Mismatched Fashion Is Trending. 6 Ways to Master the Blend. - The Wall Street Journal

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• Mismatched Fashion Is Trending. 6 Ways to Master the Blend. - The Wall Street Journal
• How Fast Fashion Harms the Environment — and People's Health - Discover Magazine
• Recreating Y2K Fashion As an Adult Is the Do-over I’ve Been Waiting For - Vogue

Mismatched Fashion Is Trending. 6 Ways to Master the Blend. - The Wall Street Journal Posted: 25 Jun 2021 10:53 AM PDT ON A BRISK afternoon last month, my boyfriend looked befuddled as I stepped out of my bedroom. "What's happening here?" he asked, tilting his head as he stared at my get-up: a tie-dye Proenza Schouler dress underneath a crisp khaki trench from the Gap. "It looks like you couldn't make up your mind." The truth was, I couldn't—so, I didn't. It was the first time I'd put on a real outfit in over a year, and choosing just one aesthetic was too difficult. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS What pieces are you most excited to wear this summer? Join the conversation below. Many women are facing a similar predicament as the U.S. opens up and we delve into our long-neglected wardrobes, revisiting the decision processes of getting dressed. It's hard to settle on just one thing—we want to wear it all. The result is kooky, counterintuitive styling—or artful mismatching—a look that, when it works, is best described as the sartorial equivalent of "chaotic good." "I'm eager as hell to get dressed up. I do it to go out for groceries," said Leandra Medine, a fashion writer in New York known for her mismatching skills. She attributes the trend's newfound popularity to overexcitement. "Personal style is a meaningful form of self-expression that…was abruptly cut off during the pandemic," she said. "And after a year of pent-up energy, curiosity, emotion, rage, we're at a turning point where we can finally take back this form of self-expression." Ergo, we're going all out, making our looks as creative as possible. Unexpected color combinations—like this quintessentially '70s marigold-and-brown knit and pop-bright sea-foam skirt—stand out on newly crowded city sidewalks. Take Morgan Rossi, global client director at LinkedIn in New York. "The only shopping I did during quarantine [was for] truly special pieces," said Ms. Rossi, 30. "And those are the first things I wanted to wear when we went back to real life." Impatient to break out her spoils, she's been piling on multiple disparate buys at once. Recently, she teamed feathery Manolo Blahnik heels with utilitarian Nili Lotan trousers—both lockdown acquisitions—for a family dinner. Less expert dressers need to use more strategy when it comes to the mismatch endeavor, employing equal parts creativity and restraint. The outfit should feel unexpected and effortless, but never thoughtlessly thrown together. It must be cohesive and considered, but not stiffly coordinated. It's a balance that's easy to get wrong. Those who aced high-school algebra might want to adopt Ms. Medine's formula: "If you're mismatching aesthetics…bohemian with classic, polished with grunge, I like to set an equation wherein the quieter trend, like polished, takes on two parts [of the outfit] for every one part of the louder trend, like grunge." If fractions aren't your strength, New York designer Rachel Comey advises: "Start slow, baby steps." Begin by wearing patterns you "normally wouldn't, and see how it feels," Ms. Comey said. Classic prints—stripes, polka dots, plaids—are a good entry point because they play well with other patterns. You can also stick to one motif and experiment with scale, for instance mixing overblown and minuscule polka dots, as demonstrated below in "On the Dots." Clashing prints in shades of citrusy lime make a morning commute more fun. More confident clashers create outfits that have a subtle connective thread running through them—like the petal-pink color of two different floral prints or the ease of a billowing blouse and breezy gym shorts. The look's barely perceptible cohesion lends it an "I don't know why but it works" quality. Ms. Medine mused that the mismatch approach reflects the many, sometimes incongruous, roles women play: "The complete look hits so many different identities…in a way that says, 'I'm all these things.'" I'm not sure what identities I was straddling with my trench-coat-and-tie-dye look. Perhaps that of a freewheeling, slightly poser-ish hippie (the dress) and that of a sensible adult who's got her life together (the trench). But this is the beauty of dressing up—it allows us to try on different, opposing identities as a way to explore ourselves. With that in mind, this sensible hippie plans to stay the mismatch course. And no guy's grimace can dissuade me. MADAM MIX-A-LOT A foolproof guide to pulling off 6 clashing clothing combinations Shirt, $188, hopeforflowers.com; Skirt, $1,530, Miu Miu, 212-641-2980; Sunglasses, $350, lowercasenyc.com, Sweater, about $720, mollygoddard.com; Shoes, $795, Salvatore Ferragamo, 212-759-3822 On the Dots Layering macro and micro polka-dots is double the fun, but flubbing this combo could trigger vertigo in passersby (objectively un-fun). Take a cue from the balanced ensemble above and pick one color for all your spots. The resulting look will elicit smiles, not swoons. Vest, about $410, rejinapyo.com; Skirt, $685, coperniparis.com; Bag, $1,590, Balenciaga, 212-328-1671; Shoes, $650, manoloblahnik.com Try the Time Warp A seemingly dated 1970s palette of brown and orange can feel surprisingly current when paired with cheerful pastel tones like lavender or sea foam. Try a bold knit sweater like this with a simple silky wrap skirt or preppy pink chinos instead of grabbing that same old pair of jeans. Shirt, $128, ralphlauren.com; Pants, $1,495, chloe.com The Odd Couple Do you have floral pants idling in the back of your closet? No? Well, find some and pair them with a classic striped Oxford. A shared timeless quality is what makes these seemingly discordant patterns work ensemble. And like any good couple, they bring out the best in one another: The floral pants lend the shirt excitement, and the striped shirt subdues the statement-making pants. Sweater, $195, rebeccataylor.com; Blouse, $990, Salvatore Ferragamo, 212-759-3822; Skirt, $3,100, Dior, 212-931-2950; Shoes, $295, caroncallahan.com Color Theory Mixing patterns takes practice. Novices should try layering different prints in similar colors, which will create cohesion. For example, this cardigan, plaid skirt and floral top are in sync because they feature kindred shades of green. Rachel Comey Shirt, $375, Kick Pleat, 512-445-4500; Skirt, $890, carolinaherrera.com Opposites Attract If there were ever a time to reject taboos about wearing activewear, a year spent at home in spandex would be it. As we reemerge, try experimenting with pieces in your closet you've never thought to pair, like techy, nylon running shorts and a billowy silk top. The fanciful blouse is made more casual by the no-brainer black shorts, and the breezy ease of both pieces ties them together.  Shirt, $790, proenzaschouler.com; Shorts, $40, nike.com; Shoes, $625, Manolo Blahnik, 212-255-2600; Sunglasses, $350, lowercasenyc.com Flower Trip Have you amassed a garden's worth of floral clothing over the years? Don't feel like you can only wear one at a time. Pick different floral prints with similar base colors—like the white and pink blooms pictured in the outfit here—and pair them confidently for a less predictable summer look. A classically Midtown striped shirt makes a strong statement when paired with a playful peony print. Styling by Rebecca Malinsky, Hair Styling by Ledora Francis, Makeup By Andrew Colvin, Model Viktoria/Supreme The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets. More in Style & Fashion Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

