List of All Articles with Tag 'fashion'

Racegoers have descended on the first day of this year’s Royal Ascot after the grounds were hit by a deluge of rain this morning (Tuesday 20 June). But the torrential rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of those attending, with many bringing their best outfits to the racecourse. Fashion at Royal Ascot has always been a big deal, and this year is no different. Big, sculptural hats and bright, colourful fascinators are all the rage this year, with women seeming to compete against each other for who can wear the tallest headgear. When Ladies’ Day arrives on Friday (23 June), viewers will no doubt be treated to an even bigger spectacle. The race, which dates back to the 1790s, is a firm favourite among members of the royal family, as well as celebrities and public figures. The late Queen Elizabeth II was an ardent lover of the sporting event and attended nearly every year for seven decades throughout her reign. This year’s event marks the first time King Charles III and Queen Camilla have attended in their new roles. The royal couple, who were crowned last month, paid tribute to the late monarch in a joint foreword for the official programme. Aside from Charles and Camilla, other royals who were present today include the Princess Royal and her daughter, Zara Tindall. Princess Eugenie, the eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi also attended. Other famous faces on the racecourse were singer Natalie Rushdie, Made in Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo, sculptor Daniel Lismore, models Rosie Tapner, Eunice Olumide and Hana Cross, TV presenter Charlotte Hawkins, and The Only Way Is Essex star Lucy Mecklenburgh. Here are our favourite looks from the first day of Royal Ascot. Queen Camilla The Queen floated through the grounds in a cream coat dress, with a matching hat and gloves. She also wore the Queen Mother’s Shell Brooch on her lapel, alongisde a pair of dangly pearl earrings. Zara Tindall Tindall’s elegant midi dress features pale green florals with hints of pink. She accessorised the dress, which is by designer Leo Lin, with a straw boater, a nude clutch bag by Anya Hindmarch and nude Sauvereign shoes. Daniel Lismore The designer and sculptor, who has been named “England’s most eccentric dresser”, did not fail to live up to the expectations set for himself. Lismore attended the race in a red crushed velvet dress, with a matching cape covered in silver embellishments. He also wore a Union Jack-themed headpiece featuring a large feather installation rising from it. Georgia Toffolo The TV personality wore a bright orange ensemble, reflecting the colour of the season. Her floor-length dress featured a drop waist and a pleated skirt. She also wore a large ruffled headpiece and carried a raffia bow clutch by Anya Hindmarch. Eunice Olumide The model dressed elegantly in a pastel purple Zimmerman dress with yellow accents. The bottom of her swishy skirt depicted a busy scene from a beach. She also wore a bright yellow hat. Hana Cross The model, and former girlfriend of Brooklyn Beckham, wore a chic fitted white dress with a bow detail and chest cut-out. Her wide-brimmed hat featured a white veil that framed her face, and she wore black silver-tipped shoes and a black handbag. Una Healy The former Saturdays singer wore a special hat made by milliner Ilda Di Vico, which paid tribute to jockey Frankie Dettori. A gold figurine of Dettori performing his signature flying dismount was surrounded by pink and green colours. This year’s event is his final outing after it was announced last December that he would be retiring. Healy also wore a white top by Victoria Beckham, paired with a white skirt and baby pink shoes. Michaela Kocianova The Slovakian model wore a white dress with long sleeves, a ruffled collar and asymmetrical hem. She accessorised with a dainty white fascinator. Silou-hat One racegoer wore an impressively crafty hat to the racecouse today. The blue headpiece featured silhouettes of horses circling the brim, as though they were racing against one another. Against the sun, the hat created a particularly striking effect. Butterfly batik One attendee wore a butterfly-themed hat with batik patterns decorating the wings, which matched the rest of her outfit. Reach for the sky A pair of racegoers wore purple and blue hats with floral features that sat high above their heads. The hats also included twisty twig-like tendrils that reached upwards towards the sky. Swirl of colour This racegoer’s unique pink and blue headpiece makes for a visually interesting design. Long, colourful attachments that surround it provide a festive feel. 