Looking for a dynamite gift for the BTS fan in your life? Please allow me, your resident PopSugar ARMY, to curate a list of my current favorite Bangtan merch for you. Whether the idol-worshipper on your "nice" list is a brand new quarantine fan or has been stanning since the Dark & Wild days, I rounded up the very best official and fan-made fashion, beauty, and tech gifts. Read on for a mic drop-worthy present.
What do we know about Beyoncé's upcoming holiday collection for Adidas x Ivy Park? Well, not much, except for that it seems like it could be preppy with a collegiate influence thanks to the olive green emblem plastered on the Instagram page and Beyoncé's outfit in the teaser - a plaid cutout blazer dress complete with round sunglasses. Rumored to drop on December 10, the drip comes hot on the heels of the Peloton collaboration that included bright neon activewear and the 58-piece rodeo lineup that celebrated the impact of Black men and women on American Western culture. We're sure it won't be long before we see a splashy campaign video (that may or may not include any members of the Carter family) to provide a bit more insight about what's next. In the meantime, ivypark.com is set up as a landing page to field email addresses, so fans don't miss a beat. "The halls welcome everyone," reads the update at the bottom of the site. Scroll for a sneak peek and let your imagination run wild.
A number of trendy prints have catapulted (back) into popularity in the last few seasons. Among them, '50s and '60s-reminiscent checkerboard, '70s psychedelic motifs, and the never-ending revolving door of tie dye. Now, with the ongoing resurgence of '90s and Y2K fashion, another trend is: a bit less anticipated; inarguably more experimental; and depending on how you interpret it, sometimes even a tad risqué. For a small crop of designers - both emerging and longstanding - predictable patterns such as stripes and animal print take a back seat, and in its place come illusion-creating designs that mimic the body. In case you missed it, they're all over Instagram, and with a handful of fashionably-inclined celebrities to cosign.
The particular aesthetic comes in a multitude of variations. Some designers use a cluster of dots to create the illusion of a silhouette, while others may use abstract lines. In other cases, trompe l'oeil comes into play, a trick-of-the-eye technique artists use to fool the viewer into thinking they're actually looking at a 3D object. But before looking at the designers taking over the trend today, it's worth taking a look at some of its origins.
Image Source: Getty / PL Gould
Above: Helena Christensen at the Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 1995 show
It's hard to miss the Jean Paul Gaultier boom happening in fashion right now - especially if you have eyes and are on Instagram. For instance, pre-baby bump Kylie Jenner wore a different rare vintage dress from the designer at every chance, and a major part of the Y2K resurgence involves mesh tops with tattoo-like or illusion prints on them, a style heavily influenced by JPG styles from the '90s. But to pinpoint the moment that sparked a new life for the brand's archive likely points back to Cardi B. and Kim Kardashian each wearing a dress from its 1995 "Cyber" runway show. The show debuted in 1994, and after a handful of latex, leather, and fur-trimmed looks took the runway, then came a slew of designs bearing a print that became affectionately known as the "cyber dot". The motif was inspired by Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, known as the leader of the op art movement. Looking back on the collection in 2020, Gaultier told Vogue he wanted to use the print to create the shape of the body. He used closely placed dots of different sizes, various colors, and shading to create the illusion of shape. On some of the styles, he even printed what looked like the silhouette of a bikini.
Image Source: Getty / John Lamparski
Above: A top from Puppets & Puppets' SS22 collection pays homage to the 1970s Vivienne Westwood Tits Tee.
One of the earliest occurrences of trompe l'oeil regarded in fashion today comes from Vivenne Westwood and former husband Malcolm McLaren. In the 1970s, the pair adopted the "Tits Tee" for their London boutique, Sex & Seditionaries, which became a popular shopping destination for bands such as the Sex Pistols and shaped the look of the punk movement. The tee was a high neck muscle tank with a pair of breasts painted in a rectangle at the chest, and at the time was often even worn by men. A knitted top which appears to pay homage to the Tits Tee appeared at fashion week in September from emerging brand Puppets & Puppets' Spring 2022 collection, while Thom Browne showed a series of statuesque trompe l'oeil looks that same season. Over on Instagram, though, celebrities such as Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion and Jenner give an idea of some of the other emerging designers behind the figure-loving trend.
Image Source: Getty / Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho
Above: Thom Browne showcases its take on trompe l'oeil with its SS22 collection.
