October 18, 2018 at 11:06AM I stopped wearing pants when I was 14, and ever since, cold weather dressing has been a special conundrum since it involves figuring out myriad ways to keep my legs warm under dresses and skirts. On a practical level, it requires learning how to layer without bulking myself up to look like the Michelin man. Style-wise, it’s pretty difficult to not feel like I’m in a rut or look like I’m repeating the same outfit over and over again (even if DVF says it okay) because all anyone can see are my black tights and winter coat. Recently a slew of well-dressed strangers on New York City sidewalks showed me the solution—patterned tights. As the temps have finally dipped, I’ve started to notice that every outfit that stops me in my tracks involves a pair of bold, patterned, and textured tights. And TBH, I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this sooner—a pair of bold tights might actually solve 80 percent of my winter wardrobe issues. That’s because they do three things: 1. Add an interesting element to an otherwise everyday coat. 2. Make you look put together with minimal effort. 3. Keep your legs warm, duh! So last week when I walked by an Urban Outfitters mannequin wearing plaid blue tights, I bit the fashion bullet and bought a pair. Once I got over my fear of bold prints and finally convinced myself that I could pull them off, I wore them with a plain black outfit (the
Category: Fashion
I snoozed on a collagen-embedded pillowcase because…beauty sleep
October 18, 2018 at 07:31AM I’ve been sleeping on a collagen-infused pillowcase for the past week. No, this isn’t some bizarro rendition of Sleeping Beauty—these pillowcases do exist and they’re here to literally make sure you’re getting, well…beauty sleep. The brain child of the brand Buki, collagen-embedded clothing and pillowcases are meant all meant to infuse collagen peptides into your body “making it feel softer and plumper in less than a minute,” the company says. Pillow cases aren’t alone: They similarly can do this via turtlenecks, shirts, a hoodie, scarves, and a pillow cover, which contain marine-sourced collagen powder that lives within a fiber that’s one component of the collagen fabric. Your brain may be going a mile a minute with questions—and I don’t blame you, but if you’ll remember back a few years, the collagen-pillowcase isn’t alone. Lotion jeans were a thing for a while, promising to help hydrate skin with built-in moisturizer and so were silver-inlaid towels, which aimed to help deal with acne-provoking bacteria. Needless to say, as soon as I received an email about the skin-boosting fabric, I was interested…if a bit skeptical. First of all, collagen is notoriously complicated when it comes to penetrating your skin. Some derms say your complexion can’t absorb it topically since the molecules are too large, so to reap the benefits of the skin-boosting protein via fabric seems to be a reach. “The collagen peptides in the pillow cover can soften and hydrate your skin while you sleep,” says Joey Rodolfo, Buki’s co-founder. “[They’re]
The new Karl Lagerfeld x Puma collab is the closest thing to Chanel streetwear right now
October 18, 2018 at 03:07AM Need more evidence of streetwear’s increasing influence on high fashion? Look no further than the Karl x Puma collection, which drops online today and in stores tomorrow. The 13-piece capsule is the closest thing you’ll get to Chanel streetwear this season as the French fashion house’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld designed it. (He even superimposed his face into its label so you won’t forget.) Really, it’s a subtle touch for a designer known for his OTT aesthetic at both Chanel and Fendi. By contrast, for his first partnership with Puma, Lagerfeld kept things relatively basic. He reimagined streetwear staples, including a sweatshirt, track pants, and tee—plus three unisex accessories: a backpack, ballcap, and sneakers. (The collab is in part to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Puma’s Suede Classic.) Photo: Puma The entire line is produced in black and white—Lagerfeld’s signature color palette. And it plays into the ’90s logo fever on the rise right now. Here, it’s taken the form of label taping along the sleeves and legs of tops and bottom, plus fonts splashed across the front of shirts that are big enough to see from space (or at least across the street). Speaking of logos, at first glance it appears for theirs Lagerfeld and Puma took style cues from Virgil Abloah and the wildly successful collaboration between his label Off-White and Nike. They opted to lock theirs in a similar fashion. (We see you.) What is unique to the collection, though, are less
How fashion solves its size inclusivity problem
