National Dog Day is on Aug. 26, and what better way to celebrate than by show your puppy some love with a stylish new toy or accessory? Founded in 2004 by author and animal welfare advocate, Colleen Paige, National Dog Day celebrates dogs of all breeds and raises awareness about the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year from places like public shelters. This holiday honours family dogs, military and police dogs, therapy pets, service animals that assist people with disabilities, and abandoned or stray shelter puppies in need of adoption. 

According to research by Researchandmarkets.com, the global pet market was valued at $232.14 billion USD in 2030, and as expected, dogs are the most popular pet in the market. Other than encouraging the public to “adopt not shop,” National Dog Day is also the perfect time to show some appreciation to the beautiful, loyal canines in your life. That means extra cuddles, a special new bone perhaps and, yep, by gifting your four-legged BFF an aesthetically pleasing, design-focused dog accessory. Dogs can be stylish, too!  

From a designer dog bed and ceramic treat jar to a customizable ID tag, click through the gallery below for some of our favourite picks to help celebrate National Dog Day.

The post Celebrate National Dog Day with Chic Gifts for Your Favourite Pup appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

National Dog Day is on Aug. 26, and what better way to celebrate than by show your puppy some love with a stylish new toy or accessory? Founded in 2004 by author and animal welfare advocate, Colleen Paige, National Dog Day celebrates dogs of all breeds and raises awareness about the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year from places like public shelters. This holiday honours family dogs, military and police dogs, therapy pets, service animals that assist people with disabilities, and abandoned or stray shelter puppies in need of adoption. 

According to research by Researchandmarkets.com, the global pet market was valued at $232.14 billion USD in 2030, and as expected, dogs are the most popular pet in the market. Other than encouraging the public to “adopt not shop,” National Dog Day is also the perfect time to show some appreciation to the beautiful, loyal canines in your life. That means extra cuddles, a special new bone perhaps and, yep, by gifting your four-legged BFF an aesthetically pleasing, design-focused dog accessory. Dogs can be stylish, too!  

From a designer dog bed and ceramic treat jar to a customizable ID tag, click through the gallery below for some of our favourite picks to help celebrate National Dog Day.

The post Celebrate National Dog Day with Chic Gifts for Your Favourite Pup appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Taking over the streets of downtown Santa Fe in white tents and technicolour outfits, the Santa Fe Indian Market celebrated 100 years this past weekend—and the event was filled to the brim with stunning displays of Indigenous art, fashion and culture.

The New Mexican event included nearly 1,000 Indigenous artists from more than 200 nations and communities across the United States and Canada, many of them first-timers and others whose families have been part of the Pueblo tradition for generations. It also attracted Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors from all over the world.

Here were some of our favourite moments from Santa Fe Indian Market’s centennial:

Indigenous Fashion on Display

The two big fashion events, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) gala and fashion show, highlighted dozens of talented Indigenous designers on the runway, including several Canadian personalities: Lesley Hampton, Jason Baerg, Himikalas Pamela Baker, Yolanda Skelton, Sho Sho Esquiro and Dorothy Grant.

The sold-out events also featured celebrity models Jessica Matten, Kiowa Gordon,D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tie and Quannah Chasinghorse—the one-and-only land defender who recently made waves at the 2021 Met Gala.

Photography by Tira Howard Photography

Street Market and Juried Art

As a juried market, each piece sold among the hundreds of white tents lining the downtown streets had to go through a rigorous approval process to ensure authenticity.

White Otter Designs’ Jaymie Campbell—who is Anishnaabe  originally from Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario—creates trillium-shaped beaded earrings and quill roll necklaces for the market. She says that the intense application process ensures the validity and quality of the artists’ work. “It also allows you to really get paid what pieces are worth, because people understand the value of the work and that was a difference I haven’t experienced before.”

Taking part in the market was “such a level up from anything that at least I’ve participated in,” says Campbell, who now lives in British Columbia. She drove down with a handful of other art market participants from the province, including custom moccasin maker Jamie Gentry). Campbell and her booth-mate Niio Perkins from Akwesasne Mohawk First Nation in New York state both sold out of their pieces within the first few hours of the market.

Other market participants included Elias Jade Not Afraid, an Apsaalooké bead artist from Montana who was selling large geometric beaded bags with dentalium shells and elk ivory, and a show-stopping purse with a blue rose beaded onto the smoked deer hide.

