In the latest episode of her docuseries with British Vogue, The Future of Fashion, Alexa Chung speaks with a fashion psychologist and a fashion expert to discuss the issues of body image and diversity in the modeling industry.
Shop Alexa Chung's latest collection with AG Jeans!
Click above to watch, and tell us what you think of the episode in the comments below!
Burberry has had a lot of firsts when it comes to blending digital innovation with the spectacle of a fashion show.
Its pioneering use of live streaming, 3-D projections and Twitter's "Buy Now" button have been part of what makes its star-studded women's wear shows among the most hotly anticipated events for millions of fans online.
Now the luxury brand appears to be at it again.
On Friday, just days after Burberry announced it would be the first in the industry to have its own Apple Music channel, the brand announced it would premiere its spring 2016 collection via Snapchat, the mobile app on which short messages digitally self-destruct after just a few seconds.
On Sunday night, the brand began sharing photographs and videos of finishing touches to the collection and of its front-row stalwarts, including Anna Wintour, receiving invitations to the Monday show.
Although show coverage will continue on Snapchat's Live Stories feature once the models take to the runway in Kensington Gardens at 1 p.m. today in London, the early previews will have vanished.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry's affable chief executive and creative director, has used his digital expertise, contemporary style and canny ability to blur distinctions between trade and entertainment to transform the once-forgotten British fashion house into a global behemoth. He said that using Snapchat felt like an important next step for the company.
"I love the philosophy of Snapchat and the idea of capturing a moment that then immediately disappears, unpolished and rough around the edges," Mr. Bailey said before the show. He was perched on a table in his Pimlico design studio as a small army of seamstresses disappeared to take their lunch break.
"I especially wanted to do it as it seemed like the perfect way of capturing the reality of shows themselves: that surreal contrast in the chaos of a run-up to an event, then that moment a model comes down the catwalk, gliding serenely like a swan down the Thames," he said. "There's a mix of reality, intimacy and inclusivity that other platforms don't really capture in the same way."
A savvy way of interacting, too, with Snapchat's 100 million daily active users, most of whom are younger than 30 and valuable potential future spenders in an evermore volatile luxury market. While Mr. Bailey said he was "less interested in over-analysis of a demographic," he agreed that it was important to understand how people engage online and to bring the brand to them accordingly.
"Of course, I am aware that many of our fans shop, interact and express themselves socially more than ever before," he said.
"They want to know how our things are made and the stories behind the scenes. They want more access and more authenticity, and if that's what they are demanding, then we need to listen and find new and exciting ways of democratically bringing them into our world."
As the hours to showtime dwindle and given his increasing emphasis on immediacy and position as leader of fashion's digital revolution, the pressure on Mr. Bailey to relentlessly innovate must be intense. He concedes that, at times, events "veer that way."
"Technology defines our lives more than ever before, but there is no straight line clear to anyone yet as to where products or platforms will evolve and take us in the future, nor is it something any luxury brand can or should consciously force," he said.
"I think it's as much about staying in the present, looking at all the little snapshots of moments all around us, and telling the story of what is unfolding in the most meaningful way we can. Who knows what is next."
As Teen Vogue highlighted, H&M released the Close the Loop campaign to promote sustainability as well as inclusivity—featuring a variety of different people, just like us.
What do you think of the campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And if you're feeling inspired to shop, check out the new H&M offering here.
In mid-September, the film industry assembled at the annual Toronto International Film Festival (a.k.a. TIFF). This year's festival featured 397 movies and drew 400,000 cinephiles. At the festival's Rising Stars event, which showcases emerging Canadian talent, up-and-coming actors, publicists and festival organizers discussed what they wear for their close-up.
Erin Wasson has experimented a lot with design over the years, collaborating with the likes of RVCA and PacSun. Now the top model is taking a stab at design entirely on her own terms with a jewelry collection aptly named Wasson. The 25-piece fine jewelry line is a unique mix of sterling silver, gold, diamonds, and pearl pieces ranging from $500 to $2500. Naturally, Wasson herself stars in the first lookbook, which has her styling the gems among her quirky bohemian style. We have a feeling many other style setters will be trying these pieces on for size.
Scroll down to see the full S/S 16 lookbook.
Burberry has had a lot of firsts when it comes to blending digital innovation with the spectacle of a fashion show.
Its pioneering use of live streaming, 3-D projections and Twitter's "Buy Now" button have been part of what makes its star-studded women's wear shows among the most hotly anticipated events for millions of fans online.
Now the luxury brand appears to be at it again.
On Friday, just days after Burberry announced it would be the first in the industry to have its own Apple Music channel, the brand announced it would premiere its spring 2016 collection via Snapchat, the mobile app on which short messages digitally self-destruct after just a few seconds.
On Sunday night, the brand began sharing photographs and videos of finishing touches to the collection and of its front-row stalwarts, including Anna Wintour, receiving invitations to the Monday show.
Although show coverage will continue on Snapchat's Live Stories feature once the models take to the runway in Kensington Gardens at 1 p.m. today in London, the early previews will have vanished.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry's affable chief executive and creative director, has used his digital expertise, contemporary style and canny ability to blur distinctions between trade and entertainment to transform the once-forgotten British fashion house into a global behemoth. He said that using Snapchat felt like an important next step for the company.
"I love the philosophy of Snapchat and the idea of capturing a moment that then immediately disappears, unpolished and rough around the edges," Mr. Bailey said before the show. He was perched on a table in his Pimlico design studio as a small army of seamstresses disappeared to take their lunch break.
"I especially wanted to do it as it seemed like the perfect way of capturing the reality of shows themselves: that surreal contrast in the chaos of a run-up to an event, then that moment a model comes down the catwalk, gliding serenely like a swan down the Thames," he said. "There's a mix of reality, intimacy and inclusivity that other platforms don't really capture in the same way."
A savvy way of interacting, too, with Snapchat's 100 million daily active users, most of whom are younger than 30 and valuable potential future spenders in an evermore volatile luxury market. While Mr. Bailey said he was "less interested in over-analysis of a demographic," he agreed that it was important to understand how people engage online and to bring the brand to them accordingly.
"Of course, I am aware that many of our fans shop, interact and express themselves socially more than ever before," he said.
"They want to know how our things are made and the stories behind the scenes. They want more access and more authenticity, and if that's what they are demanding, then we need to listen and find new and exciting ways of democratically bringing them into our world."
As the hours to showtime dwindle and given his increasing emphasis on immediacy and position as leader of fashion's digital revolution, the pressure on Mr. Bailey to relentlessly innovate must be intense. He concedes that, at times, events "veer that way."
"Technology defines our lives more than ever before, but there is no straight line clear to anyone yet as to where products or platforms will evolve and take us in the future, nor is it something any luxury brand can or should consciously force," he said.
"I think it's as much about staying in the present, looking at all the little snapshots of moments all around us, and telling the story of what is unfolding in the most meaningful way we can. Who knows what is next."