How Fast Fashion Harms the Environment — and People's Health - Discover Magazine Posted: 25 Jun 2021 12:02 PM PDT For most people shopping in America, it's unavoidable: Fast fashion is all over the place. Though definitions may vary, this large chunk of the clothing available today includes items made and shipped as cheaply and quickly as possible. And though fast fashion puts all the latest runway trends in shopper's baskets right away, the speed and trendiness comes with environmental and ethical consequences." Depending on who you're talking to, they'll be more aware of one aspect of over the other," says Christine Ekenga, an environmental epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. And even for those who study the impacts fast fashion has, understanding exactly how much waste or environmental damage fast fashion creates is challenging. Brands and manufacturing facilities don't often have an incentive to be transparent about their practices, says Kamyar Shirvani Moghaddam, a sustainability scientist at Deakin University in Australia. Companies hoping to make clothing as cheaply as possible for buyers in wealthier countries outsource much of the textile production and treatment process to lower-income nations, particularly those with few manufacturing and labor laws.  Additionally, producers rely on specific protocols to dye, fade, break down or mass-produce their items. When those protocols give companies a competitive retail edge, the organizations might consider them to be trade secrets and can hesitate to share finer details about how much of what ingredients are needed. Despite these roadblocks, researchers and industry investigations have assembled a picture of all the ways fast fashion causes environmental and health problems, from the very beginning of textile production to long after we've forgotten about the clothing we throw away. Manufacturing Creates Greenhouse Gases and Pollution Some of the most dominant textiles used in fast fashion are cotton and synthetics like polyester. Cotton farming, which is water-intensive, requires pesticides and fertilizers, which runoff into rivers and lakes to create toxic conditions for wildlife. Meanwhile, polyester — which according to Greenpeace, is in about 60 percent of clothing made today — comes from the fossil fuel petroleum. Not only does the crude oil have to be extracted and refined, but the polyester fibers are slow to break down in landfills and are partially responsible for the microplastics washing out into bodies of water. Recently, microplastics showed up in 70 of 71 of sea water samples researchers pulled from the Arctic. Of the plastics found, over 67 percent was polyester fiber.  The treatments used to turn the fabrics into wearable items contribute to pollution, too. Clothing manufacturers use dyes, salts and other compounds to change fabric color and guarantee the color stays in place. The process often takes several rounds of washing — on average, just over two pounds of textiles requires almost 53 gallons of water. And though some manufacturers have begun reusing some wastewater for the repeated cycles, that's not always the case, says Shirvani Moghaddam, a sustainability scientist at Deakin University in Australia.  Workers Suffer from Poor Conditions Locations where clothing manufacturing labor is cheapest also tend to be locations with low safety or occupational hazard standards. "In terms of environmental justice, these are industries that are notorious for poor workplace safety practices," says Ekenga. Employees, who are mostly women, are exposed to all the chemicals used in the manufacturing process — additives that wastewater analysis has shown to include arsenic, chromium and zinc. Breathing in dust from cotton, flax or hemp, a problem garment workers face, can lead to symptoms similar to asthma and the kind of lung inflammation smokers often deal with. Workers also cope with injuries on the job. One study in Ethiopia, for example, found that just over 40 percent of textile workers surveyed dealt with an injury in the past year, which was most often caused by a machine that damaged their hands or eyes.  There's a Lot of Trash Despite the pollutants, greenhouse gases and labor going into fast fashion, the products only make brief appearances in our closets. The average American gets rid of 80 pounds of clothing each year, a figure that has grown in the last decade and a half. And though some estimate up to 95 percent of wasted clothing could be recycled, over 65 percent of what Americans toss winds up in landfills. And though the plastic fibers, dyes, leather, metal rivets and more sit in our own landfills, the U.S. also exports unwanted clothing. In 2015, we sent over $700 million dollars worth of clothing to lower-income nations. There, low-wage workers sort the clothing further, and what isn't wanted becomes a part of the waste problem in those nations, too. It's tempting to say that a solution to the problems of fast fashion is to opt-out entirely — just not buy clothing made this way. But that's not a solution for everyone. "We need to acknowledge that not everyone can afford to pay more for their clothes," Ekenga says, though everyone can try to shop in moderation and be mindful of how much they consume. Shoppers with the funds and capacity to sort through the brands they buy have to be wary, too. When brands try and discuss being "eco-friendly" and tout ways they've reduced their environmental footprint, reading the fine print can be revealing, Moghaddam says. He's seen some brand announcements in the past, for example, that claim massive improvement in energy use. But upon a closer read, the reports only discussed power consumed in retail stores — not during production or transportation, where a majority of the pollution and energy consumption happens.  Some solutions to the harms of fast fashion have to come from brands and the manufacturers they hire. Clothing production innovations could ease damages as well. Recycling fibers — taking garments apart, re-dying them and putting them into new products — is an option, and requires more infrastructure to make returning clothes just as easy as throwing them away, Moghaddam says. Manufacturing via 3D printing, where each item is made exactly as ordered, eliminates excess and waste material that gets cut away from garments, too.  Ultimately, Moghaddam says, "we need to rethink the materials and also the process — from the beginning of cotton farming to [what ha post-consumer steps."

