Elementary School Cool: 5 Trends I Never Thought Would Make a Comeback

I’ve been curing nostalgia by combing through old photos lately, and one thing that I noticed as I reminisced were the slightly questionable outfits that my friends and I flaunted (let’s just say it was pretty clear pink was my favourite colour). I remember certain fashion items from my childhood being very popular, whether that was due to peer pressure or just due to the collective bad taste of our parents. Some of these items have resurfaced over the past few years, after being deemed unforgivable for most of middle and high school. Elementary school was a happy, carefree time, and looks that combine what was worn back then with a bright colour palette exude a playful, quirky vibe. At the same time, a lot of the items I once associated with this elementary school vibe have been adopted into mainstream fashion, so that they fit seamlessly with a range of different styles - take the bucket hat as an example. Others are reminders that fashion doesn’t always have to be taken so seriously, that there are no rules and we shouldn’t let what others’ think inhibit our creativity. And with that, I bring you…

Crocs.

Controversial even in those elementary school days. I thought for sure we’d seen the last of them then, but suddenly these shoe-shaped bits of foam (they do not deserve the title of shoe) were being worn ironically. Then not so ironically. And look where we are now - icons like Ruby Rose and Post Malone have collaborated with the brand, not to mention Liberty London, the designer department store. Image via

Bucket hats

These made a comeback last year, and I really hope this one lasts. So many different designs and materials that can be shown off, they really add something to those summer fits. Bonus points if it’s reversible. Image via

Gap hoodies

Though my elementary school had no uniform, step on to the playground in 2009 and you might have been fooled. Seemingly everyone had some variation of the classic zip-up hoodie. I’ve been surprised to spot so many on Depop, often cropped or impressively styled up by sellers. If you can make the Gap hoodie look good then kudos to you.

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Cardigans

Probably my favourite on here. Granted, the cardigans I wear today are a lot more low-cut and a lot less grandma than the ones pre-teen Emma wore. I love how versatile they are - they can be worn as an extra layer unbuttoned, as a top, or simply tied around the waist. Also work really well with accessories. Image via

Long shorts

One look at Brandy Melville’s summer collection suggests that short shorts are taking a temporary leave of absence this summer. Again, long shorts can be controversial, and I would like to agree with André that below-the-knee = unforgivable.

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Don't Boycott LVMH—Fashion Jobs Are Coming to Texas.

Following the grand opening of Louis Vuitton’s new factory in rural Texas, the conversation should be about jobs. After all, 150 employees currently work in the facility. And within five years, the factory is expected to employ a total of 1,000 workers. The leather workshop will produce many of Louis Vuitton’s classic bags, which will proudly sport “Made in the USA” labels. For the highly skilled American worker, and for Louis Vuitton fans eager to support the American economy, this is great news. And yet, media coverage of the ribbon cutting was not about job creation or the fact that an iconic fashion brand is manufacturing products in America. On the contrary, Louis Vuitton’s parent company, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, has been added to the campaign #grabyourwallet. In other words, consumers are boycotting LVMH. Why? Because President Trump cut the ribbon at the new factory on October 17th.

And yet, this unveiling was not intended to be political. Instead, Louis Vuitton’s chief executive Bernard Arnault celebrated the unveiling as a representation of Louis Vuitton’s commitment to the American economy. Neither Arnault, nor the company he represents, endorsed the President of the United States or his policies. Arnault himself made this point quite succinctly: “We are very honored to have the [P]resident of the United States. I’m not here to judge any types of policies. I’m here to work with my brand, and we are going to, over five years, have 1,000 people working here, and that’s what matters.” Arnault added that the event also illustrated “the commitment of President Trump to the American worker.” But, it’s important to emphasize that this was not meant as a political comment; rather, it was a statement of fact. By pressuring companies to manufacture more of their products in America, President Trump is committed to creating jobs on American soil. And an individual doesn’t have to be a Trump voter - or even a potential supporter - to admit this.

