Saks Fifth Avenue Reopens on Fifth Avenue With a Retail Strategy That Goes Far Beyond Hand Sanitizer

Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue is reopening to customers today in a changed New York and a changed world. On the outside, the store has replaced its boarded-up façade with windows featuring a “Welcome Back, New York” theme. Inside, you will be met by a concierge who will present you with a nonmedical mask if you’ve forgotten yours, a hand sanitizer station, and, says president Marc Metrick, “the best product assortment and the most welcoming staff in all of New York City and all of the U.S.”

Other stores up and down the avenue might be struggling with phase two of New York City’s reopening plan—Valentino, for one, is trying to get out of its lease on the thoroughfare completely—but Saks is assuming a hopeful approach. Precautions are being taken at every turn inside the store, with ultraviolet lights sanitizing escalator railings, elevators reserved for seniors and differently abled guests, and surfaces being sanitized multiple times throughout the day. In addition, a number of virtual services, including video chat shopping, allow shoppers to get the Saks experience from the comfort of their couch.

The question we’re all asking: What does this mean for retail at large? Will people venture out to shop? Is that safe? Or even necessary?

Metrick is “cautiously optimistic” about foot traffic at Saks’s NYC flagship this week. With New Yorkers fleeing the city’s summertime humidity for greener pastures, June, July, and August are typically slow months for physical sales in the Fifth Avenue store (hence, a new same-day shipping service to the Hamptons). Metrick is also encouraged by the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition to e-commerce and online communication and further incentivized marrying digital and physical experiences. The future, he says, “is going to be about how we connect our physical experience with our virtual experience. That’s going to be the real push here because there’s no better customer than the one that shops both online and in store.”

But what about the other issues concerning the fashion industry right now? In the three months since Saks closed its Midtown store, fashion has undergone reckonings on every level. Industry professionals are advocating for shifting the fashion show and delivery cycles to allow products to be sold in season, delaying markdowns to better suit marketing and sales budgets. There is the global Black Lives Matter movement, which has compelled fashion companies to interrogate how their practices have upheld systemic racism. Fashion must redefine its place and its purpose. Here, Saks’s repositioning of product and embrace of new digital technologies offers some ideas for how to move forward.

Saks, Metrick notes, had been trying to realign its seasons since before the pandemic, but the pause made possible by lockdowns and delayed shipments forced the retailer into action. “We’re opening our store [today] in New York, and it’s all seasonally appropriate product for the first time in 96 years,” he says. By delaying the on-sale dates of some spring collection orders—as well as paring back its buy—Saks is doing exactly what signatories of Dries Van Noten’s forum letter and the Rewiring Fashion petition have advocated: selling product in season and pushing back markdown cycles. “It’s really a proof of concept,” he continues. “We have to do it together as an industry, change the product flow, and continue to think about how goods are coming to the store and when they’re available for customers.”

As for addressing the racism baked into the fashion system, Metrick is hesitant to accept the 15% Pledge—an initiative started by Aurora James asking major stores to stock at least 15% of their total product from Black-owned businesses—but says Saks is working to incorporate more Black and POC-owned brands into the store. “What’s on the docket for Saks for sure is fostering, promoting, and building the fashion presence for underrepresented talent in our stores,” he says. “Rather than commit specifically [to the 15% Pledge], we are trying to figure out how we can make sure that this talent has the right level of support, that we’re engaging with it in the right way, and that we are making sure we are seeing new product and we’re bringing it in [to the store].” (It’s worth noting that the 15% Pledge offers exactly this kind of consulting and advice to its partners.)

Metrick also points to new technologies that are streamlining the buying process, allowing for merchants to spend less time catering to existing brand partners and more time discovering and supporting new talent. “We’ve really modernized our buying approach,” he says, citing the store’s partnership with the virtual showroom NuOrder as a game changer for how its buys are made. The subscription service allows for a fully digital and multi-brand approach to buying—no longer do buyers have to keep independent offline documents to track orders. What in the past would have required a series of weeklong showroom appointments with endless follow-ups and data crunching can be sorted through the NuOrder system in a single day. “Because we’re going to be saving a lot of time with our core partners on NuOrder, we can go out and start figuring out how to connect with new and emerging talent, especially with underrepresented talent we have to go after,” Metrick says. Whether this results in a more diverse array of brands within Saks is yet to be seen, but if this idea is taken seriously, it is one small step forward.

The reality is fashion cannot afford to go back to its status quo—not in the brands it supports and the voices it hears, and not in the way it sells and markets products. Whether Saks and other luxury department stores succeed moving forward will depend on how and when they address these issues. For now, it seems Saks Fifth Avenue has a lot of potential to make the positive changes the industry so desperately needs.

The CFDA and BFC Join a Chorus of Industry Voices Calling for a Reset

Last week Dries Van Noten wrote an open letter to the fashion community, signed by peers including Joseph Altuzarra, Mary Katrantzou, and Marco Zanini. It was followed days later by a Business of Fashion initiative with many of the same designer signatories. Both documents cited the need for radical change. The COVID-19 pandemic has crystallized the many challenges facing the industry, from the outmoded runway-show system to the interrelated problems of out-of-sync deliveries and profitability-eroding markdowns. Even as the lockdowns begin to lift, the crisis’s impact is reverberating—see: Neiman Marcus’s bankruptcy, the closure of Jeffrey and Opening Ceremony stores, and the 800-plus designers and companies that have applied for the CFDA and Vogue’s A Common Thread grants.