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When the weather heats up and you want to cool down, white is the colour of summer. From romantic broderie anglaise to sexy off-the-shoulder, to a frilly mini, white is a win-win with its flattering reflections, aura of freshness – and it’s never a big deal to accessorise. Summer’s answer to what to wear when you want to look your best without having to try too hard, white suits all your holiday mood swings and loves high temperatures, sunshine and blue skies. Here are some of our favourite finds, from girlie to sophisticated… 1. White off-the-shoulder top The off-the-shoulder top isn’t going anywhere this summer, especially when the weather hots up. From Bardot-inspired to peasant style, these pretty cottons have just enough sensual softness to be worn with confidence – and a cute pair of shorts. Threadbare Women’s White Linen Blend Strap Bardot Top, £23.99 The White Company Organic Cotton Off-The-Shoulder Jacquard Top, £89 2. White broderie belted dress While last year’s take on broderie anglaise was all about a boho vibe, this season there’s a sense of sophistication with loop tie-waisted dresses, camp collar and flattering A-line silhouette. Pair with flat tan sandals for the chance to show off your nude pedicure. Damart White Broderie Anglais Dress, £69.99 Jasper Conran Daria Broderie A Line Dress, £320 3. White frill mini It’s sort of impossible to look anything but happy and carefree in a flirty mini dress trimmed with ruffles. And a few fun accessories such as a wide-brim hat or summer straw, large wicker basket and gypsy hoop earrings, will kick up the look a couple of notches. V by Very Frill Detail Woven Mix Mini Dress – White, £26, Very River Island White Broderie Frill Mini Dress, £65 4. White jumpsuit Tailored but soft-shouldered with an effortlessly draped neckline, there’s no mistaking the glamour of a white jumpsuit. With free-flowing wide-leg trousers, this style hero is particularly on trend with a cape sleeve – and all that’s needed is a pair of strappy sandals for summer soirées. River Island White Cape Jumpsuit, £79 Reiss Carmen Halter Neck Linen Blend Jumpsuit, £268 5. White beach skirt Skip the sarong with fashionista’s new must-have staple to transition from beach to bar… and beyond. Ultra-versatile, if you go for a sexy split you can still show off your best bikini while sipping on a sundowner. Otherwise, a tiered maxi looks drop dead gorgeous with a white cotton crop top with long puffy sleeves for a statement look. Ta-da! M&S Collection Textured Maxi Tiered Beach Skirt, £35 Next Crochet Lace Skirt, £34 Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Paternity leave should be paid for six weeks, campaigners tell Government My teenager gets all their news from TikTok – should I worry? How to take care of pets in the heat

In a number of scenes in 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, our heroine – a thirtysomething singleton played by Renée Zellweger – squashes the skin of her lower torso into an array of Lycra shapewear, all in an attempt to make herself appear slimmer. When Hugh Grant’s Daniel Cleaver sets his eyes on her high-wasted, nude-coloured underpants in one memorable scene, Bridget blushes with embarrassment. “Well, hello mummy,” Daniel purrs. At the time of the film’s release, control shapewear – or tummy-tucking underwear designed to smooth its wearer – was marketed predominantly at people like Bridget, someone who was told by society she was “fat” or undesirable unless she had a flat stomach. Today, though, shapewear is branded differently, marketed to young women as a sexy, must-have fashion accessory. Shapewear products are not only promoted as stomach-smoothing fixes, but for anyone who wants a narrow waist or their figure to resemble a contoured, Kardashian-style hourglass. Skims, Kim Kardashian’s self-owned shapewear brand that she founded in 2019, sells viral sculpting bodysuits geared towards achieving this particular body shape. They start at £70. Since the launch of Skims, as with anything that a member of the Kardashian clan wears or makes, fast fashion knock-offs have swelled the market. Online retailer PrettyLittleThing, which has a murky track record of contributing to a harmful cycle of fast fashion, sells duplicates of the Skims viral bodysuit for around £20. They also sell waist trainers – a corset-style casing worn underneath clothes to aggressively teach your waist to be narrow – for just £12. “Doll cinch your waist in an instant with this waist trainer,” the item’s description reads. The product has boning to make it stiff and restrictive. Venture onto TikTok and you’ll find viral dresses with Spanx-style shapewear, designed to minimise the width of a person’s waist and accentuate their bottom, built into the clothing itself. While Skims is not solely responsible for this recent boom in shapewear, it has contributed to transforming how we view it – Bridget’s “granny pants” are now glamorous and aspirational. For the brand’s latest collection, for example, buzzy British singer-songwriters Raye and PinkPantheress were enlisted to promote it, along with viral Bronx rapper Ice Spice. The resulting campaign wouldn’t look out of place in the pages of Vogue. What this marketing tells us is that fashion isn’t just about the garments you wear, but the apparently malleable shape of the body on which they’re worn. Early shapewear emerged in the 16th century, not as a trend