Juneau, Ala. beadwork artist Jill Kaasteen, who is Lingit, Chookanashaa, and Xunaa Kaawudax, was also there for the first time, showcasing the two iconic medallions she made for the TV series Reservation Dogs. The phallic-like necklaces, one shaped like a pickle and the other a microphone, were a key joke in a first season episode, and Kaasteen says that market-goers’ delight were the best part of the weekend. “It’s so fun to see people’s reactions recognizing it, and these are the exact pieces.”

Celebrity Spotting at “Indigenous Hollywood”

This year’s event was a magnet for celebrity guests too, including Prey star Amber Midthunder, Reservation Dogs’ Woon-A-Tie, Dark Winds’ Jessica Matten, Kiowa Gordon and Zahn McClarnon, and Rutherford Falls’ Jana Schmieding and Sierra Teller Ornelas. Many of the stars were taking part in panels discussion on the future of Indigenous innovation, while others were found walking the runway shows and shopping in the market.

The post Santa Fe Indian Market Celebrates 100 Years of Art, Fashion and Community appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Taking over the streets of downtown Santa Fe in white tents and technicolour outfits, the Santa Fe Indian Market celebrated 100 years this past weekend—and the event was filled to the brim with stunning displays of Indigenous art, fashion and culture.

The New Mexican event included nearly 1,000 Indigenous artists from more than 200 nations and communities across the United States and Canada, many of them first-timers and others whose families have been part of the Pueblo tradition for generations. It also attracted Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors from all over the world.

Here were some of our favourite moments from Santa Fe Indian Market’s centennial:

Indigenous Fashion on Display

The two big fashion events, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) gala and fashion show, highlighted dozens of talented Indigenous designers on the runway, including several Canadian personalities: Lesley Hampton, Jason Baerg, Himikalas Pamela Baker, Yolanda Skelton, Sho Sho Esquiro and Dorothy Grant.

The sold-out events also featured celebrity models Jessica Matten, Kiowa Gordon,D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tie and Quannah Chasinghorse—the one-and-only land defender who recently made waves at the 2021 Met Gala.

Photography by Tira Howard Photography

Street Market and Juried Art

As a juried market, each piece sold among the hundreds of white tents lining the downtown streets had to go through a rigorous approval process to ensure authenticity.

White Otter Designs’ Jaymie Campbell—who is Anishnaabe  originally from Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario—creates trillium-shaped beaded earrings and quill roll necklaces for the market. She says that the intense application process ensures the validity and quality of the artists’ work. “It also allows you to really get paid what pieces are worth, because people understand the value of the work and that was a difference I haven’t experienced before.”

Taking part in the market was “such a level up from anything that at least I’ve participated in,” says Campbell, who now lives in British Columbia. She drove down with a handful of other art market participants from the province, including custom moccasin maker Jamie Gentry). Campbell and her booth-mate Niio Perkins from Akwesasne Mohawk First Nation in New York state both sold out of their pieces within the first few hours of the market.

Other market participants included Elias Jade Not Afraid, an Apsaalooké bead artist from Montana who was selling large geometric beaded bags with dentalium shells and elk ivory, and a show-stopping purse with a blue rose beaded onto the smoked deer hide.

Juneau, Ala. beadwork artist Jill Kaasteen, who is Lingit, Chookanashaa, and Xunaa Kaawudax, was also there for the first time, showcasing the two iconic medallions she made for the TV series Reservation Dogs. The phallic-like necklaces, one shaped like a pickle and the other a microphone, were a key joke in a first season episode, and Kaasteen says that market-goers’ delight were the best part of the weekend. “It’s so fun to see people’s reactions recognizing it, and these are the exact pieces.”

Celebrity Spotting at “Indigenous Hollywood”

This year’s event was a magnet for celebrity guests too, including Prey star Amber Midthunder, Reservation Dogs’ Woon-A-Tie, Dark Winds’ Jessica Matten, Kiowa Gordon and Zahn McClarnon, and Rutherford Falls’ Jana Schmieding and Sierra Teller Ornelas. Many of the stars were taking part in panels discussion on the future of Indigenous innovation, while others were found walking the runway shows and shopping in the market.

The post Santa Fe Indian Market Celebrates 100 Years of Art, Fashion and Community appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

In all its captivating chaos, the second season of Euphoria left us with more questions than answers. From graphic drug abuse to messy love triangles, the HBO show consistently found new, creative and disturbing ways to portray teens getting up to no good. But for many fans, nothing proved harder to watch than the untimely decline of Kat Hernandez, played by Barbie Ferreira.

