired, shirtless, screaming rocker who I found strangely beautiful, slightly terrifying, and always surrounded by skulls.
I was a ruffle-sock-wearing, bright-eyed, straight-A student and track star who followed every rule.
Being into the music of Danzig felt transgressive and exhilarating in a way that was new to my experience on earth. Naturally, I went out of my way to get as close to the music and the man as I possibly could, whether it was staying up past my bedtime to catch an episode of Headbanger’s Ball, or snagging a hand-me-down copy of Metal Edge.

Music is one of the earliest things we experience as children that starts to shape our taste in everything, isn’t it? It’s no surprise that the front men and women of the bands I grew up listening to also ended up strongly influencing my interest in and subsequent career in fashion.

Now, back to the skulls.

When I started working on a story about the fashion moments that built me for Mixed Prints, I got really hung on up Glenn’s skull belt buckle. It’s such an iconic piece of his stage wear and persona, and I knew there was no way in hell he bought that thing off the rack.

I was surprised to discover the origin story of the belt buckle does, in fact, begin in a retail store in the 1990s—one that’s actually very on-brand for the frontman.

“I was at Golden Apple Comics on Melrose Avenue in LA and turned and saw [Glenn] checking out some books. I thought what the heck, I’ll say hello and introduce myself,” recalled Norman Cabrera, the renowned special effects artist and sculptor who made the belt buckle. “I was already a longtime fan of Glenn’s bands, The Misfits and Samhain before I met him.”

General Manager of Golden Apple Comics, Ryan Liebowitz, provided some additional context that makes this meeting place even more significant.

"Glenn has been a customer and a friend of the store for like, 30 years. Music is his thing of course, but his hobby and his passion is really in comic books and art,” said Leibowitz, adding that Glenn has been publishing comic books for decades under his publishing company, Verotik.

"We’re basically the only comic book store he will ever sign at. Golden Apple is like his home shop,” Leibowitz continued. “We even hosted the 30th anniversary of Verotik last year with him. He’s awesome. He’s a real simple dude, and he just loves comic books and art.”

Upon the first meeting at Golden Apple Comics, Cabrera said Glenn’s openness inspired him to shoot his shot right then and there.
“He was totally cool, and I gave him my business card and said if he ever needed anything sculpted or any special effects for music videos to call.”

Shortly after their first interaction, Cabrera’s phone rang.
"I got a call saying he needed the creature on the album cover of How the Gods Kill made, which was designed by H.R. Giger. So, the first thing I made for him was that creature for his music video,” said Cabrera.
With his expertise in special effects make-up, and creature design and fabrication for film, TV, and music, Cabrera was the perfect guy for the gig.

From that point on, Cabrera and Glenn remained friendly, and more opportunities to collaborate emerged. Glenn would call when he needed various things sculpted, and that’s what eventually lead to the custom belt buckle featuring the Danzig skull logo design.

"The skull is Glenn’s band logo which he started using first in Samhain. He would go on to also use the logo when he formed Danzig with Eerie Von. It wasn’t well known at the time but Glenn was inspired by Michael Golden’s Crystar comic book. I didn’t know this when I sculpted it. I just went by the Samhain and Danzig album artwork,” said Cabrera.

Though there has been some quiet controversy over the years surrounding the unique skull logo and its potential ties to Michael Golden’s artwork for 1984’s Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior #8, Marvel Comics never pursued legal action against the band for copyright infringement.

For his part, Cabrera said he wanted to capture the feel of the artwork and make sure it stood out on stage.
"I sculpted it in clay and looked at it in different lighting just to get the shadows right. I wanted to interpret the art so it was unmistakably on point with Danzig’s logo,” the artist said. “It had to be unmistakable from a distance but also bold and detailed up close. I’m super proud to have created this iconic belt buckle for Glenn that he still wears on stage today.”

Unmistakable it is. The belt buckle has not only become synonymous with Glenn’s look over the years, it permeated culture far beyond the punk/rock music scene. Cabrera’s original creation has gone on to inspire countless mass-produced versions available everywhere from Etsy to Amazon.