Today, it’s the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the British Fashion Council’s turn to weigh in. The two organizations have issued a joint message to their respective members. Dubbed “The Fashion Industry’s Reset,” the letter covers similar ground, calling on the community to rethink the ways in which designers and brands do business and present collections. “We are united in our steadfast belief that the fashion system must change, and it must happen at every level,” it begins. What follows is a series of recommendations, starting with slowing down. “For a long time, there have been too many deliveries and too much merchandise generated. With existing inventory stacking up, designers and retailers must also look at the collections cycle and be very strategic about their products and how and when they intend to sell them.” That means “focus[ing] on no more than two main collections a year” and shifting the delivery cadence of merchandise “closer to the season for which it is intended.”

On the subject of fashion shows, the CFDA and BFC emphasize the importance, once the pandemic is over, of showing “during the regular fashion calendar and in one of the global fashion capitals.” Doing so would “avoid the strain on buyers and journalists traveling constantly.” But today’s letter does not go as far as the Business of Fashion proposal, which strongly encourages see-now-buy-now shows “as events primarily designed to engage customers...just before deliveries arrive in stores.” (It’s worth noting that a handful of designers experimented with the see-now-buy-now formula several years ago, but it was abandoned by all but Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.)

Sustainability, which had been fashion’s cri de coeur in the months leading up to the coronavirus crisis, is another bullet point: “Through the creation of less product, with higher levels of creativity and quality, products will be valued, and their shelf life will increase.”

The CFDA and BFC letter is the latest indication that the industry is starting to rally around the idea of change, but there are major players, especially in Europe, that have not yet joined the chorus. Perhaps that doesn’t matter. The last time the fashion-show schedule shifted in any significant and lasting way was when Helmut Lang moved his show from Paris to New York circa fall 1998. A season later, all of New York was showing ahead of Europe, breaking decades of precedent. Now is the time for action, so who is 2020’s Helmut Lang?

Jane Fonda Is Making Tracksuits for COVID-19 Relief

Like many who are in self-isolation right now, actress Jane Fonda is delving into the world of comfortable outfits. Today, she modeled a heather gray tracksuit in the corner of her living room with a fresh lacquer of red lipstick. (She was also petting a puppy.) The set featured a rainbow jersey stripe with “Fonda” printed down the sides. But it's no ordinary sweatsuit. They’re currently for sale and 100 percent of the net proceeds will go to benefit Fire Drill Friday, Fonda’s cause that urges politicians to pay attention to climate change, and One Fair Wage, which advocates for full minimum wage for workers. “Each purchase will help the fight against climate change and provide assistance to our service industry and tipped workers affected by COVID-19,” she wrote in the caption. Fonda had initially shown off the sweats a week ago, but then she referred to them as “my Jane Fonda sweats.” After a flurry of positive comments, including one that read “not to be a capitalist but......do you sell these????”, Fonda decided to make them for sale. The decision to sell the sets comes after Fonda noted in November that her red coat would be the last item of clothing she’d purchase.

This isn’t the first time Fonda has used fashion to make a political statement. She has long been wearing the aforementioned bright red coat to her Fire Drill Friday demonstrations on Capitol Hill, where she’s been arrested multiple times. She’s also Instagrammed herself in red socks with climate activist Greta Thunberg’s face, noting that people should react towards climate change the way they are reacting towards COVID-19. Speaking of the COVID-19 crisis, last month Fonda wore a red Working America bandana around her mouth and wrote: “@CDCgov @kamalaharris @speakerpelosi this is NOT personal protective equipment. Bandanas and scarves provide almost NO effective protection when #COVID19 patients are highly contagious.#ProtectNurses and save lives: strengthen PPE guidelines for frontline health care workers NOW!”

Fonda’s style has always played a part in how she approaches activism whether it is intentional or not. Back in 1970, she was arrested on her way home after an anti-Vietnam War talk in Canada after police had seized a bag of vitamins, claiming they were drugs. (She was taken to jail on drug smuggling charges.) In her mugshot, she famously sported a mullet and a raised fist. In her memoir My Life So Far, she called the ’do “My first hair epiphany.” And like each of her activist looks, her latest fashion moment speaks volumes.

Meet the Fiery Feminist Who Melted Our Hearts During Paris Fashion Week

One of the most hopeful moments during Paris Fashion Week occurred at the Xuly.Bët show on March 2, when the Malian singer and model Inna Modja appeared on designer Lamine Badian Kouyaté’s runway carrying her three-month-old daughter Valentina tightly to her chest.

Modja is no stranger to the catwalk, although her path through the fashion world has been a winding one. Born in Mali, she started writing poetry at 14 and soon after combined her words with music. As a self-described advocate of Africa, Modja sings of the continent’s beauty and its problems, creating modern music that “expresses that [Africa] can also be avant-garde.”