For eight weeks, viewers witnessed her descent from a bourgeoning star to a clumsy sidekick. And now, it’s been confirmed that she will disappear from the show completely.

“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” Ferreira wrote via Instagram on August 24. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that [it] brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today.”

But “the character she is today” — and the way she’ll be remembered after Ferreira’s exit — is not what fans saw coming. For months, rumours have alleged behind-the-scenes tension between Ferreira and showrunner Sam Levinson, after the actor reportedly expressed disappointment in Kat’s journey. And it’s not hard to see why. In season two, Euphoria missed out on making Kat the main character she should have been.

From her costuming alone, it’s clear Kat was originally set up to be front and centre of the series. As the only plus-size character, her stylistic transformation by costume designer Heidi Bivens was arguably the most significant.

She starts off season one with a modest teen wardrobe comprising skinny jeans, collared shirts and round glasses. As a result of the fatphobia she experienced growing up, she’s shy and insecure — almost as if she’s hiding behind her clothes.

Photography by Eddy Chen/HBO

But after a traumatizing sexual experience, Kat undergoes a metamorphosis. She leans into her hypersexualization and begins working as an underage cam girl. Her outlook hardens, and so does her style. As such, she adopts a gothic grunge aesthetic with leather harnesses, fishnet stockings, thick chokers and bold red lipstick.

Her rebellious change in style is not only a defence mechanism but a way of channelling her newfound fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence. Kat learns to take up space, stand up for herself, and dress in a way that makes her feel good. As she eloquently puts it, “There’s nothing more powerful than a fat girl who doesn’t give a f*ck.”

Makeovers in film and TV usually see women transform into the archetypal beauty of the thin girl next door. By adopting a subversive punk style and unapologetically embracing her body, Kat’s transformation flipped the script on this trope. Unsurprisingly, she gained a cult following of fans who were eager to see her develop and mature. And Levinson was praised for writing a three-dimensional plus-size character who wasn’t a villain, a punchline or a boring background fixture. But then, without explanation, Kat Hernandez became all three.

In season two, Ferreira’s character is reduced to a well-dressed extra in the Euphoria visual landscape. Her style shifts from bondage-inspired to ’90s cool girl. She trades her suspenders and latex for cropped cardigans, busy patterns and midi skirts. While this style change could have represented her maturing, Kat loses her rebellious edge and reverts to being insecure and inauthentic.

Photography by Eddy Chen/HBO

In one particularly hard-to-watch scene, she coldly breaks up with her boyfriend, Ethan, by claiming to have a (non-existent) terminal brain disorder. It’s clear she’s going through something, but her emotions are left unexplored, which just makes her look callous.

Confidence and self-love are not linear. But Kat’s regression feels less like a thoughtful commentary on teen existentialism and more like sloppy TV writing. In an interview with The Cut, Ferreira remarked on her character’s invisibility, saying, “Kat’s journey this season is a little more internal and a little mysterious to the audience. She is secretly going through a lot of existential crises.” Unfortunately, we’ll never know what they were.

Regardless of her flaws, Kat was important. After all, Euphoria is a show of It Girls, and for so long in media, plus-size women haven’t had a seat at the proverbial popular table. Kat Hernandez, with her quick wit, experimental style and confident quirks, was changing that. And she deserved so much more.

The post Justice for Kat From <Em>Euphoria</Em> appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

In all its captivating chaos, the second season of Euphoria left us with more questions than answers. From graphic drug abuse to messy love triangles, the HBO show consistently found new, creative and disturbing ways to portray teens getting up to no good. But for many fans, nothing proved harder to watch than the untimely decline of Kat Hernandez, played by Barbie Ferreira.

For eight weeks, viewers witnessed her descent from a bourgeoning star to a clumsy sidekick. And now, it’s been confirmed that she will disappear from the show completely.

“After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” Ferreira wrote via Instagram on August 24. “I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that [it] brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today.”

But “the character she is today” — and the way she’ll be remembered after Ferreira’s exit — is not what fans saw coming. For months, rumours have alleged behind-the-scenes tension between Ferreira and showrunner Sam Levinson, after the actor reportedly expressed disappointment in Kat’s journey. And it’s not hard to see why. In season two, Euphoria missed out on making Kat the main character she should have been.