Not that he minds.

“Glenn’s image and music has inspired many. It’s something that people want to emulate,” said Cabrera. “Truly a Legacy of Brutality.”

Inspired by Cabrera’s bold approach at the top of this story, I did reach out to the closest thing I could find to a contact address for Glenn Danzig or his team. At the time of publishing this piece, I haven’t heard back.
In the off chance he saw my note at all, I can only assume the utter banality of asking for a soundbite about fashion completely offended his punk rock sensibilities, resulting in the hard-delete of my inquiry.
Which, honestly, only upholds his image in my mind’s eye.

Special thanks to Norman Cabrera for agreeing to an interview and sharing this fascinating peek into music and fashion history. To keep up with Norman and his work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram. Additional thanks to Ryan Leibowitz of Golden Apple Comics. Visit the store in LA, or follow along on Golden Apple’s Instagram.

There are some things you just can’t unsee.
Last year I was watching the Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion documentary on Netflix when the severity of the fashion waste problem really hit me—and not in a tabloid-chic Naomi Campbell way.
If you’ve watched the documentary you know the scene.
Those seemingly endless piles of discarded clothing being pulled into the tide from the beaches of Ghana flipped a switch in me.
In that moment I challenged myself to stop buying new clothes. Rent, thrift, borrow or swap, but no more buying and driving the demand for new and more when there are so many clothes circulating out there and the waste problem is this bad.

I knew I would miss the occasional Zara run and ASOS seasonal sale, but I was energized to think differently about fashion, and—when I really thought about it—realized I’ve always been a bit of an underconsumption gal mostly because of circumstances. I grew up with limited means, spent my entire 20s living in shoebox-sized spaces with little to no closets in New York City, and even when I relocated to Tennessee, decided to hang my hat in an 890 square-foot house.
As someone who has lived my entire life in small spaces, I don’t own a lot of stuff and never have. That includes clothes even though I love fashion.

I was vaguely familiar with clothing rental services, but hopped online to do some proper research after watching the documentary. In August of 2024, my first Nuuly box arrived. After a year of subscribing to the URBN-owned rental service, I’ll cut to the chase an answer the question in this headline. Yes, in my opinion Nuuly is 100% worth it. The $98 per month fee allows you to select 6 items to wear each month, you can purchase them at a discount if you want, and you ship them back (no need to launder them!) with a prepaid label to unlock your next 6 items the following month.

I’m not out here trying to say Nuuly is solving the fashion waste problem in one fell swoop—it isn’t. However, its model provides access to trends via rental and reuse as garments cycle through subscribers, making it a smart alternative to single-use fast fashion. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good, right? I also appreciate that Nuuly helps introduce brands known for their sustainable practices, like Rujuta Sheth, to bigger audiences via its platform. Even little things like that are a net positive for the fashion industry.

Nuuly’s model of renting and reusing is what drew me to the service, but I’ve become a loyalist for reasons I didn’t expect. The added value is how much fun I’m having with fashion, and how accessible expensive brands become with a service like Nuuly because there’s no real commitment. You’re just hangin’ out.

5 Reasons I Love Renting With Nuuly

I Rent Things I Would Never Buy

One of my favorite things about Nuuly is the opportunity to wear things I would never buy at retail—like the tulle cupcake dress I wore to my sister-in-law’s bridal shower that had me looking like a winning contestant on Toddlers & Tiaras. Would I have spent nearly $300 on the dress to own? No way. Renting it for one-time wear along with 5 other items in my monthly box? Sold.

I find myself adding statement items to my monthly box regularly because…why not? Silver metallic leather pants. Long sleeve crop tops with tiers of ruffles. Mini dresses with enormous flower appliqués. This shopping method keeps my wardrobe fresh and adventurous every single month without a big monetary commitment. Just wear it, enjoy it, and send it off to another Nuuly user to make their own. There are so many pieces I rent for the fun of one-time wear without the single-use fast-fashion guilt.