The new mother doesn’t play it safe when it comes to her own personal style: She mixes unexpected elements and tries to stand out. “As an African woman, a feminist, and a musician, I like to take up space. I like to be unapologetic,” she said.

Her latest project is a sustainable fashion cooperative, which will soon open in Bamako, Mali. Called Jiriso (meaning “House of Plants”), its aim is to create artisanal products while providing education and employment to young people. Modja has also recently finished filming The Great Green Wall, a documentary (directed by Fernando Meirelles of City of God and The Constant Gardener fame), in which she travels across Africa, following a line of newly planted trees, meeting different communities and recording music along the way. It is yet another case of Modja creatively combining two things she’s passionate about—music and sustainability—for the greater good.

Here, Modja speaks to Vogue about becoming a mother, the roots of her activism, and her style.

How did you come to open Lamine’s Paris fashion show?
I know Lamine from Mali; he’s really a dear friend. It means the world to me that he is back. I’m not modeling anymore, but I said, “Lamine, it would be truly an honor to walk your show.” He was so happy and he said, “I’d gladly have you, and bring Valentina with you.” For him [this show] was like being reborn in Paris and he said Valentina is a baby and it means the same thing. Lamine’s clothes are so vibrant and so full of life. In French, [the word is] débrouille; it’s how you take things that don’t cost a lot and do something that really looks cool. And Lamine is the master of rethinking clothes, [using] vintage clothes…. In Mali, vintage is really part of the culture. That’s the thing that I love with Lamine, he was sustainable before sustainability was even a thing.

Lamine’s view of “la Parisienne” is different from the stereotype. Is the ideal shifting?
It hasn’t, but it will because Paris is multicultural, Paris is vibrant, Paris is young. It’s not that super-polished blonde with the beret on a bicycle. Paris is revolutionary and there are more what they call enfants terribles than perfect little French girls. Lamine is exciting because he showed a Paris that almost scared some people. People were trying so hard to hide that Paris, but that’s the real Paris, to me. It’s young, it’s colored, it’s sexy, it’s vibrant.

How do you use fashion and beauty as forms of self-expression?
I’ve been an activist since I was 19, and I’ve always used fashion as a way to express myself, to share strong messages. Sometimes you don’t have to say much to be understood; you can make strong statements with fashion. For me, fashion is really complementary with music. Because I’m always on the go with touring or my activism, so I like to be comfortable. When it’s time to spice things up [I turn to different designers]. Since I’ve been doing music, Lamine has been part of my closet. I love Jean Paul Gaultier; his clothes are so fierce. I love also African designers who are really now starting to be noticed by the whole world. [As for beauty], well, my hair is big, as is my mouth, and as an African woman, a feminist, and a musician, I like to take up space. I like to be unapologetic, and so my makeup is vibrant. I love red lips. I love a big eyeliner. I’m from the Fulani tribe and we use a lot of dark makeup on the lips and very dark eyes. I like to mix things up depending on what I’m doing; I like to always feel—how would you say that?—warm and fiery?

Can you tell us about your activism?
I started being an activist for women and girls’ rights when I was 19, because I went through female genital mutilation when I was four years old—behind my parents’ backs. My parents are feminists and they are against [the practice]. So that was the starting point. I wanted to do something because I hated the fact that I went through that and I didn’t want any other girl to go through such a horrible thing. And so I started to be an advocate for women and girls’ rights and to fight against the abuse of women. I started to notice that there are so many different forms of violence against women. I also [saw] the way women are living in Africa, especially in the Sahel, where I come from, climate is a big part of the problem. So 10 years ago I started being an activist for the Sahel and climate change in Africa.

What does being a feminist mean to you?
For me it is really important to have a voice and to have equality: It’s as simple as that. Some women lose their life for that, you know? We’ve been saying these things forever, but now society is starting to listen. With the #MeToo movement, #TimesUp, and so many different movements around the world, people are starting to listen to women. It’s a moment where we have a voice. We have to fight for every single woman around the world. If some women are not free, no one is free, actually. The thing that we all have in common is that there is not one country where there is perfect equality between men and women. I think it’s beautiful that even young girls feel like they have a voice and they use it. That’s brilliant. The next generation, you know, they don’t take shit. They are in the streets for the climate. They are in the streets for rights. That gives me a lot of hope.

How do you feel about being a new mother?
I have more of a sense of responsibility. When I look at my daughter, I want to make sure that we are doing everything for her, [so] she will not have to [experience] the same things as we did.

What is next for you?
I’m going to release The Great Green Wall film and then some music. And I’m actually going to open a sustainable fashion cooperative in Mali. I’m working with my sister [who is a designer] on that. We want to help women and young people to learn a new métier. The idea is to create clothing, but also every year to give a scholarship. The young people in Africa need jobs; the unemployment rate is so high. I believe that we can make change with this and do something exciting, because fashion is also fun.

The Best Fashion Instagrams of the Week: Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid, and More

On Sunday, ahead of the Critics’ Choice Awards, Billy Porter decided to show off his latest look in an unexpected fashion. The actor, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Pose, took a moment before the ceremony to glide down a suburban sidewalk wearing a custom green strapless jumpsuit by Hogan Mclaughlin, a silver chunky choker by Lynn Ban, and platform boots by Coach. In the video, Porter wrote a caption that touched on his career trajectory and the difficulties he’s met along the way, including how his masculinity was always questioned. An important piece of wisdom to take away from the caption? “Your gift will make room for you and you must be patient.” Words we can all live by.