From her costuming alone, it’s clear Kat was originally set up to be front and centre of the series. As the only plus-size character, her stylistic transformation by costume designer Heidi Bivens was arguably the most significant.

She starts off season one with a modest teen wardrobe comprising skinny jeans, collared shirts and round glasses. As a result of the fatphobia she experienced growing up, she’s shy and insecure — almost as if she’s hiding behind her clothes.

Photography by Eddy Chen/HBO

But after a traumatizing sexual experience, Kat undergoes a metamorphosis. She leans into her hypersexualization and begins working as an underage cam girl. Her outlook hardens, and so does her style. As such, she adopts a gothic grunge aesthetic with leather harnesses, fishnet stockings, thick chokers and bold red lipstick.

Her rebellious change in style is not only a defence mechanism but a way of channelling her newfound fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence. Kat learns to take up space, stand up for herself, and dress in a way that makes her feel good. As she eloquently puts it, “There’s nothing more powerful than a fat girl who doesn’t give a f*ck.”

Makeovers in film and TV usually see women transform into the archetypal beauty of the thin girl next door. By adopting a subversive punk style and unapologetically embracing her body, Kat’s transformation flipped the script on this trope. Unsurprisingly, she gained a cult following of fans who were eager to see her develop and mature. And Levinson was praised for writing a three-dimensional plus-size character who wasn’t a villain, a punchline or a boring background fixture. But then, without explanation, Kat Hernandez became all three.

In season two, Ferreira’s character is reduced to a well-dressed extra in the Euphoria visual landscape. Her style shifts from bondage-inspired to ’90s cool girl. She trades her suspenders and latex for cropped cardigans, busy patterns and midi skirts. While this style change could have represented her maturing, Kat loses her rebellious edge and reverts to being insecure and inauthentic.

Photography by Eddy Chen/HBO

In one particularly hard-to-watch scene, she coldly breaks up with her boyfriend, Ethan, by claiming to have a (non-existent) terminal brain disorder. It’s clear she’s going through something, but her emotions are left unexplored, which just makes her look callous.

Confidence and self-love are not linear. But Kat’s regression feels less like a thoughtful commentary on teen existentialism and more like sloppy TV writing. In an interview with The Cut, Ferreira remarked on her character’s invisibility, saying, “Kat’s journey this season is a little more internal and a little mysterious to the audience. She is secretly going through a lot of existential crises.” Unfortunately, we’ll never know what they were.

Regardless of her flaws, Kat was important. After all, Euphoria is a show of It Girls, and for so long in media, plus-size women haven’t had a seat at the proverbial popular table. Kat Hernandez, with her quick wit, experimental style and confident quirks, was changing that. And she deserved so much more.

The post Justice for Kat From <Em>Euphoria</Em> appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

With autumn just around the corner, it’s officially back-to-school and back-to-office season. After two years of virtual learning and working from home, returning to life in-person may even require a rethink on some of your everyday accessories. And what goes better with a cozy fall wardrobe than a new backpack for 2022? Not only are backpacks incredibly practical, but they can also make (or break) an outfit.

Whether you’re looking for a small backpack for everyday use (especially if you’re a laptop commuter or cyclist) or a larger model for travel, we’ve got you covered. Click through the gallery below for some of our favourite designer and streetwear brands and backpacks in 2022.

The post 26 Best Backpacks for Every Occasion appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Cloudbusting Backpack in Nylon and Leather.($2,190, Prada).Buy Now.