Maybe you knew Gigi and Bella had a little brother. But did you know he's modeling now, too? In the October issue of Nylon, 16-year-old Anwar Hadid actually appears in his own spread. Even so, Anwar might not follow exactly in his sisters' footsteps: he told the magazine he's interested in going to college then figuring out his career path. We do love that he sounds like a perfect gentleman in the interview, though:
"My family is my foundation," says Hadid. "My sisters are awesome; they probably taught me everything I ever need to know about girls. My mom is very liberal, but also old-fashioned when it comes to manners. She taught me to always be kind and treat others with respect."
Here's to Anwar!
Scroll down to see Anwar in the October issue of Nylon!
MILAN — The Italian red-carpet photographers were going wild. Woman after woman was preening and posing her way down the step-and-repeat, in dresses composed of crystals, sequins and vast acres of see-through paneling.
It was the seventh annual amfAR Milano gala, and the city's sparkliest (as well as a thick crush of spangled visitors) were on hand to celebrate, bid enormous sums of money at a live auction to benefit AIDS research, and give their most extravagant evening clothes an airing.
"There's something wonderful about the way Italians dress up," said Kenneth Cole, amfAR's chairman of the board as well as one of the chairmen of the evening.
"That is true. I love that," replied Heidi Klum, another of the event's organizers. "People have so much more fun here with their fashion than in America. You have to give it to the women of Europe." Ms. Klum, in a bejeweled Atelier Versace gown that managed to be both covered up and revealing, deserved some of that credit, too.
Ms. Klum's modeling career rarely took her onto high fashion's runways — "I've only done very few shows," she said, "and mainly in my lingerie" — so her regular visits to Milan have been largely for amfAR's behalf. ("We've been doing this for seven years," Mr. Cole said. "And Heidi's been here for eight.")
She was joined by a sizable crew of socialites, designers, models and do-gooding stars like Dakota Johnson and Michelle Rodriguez, many of whom opened their own wallets once the bidding began. (In a Milan season largely absent major front-row star power, it was the most celebrity-fueled gathering so far.)
Isabeli Fontana, the Brazilian supermodel who was called onstage to hawk a six-liter bottle of Moët & Chandon (as well as a trip to Épernay, in France's Champagne country), was herself the winner of a 14-day vacation in the Maldives. Ms. Klum, auctioning an 11-foot-tall polyurethane snail sculpture by a collective called the Cracking Art Group, decided it must be hers. "Vito, I want the snail!" she called to Vito Schnabel, her art-dealer and -curator boyfriend. Twenty thousand euros (about $22,383) later, it was hers. Altogether, the evening raised $1.6 million.
This being Italy, the pace was leisurely and the mood festive. Between furious rounds of auctioneering and a live set from Debbie Harry, the dinner's main course was still coming out at midnight — and even the presence of Naomi Campbell at the podium to introduce the evening's Award of Courage honoree, Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel and the chairman of Only the Brave, the parent company of Maison Margiela and Marni, didn't cow conversationalists until she demanded testily, "Can you please be quiet? I'll start again."
"I try to do my best to make a better world," said Mr. Rosso, whose Only the Brave Foundation batt les inequality and promotes sustainable development worldwide, in encouraging the crowd to follow his example. "The world needs more people like us. Spend more time to be positive."
The dinner portion wrapped up (or was it that the after-party began?) with a bouncy performance by Icona Pop, the Swedish electronic music duo. "We were first of all very honored to be part of such a great event," said Caroline Hjelt, one of the pair. "We didn't even think. We said yes, yes, yes."
First Chanel, then a role alongside Natalie Portman, and now? Lily-Rose Depp, just 16, appears in Vogue Paris's 95th anniversary issue, Fashionista reports. In images shot by famed photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, the rising it-girl appears with doll-like makeup artfully tear-stained and smudged. You can see her full editorial when the issue hits stands on September 29, but a few of the shots have surfaced on Instagram now.
Scroll down to see images of Lily-Rose Depp in Vogue Paris!
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sarah Daniels stood at the front of an auditorium on the University of Michigan campus and looked out at the 120 or so students before her on an unseasonably cool day in late August.
The first day of classes was about two weeks away. But for many of these students, their education had already begun.
"We want people to have sex with people they want to have sex with," Ms. Daniels told the students in th eir maize-and-blue T-shirts, Birkenstocks and backward baseball caps. "You are the front lines. You can be a role model, step in and say, 'It's not O.K.,' or, 'Be safe!' "
The room erupted in appreciative finger snapping (the new clapping).
The students, a near-even split of men and women and nearly a third of the university's 400 student resident hall advisers, had come to hear Ms. Daniels, the assistant dean of students, give a talk entitled "Sexual Misconduct and Bystander Intervention: What It Is and What to Do About It." It was one of three speeches she would give that day.
In the audience for one of thos e sessions was Sarah Hong, a senior. Ms. Hong, 20, who grew up in Seoul and Vancouver, British Columbia, is majoring in biopsychology, cognition and neuroscience, with a minor in community action and social change. She is an R.A. in Oxford Housing and has been charged with overseeing 26 mostly first-year students. She is also a member of student organizations that address campus leadershipand sexual misconduct.
During her freshman year, Ms. Hong said, a friend told her that she had been sexually assaulted, and counseling the friend was formative. "It was a devastating experience, even for me," she said. Other people "in the community," Ms. Hong said, were not taking her friend's situation seriously. "I was confused by that. No one seemed to care and I didn't know what resources to direct her to. I didn't know how to deal with something so serious."
As a sophomore she decided to become a volunteer for Sapac, short for the university's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, committing to a 40-hour training program that prepared her for the role as a confidential student counselor. As an R.A., her obligations are different. If someone discloses information about a possible violation of the school's sexual misconduct policy, she must report it to a resident hall supervisor.
It can be a tough balancing act: being part of the university's staff and still acting as a sensitive friend to a dormitory neighbor.
"My job as an R.A. is to reassure them, to make sure they know of all the resources: that's most important," Ms. Hong said of students who might report sexual misconduct. "People panic, they say, 'Oh, everyone will know about this now!' It's my job to reassure them that they still have control of the situation. It's my job to be a friend and to establish trust."
Helping teenagers make the transition from high schoolers in their parents' homes to college students balancing the freedoms of an unchaperoned social life with the load of academic expectations has always been a big job for R. A.s, most of whom are no older than 21 themselves.
But in recent years, the job has become much more intense. The federal government has laid out new guidelines about universities� �� responsibilities in investigating, addressing and responding to allegations of student sexual misconduct. These measures have helped open a national conversation about sex and sexual assault on campus, and the role of the university in prevention, awareness and disciplinary measures. At the same time, binge-drinking and drug-taking, which often play a role in campus sex and sexual misconduct, continue to escalate.
Last week, the Association of American Universities released the findings of a sexual misconduct survey that culled data from more than 150,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students at 27 universities. In it, nearly one in four undergraduate women said they were victims of sexual assault or misconduct. At Harvard College alone, 16 percent of female seniors said that during their time at Harvard they were subjected to "nonconsensual completed or attempted penetration."