Fast forward to later in the week, and the men’s shows in Paris were in full swing. Unsurprisingly, the owner of Moscow concept store KM20, Olga Karput, was already out on the town. The angelic Muscovite headed to the Off-White fall 2020 show wearing, of course, pieces from the label, including a hole-punched white purse. Whoever said that fashion had to be practical?

Meanwhile, far from the bustlings of fashion week was Normani, who headed to Jamaica to soak up some rays. The entertainer took the opportunity while hanging out in the lush Caribbean scenery to slip into a very fashion-forward look. She sported a groovy turtleneck, cut-off shorts, a blue tiny purse, and matching blue heels. The accessory of choice? A fresh coconut, of course.

Finally, someone who’s certainly not feeling the January blues is Bella Hadid. The model took a selfie in a hotel bathroom wearing a sheer, glittering Burberry mini dress with a keyhole cut-out. She shouted out her friend Riccardo Tisci, creative director of Burberry, writing “24/Tisci” in the caption. Even if your wardrobe isn’t stocked with Burberry pieces straight off the runway, we can all take that upbeat energy into the week ahead.

The 11 Best Fashion Moments From 2019’s Most Stylish Films

Costume is character. An underrated part of the magic of moviemaking is how clothing defines our heroes and villains, contextualizes the setting, pushes the narrative forward, and even fills in the backstory. This year’s pickings were anything but slim, with many of the best fashion films revisiting the style of a bygone era: whether the late ’60s vibes of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the ’70s flamboyance of Elton John in Rocketman, or even the late-aughts ensembles of Hustlers, in which we all vicariously crawled into J.Lo’s fur coat. In 2019 we also gained a new, unexpected fashion icon in Adam Sandler, whose status as style king is only rivaled by Matthew McConaughey in The Beach Bum. Here, the 11 movies this year with the very best fashion moments.

Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie)

It’s schmuck season, baby—and no one is doing it in flashier style than Adam Sandler. Ditching his usual loose basketball shorts for tailored slacks adorned with Ferragamo belts, Sandler quickly became a style god when set photos of the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems hit the internet. As a Diamond District jeweler with a penchant for gambling, Sandler’s Howie is all about polo shirts and leather jackets accessorized with buckles and pinky rings. His eyewear combines two painfully uncool things (rimless and transition) in a way that actually kind of works. Howie’s most memorable look, though, is the punch-drunk pink dress shirt he wears to the club: flamboyant and romantic, but surprisingly machismo—especially when it gets untucked after a brawl with The Weeknd.

Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas)

Director Melina Matsoukas was best known for helming music videos for Beyoncé and Rihanna (no big deal) before dropping her first feature film this year. Given her previous work with these fashion icons, it’s no wonder she carved out time for a makeover montage in her lovers-on-the-run drama, then, though in a way we’ve never seen before. With cops hot on their tails, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) hop out of bed in the middle of the night, raid the closets of Queen’s uncle and his girlfriend closets, and transform into—surprise!—music video-ready looks, with Slim in a velvet tracksuit and Queen in a zebra-print slip and snakeskin boots. (How she manages to pull off mixing animal prints during a distressing situation is a particular point of envy.) A few more hat-tips go out to Queen’s pre-makeover outfit of chic white turtleneck and pants with a suede coat, and Queen’s uncle’s Gucci tracksuit.

Hustlers (Lorene Scafaria)

We’re swiftly approaching the 20th anniversary of the 2000s, which means aughts nostalgia will soon be in full swing. The true story-based Hustlers, about a band of grifting strippers, viscerally brought back memories of 2007, when we were collectively suffering from a financial and fashion crisis. Aside from the stripper staples—big hoop earrings and platform heels—the movie reminded us, for better or worse, of cropped denim jackets, velour tracksuits, fringed purses, and those thin elastic headbands hipsters wore across their foreheads (guilty). All those sartorial mistakes are forgiven because of J.Lo’s fur coat, which perfectly signifies her mama bear status from her first moments on screen. “Come on, climb in my fur,” she tells the newcomer Destiny (Constance Wu), in what has to be the most coveted invite of the year. But an even better fashion moment happened off-screen, right after Hustlers’ release: J.Lo closed Versace’s spring 2020 show with a reinvented reprisal of the iconic Grammys green dress, two decades later.