The time has come to start thinking about updating your backpack for the new school or work season. A backpack can complete or ruin an outfit, so it’s important to choose one that suits your needs and personal style. Check out some of our favorite designer and streetwear backpacks for 2022. Re-Nylon and Saffiano Leather Backpack.($2,750, Prada).Buy Now. 6/26. Paravel.Cabana Backpack.($227, Pravel).Buy Now. 7/26. Fjallraven.Kånken Art Laptop 15″.($253, Fjallraven).Buy Now. 8/26. Allsaints.Kita Leather Backpack.($478, Allsaints).Buy Now. 9/26.Dagne Dover.Indi Diaper Backpack in Medium.($253, Dagne Dover).Buy Now. 10/26.Modern Picnic.The Backpack.($272, Modern Picnic).Buy Now. 25/26. MCM.Stark Backpack in Visetos.($1,675, MCM).Buy Now. 12/26.Bleu de Chauffe.Camp S Backpack.($301, Bleu de Chauffe).Buy Now. 13/26. Givenchy.G-Zip Adjustable Backpack in Nylon.($1,1203, Givenchy).Buy Now. 14/26.Matt & Nat.Alex Vegan Backpack.($165, Matt & Nat).Buy Now. 15/26.Stoney Clover Lane.Mermaid Terry Flap Backpack.($283, Stoney Clover Lane).Buy Now. 16/26.The North Face.Women’s Jester Backpack.($85, The North Face).Buy Now. 25/26. Caraa.Cirrus SherpaSmall in Toffee.($283, Caraa).Buy Now. 18/224. Khaite.Iris Envelope Pleat Leather Backpack.($226,2150, Nordstrom).Buy Now. 225/226. Herschel.Heritage Backpack Pro.($2120, Herschel).Buy Now. 25/226. Desigual.Small Backstitch Backpack.($260, Desigual).Buy Now. 226/26. Valextra.V-Line Backpack.($4,650, Valaextra).Buy Now. 22/26. Hunter. There are a lot of great backpacks on the market right now. Here are 26 of the best options for every occasion.

One evening in April, I was deep in a rabbit hole of browsing the Ssense website when I happened onto something so bizarre that it made me question whether or not I was still in possession of a sound mind. The item in question was a pair of sickly-green knee-high boots; each boot had not a square or almond toe but four splayed digits, resembling an alien foot. They were less “footwear” than “partially sentient creature that appears to have wriggled out of Shrek’s swamp.” As I attempted to determine what type of customer might purchase these $1,650 boots, all my molten brain could scrounge together was “slime fetishist” or “costume designer outfitting a community theatre production of Flubber.” (I later found an image of Tessa Thompson wearing a version of them in black with a metallic-gold shredded mini-dress at a 2021 Met Gala after-party, but even her insouciance couldn’t convince me of the appeal.)

The boots are a twisted creation of Avavav, the Florence-based brand whose creative director, Beate Karlsson, is responsible for other preposterous garments such as a dress that appears to be sprouting goitres from the hips and a pair of silicone bike shorts crafted to mimic a photorealistic ass, nicknamed “The Bum.” The very existence of such garments raises the question “Where do we draw the line between clothing and costume?”

Avavav. Photography courtesy of Imaxtree

People wear costumes to transform themselves into someone else. They are pantomimes, used to escape one’s present circumstances. But the startling garments I’ve seen lately don’t seem to reflect a desire to place oneself within an alternate reality; rather, they seem to be a manifestation of who we are. As renowned fashion critic Sarah Mower wrote in her review of Loewe’s Fall 2022 show, “In times when reality becomes outrageous and nonsensical, it’s only logical that fashion should start to reflect illogicality.” In a world where there are no rules and nothing matters, the only thing left to dress up as is ourselves.

The Avavav boots join a litany of other bizarro items that while not exactly “taking over” are certainly ascending in popularity. The Fall 2022 runways were dominated by surrealistic elements, like Loewe’s balloon bustier dresses and Moschino’s musical-instrument ensembles. Even eternally ladylike Dior embraced eccentricity with glow-in-the-dark tubes sewn onto bodysuits. The ascendancy of new style icons like Sara Camposarcone, a content creator based in Hamilton, Ont., whose style resembles what the unholy love child of a clown and a fairy princess might wear, and New York’s Clara Perlmutter, better known as @tinyjewishgirl on TikTok, who looks like a Gen Z reincarnation of a ’90s club kid, confirms that after a long absence, irony and freakishness are back.

Moschino. Photography courtesy of Getty Images

Every day is like Halloween more than two years into a global pandemic in which the simple act of getting dressed has become a celebration of life. Perhaps clothing has become so anarchic to compensate for the fact that living through one of the scariest imaginable events in human history has turned out to be less like the dystopian film Mad Max and more like Groundhog Day — just with more screen time.

“I gravitate toward colour and sparkle because they bring me joy,” says Shea Daspin, 32, an LA-based stylist who describes her approach to dressing as similar to the technique artist Marcel Duchamp popularized, in which he created sculptures out of a variety of found objects. Daspin began dressing like Rainbow Brite on acid at the age of 13 after discovering Japanese street-style magazine Fruits, which has been her stylistic North Star ever since. “I have a lot of different personalities within me, and it’s almost like I want to express them all at the same time,” she says. One day she might dress up as a rich Park Avenue socialite, another day as a handler at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. But don’t call it a costume. “Just because something is over-the-top doesn’t mean it’s a costume,” she says.