After all, as is made clear by Arnault’s comment, this was not a Louis Vuitton sponsored Trump rally; it was a big win for the American worker. It was a celebration for the local community of Alvarado, Texas, as well as a landmark event: bringing the manufacturing of high fashion to Texas. And despite the fact that President Trump, senior White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and other administration officials attended the event, politics should not have been the focus. This wasn’t about political endorsements or lack thereof. It was about the American worker.

Nonetheless, a few days after the event, Nicolas Ghesquière, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s women’s wear, posted on Instagram in protest against his employer’s “association” with the President of the United States. Ghesquière’s post read, “Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association #trumpisajoke #homophobia.” The image on the post features Evelyn Thomas’ song “High Energy.”

And as Vanessa Friedman documented in her ensuing New York Times piece, Ghesquière’s post instigated a firestorm. Friedman provides a “who’s who” list of individuals across the fashion industry, who responded to Ghesquière’s post with enthusiastic applause - from Camille Miceli to Giambattista Valli and Julien Dossena. And as has become the norm within the fashion industry - and within American culture, in general - the Trump-associated ribbon cutting was vilified and mocked as a faux pas, committed by “mistaken” LVMH leadership.

Rather than focus upon the monumental achievement of such a ribbon cutting, the press chose instead to run headlines highlighting Ghesquière’s Instagram post. It must be emphasized that Ghesquière possesses the freedom to voice his dissent - as he very well should. He should have the right to voice his frustration, and he did. It is nonetheless worthwhile to reflect upon the media’s response to Ghesquière’s post. After all, the fallout of the event is representative of more than internal tension in Louis Vuitton’s leadership; the fallout is about even more than the specific act of President Trump cutting the ribbon at a new Louis Vuitton factory. Instead, the fallout emphasizes the bitterness and hatred that members of the fashion community feel towards the President of the United States.

The Washington Post ran the headline “Trump praised Louis Vuitton during a factory visit. A designer there called him ‘a joke.’'“ Of course, the headline of the piece was not that new jobs are being created in Johnson County, Texas. The headline did not even make it clear that a brand new Louis Vuitton factory just opened on American soil. Instead, the headline’s focus was political; the narrative was carefully selected, so that “the news” was not the creation of jobs, but Ghesquière’s dislike of the President. And The Washington Post wasn’t the only news outlet to take such a perspective. Newsweek ran the headline, “After Trump and Ivanka visit, Louis Vuitton Artistic Director posts He’s ‘Refusing this Association,’” while The Huffington Post released, “Louis Vuitton Director Slams Trump as ‘Joke’ After Visit to Brand’s Texas Workshop.”

As increased political outrage ensued, Grab Your Wallet extended its boycott of Trump-affiliated companies, to include Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy brands (which include Dior, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs, among others). In order to be removed from the list, Grab Your Wallet demands that LMVH issue a statement in regret over President Trump’s appearance at the factory opening. The campaign also demands that LVMH refuse to conduct other events with the Trump administration, in the future.

And yet, as Grab Your Wallet exercises its first amendment rights, in order to advocate for boycotting any company associated with the President’s administration, it is notable that the creation of new jobs in Texas is thanks to President Trump’s Pledge to America’s Workers program. Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy pledged to created 1,000 jobs as part of this pledge, and the company is doing just that. And in commitment to the Pledge to America’s Workers program, LVMH has also opened two workshops in California.

To date, 366 companies have joined the pledge - totaling 14,373,559 jobs pledged. Companies that have joined the pledge include such corporate behemoths as Amazon, Apple, and Google. And given the extensive list of corporations participating in the program, it becomes clear that this is not a mass corporate endorsement of the Trump administration or of the GOP. On the contrary, this pledge isn’t about who votes for which candidate during the 2020 presidential election. Instead, as President Trump stated at the ribbon cutting, the new Louis Vuitton factory is evidence of an “extraordinary revival of American manufacturing.” And the creation of high skill jobs in the fashion industry, on American soil, is something all Americans can celebrate.