During the winter of 2015, the University of Michigan conducted its own study to try to quantify the frequency of sexual assault. The Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct found 22.5 percent of undergraduate females and 6.8 percent of undergraduate males said they have experienced nonconsensual kissing, touching or penetration. "In most cases, the unwanted sex ual penetration occurred primarily after verbal pressure, and under the influence of drugs or alcohol," the study said.
The school has been publicizing the results widely among its faculty and students. Ms. Daniels said: "I work in this field, so I knew the results would be dismaying, but even I was surprised by the numbers. It is sobering, very, very sobering."
Schools like Michigan are offering workshops for new students on how to have discussions about sex, which is admirable even if administrators are somewhat optimistic in believing teenagers and 20-somethings will be comfortable having conversations about a topic that remains, for many adults, difficult to openly address. Complicating the matter is a university climate of political correctness that instills in students a fear of offending others and that hampers open dialogue.
Ms. Hong has helped lead workshops for incoming students that focus on consent. But students come from so many different backgrounds, and with such a spectrum of sexual experience and sexual education, that it can be difficult to know what they understand.
Photo Materials used in the training of resident advisers. Credit Laura McDermott for The New York Times"You can be talking to students about consent and contraception methods and someone will say, 'Oh, at my high school we were just taught not to do it,' " Ms. Hong said. "I am often wondering if students are just sitting there, confused."
Even as R. A.s are encouraged to befriend and offer mentorship to the students on their floors, they are designated "mandatory reporters" of any incident that may violate the school policy on sexual misconduct, which accounts for a range of behavior from rape to sending explicit photographs of someone over the Internet without their consent. Even something as difficult to measure as texting someone more than they may desire can warrant a report.
Megan McDonald, 21, is the resident coordinator for Stockwell Hall, which means she has an overall responsibility for the dorm's 400 students, with direct accountability for about 50. A senior and a public policy major, Ms. McDonald sits down with her agenda at the beginning of the week and tries to carve out 25 hours to address her residents and their needs and another 25 hours for homework and studying. Sometimes, the dedicated R.A. time is spent trying to make friends with the students living in Stockwell, even as she lets them know that she cannot keep confidential anything they tell her related to sexual misconduct.
"It's a hindrance on your social life because you know if a friend confides in you, you can't necessarily keep it a secret," Ms. McDonald said. � ��It's one of the burdens of having this role."
But she said she believes it's important to put her R.A. job before friendship. "During training, we talk about it and we try to remember, this is somebody's kid, this could be your kid one day," she said.
And it can be hard to shut off the worry that R. A.s almost necessarily feel. Amanda Champagne, 20, is a senior who is applying for master's programs for social work. When she and her friends go to parties, she takes care to be sure that her group leaves with everyone it arrived with and that no one walks home alone. "My friends will make fun of me and say, 'Amanda, you're in R.A. mode.' They call me the mom of the group," she said. "Being an R.A. has enhanced my understanding of the un iversity, so I do feel like I have a heightened awareness, especially about sexual assault."
R.A. gigs at Michigan are hard to come by, with "hundreds" of applicants being turned down, according to a school spokesman. The university's housing department staff chooses candidates based on their academic record and commitment to campus leadership. R. A.s are selected during the fall term of the previous academic year and then are required to take a class on community building. R. A.s are compensated with free room and board, which otherwise costs about $10,000 for the academic year.
"More so than anyone else on campus, you will meet and connect with so many students," Ms. Daniels said.
It was Day 2 of R.A. training and she and a few colleagues were outlining the university's student sexual misconduct policy.
This year, Ms. Daniels made her presentation not only to the R. A.s but also to the school's student-athletes, members of R.O.T.C., the marching band and the leaders of the school's Greek system, among others. "We go after groups that we know have influence on campus," she said in an interview.
While law enforcement agencies oversee their own investigations and prosecutions of reported incidents of sex crimes, the University of Michigan's policy lays out the school's definitions of sexual misconduct and its particular process when an incident has been reported to school officials, including R.A.s.
The R. A.s seem to grapple with the concept of their dual roles as students living among peers in a dorm and university staff with obligations. "What if someone tells you something before you've told them you're a mandatory reporter?" one student asked at the workshop. "Is it like Miranda rights?"
Ms. Daniels answered, "It's important that you tell your residents upfront that you are not confidential," explaining that a student who may have been harmed by an alleged act of sexual misconduct need not participate in an investigation.
During the next 90 minutes, Ms. Daniels and her cohort went over key themes: that an act of retaliation against a complainant who says she or he has been a victim of misconduct is itself a violation of the misconduct policy, that the Internet can be a tool of sexual misconduct, and that "intoxicated" people can consent to sexual contact but those "incapacitated" by excess drugs and alcohol cannot.
A student asked, "How do you determine the difference between intoxication and incapacitation?"
The answer was murky, underscoring how hard it is for adults, let alone college students, to identify clear lines. "Incapacitation is beyond intoxication, when you're unable to make informed judgment, just totally unable," Ms. Daniels said. "It's a case-by-case thing," she said, adding that she wished she could provide more clarity.
Into a world of many acronyms and mnemonic devices, the four Ds of bystander intervention were introduced: direct, distract, delegate and delay. The women leading the session explained the importance of R. A.s learning how to intervene (and teaching their dorm residents to intervene) in potentially harmful situations they may witness.
Different scenarios were posed, with students asking how they might respond. "You are at a party and see a man pulling someone who is obviously intoxicated up the stairs toward an empty room," went one example. The room buzzed as students offered ideas.
Photo Anna Forringer-Beal, 21, volunteers with the school's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center. Credit Laura McDermott for The New York TimesOne student suggested approaching the man carrying the other person and trying to distract him. "You could say, like, 'Hey, we're in psych class together,' " the student said.
The concept of intervention was not new to many students, and some were moved to share their own experiences.
One said that on a snowy night last year, she and a friend happened to drive by Rick's, a bar that bills itself on Twitter as "The #1 Hook up bar on college campuses!"
They spotted a woman stumbling down the sidewalk with a man. The friends called out to the woman and offered her a ride home.
The students snapped their approval.
R.A. training also deals with the concept of healthy sex.
That's the focus of "Relationship Remix," a program devoted to discussing consent as the key to a positive sexual relationship. Since 2004, all incoming Michigan students have been required to attend the seminar.
When students returned to Ann Arbor earlier this month, Anna Forringer-Beal, 21, helped facilitated two Remix discussions for about 80 students. A major in anthropology and women's studies, Ms. Forringer-Beal is both a volunteer for Sapac, the organization that provides confidential help to victims of sexual assault and misconduct, and an R.A. for the second year in a row.
"We focused a lot on a scenario where someone you're interested in asks you to go back to their room," she said. "I tried to get at the idea that consenting to go back to the room is all you're consenting to. Some people see it as an innuendo. I tried to explain that direct communication is the best communication so there is no room for ambiguity."
No one in campus life underestimates how trying life as a resident adviser can be, even as the R. A.s acknowledge its satisfacti ons.
