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In this week’s style guide, we marvel at Doja Cat in Paris; Telfar wallets sell out in minutes; the City Girls’ latest collab, and more.
Spring 2023 Couture Fashion Week took place this week in Paris, and while there were plenty of looks on the runways generating buzz, Doja Cat was the talk of the front row.
Most notably, the singer kicked the week off by attending the Schiaparelli show in head-to-toe red Swarovski crystals — literally. For the surreal look, Doja’s head, face, neck, chest, and arms were completely embellished in 30,000 blood-red crystals by legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath.
“Collaborating with the incomparably talented Doja Cat and Daniel Roseberry was an absolute pleasure. Her patience and dedication as she sat with Team Pat McGrath and I for four hours and 58 minutes to achieve the creation, covered in over 30,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals, was truly inspiring,” McGrath told Vogue.
Doja turned heads again when she attended the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 show in full-on menswear camp, donning a caramel pinstripe suit with a faux mustache and eyebrows made from faux eyelashes. Later that day, Doja channeled her inner goth girl while attending the Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2023 show, wearing a black cape with gloves, black platform shoes, and long black hair to rival “The Addams Family” matriarch Morticia. And just when it felt like she couldn’t outdo herself, Doja attended Jean Paul Gaultier’s Couture Spring/Summer 2023 show in a structured blue leather trench coat, carrying a bunch of grapes as an accessory. Delicious.
Doja Cat attends the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
Doja Cat attends the Viktor & Rolf Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 25, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Marc Piasecki/WireImage)
Doja Cat attends the Valentino Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 25, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Doja Cat attends the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 25, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)
Doja Cat attends the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
The list of things the world-famous and trailblazing dancer Josephine Baker achieved during her lifetime is astounding. She was the first Black mega-celebrity. She was a spy for the French during World War II. Despite being a Black ex-pat in Paris, she remained a fierce advocate of civil rights in America. She was also undeniably glamorous and a die-hard fan of Dior.
Baker’s fashionable and epic life was the primary inspiration for Dior’s Couture Spring 2023 show, which featured models made up in the style of the 1920s, dressed in muted colors and modern flapper-style designs.
“Josephine Baker was a woman that immediately understood the power of fashion,” said Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Tapping acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas as the show’s set designer, the presentation also honored other female icons with “giant embroidered portraits that wrapped around the inside of the tent set up in the garden of the Rodin Museum,” according to Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).
Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone and Diahann Carroll were some of the faces that looked down on the guests. “It was definitely very strategic to do this,” Thomas said before the show. “I think just alone for Maria Grazia to want to work with me, you know, as a Black woman from America who works in this genre is a radical statement in itself and it’s exciting.”
Aliétte, the luxury fashion brand owned by designer and celebrity stylist Jason Rembert, announced its 2023 pre-fall collection, titled “Cut the Bull.” Strongly inspired by gardens in urban environments, the collection pairs garden neutrals with the brand’s signature vibrant colors, using dramatic geometric silhouettes to reflect the unique beauty of gardens blossoming in metropolitan areas. Unlike most designers, Rembert is not interested in showcasing all-new designs in each collection. Instead, the celebrity stylist and designer often remixes previous designs. So, if you’re a fan of Aliétte, this collection will feel both striking and familiar.
Telfar strikes again with another groundbreaking launch. This week, the NYC-based brand released its first-ever wallet design. Offered in 17 different colors, the collection of logo-embossed wallets is also the brand’s first accessory made of genuine leather (its UGG collaboration notwithstanding). Best known for its unisex, vegan leather shopping totes, Telfar shook up the industry with its unique designs and philosophy.
“We have a vision for fashion that I don’t think anyone else is touching. A lot of people take inspiration from ’the streets’ — and there is this whole language of appropriation — taking something ’low’ and elevating it. We don’t believe in ’high’ and ’low.’ The way I see fashion is totally horizontal,” founder Telfar Clemens told Fader magazine.
Like most Telfar drops, the wallets sold out instantly and are already being resold for double the original retail price ($144) on secondhand retail sites.
No, there’s still no new album, but at least we have two new lines from Rihanna celebrating her upcoming Apple Music Super Bowl performance.