Ash Is Purest White (Jia Zhangke)

In this 16-year-spanning Chinese epic from Jia Zhangke, the director’s longtime collaborator (and real-life partner) Zhao Tao plays Qiao, a woman scorned by her gangster boyfriend. After saving his life, then taking the fall for him and spending five years in prison for it, she cons her way back to the boyfriend, who doesn’t want to be found, in this doomed, confrontational love story. But before the fantasy-shattering reality sets in, we get a glimpse of their whirlwind romance in the early days of the 21st century. It’s in both a euphoric club scene (where “YMCA” drops twice), and the film’s pivotal moment, that Qiao wears one of the most unforgettable costumes of the year: a black cocktail dress adorned with a large butterfly, and a sheer pink bedazzled blouse on top.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)

This past summer marked the 50th anniversary of the summer of 1969, the eventful season that brought about the moon landing, Woodstock, Stonewall, and the Manson murders. Tarantino’s newest feature is, as its title suggests, an ode to Hollywood that includes a revisionist take on the last item on that list. The film features the Manson family in hippie-dippie California garments, while Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate as a beaming girl next door: bright smile, bouncy hair, and, of course, plenty of go-go boots. Robbie doesn’t have very many lines (a big point of contention during the Tarantino discourse this past summer), but she embodies California sunshine in a way that infiltrates the seedier crevices of this film. But judging from this year’s Halloween costumes, the most iconic sartorial number did not come from Sharon Tate but from Brad Pitt’s stuntman character: namely, the casual Champion shirt he wears under an open Hawaiian one. Arguably, the actual best fashion moment, however, is when Brad takes off both those shirts while fixing an antenna on the roof. He really didn’t have to do that, but he did...and we are eternally grateful.

Midsommar (Ari Aster)

My favorite part about Midsommar is that Florence Pugh becomes progressively more fashionable as the movie becomes more horrifying. American college student Dani (Pugh), shaken from her sister’s suicide, follows her shitty boyfriend to Sweden, unaware that her time there would be anything but relaxing. Though, to be fair, Dani doesn’t seem prepared for much; in her grief, she barely packs for a European getaway and initially wears a rotation of worn-out T-shirts and sweats in 50 shades of grey. (Booooring.) She eventually gets roped into the pagan rituals of the Swedes during their Midsommar festivities—bad news for her generally, but good news for her wardrobe. Dani starts leaning into the prairie-core trend of last year, culminating into that massive floral May Queen number that rivals even Balenciaga’s dramatic parachute gown from spring 2020.

Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher)

It’s more a credit to real-life Elton John’s sense of style than anyone involved in the film, but the singer’s show-stopping outfits brought this musical biopic to life. Some are tonally awkward—like the horned devil costume he sports when stomping into an AA meeting in the opening scene—but Elton certainly didn’t give a damn about dressing appropriately. There are few movies this year where the costumes are so superior to its other elements; it’s through them that we can fully understand what a natural-born, spotlight-stealing performer the singer born Reginald Dwight really is. Taron Egerton plays the rocket man and gets to don every iconic rhinestone and sequin-encrusted piece from Elton’s heyday, including the infamous Dodgers uniform, and the star-spangled garb he wore at a seminal performance at the Troubadour.

The Beach Bum (Harmony Korine)

What a great year for Hawaiian shirts. Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum may rival Uncut Gems as the defining fashion film of the year; forgoing Diamond District “schmuck style” for something a bit more nomadic and hypebeast-y, the stoner poet Moondog (Matthew McConaughey) romps around the Florida Keys in tie-dyed, flame-printed, tropical motifs of all kinds, usually with a fanny pack strapped over his waist. Like Uncut Gems, The Beach Bum’s fashion was hyped by set photos of McConaughey in the most spectacularly wacky outfits (lest we forget Zac Efron with his panini-inspired facial hair). Moondog makes a case for beach Uggs, as well as the bong as an accessory on par with a purse. But his most carefree, ethereal ensemble is the pink marabou feather robe. There are many robes like it out there to emulate his, but McConaughey’s feathery, beachy hair and the brilliantly baked mind underneath it are inimitable.

The Hustle (Chris Addison)

Not to be confused with Hustlers, this far inferior film is a flopped remake of the 1988 buddy comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine. In the gender-flipped modern version, Anne Hathaway plays a glamorous British con artist named Josephine whose swindling streak is thrown off when she meets a brash Australian woman named Penny (Rebel Wilson), whose game is the same, but whose style is...a bit off-kilter. It’s ripe with bad jokes, but it’s not a complete eyesore thanks to the turned-out, elegant looks Josephine sports to carry out her hustles: high-slit black gowns and form-fitting white bondage dresses, and one white-suit-and-floppy-hat combo that screams leisurely con wealth. The cherry on top that becomes a repeat accessory? Her Marni sunglasses.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Bi Gan)

Good luck deciphering this mesmerizing, mysterious sophomore feature from the Chinese director Bi Gan, who takes the English title from Eugene O’Neill’s play, but not much else. This is film noir by way of Wong Kar-Wai, but with a ghostly search for a lover. It’s an atmosphere film steeped in memory—moody, smoky—that takes an even sharper turn into dream world in the second half, with an hour-long, single-take, 3-D segment. The elusive figure that appears in and out of the frame, perpetually haunting our lonely protagonist, is his former lover, always in a green dress, often asking for a light. This green dress flows and shimmers, emulating ripples in a pond, and becomes even more illuminating by cigarette light.

