31 h. ago Bad taste? Balenciaga coffee cup bag is luxury fashion’s latest everyday flaunt

£4,350 calfskin clutch is part of a trend for the wealthy ‘to engage with mass consumption while retaining exclusivity’Lauren Sánchez attended a meeting in LA recently carrying a cup of coffee. So far, so unnewsworthy. But what first appeared as her morning caffeine fix was, in fact, a luxury handbag. The Balenciaga design, which is crafted from calfskin, sells for about £4,346.60 more than the average takeaway coffee in the UK.It mimics the reusable Balenciaga coffee cup – made of porcelain and polypropylene, it sells for £85 – and throwaway vessels. Continue reading...

Politics

40 h. ago Women's spring 2025 fashion guide: trench coats, lace blouses, and studded sandals

The six trends to know, and where to get them

Politics

60 h. ago Want a limited edition artwork tattooed on your skin? Berlin is the place to go

The city’s tattoo studios are booming while the art world flounders. Under a new initiative, buyers receive exclusive rights to an artist’s new design, and the artist receives 50% of the profitIt may be the oldest art form in the world, practised 5,000 years ago by Ötzi the iceman and his fellow copper age Europeans. But with its more recent associations with red-light entertainment and gangland crime, modern tattooing has long been shunned by the galleries that turn lines on canvas into financial assets.A new initiative in Berlin concedes that the tables have turned. With tattoo studios in the German capital booming but many artists struggling to make a living, the Works on Skin project specialises in selling works by established and emerging contemporary artists that are not to be hung on a wall but to be etched on the human body. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Anna Wintour gushes over the couple that she thinks are the most influential in fashion

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has revealed why she believes Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are one of the most influential couples in fashion - and what they'll bring to the 2025 Met Gala.

Politics

4 d. ago Calvin Klein jeans for free! Branded clothes dumped in the desert snapped up on anti

Items taken from a mountain of discarded garments in the Atacama desert were sold for the price of shipping in a fightback against the ‘racist and colonialist’ dumping of unwanted clothingEvery week, Bastián Barria ventures into the Atacama desert in northern Chile looking for items of discarded clothing in the sand. About half of the hundreds of garments he finds are in perfect condition. He collects what he can and adds them to the two-tonne pile of clothes he has stored at a friend’s house.On 17 March, 300 of those items, including Nike and Adidas shorts, Calvin Klein jeans and a leather skirt, were listed for sale online for the first time. The price? Zero. Customers had only to pay shipping costs. The first batch sold out in five hours, bought by customers from countries including Brazil, China, France, the US and the UK. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Men's spring 2025 fashion guide: key trends and best buys — chore jackets, boat shoes, T

On the menswear frontier, countless intriguing independent brands are springing up across town, and offering one convincing co-ordinated outfit this spring: the chore jacket and pleated slack combo.

Politics

4 d. ago I’ve never liked nail strengthener, but this one actually works | Sali Hughes on beauty

OPI’s new serum claims to repair your broken bonds, and I’ve seen an undeniable reduction in breakageIn January, I decided to take a break from gel nails, partly to test alternatives for a future column. It’s no exaggeration to say that over the next month at least one nail broke every single day. My long, strong natural nails owed everything to builder gel, it turned out, and on their own were as weak as street party lemon squash. Whether this is the effect of hormonal changes or years under the UV lamp, my nails have been withered by time, and before I could even look for gel alternatives I needed to find a fix.I should say that my frustrations with nail-strengthening products are numerous and, ultimately, inhibit regular use – which is essential for results. I don’t see the logic in products that dry hard, to be layered one coat atop another, forming a thick, lacquered carapace. How are the upper layers of such products reaching the nail itself and having...

Politics

4 d. ago Fallen into wearing the same old work outfits? It’s time to up your game | Jess Cartner

There are simple ways to get out of your style rut. And a pepped-up outfit will set you up for a good morningThe way I see it, if you have high standards, then you have those high standards whatever you are doing. This is not to do with being good at everything, we all have things we absolutely suck at. Standards are about making an effort. And if you are someone who does stuff properly, then you are that person whether you are preparing a presentation deck or cleaning the floor. You are the same person in every room you are in.This is the real reason to dress well for work. Not because you have to, but because it sets the tone for who you are. And the person you are comes to work to get the job done, and shows respect for their colleagues, right? Right. Continue reading...

