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Crystals in Quar: Area Shines a Light on Its Muses and Their Message

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In the most reductive sense, Area might seem like a fashion brand about crystals. Yes, its most famous garments glisten with high-wattage shine: See the suit worn by Michelle Obama during her book tour or Indya Moore’s crystal mesh dress at Pride last year for the proof. But just like Area’s famous clientele, the brand’s sparkle is in service of a deeper message. “In the end, the goal is to rethink the future of clothing and of people. How can we get there through design?” Piotrek Panszczyk told Vogue last year. “How can we rethink the entire process?” Today, the team behind Area—Panszczyk, co-creative director Beckett Fogg, and digital manager Kareem Burke—are unveiling a new social media initiative that turns Area’s Instagram into a conversation with the brand’s longtime muses. First up is a series of posts spotlighting Jazzelle—alias @uglyworldwide—in which she discusses her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement. “I have been spending this time in quarantine nurturing
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Activewear is Booming, But Only a Few Labels Are Making it Consciously

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New Yorkers are coming up on month three of remote work. While other parts of the country are slowly reopening for business, we probably won’t go to a dinner party, a concert, or a restaurant until the end of summer (if not later). The fact that most of us live in small apartments only compounds the sense of cabin fever. That’s why this Memorial Day Weekend feels like a particular gift: Not only are we getting an extra day to unwind, take a long walk, and disconnect from our laptops, but the weather looks pretty good, too. Many of us will take the opportunity to get some exercise—perhaps outdoor yoga or a bike ride along the Hudson—and might be inspired to pick up some new workout clothes, too. Activewear and loungewear are among the only apparel categories that saw an increase in demand at the onset of COVID-19, understandably so; we’re working out at home and prioritizing comfort more than ever. It’s great that we’re finding ways to destress and stay healthy, but when you pause
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Out of Clothes? You Can Always Use a Pillow

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There are officially no rules anymore when it comes to posting Insta-worthy outfits. Even amid a global pandemic, creativity abounds, and that’s how I assume the #pillowchallenge got started on Instagram. The social media challenge involves taking one or more large pillows and fashioning them into a minidress via a belt around the middle. Yes, your back is totally exposed, but from the front it looks like the kind of waist-cinching, thigh-skimming confection you might expect to see on the runway. Personally, I think it looks like something Jeremy Scott would show—daring, irreverent, silly, and a little sexy. It is truly absurdist fashion and also the epitome of dressing for the gram. Why? Because it doesn’t matter what you look like from any other angle, so long as you capture that one shot! And the results are delightful. Brittany Xavier, an especially social media savvy influencer (she’s big on TikTok) said, “I didn’t want the pillow to look too sexy like lingerie, but rather mor
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Why Legally Blonde Pink Is the Mood-Boosting Hue to Wear Now

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Can fashion have healing powers? As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, there’s a need for one to find joy and relief in these difficult times wherever we can. And there’s something to be said about whether what we wear can play a part—specifically, if the colors we sport can affect how we feel. Now may just be the time to gravitate towards more mood-boosting shades: pink, especially, is a color associated with love, compassion, and kindness—three things that are crucially needed right now. Pink also happens to be a shade enjoying something of a renaissance. A third Legally Blonde film is currently in the works, meaning those iconic pink outfits from the original 2001 film are about to have a comeback. Who could forget Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, as the fun-loving, pink-obsessed heroine who takes over Harvard Law School? (Along with her chihuahua, Bruiser, in matching ensembles, of course.) Just take the tailored pink knee-length dress she wore to rock the cour
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Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas Win Best-Dressed Couple at the SAG Awards

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Tonight, the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards kicked off in Los Angeles, California with a red carpet filled with Hollywood's biggest names, including the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Cynthia Erivo. Arguably the best-dressed duo of the evening, Sophie Turner and her husband Joe Jonas stood out even in this exceptionally star-studded crowd. The Game of Thrones actor worked with Louis Vuitton for her SAG Awards look this year with designer Nicolas Ghesquière creating a custom strapless floor-length gown in bright satin fuchsia. With its subtle sweetheart neckline, darting at the tips, and a western-inspired belt buckle cinched at the waist, it was an unabashedly glamorous look that felt simultaneously classic and current. The sexy high slit—an ode to Jessica Rabbit, perhaps?—amplified that feeling, as did her simple metallic stiletto sandals. Meanwhile, Jonas played up his wife’s streamlined aesthetic with a traditional tuxedo by Boss that was finished with all the requisite bl
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Why This Holiday Break Is a Perfect Time to Start Foam-Rolling

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In today’s world, restless minds are indication enough of the pervasive high stress levels plaguing our everyday well-being. But not quite as distinct is the precarious amount of tension we’re unknowingly storing—make that hoarding—in our bodies day in and day out. And while hitting the gym or taking a yoga class can do wonders for releasing muscular tension, it can be difficult to make these things habitual due to our increasingly busy schedules. And that’s where self-myofascial release, a form of self-massage by way of foam-rolling, offers a game-changing solution. Described by Maya Jocelyn, founder of Brooklyn-based holistic health and arts center Studio Maya, as a “one-size-fits-all approach to stretching,” the alternative medicine therapy is equal parts accessible, effective, and time-saving. “It’s extremely efficient in that you can use your body weight to create pressure and give yourself a substantial massage, accessing parts of your body that you can’t reach with your han
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Why Were We All Obsessed With Katie Holmes’s Style in 2019?

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It was the cardigan seen around the world. On August 28, with temperatures still hovering in the mid-80s in New York, Katie Holmes hailed a taxicab wearing a cashmere cardigan and bra set from the buzzy Brooklyn label Khaite. The paparazzi captured Holmes as she raised her arm, and her cardigan—fastened by a lone button—effortlessly slouched off her shoulder to show the matching bralette (and, of course, a little bit of skin). The Khaite set appeared as if it was crafted from the most supple, buttery, just-sheared cashmere; the color was that of boiled steel-cut oats. The internet went wild, and the cardigan set ($520 for the soft-cup bralette, $1,540 for the ribbed sweater) promptly sold out. This viral fashion moment happened just a few days after Holmes’s ex, Jamie Foxx, was seen with another woman. Did it mark the start of Holmes’s single-woman comeback? Maybe! Was she just wearing something cool and hip that benefited from a spontaneous flash of skin? Certainly. Enamored wit
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