Glass (M. Night Shyamalan)

The biggest, most Shyamalan-esque plot twist of the year is the fact that a Shyamalan film is gracing a best fashion films list. It’s frankly unexpected, but I couldn’t not notice it either. The third in the horror director’s Unbreakable series, following 2017’s Split, brings together three superheroes/villains—Bruce Willis’s David Dunn, James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb, and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass—in a mental institute. They are examined by a psychiatrist, Dr. Ellie Staple, who is convinced they all share delusions of grandeur instead of possessing actual supernatural abilities. Sarah Paulson plays Dr. Staple, who has no reason to dress so well but shows up in the most Grown-Ass Woman outfits anyway: cashmere sweaters, A-line skirts, and heels.

Ileana Makri’s Appointment at Reinstein Ross Brings Together Two of Jewelry’s Most Beloved Names

Jewelry designer Ileana Makri is joining Reinstein Ross as Creative Director, a new role at the fine jewelry brand.

Makri would seem an inspired choice for Reinstein Ross, whose work tends to be substantial and chunky. She thinks like a sculptor, and her pieces have a satisfying three-dimensionality that jibes with her new employer’s aesthetic. Just as important: Makri has a long list of bestsellers. Her colorful evil eye pendants and snake rings are grails for jewelry lovers, identifiably hers and more valuable for being so. The pieces she designed for The Row circa 2012 (Ashley Olsen is a Makri collector) instantly sold out.

In their ’90s heyday, designer Susan Reinstein and gem expert Brian Ross had hits of their own; they made pieces with a solidity and heft that matched the minimal clothes of the time, and their tiny shop on Prince Street was a popular destination. “It was the sort of jewelry to wear with a Jil Sander suit,” a Vogue editor who shopped the label recalls. “It said you were unfussy and interesting and had good taste.” Best of all it was artisanally and locally made. The house founders are no longer affiliated with the company.

Makri’s hire comes at a propitious time. For years, dainty, delicate jewelry has been trending; now, the pendulum seems to be swinging back towards bold, statement-making pieces of the sort that both Reinstein Ross and Makri specialize in. On the runways it’s a moment for “investment clothes”—and investment clothes call for investment jewels, even better if they’re handmade. Makri’s new pieces for Reinstein Ross, arriving in the brand’s two Manhattan stores and and its website in February 2020, certainly fit the description. “Everything comes from old traditions at Reinstein Ross… Indian, Etruscan, some Roman,” Makri explains, “so I thought of going into ancient Greek jewelry.” It’s a subject that she knows intimately; Greek born, she makes her home in Athens, and she takes much inspiration from historical jewels.

That said, Makri will be spending a fair bit more time stateside with the new appointment and maintaining the distinctions between her own collection and Reinstein Ross’s will be paramount. “Reinstein Ross is a brand that I feel has authenticity, heritage, and vision; this is something that motivates me.”

Jennifer Aniston Is Making Sleazy Sunglasses Chic

Sunglasses are an easy way to infuse an outfit with a little fun factor—just take last year’s super-tiny frames, inspired by The Matrix—and the right shades can transform a basic look into a lewk. The biggest eyewear trend this fall? It’s all about sleazy-chic styles: the kind of sunglasses you’d see on a Miami nightclub bro, or a raunchy star like Post Malone or J Balvin. Think the bigger the better, and with tinted lenses in bright, gauche colors. Stars such as Jennifer Lopez have already gotten on board with the 70s-inspired aesthetic—and now Jennifer Aniston is testing it out, too.

This morning, the actress arrived at Good Morning America in New York City, along with co-star Reese Witherspoon, to promote her new series, The Morning Show. Her look was simple enough: she wore a formfitting knit dress in white with a pleated skirt, underneath a long, tailored black coat. But it was Aniston's choice of sunglasses that took the outfit to the next level: She opted for a pair of oversized aviators with pink lenses. The shades were something her iconic Friends character Rachel Green might wear—if Rachel worked at Vetements, not Ralph Lauren. Her sky-high stilettos by Christian Louboutin, meanwhile, offset her kitschy accessory with much-needed polish—because this is an A-lister, after all.

Why Fiona Apple Is the Style Icon We Need Right Now

If there’s one trait that defines a Fiona Apple fan, it’s patience. A notorious perfectionist, the singer is happy to spend the better part of a decade fine-tuning an album; thankfully, the result is always worth the wait. Operating outside of the industry cycle, every one of her records offers a window into the world of a musician who keeps her personal life fiercely protected, only to return seemingly out of nowhere with music so bracingly candid that it more than fills in the gaps.

So, quite what she’s been up to since the release of her most recent record, 2012’s The Idler Wheel…has remained a mystery. That is, until she was thrust back into the pop-cultural consciousness this month, thanks to a Jennifer Lopez striptease sequence in the star’s latest (and heavily Oscar-tipped) film, Hustlers. J.Lo’s mesmerizing opening performance sees her spinning around a pole in a downtown Manhattan strip club, as sleazy Wall Street types chuck money at her—the most gloriously campy introduction to a character since Liza Minnelli stepped onstage wearing a bowler hat in Cabaret, or Gina Gershon performed her first dance in Showgirls.