London-based brand Sinead Gorey entered the arena using the dot method (the designer dubbed her print "laser light dot points"), and celebs such as Kalis Uchis and Bia are already sporting the looks. "[The designs] come from the idea of curve enhancement, and really exaggerating the female form," Gorey tells POPSUGAR. The print comes with an almost muscular appearance, which Gorey creates by mimicking a thermographic heat gradient map using colors that tie the aesthetic back to the brand's DNA of rave culture. The designer takes a sustainable approach to the trend, using a digital printing technique on lycra that eliminates the consumption of water and the discharge of noxious effluents. "On the whole, I just think they look sexy on anyone," she says.
Designer Pierre-Louis Auvray of Forbidden Kn0wledge tells POPSUGAR he began using the technique in 2019 for an exhibition, a spin on a design he created in 2018 for his graduate design collection. Rather than a huge focus on dots to create the illusion of shape, most of Auvray's focus is on gradient color and shading, and he draws the prints by hand. "I'm exploring the idea of giving the illusion of another body you could wear on top of your own," he says. Kylie Jenner struck a pose at home in a bodysuit from the brand, paired back to a pink mini bag and metallic pumps, while Cardi B. casually wore one of Auvray's knit piping designs while out shopping with the hubby in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Doja Cat donned a dress by Auvray while promoting her 2021 album Planet Her, and the singer's stylist even dressed Grimes in a design from the brand when she joined Doja Cat for her "Need To Know" intergalactic-clubbed themed music video.
Since lockdown restrictions were lifted, the fashion collective has all but unanimously agreed that "skin is in." While micro mini skirts and cut outs galore are all examples of this, the illusion print trend just might be shaping up to be its successor – at least that's what your eyes will be fooled into thinking. Scroll ahead for a closer look at some of the styles from designers leading the wave, as well as how celebrities are styling them IRL.
Every time you buy a new coat, you should think of it as building out your permanent collection of outwear. Coats are pricey, occupy a lot of space in your closet, and are certainly something you want to wear more than a single season. Every now and then a new shape comes along that's worth the splurge, and this season's blanket coat is a fresh silhouette to consider. Its longer, slightly oversized throw-on-and-go shape lends itself to easy, stylish dressing. Even foundation wardrobe items like a cashmere knit and denim underneath get a trendy update with an oversized coat. Try pairing it with a smaller structured cross-body bag and sunglasses and you've created an effortless look that you can wear all day and look pulled together. The oversized nature of the blanket coat feels extra cozy and makes layering simple. Scroll for our favorites.
The hottest date night spot as of late? Hanging courtside at a basketball game. On Sunday night, Naomi Osaka was spotted front row at the Clippers vs. Mavericks match in Los Angeles with her boyfriend and rapper Cordae. The court was the tennis player's runway as she stood out in a fashion-forward outfit consisting of a casual white button-down and a pair of funky sheer pants with velvet embroidered cuffs.
Naomi piled on the accessories, which included a sherpa bucket hat, large gold hoops, a diamond watch and matching bracelet, and of course, a Louis Vuitton purse. She is a global ambassador for the fashion house after all. The athlete completed the look with Swarovski Air Force 1s and a draped black coat. Cordae didn't look too bad himself in a more neutral outfit, wearing a corduroy blazer jacket layered over a hoodie. Get a closer look at their fun ensembles ahead.
It took Elle Fanning 25 minutes to get dressed in her coronation gown as Catherine in Hulu's The Great. Don't forget, she's dressing for two this season. But Fanning is a pro when it comes to embracing her characters through wardrobe, and costume designer Sharon Long knew she would rise to the occasion. When she talked to POPSUGAR about dressing a baby bump in the 18th century, we discovered the plan was quite involved.
"There's not a massive amount of reference. You lose the 18th-century shape, which is a tiny waist with structure, and you get a raising belly that you have to accommodate while still making her look regal and light with a sense of purity and optimism," Long said, explaining that if there was any shift in the aesthetic from season one to two, it was in increasing patterns and jewelry as Catherine takes the throne and adopts her stature.
But Fanning also wore a pregnancy corset throughout filming. "It has openings on the sides that lace, so you can expand the corset as the tummy gets bigger and bigger. But since the corset is rigid and the bump is silicone, it was moving from side to side, so we ended up putting the corset under the bump, which helped retain the proper lines of the dress and kept her frame more closed, which felt more on par with the period."
For the coronation dress specifically, Long referenced 1990s and 2000s glamour from the likes of Christian Lacroix and Dolce & Gabbana. She looked to modern, voluminous shapes from Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen, and Balenciaga, which offer updated takes on opera and evening coats and robes. Believe it or not, as heavy, ornate, and downright complicated as the design looks to be - and Long breaks down its design process for us, ahead - Fanning wore it proudly with tall, gold Manolo Blahnik heels for the scene. You know what we say to that, don't you? Huzzah!