Recreating Y2K Fashion As an Adult Is the Do-over I’ve Been Waiting For - Vogue Posted: 25 Jun 2021 09:30 AM PDT It's official, Y2K fashion has moved from nostalgic resurgence status to an inescapable trend. The revival has been polarizing, to say the least. While Gen-Z has largely embraced and pushed looks that would have absolutely graced the cover of the now-defunct YM magazine, millennials are standoffish at best, and in most cases completely dismayed that the clothing they once would have died for as teens, is back again. Somehow we find ourselves once again in a world where Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton are twinning in velour tracksuits, visible thongs are turning heads on runways and celebrities alike, and Bella Hadid is wearing chunky lucite rings that are identical to the ones I once used babysitting money to buy. As a millennial myself, I find myself experiencing a Stockholm syndrome-esque response to the return of bucket hats, scarf tops, and futuristic fabric that once matched my Razr flip phone. I have vivid flashbacks to painted-on lowrise jeans and intentionally displayed g-strings, a combination that I was certain at the age of 16 was the epitome of sex appeal. Not exactly what I would describe as "a good look." But at the same time, I feel drawn to the clothes of my youth once again. As an adult, I have the ability to dress THE EXACT way I assumed adults would dress when I was 13 going on 30. I get to give myself a do over without high school dress codes, without the body-shaming fashion rules I had memorized, and with a bank account that supports my sartorial desires. Maybe with a little finesse I would be fashionably on trend (again). I spent so much of my youth consumed with how my body looked, afraid of it, angry at it. I don't want to miss this window of opportunity to dress like the hot mean girl in every rom-com, without the body loathing that once came with wearing skin tight apparel. After spending the last year coddling myself with early aught sitcoms (How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill and the obligatory Friends rewatch) in isolation, I feel immersed in a world of baby tees, chokers, and body clinging mini-dresses, and that once flickering ember of nostalgia has sparked full on fandom for the era. Best of all, for those of us who didn't fit into the on-trend apparel of the 2000s, so many of those same staples are back with more size inclusive options (yes that includes plus size Juicy Couture velour tracksuits). It's also relatively easy to still find these iconic styles in thrift stores, making this a trend to try without breaking the bank. In fact, the majority of my outfits were built off vintage pieces curated together with the help of Emma Zack, the owner of Berriez, an online vintage store specializing in size inclusion.

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