And, in an inspired choice, soundtracking it all was Apple’s 1997 hit “Criminal,” released when the singer was 20. Like all of the music in Hustlers, it perfectly reflects the film’s faithfulness to its ‘00s zeitgeist—but the inclusion of “Criminal” in 2019 feels particularly apt, as Apple’s laid-back, irreverent style undergoes something of a renaissance among a new generation of female musicians. In predictably unpredictable form, Apple cold-emailed a journalist earlier this week who had tweeted about a controversial video that overlooked her donations of the royalties from Hustlers to a charity supporting refugees; the conversation ended up taking the form of an accidentally sprawling interview—her first in seven years—with plenty of Apple’s forthright sense of humor, and the news that a record is likely to arrive next year.

Thankfully, the time is ripe for a Fiona Apple style revival. The singer’s signatures aren’t defined by any specific item of clothing, but a don’t-give-a-fuck attitude that feels totally of the moment—an outlook best summarized by her divisive speech when accepting the award for Best New Artist in a Video at the 1997 VMAs for her single “Sleep to Dream,” where she memorably described the assembled members of the music industry’s world as “bullshit.” Her favored look at the time was a grunge-inspired ensemble of a cropped tank top and a pair of baggy trousers, or occasionally a silk slip dress, her hair left to curl up at the ends with pointedly minimal effort.

It’s an iconoclastic, easy-going spirit that has been adopted by many of Apple’s young acolytes working in the world of pop today: Just take Billie Eilish’s super-comfy tour wardrobe of tracksuits and oversize separates, or Charli XCX’s easy, breezy, ‘90s-inspired spaghetti-strap boob-tubes and miniskirts. Even King Princess, who can now boast Apple as a friend after locking her down for a collaborative cover of the 1999 track “I Know,” has channeled the singer’s chic androgyny with her casual take on menswear staples. There might have been precedents, but Apple’s insistence on putting her music ahead of crafting a fashion-adjacent image made her an accidental pioneer, and a new crop of pop musicians now understand clothing as one of many tools within their stable, rather than something that defines them.

But then—in keeping with her sprawling sartorial tastes—it isn’t any specific garment, or any particular look that makes Fiona Apple’s very casual style feel perfectly right for now. It’s the fact that clothes have always been a key device when telling her story, even if they were never the opening gambit; and with the low-key role they’ve played in her career, her humble take on fashion has been criminally (pun intended) overlooked. Apple’s return to music next year can’t come quickly enough—but while we’re at it, maybe it’s time to reassess the ongoing influence of her off-kilter style, too.

On the VMAs Stage, Missy Elliott Proved She's Still the Queen

The Video Music Awards were filled with exciting moments, but no one brought the house down quite like Missy Elliott. The recipient of this year’s Video Vanguard award celebrated the honor by revisiting two decades of groundbreaking visuals. Her spirited medley of hits like “The Rain,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Get Ur Freak On” showcased her skills as a performer and the legacy of arresting imagery she and her collaborators have created. Few could pull off LED -laced jumpsuits, or double-dutch braids but Elliott did so with swagger and aplomb. If last week’s drop of her “Iconography” EP and the opening of the Museum of Missy popup in SoHo were the lead-up, tonight's set provided the cherry on top.

The special effects and cameos from collaborators like dancer Alyson Stoner and were memorable, and the singer's dazzling statement fashion took her performance to another level. Created by Elliott’s longtime stylist and costume designer, June Ambrose, tonight’s multiple outfit changes have been in the works for nearly a month. “From the moment MTV announced we’ve been plotting,” Ambrose said backstage at the Prudential Center in Newark. “It’s a high-impact, high energy show, it’s fast and has a lot of bodies on the stage. Missy wanted it to feel rich and full of life.”

Ambrose has been with Elliott since the days of Supa Dupa Fly and has had a hand in many of her most inventive looks. The billowing inflatable trash bag “dress” from “The Rain” video, the ice blue tracksuits of “Work It” and “Throw It Back”’s wealth of pastel tailoring are all a result of Ambrose and Elliott's years of collaboration. "The music is the DNA for me as a costume designer," Ambrose says. "I'm here to develop the character, articulate it, and evolve it."

Given the night’s retrospective theme, both felt that revisiting some of those much-loved looks was appropriate. “Missy didn’t want there to be too much of a departure [from the original videos] especially with the graphics,” says Ambrose, who strove to make the costumes merge seamlessly with the special effects. “She wanted to immerse the audience in the nostalgia and stay true to where we were initially as a reminder.”

The virtual reality–inspired experience, complete with a hologram of Elliott floating over the crowd and mirrored sets, called for amped-up versions of familiar favorites and a glitz take on the MTV “Moon Man.” “It’s like one of the moments from the 'Throw It Back' video, but I went for a different approach,” says Ambrose. “She’s landed on earth, so she’s in more of a hip-hop version of a spacesuit with an oversize parka and this beautiful crystal fabric and off-white sneakers so it’s low-key—or low-key for Missy.”

Ambrose dug into the archives but also modernized each look. “The Rain’s” sci-fi aliens received an update via backup dancers in glossy slickers and umbrella hats, while “Get Ur Freak On’s” miners were costumed in hand-weathered uniforms and spiked helmets for what Ambrose calls a “steampunk meets hip-hop vibe.” Even the scarecrows of “Pass That Dutch” received a sparkling treatment that popped against the darkened stage. “They’re a little bit blinged-out this time, a little flashy,” Ambrose says. “It was all about the drip, and for 'Lose Control” we took things further with custom-designed leather hoodies. In the video they were wearing blue hoodies and Dickies, but [now] everything is a little more luxurious.”