or body sculpting device, but for practical support. Karolina Laskowska, a lingerie designer and director of the underwear archive The Underpinnings Museum, tells me that the primary purpose of shapewear back then was to support the body much in the same way that a contemporary bra is made to support the breasts today. “A pair of stays [a corset style bodice] would have offered bust and back support for women who worked,” she explains. “These styles were more functional and supportive, rather than trend-driven.” The beginnings of the shapewear we see today were first seen in the Sixties, when the invention of Lycra, a synthetic-based elastic fibre, allowed for stretchier fabrics. What Laskowska dubs the grandparent of modern shapewear was the “Little X Girdle” by a British brand called Silhouette. “It was a turning point for a shift from traditional structured corsetry into elasticated shapewear,” she says. The item was a seamless, pull-on girdle – an elasticated corset extending from waist to thigh – and was eventually licenced to sell in over 32 countries as turnover increased exponentially. We then saw the evolution of more comfortable, everyday shapewear, like those made by Spanx, an American brand founded in 2000. They’re so uncomfortable, but they’re so afraid of what others will think about them due to their body size Victoria Kleinsman By contrast, modern shapewear is now geared towards sculpting the body to appear differently underneath clothes. And now, fast fashion is getting involved, too. But lingerie designers like Laskowska are increasingly worried about the consumer physically “hurting” themselves with badly made undergarments. “We’ve seen fast fashion adopt corsetry and shapewear trends but it’s not made to fit the human anatomy, since it’s made to be as cheap as possible,” she says. She adds that people could “injure” themselves with elasticated shapewear if they buy a size too small, meaning they could potentially restrict their blood’s circulation. Victoria Kleinsman, a self-esteem expert and body love coach, works with women between the ages of 13 to 60, and says that she’s seen how her younger clientele are feeling the pressure to wear shapewear in order to conform to the cult of thinness. Some clients have bought pantyhose with built-in cushioning to make the bottom look larger and perkier. Others will wear layers of shapewear to sculpt the body, particularly the waist and stomach, to look slimmer or flatter. To Kleinsman, wearing modern shapewear allows people to apply an “IRL [Instagram] filter” to their bodies. She speaks to women each day who are “crying” to her on Zoom calls because they’re worried about what their bodies look like. “It’s to the point when it’s boiling hot weather [but] they’re wearing spandex shapewear and tights, and they’re so uncomfortable, but they’re so afraid of what others will think about them due to their body size.” The expert fell into her line of work after she struggled with an eating disorder – she also wore a waist trainer when she was dealing with her own body image issues. “I would go to the gym wearing it because apparently you ‘sweat more’ and therefore lose ‘water fat’,” she says. “Which is b******! It’s physically painful to your physical body and even more painful to your emotional and mental well-being.” Kleinsman doesn’t think that this type of elasticated shapewear has anything to do with fashion and it should not be marketed as such. “It’s really dangerous,” she tells me. “Shapewear gives you a fake ‘confidence’ but then underneath it all when that comes off, then, who are you?” The popularity of Skims and their various knock-offs doesn’t seem likely to decline any time soon, but Kleinsman is hopeful that more women will soon have epiphanies about the shapewear revival. “Fatphobia and body image trauma is still the norm,” she sighs. “There has never been more [appropriate] a time for us to embrace our natural bodies.” Read More ‘The models are skinnier than ever’: Has London Fashion Week stopped caring about body diversity? Hostage to fashion: Margot Robbie’s Chanel problem speaks to a wider red carpet crisis Jeans shopping is still a total nightmare Kim Kardashian says Kris Jenner gets ‘sad’ thinking of how fame changed her family Kanye West and wife Bianca Censori cause confusion with Sunday Service outfits Chanel’s classic 1926 little black dress added to fashion exhibition in Scotland