October 17, 2018 at 10:10AM Last week the fashion industry took two major steps toward size inclusivity. Stuart Weitzman announced extended sizing for its immensely popular boots. And Universal Standard increased its range to become the first clothing line to carry women’s sizes 00–40 in the world. Both developments were newsworthy, sure. But the truth is, size-inclusive moments like these make news because they don’t happen that often. Most designers still top out at a size 12 or 14 (while the average American woman is a size 16–18). So why aren’t more fashion brands making clothes that fit consumers? I mean, from an equality standpoint, the idea of size inclusivity—the practice of representing a wide variety of body shapes and sizes—sounds obvious. But extending sizes isn’t just about doing the right thing. It also makes economic sense—at least from the outside looking in on the issue. Why limit your potential profits to 33 percent of the population and ignore the buying potential of the other 67 percent? In reality, though, it’s a lot more complex. The current state of size inclusivity in fashion To see what inclusivity could look like, look to Chromat, a clothing collection designed by Becca McCharen-Tran. Its fashion-week shows are among the world’s most diverse—with people of different sizes, ethnicities, body shapes, and abilities—and its sizing goes from XS to 3X, with 4X coming next month. “Size inclusivity means celebrating bodies of all different shapes and sizes both in our runway and campaigns and producing a
Combat ultra-tight legs with this yoga flow for runners
October 17, 2018 at 06:27AM For so many people, running is movement gold. It’s a way to clear the mind, amp up the endorphins, and cross off a sweat sesh all in one go; yet, as weekly mileage creeps upwards, and muscles get tighter, however, incorporating a stretch day or two into your routine is just the ticket. Or in other words, yoga for runners is good way to balance out that trendy treadmill class to be able to run farther, go faster, and all around kick more booty. As someone who runs about five times a week, I can sympathize. Real talk: My gams can feel as heavy as cement, feet can feel the pain, and the various muscles throughout them can easily become tight—all making it decidedly difficult to get back out there. While a simple stretch is always helpful, yoga in particular can really open up your body so that you feel relaxed and ready to jog it out again. At the Well+Good Cedar Lakes Retreat a few months ago, yoga instructor superstar Beth Cooke—who teaches at New York’s Sky Ting studio as well as private clients like Lena Dunham—revealed a yoga sequence that’s particularly magical for runners. The secret? It’s all about opening up the legs, stretching out the hips, and—one that people often forget about—tending to the feet. While the flow definitely gets you warmed up in all the right spots for a kickass run, it’s also equally beneficial for cooling you down after you log your miles. So namaste
5 times Lady Gaga proved her healthy star was born a *long* ago
October 05, 2018 at 09:05AM Tonight is the night pop icon Lady Gaga adds “big-deal actress” to her list of credits. In fact, she’s already the subject of Oscar buzz for her debut lead film role in A Star Is Born, alongside Bradley Cooper. So, yeah, it’s a pretty big deal. Especially since, for this particular film’s fourth adaptation, she’s filling in the shoes of some iconic former leading ladies, including Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. While she’s just now starting to make waves in the film industry, Lady Gaga’s healthy star rose a long time ago: Over the years, she’s mastered the art of keeping her well-being in check while traveling, getting real about her personal struggles with chronic pain, and even ordering the perfect Starbucks drink. So, in honor of her star rising higher, here are five award-winning habits on Lady Gaga’s wellness résumé. Check out 5 times Lady Gaga’s healthy star rose long before the premiere of A Star Is Born. View this post on Instagram Shallow is out now! Watch the music video featuring scenes from the film, link in bio! Both the film and the soundtrack are out on 10/5. #AStarIsBorn A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 27, 2018 at 11:17am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js 1. She has SoulCycle bikes in her tour bus When it comes to working out on the road, the boutique studio sweat seshes come to the Grammy winner rather than the other way around. Lady Gaga has two custom SoulCycle bikes on her tour bus so she can get
Trading your old clothes in for cool new ones is a dream fashion brands are making a reality
October 04, 2018 at 12:47PM The fashion industry is doing more every day to change its reputation as one of the chief sources of pollution and waste in the world. (Finally.) H&M is expanding its eco-conscious offerings to help meet its goal of using 100-percent sustainable or recycled materials by 2030. Casual-cool clothing brand Re/Done is creating new jeans out of old denim, and Urban Outfitters has a line dedicated to repurposing secondhand clothes. There’s still a long way to go, but all these are starts that deserve a slow-clap as they address one major issue: 84 percent of unwanted clothing ends up in landfills or incinerators…even when it’s donated instead of thrown out. This week, two more mega brands joined the good fight: Online consignment shop thredUP and sustainable womenswear line Reformation, which launched a new joint recycling program on October 2. Now, savvy shoppers can visit thredUP’s website and order a thredUP x Reformation UPcycle kit. Once you receive yours, you fill it with clothing you’re ready to part with (from any brand!) and send it back to the company. The clothing will then go through its regular resale vetting process—they’ll return pieces that don’t meet their quality requirements to the customer or recycle them responsibly so they don’t end up in a landfill. For clothing that passes the test, shoppers can choose between a certain monetary amount or Reformation credit. ThredUP expects to continue rolling out similar initiatives with other brands throughout 2019. Although this is one of the most recent (and buzziest) initiatives, it’s not the