Since many of Elliott’s videos have become reference points for Gen-Z’s musicians, the imagery holds a special place in pop culture. While Ambrose is conscious of the esteem in which Elliott’s oeuvre is held, she wasn’t worried about trying to outdo her now iconic designs. “I’m very particular about references; sometimes you can use a reference so much that it starts to hinder you creatively,” she says. “You almost have to take the influence, walk away from it, and then reimagine it with your soul instead of the soul of the reference.”

Changes in technology impacted the looks too. “When I was working with LED lights 20 years ago, they were huge stick strips and nearly impossible to sew in,” says Ambrose who inlaid the spacesuit with flickering lights. “Now they’ve become so fine and can be used in so many different ways.” Those little details enhanced the immersive nature of the set. “It’s produced like a Vegas or Broadway performance,” Ambrose continues. “I wanted things with texture, to make you feel like you’re part of that music video experience.”

Tonight's looks—and those hanging at the Museum of Missy in SoHo—cement Elliott's icon status at the forefront of Afrofuturism, body positivity, and electronic production. “Seeing the work be celebrated this way is a dream come true," Ambrose says. “The reason why I have to didn’t stray too far from the originals is because when we were making those videos 20 years ago, we already were in 2020. The work was ahead of its time, and when you look at it now it’s going to feel just as forward and rich as it did then.”

Inside Riverdale Star Camila Mendes’s Ultra-Chic Comic-Con

Sure, you can attend Comic-Con International dressed as your favorite superhero, but Riverdale star Camila Mendes chose to spend her time in San Diego wearing stunning looks direct from the runways. On-screen as Veronica Lodge on the hit TV show, Mendes embodies the sophistication of a former Park Avenue princess, but her off-duty wardrobe is all about offbeat chic. On hand for a panel dedicated to the series’s upcoming fourth season, Mendes and her stylist Chris Horan pulled out statement pieces like Off-White T-shirts, metallic Sandro miniskirts, and ruffled silk tops from Markarian for a vibe Mendes describes as “effortless and cool.” Though she tends to avoid outfits that echo the style of her famous character, Mendes couldn’t resist going “vintage Veronica” in an Olivier Theyskens corset and plaid culottes by Silvia Tcherassi on the convention’s final night.

Of course, it wasn’t all outfit changes and photo-ops. The convention offered Mendes the time to chill with castmates Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch—they enjoyed a girls night watching Friends—and connect with some of Riverdale’s most passionate viewers. “My favorite part of Comic-Con is the signing booth,” says Mendes. “We get to interact with fans and hear them talk about how much the show means to them.”

Kim Kardashian West Gets Real About Her Body-Sculpting Workout

"We’re back in the gym heavy!" wrote Kim Kardashian West alongside a picture of herself and her personal trainer Melissa Alcantara on Instagram today. Pausing their sweat session for a snap, the beauty mogul posted up against a piece of fitness equipment, leaning into a derriere-showcasing pose. The secret behind Kardashian West's sculpted backside? That would be weight training, as evidenced by her protective wrist straps.

"I would say every 6 months I take two weeks off from lifting," she continued in the caption. "Sometimes you just need a break to recharge and chill, but then I miss it so much and [it feels] so good to be back at it." Since enlisting Alcantara's help back in 2017, Kardashian West has been open about how incorporating weights has helped tone her muscles and define her famous frame. And while the Alcantara-curated routine is all-encompassing, including squats, deadlifts, and lunges, there's one weight-assisted move that stands above the rest for those who want to whip their booty into shape. "For anyone looking to get a serious butt workout in, it takes more than just one move," says Alcantara. "But if I had to choose, it would be weighted hip thrusts, which seriously work glutes and hamstring muscles."

And don't be fooled by how pristine Kardashian West's hair looks—her new sleek chop styled with a clean center and swooping ends—the posterior chain-targeting move is not for the faint of heart. But her curvaceous physique is proof enough: picking up the weights is well worth the burn.

Sarah Jessica Parker Is Serving Modern Carrie Bradshaw

The 21st anniversary of Sex and the City’s premiere may be right around the corner, but time hasn’t diminished the appeal of Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic character, Carrie Bradshaw. She of the pink tutu and fearless outfits remains influential, even with the actress who portrayed her. In London last night to see a press night performance by husband Matthew Broderick during his West End debut in Kenneth Lonergan’s The Starry Messenger, Parker chose a look straight out of the Bradshaw playbook. Dressed in a black J. Mendel cocktail dress with a built in cape, she displayed her flair for drama and willingness to move beyond the basic eveningwear.

Reflective black lurex and a plunging neckline are tame compared to Carrie’s lace leggings and pastel furs. Still, real life isn’t an HBO dramedy. With her bold coral heels, playful bracelets by Saskia Diez, turquoise gems, and outré little black dress, Parker was modern and impossibly chic. No need to queue up old episodes of SATC, all the fashion inspiration you need is right here.