Curators are “delighted” to have secured a little black dress designed by Chanel in 1926 to open an exhibition on the success of the garment over almost a century. Beyond The Little Black Dress, which launches at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh next month, will bring together more than 60 looks from collections and designers around the world. It opens with a long-sleeved black day dress designed by Gabrielle Coco Chanel in 1926, which was hailed by US Vogue as “the frock that all the world will wear”. The silk crepe dress is on loan from the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts) in Berlin. Georgina Ripley, principal curator of modern and contemporary design at National Museums Scotland, said: “The dress is incredibly significant for its own merit anyway, but for our exhibition it’s really pivotal because we are opening the exhibition with the idea that this is kind of the birth of the little black dress. “The well-known story within fashion history is of Chanel being the inventor of the little black dress and 1926 being the date, and that’s because a very simple long-sleeved day dress of silk crepe de Chine was featured in US Vogue in the October edition and it called this dress the ‘frock that all the world will wear’. “The dress that we have on loan from the museum in Berlin is not the exact dress that featured in that Vogue article, but it is the exact same style, made from the same sort of fabric, and it’s incredibly rare to actually find little black day dresses from that date in collections. “It’s been amazing for us to be able to locate one, to be able to tell this really important story within the history of the little black dress.” Vogue compared the dress to Henry Ford’s model T motor car, linking it to the idea of the democratisation of fashion, although it would still have been very expensive and only affordable to the wealthy. The dress drew on the functionality of menswear and of clothes worn by those working in the service industry, such as maids and shop workers. Chanel’s contemporary Paul Poiret described the style as “poverty de luxe” – things that have humble origins elevated to couture-style clothing. While black was already in fashion before 1926 and other little black dresses had been created, something about Chanel’s design was seen as being an important moment in the modernisation of women’s fashion. The exhibition was originally due to open in 2020 but was pushed back due to Covid, and curators were “thrilled” they could still borrow the dress from the museum in Berlin this year. Ripley said: “This is such a natural place to start this story because it’s known in fashion history and we also wanted to confront head on that it really is just a moment that has been picked upon as the origin of the little black dress, but it would be really strange to tell that story without having that dress. “We had our heart set on telling the story in that way and opening with this dress, so we’re delighted we’ve been able to see that mission through.” The exhibition looks at fashions through the decades, from early pieces by Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Jean Muir to contemporary designers and brands such as Gareth Pugh, Simone Rocha and Off-White. Areas of the exhibition are dedicated to highlighting black British designers whose work explores both blackness in terms of identity and the role the colour plays in crafting a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. It also considers how perceptions of the colour black differ in a global context. The exhibition runs from 1 July until 29 October. Read More Jennifer Lawrence steps in to clarify theory about her Cannes footwear Qantas ditches mandatory heels and embraces make-up for flight attendants of all genders Love Island line up: Meet the contestants and couples of the 2023 summer edition Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Taking off yet another pair of jeans that simply wouldn’t fit, I was on the verge of tears. Under the harsh glare of the dressing room lights, my reddening face felt even more humiliating as I shimmied myself back into my own clothes. I had dedicated the day to jeans shopping and started it feeling optimistic, but this was quickly waning. This was the sixth store, and the seventh pair I’d tried on. None of them were happening. I question why I’ve spent hours traipsing around Oxford Street, dodging crowds and trying not to get hit by a black cab. Jeans shopping is not fun. It’s a mission. More than three years ago, I swore off jeans for the foreseeable future. At the time, I was practically living in a pair of faded black M&S high-waist, straight-cut jeans that were cropped right above my ankle. The search for those jeans had also been painful, so when I found this perfect pair, I told myself that was it – I was never going to buy jeans again. But at the start of 2023, I was devastated to find my severe lack of a thigh gap had led to a rather large hole being rubbed into the inner thigh of my beloved jeans. I resolved to get the hole fixed and am still planning to do so, but I recently become enamoured by the idea of blue jeans. It’s been a long time since I owned a pair of blue jeans I really liked. Maybe it was time to start the search again? I initially felt buoyed by the knowledge that size ranges are more extensive than ever before. In the jeans section of Asos alone, you can filter the type of denim you want to unprecedented levels of specificity: choose from 17 different styles, over 30 “jeans families”, dozens of brands, colours, and washes, six “body fits” from Curvy to Petite, and sizes up to UK32. It’s a dizzying array of choices, but surely meant that it’d be easier than ever to find what I was looking for. Yet, this couldn’t be further from the truth for many women, particular those of the larger, curvier variety. I am currently extremely average in size at a UK14. But due to the aforementioned lack of thigh gap, combined with wide hips, a generous posterior and thick, muscly calves, I’ve struggled to find jeans that are both comfortable and flattering. It’s always one problem or another: gapping at the waist, unable to get them up past my hips, too tight to sit down comfortably, too baggy to look good, too long, too suffocating, too unforgiving. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, things are even worse for plus-sized women. A friend of mine, a size UK18, has been burned so often that she was ready to give up. She told me that when she visited Khloe Kardashian’s Good American outpost in Selfridges, she tried on one pair of jeans and nearly walked out when it didn’t fit, thinking none of the others would either. The sales assistant had to stop her and tell her she would help her find something else – and they did. The look on my friend’s face when she showed me the jeans later was priceless, like butter couldn’t melt. It struck me how rare this experience is. Women just want jeans that not only make them feel confident, but are also comfortable and are worth paying a bit more for Sonia Robinson Jones Part of the reason jeans shopping is so demoralising is the lack of consistent sizing in the fashion industry. On social media, some influencers have highlighted this by trying on jeans in the same size in different stores and showing how vastly different the fits are. A UK12 in H&M can fit just right, but a UK12 in Zara might barely zip up. The same size in River Island won’t even get past your thighs, while a pair from Next might be a bit too roomy. Unreliable sizing and poor quality construction makes clothes shopping such a headache, but still the high street brands persist with the status quo. According to Sonia Robinson Jones, associate lecturer in fashion at the University of East London, this is because fast fashion brands “tend to cut their [garment] blocks for the younger body size and grade their sizes up accordingly”, rather than allowing for the fact that women tend to become curvier as we age. “In essence, jeans need to be contoured to a wider selection of body shapes… Women just want jeans that not only make them feel confident, but are also comfortable and are worth paying a bit more for.” Then there is the question of sustainability. I had initially set off with a list of criteria for my perfect jeans: dark blue, high-waisted, no rips, straight leg, preferably from a company with sustainable credentials. My holy grail jeans would have been ELV Denim, which sources unwanted jeans from warehouses around the UK and reconstructs them into entirely new pieces – but at a starting price of £255 per pair, I’d have to save my pennies for another time. Other sustainable brands such as Nudie Jeans and Lucy & Yak were at a more digestible price point, but I wasn’t keen on the idea of returning jeans that didn’t fit and adding to my carbon footprint. Aja Barber, contributing editor at Elle UK and author of Consumed, which explores the effects of fast fashion on the planet, tells me she gets around the horror of it all by shopping for second-hand jeans on eBay. “I have one style that’s my go-to and they’re widely available because the maker over-produces, so I’d rather buy them secondhand than have them become landfill waste, which is what happens to a lot of secondhand clothing that doesn’t get bought,” she explains. “Plus some brands aren’t great on ethics or sustainability and I’d rather not give them my money even if they make my size. Secondhand is a work-around for this.” She also recommends thinking hard about whether you need lots of pairs. “The best route here is to realise you don’t need five pairs of jeans,” she says. “Two pairs max and spend the most you can on getting the best possible pair.” Barber is also an advocate for getting clothes custom-made for a better fit, if it’s within your financial abilities. “I think we shy away from ideas like getting your clothes made because it sounds inaccessible and fancy, but if you’re plus-size like I am, it can be a godsend. I think instead of trying with stuff on the rack, it might be best to take this route.” As for myself, I eventually caved and decided to try buying jeans online from US brand Everlane, which partners with ethical factories and uses recycled materials, organic cotton and less water to create their clothes. I ordered two pairs of jeans from their Curvy collection, knowing that I would not be sending them back, and prayed they would fit. When they eventually arrived, I was ecstatic. The jeans fit. They actually fit! And now, I will never buy another pair of jeans again. Promise. Read More Flip-flops, nudity and ‘up the vajayjay!’: How the red carpet became a platform for protest Women with body hair remain a cultural taboo, and I can’t see it changing Why I’m suspicious of the silver fox Edward Enninful steps down as British Vogue editor-in-chief amid reports of rift Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Issa Rae and Simu Liu react to their own doll replicas Amanda Holden’s most extravagant fashion from the BGT live shows