"Self-care is important," Ms. Hong said. "You can burn out. But we all try to take care of one another. Someone at Sapac might give me some chocolates with a note that says, 'Thank you for all you do,' or I'll get Facebook or text messages, 'I just want you to know you're a great person.' We all do that. We know how hard it can be, but we know how important these issues are."
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MILAN — There's a new muse in Milan this season, and she's not a rock star or a movie idol; she's Mother Nature. With an unseasonal storm battering the first day of Fashion Week, and Pope Francis acknowledging the reality of climate change — and counseling action — what could one expect?
Designers are doing what they can to address the issue. Or dress it, if you will.
"We all feel the conflict between nature and urban life," Sil via Fendi said backstage before the Fendi show, an overt play on such oppositions staged against a backdrop of concrete trees.
See, for example, supple leathers in coral shades, smocking and Tyrolean shapes; full, midcalf skirts with oversize rustic corset lacing that snaked around pockets and up the sides; intricate lattice-woven "summer mink" jackets; and flowers cut from glossy skins and nailed onto shoes, bags and strapless chiffon bubble dresses, hemmed in ribbed knits.
If the contrasts created some awkward, uncomfortable moments — most notably the inexplicable inclusion of bloomers, a garment that should simply never appear on a grown woman, with everything from a floral harness halter to an olive-green high-necked satin romper — they were nevertheless a pretty accurate reflection of our own discomfort with the whole subject of global warming.
Continue reading the main story Slide Show Fendi: Spring 2016 RTWCreditGio Staiano/Nowfashion
You might not want to wear some of it (a leather minidress with macro lacing circling up from the ribs being a notable exception) but the point was expertly made.
Still, warmth was also on the mind of Alberta Ferretti, who referenced the Nevada desert and its Burning Man festival in her show notes. She eschewed the technicolor peacocking that is a hallmark of that event, however (suggesting, in fact, that she probably has never been to it, at least as far as I could tell while watching on a screen post-Yom Kippur) for an earthen palett e of sand, ochre and umber, and a silhouette of frayed and shredded chiffons.
Continue reading the main story Slide Show Alberta Ferretti: Spring 2016 RTWCreditRegis Colin Berthelier/Nowfashion
Bodices were basket-woven, like haute macramé; daywear was safari- sleek; and decoration came in the shape of metal rings and hammered brass jewelry. The goddess gowns of previous seasons had been transformed into field nymph smocks with tribal geometries or subdued topographic layers of chiffon and lace, all of it culminating in a dress of rough-hewn gossamer leaves, fallen from a tree.
Meanwhile, MaxMara and Fausto Puglisi looked to the waters for their inspiration — though not the melting ice caps of the north.
Continue reading the m ain story Slide Show Max Mara: Spring 2016 RTWCreditRegis Colin Berthelier/Nowfashion
Instead, the first took an anchors aweigh approach via a chorus line of sailor stripes and pants, captain's jackets and nautical rope prints, all in classic shades or red, blue, white and yellow (with some gold and silver thrown in for four-star measure), giving new meaning to the term "naval gazing." As for the second, it was an under-the-sea parade of seashell-studded harness-topped minidresses and Poseidon prints.
And it was all very Little Mermaid- grows-up-and-gets-gaga, with purple and turquoise combos so lurid that even a few simple draped black and white gowns could not alleviate the feeling of drowning in an ocean of overdone 1980s memories.
By contrast, in his debut collection for Emilio Pucci, Massimo Giorgetti swam up from under the weight of history (or at least the Pucci print) — though he, too, used the shore as his starting point, specifically the coasts of Capri and the Côte D'Azur where the house's founder first made his name.
Continue reading the main story Slide Show Emilio Pucci: Spring 2016 RTWCreditGio Staiano/Nowfashion
Not that the result was what anyone would categorize as "beachwear," however: T-shirts and dresses were composed of tiny blue or green or pink paillettes sewn on a single layer of black tulle and roughed-up to create asymmetric patterns, or topped hip-slung silver trousers.
Continue reading the main storyOn-the-ground, around-the-clock dispatches from the spring 2016 shows, brought to you by the editors of Styles and T.
Starfish, coral and clam shells were cut out, appliqued and caught in mesh net sheaths. Line drawings of mermaids and sailors in various states of embrace were printed on scarf dresses that dangled pompoms of oyster pearls; seagulls were woven into lace T-shirts and worn under white slip-dresses; and silk trench coats were made in Mediterranean blue.
Even the sunglasses were scuba- themed.
Some of it was a bit literal, to be sure (as were the "Emilios" scrawled across the backs of shirts and embroidered onto frocks, which were a logo too far), but the clothes also had a new slouchy ease that refused to take itself too seriously.
"The world is changing; we need to grow with it," proclaimed Mauro Grimaldi, Pucci's new chief executive, as he watched happily from the sidelines. "Grow" being, as Gaia might say, the operative word.
This season, we're bringing you a daily roundup of Milan Fashion Week's best street style looks, courtesy of The Styleograph. Click through the gallery below to check them out, and then head to our fashion week hub to see all of our coverage in one place!
Language, for the Philadelphia playwright Ed Shockley, has always been a saving grace, the funnel through which he poured his intellect and emotion and perspective.
Mr. Shockley, who is fluent in Spanish and Swahili and manages in French and Chinese, gracefully stitched words together on paper, and aloud, to cement his connection to others. Perhaps his favorite saying, "Be of good cheer," is most telling of his enduring perspective.
"As a kid I saw that — that until the day you die — you should be of good cheer," said Mr. Shockley, 57, a man who has always made the most of what he was given. "And I decided to do just that."
He so capitalized on his gifts that from his challenged Philadelphia neighborhood he won a full scholarship as a boy to the vaunted St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, then attended Columbia University, where at 6 feet 8 inches he played on the basketball team.
He is the author of more than 50 plays and has won numerous awards for his work, including a Richard Rodgers Award presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Photo Ed and Terri Shockley with their sons Brandon, 27, left, and Jamel, 17, right. Credit Jessica Kourkounis for The New York TimesWhich made what happened to him in late 2012 even more devastating than it would another man not as wedded to the wonder of words. Mr. Shockley suffered a serious stroke.
The language he so loved left him. The stroke led to a language impairment called aphasia, causing difficulty in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
Each morning he woke unable to retrieve letters, words or even his name. "It took me 30 days to find 'Ed Shockley,' " he said.
But his intelligence remained intact. As did his attitude.
His wife, Terri Shockley, said, "If I have to say one thing I like about Ed, and it really hasn't changed a lot except that maybe it is more so, he is the most positive person that I have ever met in my life."
Despite the challenges he and Ms. Shockley have always faced, chief among them a chronic lack of money that many artists face, Mr. Shockley remained grateful for all life offered. A few days after his stroke, Mr. Shockley's oldest son, Brandon, 27, was astonished to find him on the floor of his hospital room, doing push-ups.
"Dad's strategy was to walk it off," the younger Mr. Shockley said with a laugh.
The stroke has by far been the most profound challenge the Shockleys have faced in their 21 years of marriage (their wedding was profiled in a New York Times Vows column on June 12, 1994).