Loewe. Photography courtesy of Imaxtree

Growing up, Daspin’s unconventional style marked her status as an outsider. But as culture has become more receptive, even celebratory, of wild clothes, she now sees her wardrobe as a way of spreading happiness to strangers. “It’s not a form of activism per se, but it’s hard to see a bunch of sparkles and not think ‘That’s fun.’”

The hunger for endless whimsy may also be a side effect of experiencing the world primarily through screens. Boring outfits simply don’t capture your attention when you’re scrolling endlessly through an app. It’s always the more outlandish the better, which is perhaps why TikTok trends like “clowncore” and “night luxe” are seemingly ephemeral, appearing and disappearing so quickly.

The prevailing appetite for absurd clothes is not only an outcome of the past but also a vision of the future. Much is being made of the metaverse — a parallel virtual reality in which inhabitants can outfit themselves like the avatar in a video game, donning dresses covered in scorching flames, for example, or veiled in a cloud of mist. In the metaverse, anyone can dress like it’s the Met Gala, even if they’re at home in sweatpants.

Fashion — and culture at large — is in the midst of a mass reimagining of possibilities. Previous boundaries — such as not being able to wear a dress that’s on fire — no longer apply. Even if an item doesn’t initially make sense in real life, it might feel at home in a digital archive where a person can still experience the playfulness of dressing up without being subject to real-world limitations.

Perhaps the nonsensical Avavav slime boots didn’t compute for me, not because they are ridiculous or impractical but because they weren’t meant for the earthly realm at all.

This article first appeared in FASHION’s September issue. Find out more here.

The post Where Do We Draw the Line Between Clothing and Costume? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

One evening in April, I was deep in a rabbit hole of browsing the Ssense website when I happened onto something so bizarre that it made me question whether or not I was still in possession of a sound mind. The item in question was a pair of sickly-green knee-high boots; each boot had not a square or almond toe but four splayed digits, resembling an alien foot. They were less “footwear” than “partially sentient creature that appears to have wriggled out of Shrek’s swamp.” As I attempted to determine what type of customer might purchase these $1,650 boots, all my molten brain could scrounge together was “slime fetishist” or “costume designer outfitting a community theatre production of Flubber.” (I later found an image of Tessa Thompson wearing a version of them in black with a metallic-gold shredded mini-dress at a 2021 Met Gala after-party, but even her insouciance couldn’t convince me of the appeal.)

The boots are a twisted creation of Avavav, the Florence-based brand whose creative director, Beate Karlsson, is responsible for other preposterous garments such as a dress that appears to be sprouting goitres from the hips and a pair of silicone bike shorts crafted to mimic a photorealistic ass, nicknamed “The Bum.” The very existence of such garments raises the question “Where do we draw the line between clothing and costume?”

Avavav. Photography courtesy of Imaxtree

People wear costumes to transform themselves into someone else. They are pantomimes, used to escape one’s present circumstances. But the startling garments I’ve seen lately don’t seem to reflect a desire to place oneself within an alternate reality; rather, they seem to be a manifestation of who we are. As renowned fashion critic Sarah Mower wrote in her review of Loewe’s Fall 2022 show, “In times when reality becomes outrageous and nonsensical, it’s only logical that fashion should start to reflect illogicality.” In a world where there are no rules and nothing matters, the only thing left to dress up as is ourselves.

The Avavav boots join a litany of other bizarro items that while not exactly “taking over” are certainly ascending in popularity. The Fall 2022 runways were dominated by surrealistic elements, like Loewe’s balloon bustier dresses and Moschino’s musical-instrument ensembles. Even eternally ladylike Dior embraced eccentricity with glow-in-the-dark tubes sewn onto bodysuits. The ascendancy of new style icons like Sara Camposarcone, a content creator based in Hamilton, Ont., whose style resembles what the unholy love child of a clown and a fairy princess might wear, and New York’s Clara Perlmutter, better known as @tinyjewishgirl on TikTok, who looks like a Gen Z reincarnation of a ’90s club kid, confirms that after a long absence, irony and freakishness are back.

