Hello, Open Thread. For those celebrating, happy almost Diwali. This week saw the last big designer debut of the season, one with potentially bigger impact than any we have seen thus far, though not one anybody was really talking about: Adam Selman, who unveiled his take on the Victoria’s Secret show. Mr. Selman is the first “name” designer to take the helm of VS. He is the former creative director of Savage x Fenty, otherwise known as the brand that was for a while VS’s biggest competitor, so VS hiring him was a pretty big deal. (If you can’t beat ’em … hire their creative director!) It was also a smart move: Mr. Selman’s version of VS is more fun, and less fraught, than the one we have been treated to in the last few years, ever since the former leadership got taken down by the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the #MeToo era and its entire marketing model was thrown into question. That was when VS lost most of its cultural currency, if not its revenues. Whether Mr. Selman can bring the cool back remains a question. At least his first show was a start. And the presence of Angel Reese and Sunisa Lee on the runway suggests that for a younger generation, the VS runway is still, somehow, a desirable gig and a mark of credibility. NUMBER OF THE DAY 236The length, in feet, that models had to walk from one end of the Victoria’s Secret runway to the other, wearing their wings. On the subject of designer debuts, get ready for another one. On Tuesday, Maria Grazia Chiuri was named chief creative officer of Fendi, a post that had been empty since Silvia Fendi, the label’s longtime men’s wear designer who recently took on women’s wear too, became honorary president. Ms. Chiuri’s appointment is notable for a number of reasons, most of them related to the Fendi owner LVMH, otherwise known as the largest and most powerful luxury group in the world.
Anyway, Ms. Chiuri makes her debut next season along with two other female designers — Meryll Rogge at Marni and Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler. It’s going to be the season of women! We’ll see how it turns out then. Finally, Véronique Nichanian, who spent the last 37 years as the head of men’s wear for Hermès and was the longest-serving creative director in the industry, announced on Thursday that she was stepping down, leaving yet another job opening. Think about that. Then consider the politics of the sari, remember the style of Diane Keaton and check out the Styles fashion team’s favorite looks from the runways. Have a good, safe weekend.
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Your Style Questions, AnsweredEvery week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
I feel like the barrel-leg pants silhouette is everywhere. I like it, but when I put it on, I feel like a fashion victim. Am I being overly sensitive? Should I embrace the trend or push back? — Beth, PhiladelphiaYou are correct in saying this is the year of barrel pants. The term, which refers to the shape of a leg that curves out from the upper thigh like (yup) a barrel, only to taper at the ankle, creates a sort of bowlegged silhouette — on purpose. Also known as banana pants or horseshoe pants, they are sort of the pants equivalent of a full skirt, but with a slouchy, not-trying-so-hard ease. Barrel pants first emerged as a fashion silhouette around the 1920s and have their antecedents in riding pants and work pants, but their current popularity can be traced to 2023 and Pieter Mulier’s introduction of Alaïa barrel jeans in his fall collection. Those pants were joined a few months later by the barrel pants in Phoebe Philo’s first namesake collection. Voilà, phenomenon. Katie Holmes was a fan. So were Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Julianne Moore. (Barrel pants work at a variety of ages.) At this point there are barrel jeans at all price points, from brands like Free People, Madewell, Everlane and Old Navy. (Wirecutter recommends Gap’s High Rise Barrel Jeans.) The cut has also filtered out to all kinds of non-jeans on the runways of Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Prabal Gurung, Roksanda and Balenciaga. In fact, it even gave rise to a barrel-adjacent but even more voluminous silhouette this season: balloon pants. That suggests, to me at least, that barrel pants have moved beyond trend to become part of the collection of basic and essential silhouettes, like skinny jeans, capri pants and palazzos. Which means that while there may be moments when barrel pants rise in popularity, they will never entirely go away. For you that means that the question should not be whether wearing barrel pants makes you a fashion victim, but what kind of barrel pants are for you. At a recent book party for “All the Cool Girls Get Fired,” one of the authors, Kristina O’Neill, was modeling one option, wearing black barrel jeans with a black sequined jacket and black flats. Also in the room was Maria Cornejo, the New York designer whose fans include Cindy Sherman and Laura Linney and who was wearing a pair of barrel trousers — of her own design — in black cotton. (Softer materials tend to downplay the barrel-ness of barrel pants for those who are less convinced of the virtues of a lot of material around the thigh.) Ms. Cornejo told me that she had been making barrel pants for so long that she considered them one of her staples. (She also told me a lot of men bought her versions.) Her favorite way to wear them is with slim boots since the legs are often slightly cropped and a close-to-the-body top to balance the volume on the bottom. More styling options include a shirt — tucked in, with a belt to emphasize the waist — or a bolero-style jacket, which, again, showcases the waist. Avoid chunky shoes since they will negate the tapering effect, and remember that the top of the pants should fit closely at the rise, rear and stomach. Otherwise you won’t resemble a barrel (or a banana or even a horseshoe) as much as a blob. |