For Ms. Shockley, 63, a former dancer with the New York-based dance troupe Urban Bush Women, the couple's financial shortfalls were their biggest challenge, and not all that big a challenge after all. For her, practicing their art is the gift that life gives them.
"Being artists, we both aspire, especially Ed, that he will be a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning writer," said Ms. Shockley, who now single-handedly juggles the running of the Community Education Center in Philadelphia, an arts incubator, classroom, campsite and all-around center for creativity.
"I never thought that was going to happen for me. You get old, that's the end. You're probably not going to be famous. But Ed, he has always been a dreamer. He expects these things to happen."
Considering the often devastating impact of a stroke, Mr. Shockley's continuing recovery has astounded family and fri ends. A California filmmaker, Jan Johnson-Goldberger, who is making a movie from a work Mr. Shockley wrote some years ago, "Outlaw," was amazed when she spoke to him recently.
"I couldn't believe the progress he had made," she said. "He sounded just like his old self."
Mr. Shockley is graceful and articulate, with a rapid-fire intellect only the snap of a finger faster than the delivery. He stands upright and moves and speaks easily.
But the activities the couple enjoyed before his stroke — attending concerts and plays, visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Academy of Natural Sciences — don't happen right now.
"Ed gets tired every easily," Ms. Shockley said. "He can't sit through a play because physically it's difficult and he's not going to understand a lot of it because of the aphasia." She occasionally invites him now to join her for Zydeco dancing for a night out. But otherwise, a night together means relaxing and falling asleep in front of the TV.
The stroke has offered other challenges. One day Mr. Shockley left his backpack on a city bus, which would not have been disastrous except that his computer was in it. Lost were 30 years of work on his opera and more than a dozen plays.
"That was a long day," he remembered. "I probably even cried t hat day. But as I thought about it, for me to be angry while I'm alive — I have my wife, my kids, I had just won a best-play award. And I had a great woman who stayed with me. She could have left. And I realized just how lucky I was."
The issues they had in their marriage before the stroke, which included Mr. Shockley's aversion to conventional medicine and a stubborn streak as unyielding as his positive attitude, remain unchanged.
They argue when Mr. Shockley refuses to take his blood pressure medication, although Mr. Shockley admitted: "Many times she knows what I should be doing, and I might take 10, 15, 90 days, and I'll say, 'you were right!' I married a woman who is often right."
Patience, then, has been the attribute Ms. Shockley has perfected. She has dealt with her own challenge, dyslexia, making her more sympathetic to Mr. Shockley's new perspective.
Ms. Shockley, who was raised in Columbus, Ohio, met him when they shared an apartment across the street from the Brooklyn Museum. They moved to Philadelphia to be near Brandon, Mr. Shockley's son from an earlier union, and bought a home in Nicetown, an impoverished high-crime area of north Philadelphia. The couple, ever upbeat, embraced the adventure of setting up house, spending time with Brandon and welcoming a second child, Jamal, now 17, when Ms. Shockley was 46.
After Mr. Shockl ey's stroke, the couple moved across town and in with his 83-year-old mother, Alice Shockley, often a marriage-wrecking proposal for a wife. But the older Mrs. Shockley has helped their daily life. She cooks for the couple, and has helped Mr. Shockley significantly with his recovery.
"I am a lot closer to her than I would have been otherwise," Terri Shockley said. "If it weren't for her, I don't know what we would have done."
Indeed, the couple know how fortunate they are living with his mother, particularly because wherever they go, piles of paperwork, clothing and books follow. "I'm much cleaner than Ed, but almost as disorganized," Terri Shockley said. "We would have knock-down, drag-out fights about this, but these days I give up the argument much more quickly. It seems not worth it, because he isn't going to change."
So for them, peace is about being grateful for what they have . Mr. Shockley is beginning to drive again. He is recreating his opera and has been teaching martial arts to a group of special-needs students. Despite disliking Facebook before his stroke, he is now a daily poster. And each day he celebrates a new step on the road to recovery.
"Every day, I know that I am going to find Ed in a good mood, he is going to smile, he is going to kiss me good morning," his wife said. "I appreciate this even more with the challenges of the stroke."
She keeps the Community Education Center humming, and when their family is together, there is much laughter, horsing around and general good cheer.
One day recently, as the four of them sat for a portrait on the steps of the Meetinghouse Theater at the center, Ms. Shockley sat with her hand on Mr. Shockley's knee and her arm through Jamal's; Brandon nestled into his father's side.
"As long as you're alive," Mr. Shockley said, "everything has to be good."
Read more: Janis Ian and Patricia Snyder's Relationship Builds Upon Decades of Social Upheaval
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In the fourth episode of Season 3 of our series that takes you behind the doors of the fashion world, Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, reveals why he thrives on chaos, how he got his guardian turtle and the hardest aspects of his new job. And that's just what didn't make it into the video. (This interview has been edited and condensed.)
Is this building special?
It's a Renaissance building from a rich family. It's one of the few real palaces with Raphael as the architect. It's quite rare. Gucci took it when my predecessor, Frida Giannini, decided to move the creative office here from Milan. There ar e no business offices here. Marco Bizzarri, the C.E.O., stays in Milan. It's nice to divide our work. This is just creative offices. Just crazy times.
Did you consider renaming it Palazzo Gucci?
No, I don't think so.
Is it strange to be in a city so far from the rest of the fashion industry?
But I like that. I spend a lot of time in Paris, in Milan and in New York, and Rome is a little bit different. There is something in Rome, incredible, like in a Fellini movie. Everybody's screaming and laughing very loud. It's something that can give me more energy in terms of freedom. This is the area of the Rome that is for the bankers. On the other side of the river is the pope.
How did you imagine your office?
If someone had told me, "You will have an office painted from Raphael," I mean, I didn't believe it. So I had the perception that I had to put something that I can match with this beauty. Because I love old t hings. But the first thing I brought in was my giant desk. It's a double desk. A square desk, so when you sit in front of me, you have the same space that I have on my side. I usually put a lot of books and things around me.
And there is also on the desk a turtle, a real turtle, from the 19th century. I bought it in one of the old bookshops in Rome. I was inside the bookstore one day, and I thought that it was like a little saint that protects the books. So I said, it could be nice for my books to have a turtle.
Did you bring the sofa and chairs, too?
Yes, it's a sofa that I quite love, because there is something very romantic in the idea that you can have a conversation on this sofa. When I have to work alone, to read, to design, or look at books, I stay at my desk. But if someone comes to talk with me, I don't want to stay in the desk because it makes me feel too far aw ay. And also because it makes me feel like I am a banker. So if I have to talk with someone, I stay on the sofa. And if I have to work with creative persons, we go to the big table, which is in another part of my office.
It's like a giant dining-room table.
I'm usually working with a lot of people. So I wanted something big for all the things that we need to work. My way to think about creation is like the end of the world. I love confusion. So music and image, picture, fabrics, people, person, talk: That's my way to work. And food. And perfumes. I love perfumes. And flowers and plants, and dresses and vintage. Sometimes something that doesn't really match with fashion: for example, a dog collar. The table is my mood board.