I Trust the Ratings & Reviews with my Life Dollar

Believe me when I say the Nuuly members are doing the Lord’s work in those comments. From sizing hacks to extremely honest reviews down to the nipple coverage to photo testimonials, the Ratings & Reviews section is instrumental in the Nuuly experience. It’s like having your own little army of unfiltered fashion editors who are committed to helping you get the right piece in the right size so you don’t dare waste one of your coveted 6 spots. Any time I’ve trusted the comment section against my own judgement, I’ve never been led astray.

I Make Fancy Plans Just so I Can Rent the Formalwear

Formalwear for women can get so ridiculously expensive and don’t even get me started on what it costs to alter a gown—sometimes as much as the dress! Nuuly is chock-full of very pricey gowns, jumpsuits, and dresses, but the flat monthly rental fee makes these typically out-of-reach styles super accessible. At 41, I’m way beyond the wedding guest season of life, but I do attend lots of animal rescue galas these days and love to overdress for the symphony, so I rent my fair share of gowns. Thanks to Nuuly, I’ve adopted a rent-the-outfit-and-the-occasion-will-find-me methodology that I highly recommend. Romanticize your life, right?

I’ve Never Had So Much Fun with Coats

It’s easy to get caught up in Nuuly’s dresses, separates for work and play, and athleisure, but hear, hear…don’t sleep on the outerwear rentals! Good coats are so. dang. expensive, which is why coats are one of my favorite things to rent when the temperatures take a dip. Need a formal winter coat? A durable one for outdoor adventures? A maxi length? A shearling-lined bomber with a hood? You can pretty much find anything you’re looking for, and probably a few you weren’t looking for, but suddenly couldn’t imagine your chilly-weather wardrobe without.

I Get To Try Before I Buy

When I went into the Nuuly process, I challenged myself to not purchase anything, but over the past year I caved 3 times. I couldn’t part with a pair of Citizens of Humanity barrel jeans that were 60% off, We the Free overalls I lived in during the rental period, and I snagged a final sale dress from the Nuuly Thrift Store for $30 that retailed for $100, but ended up arriving new with the tags on it. This is the best part of Nuuly in my opinion. If you fall in love with a rental item after trying it for a month, you can purchase it at a good discount depending on how pre-loved it is.

It feels good to know my Nuuly items have been worn and adored, and after making their debut in the lives and moments of strangers, a very select view can retire in my closet for good. I can say with confidence I purchase way less by renting, mostly because my relationship with clothing has changed.

Renting has shifted my mindset to think of my closet less like a staple of my identity and more like a rotating cast of characters. Here for a good time, not for a long time.

Want to try renting with Nuuly? Thanks to the Refer a Friend program, you can enjoy $30 off your first month’s subscription with my referral link. If you decide to subscribe, I get a $10 discount, too. Click here to get your discount and give it a try.

With a new movie crushing it (89% on Rotten Tomatoes!) in theaters and a new romance (confirmed!) on the heels of the box-office success, Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson are the unexpected later-in-life it couple of 2025—and the recent subjects of one of the best editorial shoots I’ve seen this year.

The kind of shoot that instantly transported me back to the days when I would race to the mailbox as a preteen and fling open Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, or Rolling Stone to see what was waiting for me in the well.

“It’s been my favorite shoot of the year,” New York-based photographer, Jake Chessum, said of the viral YOU magazine cover story he shot with the duo last month. “The whole thing just came together so wonderfully.”

Shot during a quick 2-hour session at Highline Stages in New York City, Chessum’s photos have captured the collective heart of the internet which seems, overwhelmingly, to be rooting for the two.

Having spent the past 35 years capturing major moments and iconic figures in film, sports, politics, and music, Chessum is no stranger to a celebrity shoot. This one, he said, was just different.
"I can’t remember another shoot I’ve done that’s hit this hard,” said Chessum. “I’m so thrilled it’s resonating with people.”

As the images from the shoot blew up, Mixed Prints caught up with Jake Chessum for a wide-ranging discussion around how the YOU shoot concept came to life, new projects in the works, and why he still pinches himself from time to time.

"I’m really fortunate,” said Chessum. “I grew up in South London with no expectation of being an artist, and I’m really lucky I’ve gotten to spend my career doing this.”