Edward Enninful, the Ghanaian-British journalist known for championing diversity in the fashion industry, will step down from his role as British Vogue editor-in-chief. The fashion editor is set to take on a new role at Condé Nast as global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue. On Friday (2 June), the 51-year-old editor announced in an internal memo to staff that he will step into an “editorial advisor” role in 2024. In the memo, per Vogue Business, he addressed the heads of editorial content at Vogue France, Vogue Italia, Vogue Spain, and Vogue Germany, all of whom report to him. The move seemingly marks the end of his historic run as British Vogue’s first man, and first Black editor, to hold the title of editor-in-chief. “I am excited to share that from next year I will be stepping into the newly appointed position of editorial advisor of British Vogue and global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue, where I will continue to contribute to the creative and cultural success of the Vogue brand globally while having the freedom to take on broader creative projects,” the memo read. "For now everything remains the same, and I’m so excited about what the future holds for us. I would like to thank Roger [Lynch] and Anna [Wintour] for their continued support,” he said. Since his induction as editor-in-chief of British Vogue in August 2017, Enninful has made strides towards diversity and inclusion in fashion. Most recently, he helmed the magazine’s first braille editions for blind and partially sighted people, and included activist Sinead Burke as one of five stars with disabilities on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue. The new position comes amidst rumours of a rift between Enninful and Anna Wintour, the longstanding editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Despite speculation that Enninful will replace Wintour as the head of American Vogue when she eventually retires, Condé Nast insiders believe that there has been a “great tension” between the two fashion powerhouses. His stepping down comes just two days after Wintour announced the second annual Vogue World will make its way to London in September ahead of London Fashion Week. Sources say that her decision to hold the fashion extravaganza, which aims to celebrate British art and culture, in Enninful’s so-called dominion was “incredibly annoying for him” and that the US-based editor was treading on his toes. Perhaps the biggest loss is for Condé Nast, who seemingly chose the 73-year-old global editorial director of Vogue over Enninful – despite his impact in fashion and diversity. However, both Enninful and Condé Nast have previously denied rumours of a rift between the fashion giants, and he thanked his former boss in the memo announcing his departure. Enninful, who had once been considered a protégé of Wintour, began his career at Condé Nast when he was appointed fashion director at W magazine in 2011. He has also contributed to Italian Vogue since 1998 and American Vogue since 2006. He succeeded Alexandra Shulman as British Vogue editor-in-chief in 2017, a role she had previously held for nearly 25 years. In his internal memo, Enninful noted that Condé Nast will begin its search for “head of editorial content” at British Vogue, rather than the coveted title of editor-in-chief. He will continue to report to Wintour in his new role as global creative and cultural advisor of Vogue. Read More Vogue editor Anna Wintour announces Vogue World 2023 is coming to London British Vogue’s first braille edition released to ‘delight’ of editor Edward Enninful condemns lack of diverse models during Fashion Month Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Issa Rae and Simu Liu react to their own doll replicas Amanda Holden’s most extravagant fashion from the BGT live shows Brooke Shields says she ‘fought’ against her daughter becoming a model

Of all the places you’d expect to see a woman walking barefoot, the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival is probably not one of them. And yet, this has become a somewhat regular occurrence at the annual shindig, where A-list actors, models and directors gather in their finest gladrags. Sure, the festival is ostensibly about celebrating the best of cinema. But it has also become one of the most significant events in the fashion calendar, with stars taking the opportunity to make both sartorial and political statements. However, out of all the trends that have prevailed, from cutout gowns to sheer sequins, the one that continually seems to trump them all is none other than women’s feet. And it’s already made headlines again this year, thanks to the likes of Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence and Isabelle Huppert, all of whom have made their own