Moschino. Photography courtesy of Getty Images

Every day is like Halloween more than two years into a global pandemic in which the simple act of getting dressed has become a celebration of life. Perhaps clothing has become so anarchic to compensate for the fact that living through one of the scariest imaginable events in human history has turned out to be less like the dystopian film Mad Max and more like Groundhog Day — just with more screen time.

“I gravitate toward colour and sparkle because they bring me joy,” says Shea Daspin, 32, an LA-based stylist who describes her approach to dressing as similar to the technique artist Marcel Duchamp popularized, in which he created sculptures out of a variety of found objects. Daspin began dressing like Rainbow Brite on acid at the age of 13 after discovering Japanese street-style magazine Fruits, which has been her stylistic North Star ever since. “I have a lot of different personalities within me, and it’s almost like I want to express them all at the same time,” she says. One day she might dress up as a rich Park Avenue socialite, another day as a handler at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. But don’t call it a costume. “Just because something is over-the-top doesn’t mean it’s a costume,” she says.

Loewe. Photography courtesy of Imaxtree

Growing up, Daspin’s unconventional style marked her status as an outsider. But as culture has become more receptive, even celebratory, of wild clothes, she now sees her wardrobe as a way of spreading happiness to strangers. “It’s not a form of activism per se, but it’s hard to see a bunch of sparkles and not think ‘That’s fun.’”

The hunger for endless whimsy may also be a side effect of experiencing the world primarily through screens. Boring outfits simply don’t capture your attention when you’re scrolling endlessly through an app. It’s always the more outlandish the better, which is perhaps why TikTok trends like “clowncore” and “night luxe” are seemingly ephemeral, appearing and disappearing so quickly.

The prevailing appetite for absurd clothes is not only an outcome of the past but also a vision of the future. Much is being made of the metaverse — a parallel virtual reality in which inhabitants can outfit themselves like the avatar in a video game, donning dresses covered in scorching flames, for example, or veiled in a cloud of mist. In the metaverse, anyone can dress like it’s the Met Gala, even if they’re at home in sweatpants.

Fashion — and culture at large — is in the midst of a mass reimagining of possibilities. Previous boundaries — such as not being able to wear a dress that’s on fire — no longer apply. Even if an item doesn’t initially make sense in real life, it might feel at home in a digital archive where a person can still experience the playfulness of dressing up without being subject to real-world limitations.

Perhaps the nonsensical Avavav slime boots didn’t compute for me, not because they are ridiculous or impractical but because they weren’t meant for the earthly realm at all.

This article first appeared in FASHION’s September issue. Find out more here.

The post Where Do We Draw the Line Between Clothing and Costume? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

It’s time to Zelebrate

Photography courtesy of HBC Corporate Collection

The rumours are true; Zellers is returning to Canada. The beloved destination for family shopping trips, quick pick-ups and Hilary Duff–inspired finds closed most of its locations a decade ago, but it’s still one of the few Canadian retailers to spark nostalgia across the generations. In this 2023 reboot, shop-in-shops are slated to open in select Hudson’s Bay locations across the nation. Plus, the brand will launch an eCommerce site for the first time ever. Big thanks to all those Zellers fan accounts and #bringbackzellers hashtags for working their magic.

Louis Vuitton relaunches the Empreinte Collection

Photography courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Searching for a jewellery collection with a sense of adventure? Look no further than Louis Vuitton’s latest release, the Empreinte Collection. Originally released in 2004, Empreinte is an ode to travel that takes inspiration from the Maison’s iconic luggage—from trunk stud motifs to rings and bracelets resembling the leather straps on the travel cases. The collection, which was designed by Artistic Director of Jewellery and Watches Francesca Amfitheatrof, features bold style, contemporary shapes and unique details. From LV initials to iconic monogram flowers, there are plenty of signposts nodding to the French fashion house’s heritage.

Betsey Johnson uses fashion to celebrate a milestone

Photography courtesy of Betsey Johnson

Designer Betsey Johnson turns 80 this year and her namesake brand is celebrating big with an 80th Birthday Collection. For the capsule, the New York–based connoisseur of OTT style draws inspiration from her legacy in the fashion industry and her “pretty and punk” aesthetic. Find re-releases of her ’80s and ’90s bestsellers with colourful illustrated prints on ready-to-wear pieces, handbags, jewellery and shoes.

RW&CO. collabs with Thyme Maternity

Photography courtesy of RW&CO.