Is there a special pencil or pen that you use?
I always lose every single pencil I ever had. So I can draw with everything. With pencil, with pen. When I have to show something to the guys upstairs, I draw with everything, because I'm better with a pencil or with a pen than words. Last time, I was drawing on a napkin.
Talk me through your day.
I arrive between 9 and 9:30. It depends. My apartment is very close to here. But in Rome it's very usual if someone meets you on the street, to talk. So I usually talk a lot. I come in the office, have my coffee. My assistants show me what I have to do. And I always say yes. I never say no. If someone wants to do something with me, I don't want to say no. After, I start to work like crazy, because I have a lot of appointments. We sometimes have three collections at the same moment. It's not really easy.
What is the hardest thing about your job?
Time. Time is against me. I need more time to work in every single project. This is the first big enemy. The other really hard thing is that I have to show myself. This is quite hard for me. I love to show my work, I don't like to show myself. I don't like photos, even from when I was very young. My dad always said, 'Please, let me take a picture of you.' B ut I didn't like it. It's strange because now, it's really part of my job. I have to do the face of the company. At the very beginning, it was a nightmare. The first time I had to go out after the first collection in Milan, I was shocked.
Does this mean all the jewelry you wear becomes like your talismans?
I am a collector of jewels, old jewels. One of my favorites is a Georgian ring. One is from my mom. One is from the very end of the 18th century, south of Italy. One I made by myself. It's a cushion-cut diamond. I love diamonds because diamonds let me dream. But not because they are precious, because they are a testament of the past. They are something you put on you just because you need to remember something, like a marriage, or someone who has died. And they can decorate the way you talk.
The only problem is in the airport, because you know that they have to check everything. When they look at me with all these kinds of ... jewels, they become a little bit nervous. Because it takes, you know, 10 minutes to take off every single piece from my hands.
Kendall Jenner comes from a family with a well-documented love for dressing up (after all, older sister Kim Kardashian makes headlines when she wears flats—a rare occasion). But in an exclusive PopSugar interview, the model recently revealed that the best style advice she's ever received has nothing to do with wearing glamorous clothes or taking fashion risks. "[It's] to be comfortable," she spilled. "Physically and in what you're wearing. Don't wear something that makes you uncomfortable or that you're embarrassed to wear." Given the choice between heels or flats, Jenner even revealed she'd choose the latter.
Simple enough advice, but it's refreshing to find that Jenner truly applies it when she gets dressed in the morning. Whether it's a laid-back yet ladylike look to brother-in-law Kanye West's New York Fashion Week show or a relaxed outfit at the airport, she always seems comfortable and completely at ease in whatever she's wearing—which, considering some of her more daring ensembles, is certainly impressive.
Inspired by Jenner's sensible style advice? Shop stylish flat shoes now.
By John Ortved
What to wear on the first day at school can be a daunting proposition for anyone. But for the 13,212 students at the Parsons School of Design, a feeder for the fashion industry, the decision can be especially weighty. A few students talked about their back-to-school looks.
Last night, Viola Davis won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her role in How to Get Away With Murder. The actress is the first woman of color to win the award, and her touching speech about this victory is a truly inspiring and uplifting way to start the week. Click to watch above, and share your thoughts on her win in the comments below.
Also, if you're feeling inspired by Davis's gorgeous Carmen Marc Valvo dress, head over to shop these gorgeous gowns—or at least to ogle at them!
The list of things that grease the wheels of a major fashion show's preparation is long — caffeine, bottled water, pins, FedEx — but regular meals are not on it.
Take this from the expert: Lauren Gerrie, personal chef to Marc Jacobs.
When Mr. Jacobs is in town (he has another private chef he calls upon in Paris), Ms. Gerrie is on call, every day. She makes meals, keeps his home and office stocked with juices, coconut water and treats, and is available to make whatever Mr. Jacobs wants, for himself and for the friends he entertains.
Those who follow Mr. Jacobs on social media have seen the fruits of some of her labors (such as the short ribs she cooked for him and Terry Richardson recently), or his warm tributes to her (after the "incredible dinner" she made for him, Naomi Campbell and Anna Sui).
As such, she is uniquely qualified to describe the eating habits of that rare creature, a stress-frazzled, globally recognized designer in his natural habitat (that is, the studio).
Starting around Labor Day, Mr. Jacobs puts in more time at the office and less time at the dinner table. "Before fashion week, it becomes much quieter in my relationship with him," Ms. Gerrie said.
Ms. Gerrie has gotten good at reading Mr. Jacobs's stress levels from his hunger. "I've already noticed this year, it's sooner for him to be like, 'I don't have an appetite,'" she said, which is convenient, as she has other jobs to occupy her.
Ms. Gerrie also runs Big Little Get Together, a cooking company, with Flannery Klette-Kolton, and does events for private clients, including some she has met through Mr. Jacobs. (This New York Fashion Week, the French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld booked her for the celebration dinner she gave Riccardo Tisci after his Givenchy show, attended by Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, Marina Abramovic and others.)
Ms. Gerrie is now well versed in Mr. Jacobs's likes and dislikes. He likes red meat and hates fat; he is less inclined to Juice Press juices than he once was.
On the pro side: "He loves Russ & Daughters, which is something that I exposed him to," Ms. Gerrie said. She buys him Gaspe smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels, and raspberry rugelach there.
And on the con: "I'm not going to put uni down in front of him. He's not going to eat it. Or he may and spit it out. You've got to know your audience."
Around fashion week, Ms. Gerrie delivers homemade treats like spelt cookies or granola bars, farmers' market produce and coconut water to Mr. Jacobs's office. She has picked up on some of the preferences of his coterie, too, including his assistant, the design team and Jamie Bochert, who is Mr. Jacobs's fit model.
And now, when stress is at its highest, Ms. Gerrie said Mr. Jacobs turns to junk food, despite her attempts to steer him in a healthier direction.
"I try to encourage him to limit the McDonald's intake," she said. "I try. Usually not that successfully."
She'll attend his show tonight, then gird herself for her own intense workload after it's over. "Post-fashion week when he's hibernating at home, that's when I'll be working really long hours," she said. "I'll be there."
A fantastic pair of shoes always brings an outfit together, and we are totally loving Kate Bosworth's latest style choice. Kate accessorized a Karen Walker zip-front denim dress with a blue gingham shirt and gorgeous patterned platform sandals in a camel tone. She also added a pale blush-colored bag, and tortoiseshell sunglasses for extra glamour. Together, the whole look is a chic and easy for traveling. And someone get us those shoes immediately!
Scroll down to see Kate's amazing shoes!
The list of things that grease the wheels of a major fashion show's preparation is long — caffeine, bottled water, pins, FedEx — but regular meals are not on it.
Take this from the expert: Lauren Gerrie, personal chef to Marc Jacobs.
When Mr. Jacobs is in town (he has another private chef he calls upon in Paris), Ms. Gerrie is on call, every day. She makes meals, keeps his home and office stocked with juices, coconut water and treats, and is available to make whatever Mr. Jacobs wants, for himself and for the friends he entertains.