Mixed Prints: Congrats on the success of this shoot! Had you worked with Liam Neeson or Pamela Anderson before, or was this the first time?
Jake Chessum: I’ve actually photographed Liam twice before, but quite a long time ago. The shoots I’d done with him before were nothing like this, so this was a very different sensibility.

MP: I love the concept you came up with of them photographing each other. What inspired that?
JC: If you look at my work, I don’t do that many concept shoots involving props and sets. So I went in a tad nervous.

The magazine had come up with the idea of the photo booth and the popcorn, which I knew Pam and Liam were into. I thought, maybe I can get them to take pictures of each other because that’d be really funny. And, who knows what the pictures will be like?

I’ve been doing [photography] for 35 years and obviously when I started straight out of school it was all film. Lately, I’ve been trying to shoot more film on my sets, so I planned to take a film camera with me, but wasn’t sure if we would use it knowing what the shoot was about and how fast we had to work. I had just bought the camera that Liam is holding in the cover shoot. It’s a 1996 camera from Japan and when it arrived it was brand new and had never been used. It was amazing.

MP: Did they just dive right in or did it take some art directing?
JC: After we did the popcorn shot, I brought out the cameras and just asked them to take pictures of each other. As soon as they picked them up, Liam said, “Oh, this is just like Blow-Up!” He totally got it.

Within seconds…I think I looked away for a moment and when I looked back, Pamela was on the floor. And it all just started happening.
Pam shot some good ones of Liam that ended up not being published, but he was laying on the ground and acting up to the camera. It was just so fluid and natural and funny. Straight away they were into it, and the whole thing just came together so wonderfully.

MP: We’re you trying to recreate certain photos, or were they just doing whatever they felt in the moment?
JC: I try not to include too obvious references, but the one of Pam pulling away from the camera with her hand in the frame…there’s a great picture that comes to mind. I think it’s of Jean Shimpton and Dudley Moore taken by Bailey in 1965, holding hands and running to the camera.

MP: You mentioned you were a bit nervous going into the shoot, but once it got rolling it must have been magical.
JC: A few years also I was listening to this show about the musician Paul Weller from The Jam, and he was saying that before a gig, he would literally do anything to be on the other side of it. He’d be pacing, he couldn’t eat, couldn’t think, he was so nervous. Once he stepped on stage though, he never wanted to leave. That really resonated with me because before a shoot I’m like, what am I even doing? As soon as we start, I’m like, this is the greatest day of my life! Best shoot I’ve ever done!

It was my favorite shoot of the year. Everyone was really pulling together on this shoot. Even with things like wardrobe, Pam had a voice—as she should—in the looks, and I thought it was brilliant that she was so collaborative.

MP: A dream team! Had you worked with this set crew before?
JC: It was an entirely new crew, I didn’t know anybody. But it’s a machine, you know? I think the photographer and the art department and the stylist’s absolute goal is to make the talent the best they can be. I don’t want to sound like a tool, but we’re all there to do a job. It’s always great if you come way thinking you all really like each other, but the bottom line is you’re there to get a cover or a spread and it always feels like you’re up against the clock. If they said you’ve got 2 hours, you know you’ve got 90 mins.

MP: It’s a well-oiled machine, but also by nature of what it is, it’s quite intimate isn’t it? Photography is a very vulnerable thing.
JC: Totally. Vulnerable is a good word. You’re put out there. It’s intimidating for everyone involved. I don’t ever want another photographer watching me. On set, if it’s going well, I’m often so in the moment and just saying the stupidest stuff. I would be mortified to hear it back.
You look gorgeous.
You’re beautiful.
I mean…I’ve never said, make love to the camera, but…

MP: Ha! Well, and Pam and Liam are such pros, I’m sure they were so easy to shoot.
JC: Oh yeah, they’ve been doing this for donkey’s years.