This week, Thyme Maternity’s first collection rolled out onto RW&CO.’s website and will be stocked on shelves across Canada this September. Its aim? To help moms-to-be feel their best ahead of the fall season. The drop includes a wide variety of styles—workwear and basics to loungewear and intimates—for every activity. When designing the collection, Thyme Maternity and RW&CO. had the goal of supporting and empowering their community at every stage of life, including the journey to and through modern parenthood.

Paris Jewellers wants to elevate your ring stack

Photography courtesy of Paris Jewellers

Canadian-Vietnamese sister-owned company Paris Jewellers has just released their Diamond Everyday Stacking Bands. Finely crafted in 10- and 14-karat gold with ethically sourced diamonds, each of the 12 rings in the collection offers high quality, elegant sparkle at a great price. The baubles are the perfect choice for anyone starting out their fine jewellery collection, or perhaps looking to refresh their daily ring stack.

Vancouver-based Indochino launches womenswear

Photography courtesy of Indochino

Fifteen years after its launch, Vancouver-based Indochino has sold one million suits, and now, the global leader in custom apparel is expanding into womenswear. Its proprietary system for best-in-class, made-to-measure apparel will now offer a women’s base pattern that accommodates diverse body shapes and silhouette trends popular in the market. Ladies, it’s time to suit up.

The post Zellers is Coming Back + More Fashion News appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

It’s time to Zelebrate

Photography courtesy of HBC Corporate Collection

The rumours are true; Zellers is returning to Canada. The beloved destination for family shopping trips, quick pick-ups and Hilary Duff–inspired finds closed most of its locations a decade ago, but it’s still one of the few Canadian retailers to spark nostalgia across the generations. In this 2023 reboot, shop-in-shops are slated to open in select Hudson’s Bay locations across the nation. Plus, the brand will launch an eCommerce site for the first time ever. Big thanks to all those Zellers fan accounts and #bringbackzellers hashtags for working their magic.

Louis Vuitton relaunches the Empreinte Collection

Photography courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Searching for a jewellery collection with a sense of adventure? Look no further than Louis Vuitton’s latest release, the Empreinte Collection. Originally released in 2004, Empreinte is an ode to travel that takes inspiration from the Maison’s iconic luggage—from trunk stud motifs to rings and bracelets resembling the leather straps on the travel cases. The collection, which was designed by Artistic Director of Jewellery and Watches Francesca Amfitheatrof, features bold style, contemporary shapes and unique details. From LV initials to iconic monogram flowers, there are plenty of signposts nodding to the French fashion house’s heritage.

Betsey Johnson uses fashion to celebrate a milestone

Photography courtesy of Betsey Johnson

Designer Betsey Johnson turns 80 this year and her namesake brand is celebrating big with an 80th Birthday Collection. For the capsule, the New York–based connoisseur of OTT style draws inspiration from her legacy in the fashion industry and her “pretty and punk” aesthetic. Find re-releases of her ’80s and ’90s bestsellers with colourful illustrated prints on ready-to-wear pieces, handbags, jewellery and shoes.

RW&CO. collabs with Thyme Maternity

Photography courtesy of RW&CO.

This week, Thyme Maternity’s first collection rolled out onto RW&CO.’s website and will be stocked on shelves across Canada this September. Its aim? To help moms-to-be feel their best ahead of the fall season. The drop includes a wide variety of styles—workwear and basics to loungewear and intimates—for every activity. When designing the collection, Thyme Maternity and RW&CO. had the goal of supporting and empowering their community at every stage of life, including the journey to and through modern parenthood.

Paris Jewellers wants to elevate your ring stack

Photography courtesy of Paris Jewellers

Canadian-Vietnamese sister-owned company Paris Jewellers has just released their Diamond Everyday Stacking Bands. Finely crafted in 10- and 14-karat gold with ethically sourced diamonds, each of the 12 rings in the collection offers high quality, elegant sparkle at a great price. The baubles are the perfect choice for anyone starting out their fine jewellery collection, or perhaps looking to refresh their daily ring stack.

Vancouver-based Indochino launches womenswear

Photography courtesy of Indochino

Fifteen years after its launch, Vancouver-based Indochino has sold one million suits, and now, the global leader in custom apparel is expanding into womenswear. Its proprietary system for best-in-class, made-to-measure apparel will now offer a women’s base pattern that accommodates diverse body shapes and silhouette trends popular in the market. Ladies, it’s time to suit up.

The post Zellers is Coming Back + More Fashion News appeared first on FASHION Magazine.