Sport

5 d. ago Elizabeth Arden’s £55 perfume that ‘gets lots of compliments’ now under £18 in Amazon spring sale

The Elizabeth Arden Provocative Women perfume is currently 67% off in the Amazon Prime Spring Deal Days sale, meaning you can grab a 100ml bottle for under £18

Economics

5 d. ago Boom boom culture: fashion’s flashy, sleazy and sudden vibe shift

Trump is back in office, shame is seemingly out and greed is in – with conspicuous consumerism on the catwalks and beyond. Look around and you could be back in 1987 ...The first time I heard the phrase “boom boom” was at a fashion show in January: Prada in Milan. While I sat waiting for something incredibly tasteful to appear on the catwalk, out marched a bare-chested model with a pashmina-sized fur draped over his shoulders. Then came another, and another, and then one more in a huge fur hood. The fur was shearling – skin from a recently shorn sheep or lamb; usually, as in Prada’s case, a byproduct of the meat industry, so marginally less problematic – but still. You see some strange things on catwalks these days, but “fur” isn’t usually one of them.Except it didn’t stop there. Later, there was “fur” at Emporio Armani and yeti coats at Dolce & Gabbana. By the time the womenswear shows had finished in March, “fur” (mostly fake, occasionally real) had appeared in a...

Culture

5 d. ago Dressing Naomi Campbell, Cate Blanchett and a show inside a skirt: Martin Grant’s 40

From 1980s Melbourne to 2020s Paris, the Australian fashion designer reflects on some of the highlights of his career, featured in a major retrospective at the National Gallery of VictoriaMartin Grant exhibition is at the Ian Potter Centre, NGV in Melbourne from 25 March 2025 to 26 January 2026Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Continue reading...

Culture

6 d. ago Researchers solve mystery of makeup appearing ashy or grey on darker skin

Addition of ultramarine blue creates warmer hues and more skin-like finish, reducing the ‘grey cast’ Researchers believe they have found a solution to makeup for darker skin tones often appearing ashy or grey once applied.In recent years the market for beauty products designed for people with darker skin tones has boomed, with some brands now offering consumers a huge variety of shades. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago 9 best spring jackets for women that you’ll want to wear on repeat

For effortless style, throw on these layers from the likes of M&S, Sézane and Whistles

Politics

9 d. ago Grab your logo sweatshirt – Gap is making a surprise fashion comeback

Dresses from 90s brand grace red carpet after rough patch in which brand closed stores and broke tie with Kanye WestThis year’s awards season brought a surprise fashion comeback: Gap. Everyone from Timothée Chalamet and Demi Moore to Cynthia Erivo and Anne Hathaway has worn the US high-street brand on the red carpet in the past year, and this month parent company Gap Inc released its most recent financial results – with sales up 7%.Joy Montgomery, commerce editor at Vogue, describes Hathaway’s decision to wear a luxe version of a white shirt dress later sold in store, which the actor wore to a Bulgari event last year – as “a moment that the fashion world sat up and realised that something was changing”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Bras on show the new ‘whale tail’ as trend shifts towards sexier aesthetic

Both the catwalk and high street are ditching the invisible T-shirt bra to divulge in-built, lace and sheer versionsThey usually form the underpinning of a look. But now bras are going from invisible to visible. Out are seamless T-shirt bras. In their place? Lace, sheer and mesh versions.At M&S, the home of sensible lingerie, the high street giant is championing a sexier aesthetic for spring. The retailer holds 38.2% of the bra market in the UK. In 2023 it sold more than 20m of them, with customers under 30 making up nearly a third of sales. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago The next wave of Korean beauty is here – and it’s bigger than ever