This week, Rihanna and boyfriend A$AP Rocky dropped a new collab with streetwear brand Mitchell & Ness, as well as a new Super Bowl-themed Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin line. To date, the addition of these two new collections brings the number of Rih’s Super Bowl-related drops up to three.
For the streetwear brand, Rihanna and A$AP have teamed up to release a limited edition capsule collection that includes oversize short and long-sleeved T-shirts, hoodies, a coach’s jacket, and more. According to Women’s Wear Daily, items in the collection will also feature a quote by Rihanna: “If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that we can fix this world together. We can’t do it divided, I can’t emphasize that enough.” The limited capsule is available at the NFL Shop and at the Fanatics’ website from $45 to $135.
Riri’s Fenty Beauty line has also dropped “Game Day Essentials,” a collection of new items and remixed classics sold in an on-theme football field printed mini clutch complete with a little football-shaped makeup sponge. While the Game Day Essentials’ Showstopp’r Kit retails at $76, some items are available for individual purchase, starting at $12.
Kid Cudi — rapper, actor, director, and now designer. During Paris Menswear Fashion Week, Cudi, formally known as Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, released his first ready-to-wear collection for his year-old brand, Members of the Rage. While strongly inspired by the ‘90s grunge and hip-hop aesthetic, the capsule also features elements Cudi describes as “retro future-type vibes.”
“I really wanted it to represent Scott Mescudi, who I am,” said the artist, per WWD. “I think anybody that knows me will be able to look at this collection and feel my spirit all throughout it.”
The vibrant unisex collection is only the beginning; Cudi hopes to see Members of the Rage grow into a lifestyle brand. Fans will be able to shop the collection at Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue, and H. Lorenzo.
Famous rap duo JT and Yung Miami of the City Girls are teaming up with Black woman-owned skincare brand Cota Skin for a glowing collaboration. In a series of Instagram videos on both the rappers’ and brand’s pages, the trio announced the partnership with the slogan, “if you ain’t a Cota girl, then you ain’t a city girl.”
In addition to learning more about the Florida natives’ skincare journeys, fans can easily shop the City Girls Bundle collection on cotaskin.com, which includes all their top picks. Available in two variations, the City Girls Deluxe Bundle costs $172, and the Luxe XL Bundle is $210.
Meagan Good is making bold moves — including becoming a blonde again.
According to a press release, Dark & Lovely announced the “Harlem” star as its newest brand ambassador during its Making Bold Moves’ event, which was held in support of the brand’s philanthropic initiative, Building Beautiful Futures. Good flaunted freshly dyed blonde hair for the event.
Specifically, Good will serve as an ambassador for Dark & Lovely’s Fade Resist collection and full product range. She will also help raise awareness for its Building Beautiful Futures initiative, which, now in its second year, helps provide educational and career equity to Black female college students and young professionals.
“In a world where Black women are often disregarded, Dark & Lovely has always celebrated us. I’m honored to be partnering with this legendary brand to help embolden Black women to authentically walk in their power, dream big and celebrate who they are,” stated Good.
Puma’s creative director, the iconic stylist June Ambrose, wants women to keep score of their wins.
Ambrose certainly has led a career worth keeping track of, and her groundbreaking work in the world of music and fashion has inspired her first-ever co-branded collaboration with Puma, “Keeping Score.” According to a release to theGrio, the 20-piece apparel, footwear, and accessories line, launching in two parts, explores themes of reflection and encouraging women to keep score of their wins.
The first drop from the collection is available now and includes reversible shorts and beanies, a removable mesh jersey sports bra, a balaclava, color block leggings, and an oversized hoodie in a burgundy and blue colorway. This inaugural installment of the line also includes new versions of the classic Ralph Sampson sneaker and a “design-forward” Prevail sneaker.
Keeping Score retails for $30 – $200 and is available to shop globally on PUMA.com and in Puma stores.
Emmy-nominated media host and style maven Kéla Walker is helping us live our best stylish lives with the help of Amazon’s The Drop. On January 30th, Walker will release her inaugural collection with Amazon’s fashion sector. Representative of her vibrant street style and personality, the curated collection hopes to spark joy and enthusiasm through the use of vibrant colors, inclusive sizing (XXS – 5X), and unique and timeless silhouettes. The nine-piece collection will only be available for 30 hours on Amazon.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrio’s Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to ‘Writing Black’ with Maiysha Kai.