Those who follow Mr. Jacobs on social media have seen the fruits of some of her labors (such as the short ribs she cooked for him and Terry Richardson recently), or his warm tributes to her (after the "incredible dinner" she made for him, Naomi Campbell and Anna Sui).
As such, she is uniquely qualified to describe the eating habits of that rare creature, a stress-frazzled, globally recognized designer in his natural habitat (that is, the studio).
Starting around Labor Day, Mr. Jacobs puts in more time at the office and less time at the dinner table. "Before fashion week, it becomes much quieter in my relationship with him," Ms. Gerrie said.
Ms. Gerrie has gotten good at reading Mr. Jacobs's stress levels from his hunger. "I've already noticed this year, it's sooner for him to be like, 'I don't have an appetite,'" she said, which is convenient, as she has other jobs to occupy her.
Ms. Gerrie also runs Big Little Get Together, a cooking company, with Flannery Klette-Kolton, and does events for private clients, including some she has met through Mr. Jacobs. (This New York Fashion Week, the French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld booked her for the celebration dinner she gave Riccardo Tisci after his Givenchy show, attended by Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, Marina Abramovic and others.)
Ms. Gerrie is now well versed in Mr. Jacobs's likes and dislikes. He likes red meat and hates fat; he is less inclined to Juice Press juices than he once was.
On the pro side: "He loves Russ & Daughters, which is something that I exposed him to," Ms. Gerrie said. She buys him Gaspe smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels, and raspberry rugelach there.
And on the con: "I'm not going to put uni down in front of him. He's not going to eat it. Or he may and spit it out. You've got to know your audience."
Around fashion week, Ms. Gerrie delivers homemade treats like spelt cookies or granola bars, farmers' market produce and coconut water to Mr. Jacobs's office. She has picked up on some of the preferences of his coterie, too, including his assistant, the design team and Jamie Bochert, who is Mr. Jacobs's fit model.
And now, when stress is at its highest, Ms. Gerrie said Mr. Jacobs turns to junk food, despite her attempts to steer him in a healthier direction.
"I try to encourage him to limit the McDonald's intake," she said. "I try. Usually not that successfully."
She'll attend his show tonight, then gird herself for her own intense workload after it's over. "Post-fashion week when he's hibernating at home, that's when I'll be working really long hours," she said. "I'll be there."
If you want to become a model, maybe just go to the grocery store? Two weeks ago, Shelby Hayes was grocery shopping with her mother in California when she was discovered and chosen as a model for Proenza Schouler's Spring/Summer 2016 collection. According to Vogue, she was flown in specifically for the show and describes herself as a "bookworm with a fondness for Disneyland." Hayes also booked another high profile show at New York's Spring/Summer 2016 collections, walking in Marc Jacobs's hotly anticipated show at the Ziegfeld Theatre. With two amazing shows under her belt already, we're sure to see more from Shelby in the future.
Scroll down to see shots of Shelby in action at Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs!
For professional trend forecasters, a generation (as in Generation X, or Y) is less a collection of individuals than a commodity: to be processed into a manufactured unit, marketed and sold to clients. To get there first and define the next next generation is like staking a claim in a gold rush.
Perhaps this explains why, even as most marketers and demographers are busy enough trying to wrap their heads around Generation Z, the postmillennial generation of teenagers and tweens, some forecasters are already trying to define the essence of the generation beyond.
You know: toddlers, babies, the unborn.
For years, Mark McCrindle, a generational researcher and corporate consultant in Australia, has been trying to get a sociocultural read on the post-Generation Z tidal wave of consumers, never mind that many of them are still in onesies, if they have even been born at all. Generation Alpha, anyone?
Here's his take on the cohort, such as it is, in an interview conducted over email, and edited for space and clarity.
Why Generation Alpha?
It just made sense, as it is in keeping with scientific nomenclature of using the Greek alphabet in lieu of the Latin. It didn't make sense to go back to A. After all, they are the first generation wholly born in the 21st century, and so they are the start of something new, not a return to the old.
Is it jumping the gun to try to define a group of people who are barely past the age of watching 'Barney & Friends'?
There are more than 2.5 million Gen Alphas born globally every week. When they have all been born (2025), they will number almost two billion. They start school next year and will be the most formally educated generation ever, the most technology supplied generation ever, and globally the wealthiest generation ever.
H ow do you gather intelligence about, and project a generational identity onto, a group of people this young?
We can learn a fair bit about them by analyzing some key areas, starting with the demographics, which give us some forward forecasts. There is the age of parents (older), the cultural mix (more diverse), socioeconomics (slightly wealthier), family size (smaller), life expectancy (longer). Then there is the research of their parents, the millennials, or Generation Y, which gives us a sense of how they will be raised. Generation Y will be more frequently career-changing, more materially endowed, more technologically supplied and more likely to outsource aspects of parenting such as child care.
Technology was obviously a defining fact or for millennials, and has been even more so for Generation Z (Snapchat, iPhone, Twitter, Instagram). How much more tech-intensive can the lives of Generation Alpha members possibly become?
Generation Alpha is part of an unintentional global experiment where screens are placed in front of them from the youngest age as pacifiers, entertainers and educational aids. They began being born in 2010, the year the iPad was introduced, Instagram was created and "app" was the word of the year, so they have been raised as "screenagers" to a greater extent than the fixed screens of the past could facilitate. For this reason we also call them Generation Glass.
What comes after Generation Alpha? Is it never too early to start to look ahead?
Generational definitions are most useful when they span a set age range and thus allow meaningful comparisons across generations. So it follows that it will be Generation Beta. If the nomenclature sticks, then we will afterward have Generation Gamma and Generation Delta. It does sound a bit too much like a sorority or fraternity, but we won't be getting there until the second half of the 21st century, so there is plenty of time to reflect on the labels.
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The list of things that grease the wheels of a major fashion show's preparation is long — caffeine, bottled water, pins, FedEx — but regular meals are not on it.
Take this from the expert: Lauren Gerrie, personal chef to Marc Jacobs.
When Mr. Jacobs is in town (he has another private chef he calls upon in Paris), Ms. Gerrie is on call, every day. She makes meals, keeps his home and office stocked with juices, coconut water and treats, and is available to make whatever Mr. Jacobs wants, for himself and for the friends he entertains.
Those who follow Mr. Jacobs on social media have seen the fruits of some of her labors (such as the short ribs she cooked for him and Terry Richardson recently), or his warm tributes to her (after the "incredible dinner" she made for him, Naomi Campbell and Anna Sui).
As such, she is uniquely qualified to describe the eating habits of that rare creature, a stress-frazzled, globally recognized designer in his natural habitat (that is, the studio).
Starting around Labor Day, Mr. Jacobs puts in more time at the office and less time at the dinner table. "Before fashion week, it becomes much quieter in my relationship with him," Ms. Gerrie said.
Ms. Gerrie has gotten good at reading Mr. Jacobs's stress levels from his hunger. "I've already noticed this year, it's sooner for him to be like, 'I don't have an appetite,'" she said, which is convenient, as she has other jobs to occupy her.