Boutiques are springing up everywhere offering a dizzying array of jelly moisturisers, feather-light sunscreen and face masks for every skin typeKorean beauty, AKA K-beauty, exploded circa 2015, but its second wave is tidal. There are a dozen or more K-beauty boutiques (all heaving) within a stone’s throw of Leicester Square in London. A branch of Korean beauty boutique Pure Seoul recently opened near my home in Brighton, stocking a dizzying array of niche skincare and makeup products – cushion foundations, feather-light sunscreen, jelly moisturisers and eleventy billion varieties of face mask.Even Boots has stated that Korean skincare accounts for more than a tenth of its total skincare sales, with a Korean product sold every 30 seconds. Brands like Laneige (pictured), famous for excellent hydrating products and fun lipbalms, Beauty of Joseon (impeccable sunscreens) and COSRX (specialising in sensitive and acne-prone skin) are available on the UK high street. Continu...

Politics

1 week ago Even on dull days, subtle updates to your outfits can kickstart spring | Jess Cartner

Celebrate the new season with sunglasses, coloured tights and dresses with bootsThere may be blossom on the trees, or at least tulips in the supermarket. There is daylight during hours that are your own. Gift shops are a sea of Mother’s Day pink and Easter yellow. You have only the vaguest recollection of what your new year ins-and-outs were, possibly something to do with a lapsed gym membership, but have acquired a new favourite bench in the park. You remember how much you like mini eggs. The first iced coffee of the season is not far off.All of which means one thing: spring is here. What is less certain, however, is how spring-like the weather will be. Some years spring comes all at once, the weather shifting gear in rhythm with the vibe shift. Other years, spring is a state of mind for weeks before it becomes tangible in the air. Most often, we get a bit of both: a few false dawns when it is warm enough to venture out without a coat, and then chilly spells that catch you out...

Politics

1 week ago Pinstripes are on catwalks and in the White House. Is there more to this look than money and privilege?

Whether worn by RFK Jr or Jeremy Corbyn, a strong-lined suit portrays a very particular message. Now, everyone from A$AP Rocky to Charli xcx is getting in on the actionConor McGregor knows his way around the octagon. He also knows his way around a courtroom – last November, the UFC fighter was found liable for rape in a civil case in Ireland. And now he knows his way around the White House too – the US seat of power that is all too welcoming for sexual predators. Visiting the American capital this week, McGregor met Donald Trump in the White House on Saint Patrick’s Day, wearing an outfit that had the markings of a man after the president’s own heart: a three-piece pinstripe suit.Trump loves a suit, so you can also easily imagine that the New York tycoon in him loves a Gordon Gekko-esque pinstripe. McGregor’s meeting was strongly condemned by Ireland’s taoiseach, while an Irish rape crisis charity described it as “sinister”. But, with his sartorial choices, McGregor showed himself t...

Events

1 week ago My secret life as a model: ‘High fashion loved me most when I was visibly bony’

It is a world of 13-hour days, stressful castings and size 6 figures. Here is what it is like to navigate the big opportunities – and impossible demands‘She was sitting at the kitchen table, eating raw cauliflower. For dinner.” It’s September 2024 in London and my friend is reflecting on her time sharing an apartment with fellow models in Paris the previous year. I am grimly amused, but unsurprised. This is the type of story models are always telling.I would know, because I became a model at 21 – quite late, by industry standards – and have walked in several London shows, as well as fittings, showrooms, campaigns, editorials, lookbooks and e-commerce for brands such as Moncler, Lacoste and Toni & Guy. Since I started, I have tried to build a thick skin to protect myself against rejections from castings and call-backs, as well as the ubiquitous skinny body standard. But when I get selected for a show, there is always the underlying fear that perhaps I took it too far – that I los...

Culture

2 w. ago Jonathan Anderson to leave Loewe as fashion houses’ creative upheaval continues

Designer’s departure comes days after announcement that Demna is to join Gucci from BalenciagaA dizzying round of designer musical-chairs in the fashion industry has picked up pace with the announcement that Jonathan Anderson is exiting Loewe.The 40-year-old designer from Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, transformed Loewe during his 11-year tenure from a sleepy Spanish handbag house into the hottest ticket of Paris fashion week. Continue reading...

Politics