MP: At the time of the shoot, I don’t think their relationship was public knowledge. Did you know they were dating when they came to set?
JC: You know, I hadn’t really taken notice of that, but you could tell they were super comfortable with each other.
If you’ve ever been on a shoot when you’re trying to get someone to hold hands or put their cheeks together, you can always tell when it’s an effort. They’re actors, so they can do anything in the moment, but it felt like they really got on. Very natural. And now it’s come out that they really are a couple, right?

MP: Nearly every news outlet is reporting they’re officially together.
JC: That makes sense. I’m glad I was able to exploit it to make the pictures even better!

MP: Ha! Spoken like a true professional.
JC: Kidding, of course. I’m really happy for them, that’s wonderful. In the time I was with them, I was focused on getting a great photo. But I was lucky that their relationship made the pictures that much better. It was the spark that really turned these into something. I think that joy really came through.

MP: There’s so much conversation about Pam & Liam as a couple in pop culture, and these are the photos I’m seeing everywhere to celebrate their story. That’s really special.
JC: I’m just always so thrilled when something I shoot resonates with people.
I remember Iman posted a picture I’d taken of [her late husband] David Bowie on the anniversary of his death, and that was a massive thing for me. You know, I take these pictures and they go out into the world…I had no idea she even knew about it, but that picture meant something to her, which really meant something to me.

MP: Speaking of icons we’ve lost, I love your photos of Ozzy Osbourne. That shoot must have been a hoot.
JC: Oh, the one where he’s got the coat draped across his face— that was so much fun. We did those photos at the Sundance Film Festival. He was crawling around the floor and screaming at the top of his voice while I was shooting from above him. He literally came in and was up for anything.

MP: How surreal to live life this way. You have these unique fleeting moments with people who so many of us would consider our “heroes.”
JC: Yeah, it’s a weird life, isn’t it? But for anyone who might imagine I’m partying like a rockstar, I’m not. I’m at home with my wife and kids.

MP: But also hanging out with legends.
JC: By chance I got into a profession where I have this opportunity to have these incredible experiences. I’ve been to Brad Pitt’s house. I’ve been on Air Force 1 with President Obama, and to 10 Downing Street with the Prime Minister of England. I spent a couple of hours with David Bowie, a couple of hours with Beck at the beginning of his career. Tarantino! When Reservoir Dogs had just come out and he was full of the joys of spring. It’s like these crazy little vignettes. They’re great memories to have.

Am I talking too much?

MP: No way. I love to yap. Continue.
JC: I’m a collector. I collect books, I collect records, and I think photography is an extension of that—I collect images. And they inform what I think about a lot of things because they stay with me. Particularly when somebody passes on—and I’ve photographed a lot of folks who have—David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger, it really hurts. Even though I don’t really know these people.

MP: I would imagine you can’t help but feel close to someone your photographing, because people have to be open in front of a camera. You’re capturing their essence! There’s like this 4th wall that you get to break through.
JC: I’m always slightly nervous to think that I’ve been able to “break down someone’s wall.” I’ll read these interviews with photographers being like, I really got to their soul, and I’m rolling my eyes like, no you f*cking didn’t…

MP: Yeah. I mean, even if that’s true it’s cringe to say.
JC: Right? But when you wield a camera, if someone is into it with you, you kind of have this weird potential for an amazing openness. I don’t know if it’s the camera being between you that puts up an artificial barrier and people just open up? It’s like an improvisation between you and them and you see how good it gets.

MP: Have you seen the new Naked Gun movie?
JC: I haven’t yet, but I’ve got to! I’ve heard it’s really good.

MP: It’s truly laugh-out-loud funny. You’ll have a different appreciation for it being that you got to work with Pam and Liam so closely. I hadn’t seen Pamela Anderson in a movie in so long. She’s great in the role.
JC: I took my daughter to the shoot with me and at one point I asked Pamela if I could introduce them, and she was so sweet to my daughter. My daughter later described Pam as “ethereal.” There’s just something really special about her.

