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Reuters There Was No One Like Karl Lagerfeld
Chanel’s creative director, who died at 85, winkingly played into the stereotypes of a great couturier. But he also refused to be pigeonholed.
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Yuri Gripas / Reuters How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Plain Black Jacket Became a Controversy
The backlash against the incoming congresswoman’s “very nice” outfit is both tedious and predictable.
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Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty / Arsh Raziuddin / ... How Kelly Rowland Fell in Love With Color
The singer turned style icon talks natural beauty, bold fashion, and learning to embrace her hue in a world that doesn’t affirm brown-skinned girls.
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Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty The Risky Business of Branding Black Pain
The commodification of civil-rights activism may appear revolutionary, but it can undermine the basic tenets of social movements. Colin Kaepernick's Nike campaign illustrates this conundrum perfectly.
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Courtesy of John Lucas The Pursuit of Blondness
Modern hair-coloring technology has allowed people to dye their hair virtually any shade. So why is one hue in particular so popular?
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Matt Sayles / AP Beyoncé’s Vogue Takeover Is a Show of Power
The pop star’s reported shaping of the September cover hints at the shifting relationship between the media and their subjects—and between creators of color and traditional gatekeepers.
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Wikimedia Commons What High Heels Can Teach About Gendered ‘Truths’
A reminder that the quintessential piece of women’s footwear—a symbol of delicacy, of danger, of beauty—used to be worn by men
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AP The Glorious, Bizarre History of Soccer and Fashion
Simon Doonan’s new book, Soccer Style, summarizes the long and complicated relationship between athletes and outlandish style.
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Eric Thayer / Reuters / Jon Flobrant / ... Kate Spade’s Unforgettable Designs
A pioneer who followed her own path rather than chasing fads, Spade infused her work with a singular blend of optimism and nostalgia.
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Ben Gabbe / Getty What Kate Spade Meant for Women
The designer, who died at 55, built up a female-led lifestyle brand that held an accessible appeal across generations.
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Kirn Vintage Stock / Corbis / Getty Images The Curious History of Mommy-and-Me Fashion
This matching-outfit trend has cycled in and out of popularity for more than a century, reflecting changing views about motherhood and femininity.
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Marvel Why Fashion Is Key to Understanding the World of Black Panther
The Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth Carter on how she created the style of the film’s fictional African nation of Wakanda
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Monique Jaques / Anita Sepehry / Benita Amalina How Muslim Women Use Fashion To Exert Political Influence
The rebellious potential of an apparently conservative style
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Conde Nast Can a New Vogue Editor Make Britain Great Again?
Edward Enninful, freshly installed at the U.K. magazine, has a dynamic and inspiring vision of an embattled nation.
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Greg Smith / AP Down the Rabbit Hole: The Surprising Tale of the Bunny Suit
Like Hugh Hefner himself, Playboy’s iconic costume was a blend of provocative and old-fashioned.
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Katie Posner Confessions of a Costume Curator
As a fashion historian, my job is to learn from other people’s clothes—a task that is challenging, messy, and often spooky.
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Freeform The Bold Type and the Enduring Appeal of the Women's Magazine
The Freeform show celebrates “stealth feminism.” So does the publication it portrays.
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Comme des Garçons / Paolo Roversi / The ... The Alienating Garments of Rei Kawakubo
The Japanese designer’s pointedly eccentric clothing, the subject of an exhibition at the Met, makes a surprisingly tender statement about women’s bodies.
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Carlo Allegri / Reuters End Times at the Met Ball
Much of the country thinks coastal elites are rich, tasteless, and out of touch—and the red carpet seemed to bear that out.
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Ron Wood / American Federation of Arts / ... Sneakers Have Always Been Political Shoes
Since its invention in the 19th century, the footwear has been about much more than athletics—conveying ideas about national identity, class, race, and other forms of social meaning.