I had an unhealthy relationship with coffee—here’s how I healed it
October 04, 2018 at 08:31AM To say that I love coffee would be a total understatement. (Seriously, just check my bio.) I’ve always been that girl, the one who couldn’t function without a cup of java first thing in the morning. You know those memes that say, “But first, coffee”? That’s basically my life mantra. And, it wasn’t just a once-a-day habit. Every day, I craved another coffee at 10 a.m., and then usually again around 3 or 4 p.m. The thought of going even one day without it—and enduring the inevitable headaches, brain fog, and other caffeine withdrawal symptoms—made me cringe. I was sure that if I stopped drinking coffee, I wouldn’t be able to get any work done, let alone hit the gym or be pleasant at a social event. And, to be totally honest, I wasn’t convinced that I even needed to cut back on coffee, despite all of the things I’ve read about the potential side effects of too much caffeine. I drank mine organic with coconut cream or almond milk, and sometimes even added collagen or drank it Bulletproof style. A #wellnesswin, right? Turns out, not exactly. (At least, not for me.) No matter how much caffeine I consumed, I always felt tired and even started resorting to energy drinks just to give me a jolt. Fast forward about six months after I moved to New York City, where people hold coffee cups like fashion accessories when they walk the streets. No matter how much caffeine I consumed,
3 common issues runners face in the month leading up to a marathon—and what to do about them
October 04, 2018 at 06:18AM With months of marathon training behind you and just a few more long run and ice bath cycles ahead, you’re on track to squash 26.2 miles come race day. In the final month of marathon training, don’t let obstacles that commonly sidetrack you from reaching your race-day dreams—whether you’re aiming to break four hours or cross the finish line, period. “You’ve been working for months to get to this point. So trust that your training has you prepared.” To amp you up for the starting line and overcome the OMG-so-annoying issues that can sneak up on you as race day gets closer, we asked Erin Bailey—director of fitness programming and community for ASICS Digital, head trainer at ASICS Studio, and Boston Marathon finisher—for advice to (literally) go the distance. Her biggest words of wisdom? “Trust your training,” says Bailey. “You’ve been working for months to get to this point. So trust that your training has you prepared. Keep following your plan, rest, eat good foods, and enjoy the process.” In other words, you totally got this. Scroll down for how to avoid three all-too-common mistakes runners make before race day—and an inspirational downloadable map of the course. 1. Overtraining and not tapering correctly Ironically, the most difficult part for marathoners is not running all those miles, but tapering down the mileage at the tail end of training after getting into that long-distance groove. After that one last push—“You’ll run your longest run to date either
The designer behind SoulCycle and Peloton bikes is on a mission to trick out all your workout gear
October 03, 2018 at 12:15PM Exercising at home now comes with all the high-tech gadgets you’d find in the country’s hottest boutique studios. (That is, if you’re willing to invest.) But fans of the sweat-from-home lifestyle will soon be seeing even more majorly upgraded gear entering the domestic workout sphere, thanks to Villency Design Group—led by the creator of the stationary bikes used by beloved sweat-stitutions SoulCycle and Peloton. In an exclusive interview with Forbes, VDG’s CEO Eric Villency revealed that not only will the company soon be releasing its most innovative bike model to date in collaboration with Chicago’s Studio Three (starting at $1,900), but they have plans to create equipment that goes far beyond the spin studio. “[W]e’ve been collaborating with world-class athletes, physical therapists, and doctors during the past year to develop products that promote health and wellness by optimizing form and balancing the body,” says Villency. “[W]e’ve been collaborating with world-class athletes, physical therapists, and doctors during the past year to develop products that promote health and wellness by optimizing form and balancing the body.” —Eric Villency, CEO of Villency Design Group So what can you expect? According to the CEO, yoga mats, customizable dumbbells, athletic gloves, and thoughtfully designed cycling shoes are all in the mix. Each object will be designed to help you improve your posture by bringing a greater awareness to your body’s positioning. Although VDG hasn’t yet released the deets on how they intend to do this, the prospect of even more personalized equipment sounds like an endorphin lover’s dream come true. After