MP: The ‘90s/early 2000s bombshell Pamela Anderson is how she’s etched into my brain, so I love seeing her in this era of looking her age and embracing a minimal makeup look. It’s refreshing, don’t you think?
JC: It sounds so patronizing to say she’s embracing getting older!, I think she’s just trying her best to be true to herself. I’ve shot with Jamie Lee Curtis and she has the same vibe. She’s just trying to keep it real, and be a success at the same time and play the right parts. It’s so obvious to say it, but a woman in her 60s that’s been botoxed and face-lifted up the wazoo can’t play “grandma”, you know?

MP: Preach. I’m not into the injections or enhancements. I’m not afraid of looking older.
JC: I know it’s easy for a man to say this stuff, as we’re not held to the same standards. I mean, if that’s what makes you happy and feel good about yourself, to each their own. But what makes me sad is it has this knock on effect on 12-year olds who are in Sephora buying age-defying moisturizer.

MP: Don’t even get me started on the baby teens at Sephora…
Looking ahead, what keeps you inspired as the industry and media as a whole continues to change?
JC: With the advent of AI, it’s a nerve wracking time but I’m still as excited as ever to meet and photograph anyone. I’m still doing essentially the same thing I was doing the day I left school, but I’ve never gotten bored and that’s insane. I think I’m in love with the process, and what photography is for other people as much as it is for me.

MP: With this shoot behind you, what other projects are you working on that you’re stoked about?
JC: The last 6 years I’ve been doing a project around Gowanus where I live, capturing all of the changes on film. Ultimately it would be cool to have a little show or do some kind of book.
And—my wife would groan if she heard me talking about this because I’m always on about it—but for the last 3 years I’ve been trying to get a book together of my shoot with Amy Winehouse. I had the most incredible day shoot with her back in 2004 and tons of pictures that nobody has ever seen. It was before the beehive, before the problems. I don’t want to say anything out of turn because I didn’t know her, but she seemed a bit more innocent, and not yet beaten down by the industry or the pressure she put on herself.

MP: So many people never got to see her in that light. I hope you can make that book happen.
JC: She was really funny and unfiltered and I think we captured something that was a moment in time. Even though she hasn’t been around for many years now, the nerves she touched in people, the quality of the music, the tragedy of what could have been…I think it would resonate with people and could be really special.

MP: Any last words on the Pam and Liam shoot?
JC: The photos just make me happy. For a multitude of reasons. I was a bit stressed about the job, it was a new client, but it came out great and it means something to me that Pam and Liam had fun as well.

MP: If they get married they better call you to photograph the wedding.
JC: They better! I want to do the wedding for sure.
Or, at least get an invite.

See more of Jake Chessum’s archive here. To keep up with his latest work, follow him on Instagram.

If you work in creative services—particularly as a writer, graphic designer, photographer, or videographer—you know the dreadful, low-humming fear that the AI tools pitched to us as support services for our jobs could potentially eradicate us from the workforce.

Just last week, Vogue was criticized for running a Guess advertisement featuring an AI-generated model produced by “design-driven” AI marketing agency, Seraphinne Vallora. I hear peers and colleagues buzzing constantly… is this the beginning of the end for us makers? You can’t help but at least ask the question.

While creative production as we know and love it may go the way of the dodo, let us—at least for now—enjoy a sigh of relief as we celebrate the storytelling, the vision, and the human genius behind YSL’s summer editorial, Shades of Summer.
"Shot in the South of France, the series captures sunlit moments of skin, shadow, and heat — a bare, textured glimpse of summer through Purienne's instinctive lens,” YSL said in a statement.
Dreamed up by YSL Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello and produced by Henrik Purienne, these summer style stories perfectly pair the child-like whimsy of summer with the aspirational prestige of YSL featuring a lineup of iconic models and it girls that shaped an entire generation.

AI could never.

I recommend you watch all of the visual stories for the Shades of Summer series, but for an instant dose of inspiration and a reminder of why the human experience is best captured by humans, I recommend this particular story featuring Frankie Rayder and Erin Wasson who stun at 50 and 43-years-old, respectively.

A celebration of female friendship.
The feeling of summer defined without a word.
The sensuality of the female form in midlife.
And don’t even get me started on that YSL “ice pop…”

It’s some of the best visual storytelling I’ve seen this year.
Made for humans by humans with humans. Like only we can do.