subtle nods to the political powers of their own feet. Traditionally, the Cannes dress code is rather strict: in 2015, a group of women in their fifties were reportedly turned away from a screening because they were wearing “rhinestone flats” instead of high heels. The story immediately prompted a backlash and accusations of sexism, with the festival’s director, Thierry Frémaux, denying that heels are mandatory: “The rumour saying the festival insists on high heels for women on the red carpet is unfounded,” he wrote in response to critics on Twitter. Nonetheless, female actors were quick to respond, with Emily Blunt saying at the time: “Everyone should wear flats, to be honest. We shouldn’t wear high heels.” The following year, Julia Roberts and Sasha Lane attended Cannes events barefoot. “The carpet was for our film and I was dressed in a very elegant gown and there’s a ton of stairs, and I’m walking around all day… so I will go barefoot,” Lane said in a later interview. “Why is anyone against that? I’m still here and well-dressed.” Lane’s comments were also echoed by Kristen Stewart, who once said of strict female dress codes: “I feel like you can’t ask people that anymore. If you’re not asking guys to wear heels and a dress, you cannot ask me either.” The Twilight star famously took off her sky-high Christian Louboutin heels on the red carpet at Cannes in 2018, proceeding to walk the rest of the carpet barefoot. Official rule or not, there’s no mistaking that even now, in 2023, the pressures placed on women at black tie events such as Cannes are different to those placed on men. Sartorial convention has long defined occasionwear as anything that leaves your feet uncomfortable. Whether it’s a pump, sandal, or stiletto, the shoe needs to add some sort of height to your look in order to be considered formal and appropriate. It might seem like a small imposition, but if there’s anything this year’s red carpet has taught us, it’s that it can serve as a microcosm of much wider inequalities. Take Cate Blanchett, who last weekend at a Cannes party presented an award to the French-Iranian star Zahra Amir Ebrahimi. “I am going to take my heels off, in honour of the women of Iran,” she told the crowd, before holding up Ebrahimi’s pointed trophy to joke: “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!” The sentiment has also been referenced by Portman, Lawrence and Huppert at this year’s festival. On Saturday, while talking about her new film May December, Portman spoke about the idea of “performing femininity”, telling attendees that it’s something she’s “very curious about”. “The different ways that we as women are expected to behave – at this festival, even – compared to men,” she said. “How we’re supposed to look, how we’re supposed to carry ourselves.” Meanwhile, Lawrence arrived on the red carpet for the Bread and Roses premiere in a scarlet Dior gown paired with flip-flops. And as for Huppert, a perennial style maven at Cannes and beyond, she made a subtle nod to the shoe-less protests in a pair of Balenciaga heels that had been specially designed to resemble a bare foot. All this serves as a reminder that despite societal progressions, women’s bodies are still firmly policed in the public eye. If it’s not via their footwear, it’s via their actual outfits. Think supermodel Irina Shayk, whose outfits at Cannes events this year include a leather two-piece by Mowalola that exposed her entire torso, and a sheer black dress worn over a matching set of Gucci underwear. Elsewhere, we’ve seen Julia Fox don a completely see-through bodice with a white flowing skirt, while Naomi Campbell walked the red carpet in a scarlet gown with cutouts across her chest. Showing skin is nothing new among the fashion set, particularly given the resurgence of Y2K trends on the runways that continues to maintain its stronghold on the industry. (There has been talk of “naked dresses” for several seasons now, with influencers and stars all partaking in the art of wearing sheer gowns to formal affairs.) But bringing it to Cannes feels particularly poignant and in keeping with the barefoot brouhaha when you consider just how easily offended people are by such ensembles. The body-shaming prompted by Florence Pugh’s see-through Valentino frock last summer is just one example that springs to mind. Flashing a foot is, of course, somewhat different to flashing a nipple, but fundamentally the underlying message is the same. It’s about subverting the social conventions that oppress us. It’s about showing the world that women are fed up of being told what is and is not an acceptable way of presenting their bodies. And it’s about asking why we should still conform to dress codes informed by sexism when, as Blanchett pointed out, women’s rights continue to be subjugated around the world. With all this in mind, we’re not asking for much. The least people can allow us is to take off our heels or flash a little flesh without it having to be headline news. Read More Subversive? Dangerous? 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