Ms. Gerrie also runs Big Little Get Together, a cooking company, with Flannery Klette-Kolton, and does events for private clients, including some she has met through Mr. Jacobs. (This New York Fashion Week, the French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld booked her for the celebration dinner she gave Riccardo Tisci after his Givenchy show, attended by Kanye and Kim Kardashian West, Marina Abramovic and others.)
Ms. Gerrie is now well versed in Mr. Jacobs's likes and dislikes. He likes red meat and hates fat; he is less inclined to Juice Press juices than he once was.
On the pro side: "He loves Russ & Daughters, which is something that I exposed him to," Ms. Gerrie said. She buys him Gaspe smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels, and raspberry rugelach there.
And on the con: "I'm not going to put uni down in front of him. He's not going to eat it. Or he may and spit it out. You've got to know your audience."
Around fashion week, Ms. Gerrie delivers homemade treats like spelt cookies or granola bars, farmers' market produce and coconut water to Mr. Jacobs's office. She has picked up on some of the preferences of his coterie, too, including his assistant, the design team and Jamie Bochert, who is Mr. Jacobs's fit model.
And now, when stress is at its highest, Ms. Gerrie said Mr. Jacobs turns to junk food, despite her attempts to steer him in a healthier direction.
"I try to encourage him to limit the McDonald's intake," she said. "I try. Usually not that successfully."
She'll attend his show tonight, then gird herself for her own intense workload after it's over. "Post-fashion week when he's hibernating at home, that's when I'll be working really long hours," she said. "I'll be there."
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Elvis Presley is dead, but he's still extremely busy.
Elvis is king of a growing cast of celebrity wedding officiants dressed in character.
With millennials and Gen Xers now in their prime marriage years, the days of trotting out a fake Elvis to officiate at Las Vegas wedding chapel would seemingly be long gone. Not so, said Ron DeCar, a performer and owner of Viva Las Vegas Weddings.
"When I started this business in 1999, we did 13 weddings a month," said Mr. DeCar, 58, whose company specializes in themed weddings featuring Elvis and other celebrity impersonators as officiants, and traditional weddings. "Now we do over 500. Half of those are Elvis requests and 100 are themed."
GigMasters, an event marketplace based in Norwalk, Conn., can also attest to the latest popularity of Elvis for couples. From January 2013 to December 2014, it had 184 requests for impersonators to officiate weddings across the United States and fully 94 percent of them wanted an Elvis.
With a rotating staff of performers, Mr. DeCar's company also offers officiants who come dressed as Austin Powers, James Bond, Batman, the Blues Brothers and members of the band Kiss. Characters from "Star Trek" are also popular. Almost anyone can go online and obtain a near-instant "ordination" that allows them to legally officiate in most states.
The promise of a "Star Trek" theme wedding recently attracted Nicolas Berthier, 33, and Gilles Henisse, 48, to Las Vegas from their native France.
"France is too serious and ceremonial — we didn't want that," said Mr. Berthier, who stood by Mr. Henisse's side in the small chapel in Las Vegas, where their best man was dressed as a Minion and their maid of honor appeared in a purple bunny suit. Smoke billowed from machines clouding the air while the theme from "Star Trek" filled the room. The curtain lifted as Mr. DeCar, costumed as Spock, stepped forward.
"Marriage is highly illogical," the Spock character said before asking the couple: "Do you promise to let your heart be strong, to let it overcome life's obstacles? To boldly love as no two have loved before?"
Both men agreed. Vows were exchanged in French. Tears were shed. "Being married in Vegas is simple and funny," said Mr. Berthier, a writer who was clearly overjoyed with this Las Vegas experience even as he acknowledged that they are not legally married under French law. "Here you can do anything you can imagine."
The grand total for this experience was $6,000, which included two plane tickets, hotel, food and entertainment for eight, cake, champagne and the 30-minute ceremony. (Guests paid for their own travel and housing.)
Are these ceremonies being played for laughs? Perhaps. For most, however, they are the real thing disguised as entertainment.
Dustin Kidd, an associate professor of sociology at Temple University in Philadelphia, and author of "Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society," said these kinds of weddings have become an extension of t he nerd culture, which has grown over the last decade.
"People are connecting romance to nerd stories like 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Star Trek,' " he said. "It makes sense they'd want to carry that over into real life, which is why they're gravitating toward weddings where you become a participatory part of the story."
For the couple, a connection to the subject is very appealing. For others, it offers affordability, less planning and a fairly stress-free experience, experts said.
Robert Thompson, a professor of pop culture at Syracuse University, said, "It's so deeply rooted in our minds that this is what we to want to have: the opulent event, the big white dress, the large party."
But each generation beginning with the baby boomers has moved away from traditional ceremonies, he added. "Even though the boomers chipped away at traditional weddings, and X'ers chipped away at it a little more," he said. "Millennials are chipping away at it the most."
When Hawaii blends into Mexico, and Mexico morphs into Miami, themed weddings become extremely memorable, not to mention personal.
Lia Batkin, a founder of In the Know Experiences, a Virtuoso travel agency in New York, said millennials and X'ers are "trying to find ways to express themselves and make weddings their own."
"They don't want to please their parents," she said. "When they do, they realize they aren't getting the weddings they wanted."
A key element at work, these specialists say, is that the couples, some in their late 20s and early 30s, are paying so they can make the decisions. They recognize, Ms. Batkin said, that whoever pays for the event gets to make the decisions about how the wedding will look, sound and feel.
And the cost can be reasonable. Renting an Elvis officiant from Viva Las Vegas comes with nine different packages. For $350, for instance, you get an Elvis who sings two songs and performs the ceremony, r ose bouquets photos of the event, video, music, an Elvis certificate, a wedding coordinator, sedan transportation for the couple and your names lit up on the company's marquee.
"Something that's different like a themed wedding grabs people's attention," said Alex Choi, 27, who lives in California and has been to more than 10 weddings, include one with a "Lord of the Rings" theme. "It was the fun, theatrical, and they got married the way they wanted to, and it was still very beautiful and special," he said."Some don't want to make it religious, they don't want the traditional route," he said.
The prevalence of YouTube and other online media is heavily influencing the wedding choices others in his generation are making. "Social media l ets you share an experience with as many people as possible while having the loudest voice as you do it," he said.
Starting in January, "Zumanity," the most sexually charged show of the Cirque du Soleil portfolio, will offer wedding packages in Las Vegas at the New York New York Hotel. "People want to be part of something unique that still has meaning," said Pierre Parisien, the show's senior artistic director.
The show's mistress of sensuality, the drag queen Christopher Kenney, can marry couples midday and at that evening's performance; the wedding couple and their friends will attend the show and be introduced to the audience as newlyweds.
"Now that everyone can marry," Mr. Parisien said, "we want to offer a way for people to celebrate their love, because that's what 'Zumanity' is about."
Read more: Defying Tradition, and Working Out, to Wear Bridal Crop Tops
When Mom Is Part of the Bachelorette Party Debauchery
Passing on Wedding Gifts, Millennials Prefer Cash