Jonathan Anderson Makes Cargo Shorts Couture at Highly Anticipated Dior Debut

Ever since he was named Artistic Director of Dior Men earlier this year after an 11-year, game-changing run at Loewe, the fashion crowd has been eagerly awaiting Jonathan Anderson’s debut collection for Dior.

As runway reviews rolled in last week, editors cheered Anderson’s take on Spring/Summer 2026 for the fashion house, which “dialogues with history while speaking a distinctly contemporary language, setting a compelling new direction for the brand’s future,” wrote Hypebeast’s Joyce Li.
Standout items included the classic Dior Bar Jacket reimagined in a donegal tweed as a nod to the designer’s Irish heritage, and a pair of…cargo shorts.
"They were closer to couture, made of 15 meters of cotton drill fabric, intricately pleated in the back to resemble the folds of a famous Christian Dior dress design,” Samuel Hine wrote in his review for GQ.

Lauren Sanchez Marries Jeff Bezos, Elicits Rage in Dolce & Gabbana

On June 27th, former journalist Lauren Sanchez married billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in an extremely fancy, multi-million dollar Venice wedding and the internet is very mad about it. Vogue magazine, which has been evolving its editorial content away from high fashion and more toward celebrity and pop culture fashion for about a decade now, did a very predictable thing by running a feature on the making of Sanchez’s custom dress for a digital cover story, and that made fashion people double mad.

Imagine: Rich people doing rich people things. Insane!

The bride wore a custom Dolce & Gabbana hand-appliquéd Italian lace wedding dress with a corseted bodice, apparently inspired by the dress Sophia Loren wore to marry Cary Grant in the 1958 film, Houseboat. The high-neck, long-sleeve gown was a departure from Sanchez’s usual red carpet and event looks, which lean more
toward—how do I put this delicately—an elevated hoe phase of sorts.
I’m truly indifferent about Lauren Sanchez (never met her!), but I personally think her wedding dress was stunning, spot on brand for Dolce & Gabbana (over the top), and she wore it well.
As if a woman with those lips cares what anyone thinks.

Anna Wintour “Steps Down” From American Vogue, But Not Really

Heads exploded (including mine) when I saw the news last week that Anna Wintour, was stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue, after 37 years at the helm. Here’s the thing though—she’s not really going anywhere.

Wintour will retain her title as Global Editorial Director for all Vogue titles, and will remain Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast, according to WWD.
"Essentially, she is retaining her power and giving up the time-consuming daily management of one magazine, the better to rule over them all,” wrote Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times.
What I find most interesting (and kind of sad), is that the Editor-in-Chief role at American Vogue is going away entirely, and—like the other global Vogue titles—will be replaced with a Head of Editorial Content who will report to Wintour.
To the lucky future hire we say, gird your loins!

I don’t think I’ve ever swung a tennis racket in my life, but I won’t let that stop me from getting in on the new Kith for Wilson tennis collection, which dropped June 20th online and in Kith stores.

"Kith reprised its partnership with Wilson to create an elevated tennis collection for men and women, blending the performance and lifestyle sensibilities of each brand,” Kith said in a statement on the collaboration. "This collection comprises on and off-court apparel, accessories and equipment that features Kith for Wilson branding and artwork. Wilson’s performance technology is infused with on-court silhouettes and Kith’s lifestyle lens elevates the design of the full collection.”

Women with a strong tennis game will surely love the range of womenswear styles, which include cropped performance polos, tennis skirts, shorts, and matching accessories in a green and white color palette.

But for my money, the men’s styles (particularly the off-court looks) are game. set. match.

As part of the partnership, Kith continued its tradition of restoring local tennis courts “so the community can enjoy them for generations to come,” said the brand. After refurbishing courts in New York City and Paris, the latest restoration project focused on the Yardley Tennis Club in Birmingham England—known as the birthplace of modern tennis.

Fashion’s love affair with sports continues to surprise and delight, and those who want in on these collaborations better act fast. The Kith for Wilson 2025 collection, which has been live for a matter of hours, is already selling out styles.

Shop the collaboration here.