Jeffree Star x Shane Dawson: Where Controversy Meets Beauty

When two of Youtube’s most controversial figures get together, there’s bound to be a slew of drama on the rise with an obvious paycheck.

During the first documentary Shane Dawson did on Jeffree Star last year, we glimpsed into the beauty world and got confirmation of the partnership that is now taking the beauty community by storm. The collab between the duo includes not only Shane’s six part docs-series that reveals details on the makeup industry, but also the Jeffree x Shane makeup collab which includes: one main palette, a mini palette, six liquid lips, a clear gloss, mirrors, and new merch.

One of the many new merch items Shane Dawson has released through his new partnership with Jeffree Star. Via

The first part of the new docu-series follows Shane as he experiences the glamorous and not so glamorous parts of Jeffree’s meet and greets. It isn’t until the second part we start seeing the tea that will come throughout the rest of series. During this, we start to get a glimpse into the vicious business side of the beauty industry and how easy it is to get scammed through partnerships with big brands. Even Shane, who has been on youtube for more than a decade, decimated his own profit from his merch sales for being naive and not understanding his worth.

It is in the final parts, we are starting to see the process of how a successful beauty company rolls out a new product. We get to see how the colors, layout, and packaging are chosen. It is also during these parts, we see Shane’s full, volatile reaction during the most recent (but definitely not the last) “Shane is over Party,” resulting from comments he made on his old podcast in bad taste about his cat. Not only that, we are let in on the secret that Jeffree was robbed of product worth a million dollars. To sum it up, it seems like the beauty community doesn’t want to see them succeed. Jeffree even concludes that the two are linked in an attempt to take them down.

One of Jeffree’s latest releases: the Alien Palette Via

I wouldn’t expect anything less from a collab of these two. With this projected to be Jeffree’s biggest launch yet with a profit of over thirty million dollars, I suggest you check it out.

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Trendy or Tasteless? Burberry Crosses the Line with Their Latest Collection

Fashion Month is always a highly anticipated event. Designers around the world push the limits of art and ingenuity to showcase their work. Since New York, London, Paris and Milan are highly considered the fashion capitals of the world, the designers that show during Fashion Month have a lot of control in dictating each seasons’ respective trends.

That being said, with all the amazing runway looks that are created, there are always those that don’t necessarily portray what the designer or creative director had intended. Unfortunately, this year’s fashion cycle has already had its fair share of controversial pieces and collections.

The unforgettable look; Image via

Burberry, one of the world’s major fashion houses, is currently facing a lot of backlash for their “noose hoodie.” The incident became a lot more public when one of Burberry’s models took to instagram to share her thoughts: “suicide is not fashion.” She went on the say that in the dressing room, employees had hung up one of the sweatshirts from the ceiling and were “laughing about it;” when she brought up how triggering the piece was, especially for someone like her that has experienced a suicide in her own family, she was told “it’s fashion. Nobody cares about what’s going on in your personal life, so just keep it to yourself.”

When representatives of a major label are seen acting in such a manner, it’s truly inexcusable. A multimillion dollar company should know the obvious difference between their intended “marine theme” knot and a noose, and the employees should have the respect, not only for the label they are representing, but for the audience that this piece is being marketed towards, to speak up about it.

The issue has since been addressed by the CEO, who has taken to instagram to pledge that there are newly enforced company-wide education initiatives meant to stop a situation like this from happening again. And while that does help salvage the image of the brand, the mistake they made was so obviously wrong and the design must have been approved and seen by so many people that it shouldn’t have ever hit the runway to begin with.

None of this necessarily means that an attempt to constantly evolve fashion should be slowed down or censored, but there are still unwritten “rules” that shouldn’t be broken. One of these rules is not turning suicide, or self harm and mental illness, into a joke or something ‘trendy’ for profit-earning ends.

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