Free Republic

From stopping dust and dirt getting into the eyes to prompting our blink reflex, eyelashes do more than just look pretty. Which makes it hard to explain the social media trend of men trimming down — or even entirely shaving off — their eyelashes in a bid to look “more masculine.” Videos posted to TikTok, Instagram and X in recent weeks show men braving blades very close to their eyes, in barber shops from Turkey to New Zealand, in a quest for stubby lashes. While some barbers are seen wielding buzzing electric clippers, others are freestyling with just a pair...

More often than not, Jill Biden gets it right with her fashion choices (remember that stunning 2024 DNC outfit?) But, much like Ivanka Trump's outfits that missed the mark, the former first lady proved having designers falling over themselves to dress you — and a no doubt impressive fashion budget — still doesn't guarantee a great outfit.Being one of the most visible people in the world during her time in the White House meant Jill had to think hard about her outfits, which she admitted came as a surprise. "It's kind of surprising, I think, how much commentary is made...

In her first major appearance following the inauguration, Kamala Harris made quite the statement in a killer pantsuit by a celebrated Black designer to attend the 56th NAACP Image Awards 2025. Former Vice President Harris was supported by her husband, Doug Emhoff, at the prestigious event on Feb. 22, where she was honored with the Chairman's Award. Harris took to the stage at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium wearing a custom suit by LaQuan Smith, which featured a structured blazer with strong shoulder pads, a high-neck blouse, a matching black tie, and coordinating pants. LaQuan Smith's official Instagram account posted about...

Melania Trump has a new look.As the incoming first lady walked into St. John’s, the Episcopal church in Lafayette Square, she cut the figure of a mafia widow or high-ranking member of an obscure religious order, and a bit of “My Fair Lady.” She wore a sharply tailored navy coat, with a soft white silk crepe blouse peeking out from beneath the collar, and a huge navy boater trimmed with a white band. In a rare showing of bipartisanship from the fashion industry, which had very publicly thrown its weight behind Kamala Harris, the ensemble is by American designer Adam...

At first, it just felt like a TikTok trend: Gen Z and millennials wearing vintage fur or faux-fur coats to incarnate the so-called mob-wife aesthetic—an ostentatious mafioso style that takes cues from Carmela Soprano and The Godfather’s Connie Corleone. Then it felt like a celebrity stunt moment: Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber wearing shearling coats in Aspen, Ice Spice wearing repurposed fur to the 2024 Grammys, and Kim Kardashian stepping out in a matching fuzzy Prada set—all within a few months of each other. But suddenly it felt like a real thing

The long black wool belted coat – and its white collar jutting not so subtly out from under it – were two pieces from a unique three-way collaboration between house designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, Jun Takahashi of Japanese label Undercover (specializing in streetwear and experimental tailoring) and a group called the Movement for the Emancipation of Poetry, whose members paste lyrical lines on to the walls and monuments of Italian cities. For this look, I am told, Melania delved into her archives (rather than racing to a designer's door), for the two pieces from Valentino's Fall 2019 collection. In that show,...

Pantone has named an “evocative soft brown” its color of the year for 2025, continuing a tradition that has now run for more than a quarter of a century. In a statement published Thursday, the global color specialist said Mocha Mousse was “a mellow brown infused with a sensorial and comforting warmth.” “A warming rich brown hue, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort,” it added. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said the color evokes “thoughtful indulgence.” “Sophisticated and lush,...

About a week after they made waves for their style at the Sweat Tour, Malia and Sasha Obama once again put their fashion chops to the test by attending Billie Eilish’s star-studded Halloween party in Hollywood. Joining fellow famous guests like Kaia Gerber and Kiernan Shipka, the Obama sisters delivered two stylish looks that channeled this year’s rising western trend, a fad that has also been espoused by the likes of Beyoncé and Bella Hadid. A 23-year-old Sasha looked striking in a bright blue baby tee and beige micro shorts, layered underneath a rusty maroon cardigan and a massive black...

This hot, new style is literally blowing up. Air-conditioned clothing could be the coolest trend to hit the market and offer relief in sweltering temperatures. Japan-based Anrealage, spearheaded by designer Kunihiko Morinaga, breathed new life into nylon apparel for its spring/summer 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The brand introduced a line of inflatable garb that ballooned as models walked down the runway, each piece powered by fan technology from Kuchofuku, a company that makes chill-down garments. “By showing air-conditioned clothes in Paris, we hope to be able to suggest new physical forms, but also a sustainable solution to hot...

In 2018, at the same time as Tiril Kaar was mulling over the style of their Norwegian folk dress, Swedish artist Fredy Clue was thinking about culottes. Clue, who also uses they and them pronouns, was searching for their own space in the Swedish folk culture. Eventually, as the trouser skirt became the basis for the design of a non-binary Swedish folk dress, they realised that they, too, were non-binary. "My inner self spoke through my ideas," Clue tells BBC Culture. Clue developed the Bäckadräkten unisex folk dress with the help of artist Ida Björs. The two studied historical clothes...

A woman who changed her style to wear 1950s style vintage clothing has revealed men now 'treat her differently' since transforming her wardrobe. Brooke Stretton, 24, from South Yorkshire, became fascinated fashion from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s after watching the classic film Grease.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A 69-year-old woman was killed after a robbery attempt Tuesday afternoon at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, police said. Officers responded to the area near the Barnes & Noble bookstore around 3:30 p.m. According to the Newport Beach Police Department, the woman and her husband were walking when two suspects suddenly approached them. They tried to rob the couple and a struggle ensued, police said. The suspects then tried taking off in a white Toyota Camry.

Ralph Lauren must pay for his crimes against fashion. <snip> You know what comes to mind when I think “American Olympic team”? Blazers. And that’s precisely what Ralph Lauren is serving with the new team uniforms: The opening ceremony’s fit is a striped oxford shirt, a navy blazer with red and white stripes, and light-wash denim jeans. A sea of this country’s finest athletes, dressed like they have private school at 3 p.m. but are subbing in for Springsteen at 9. For the closing ceremony, it gets worse, with a Ballad of Ricky Bobby–ass denim moto jacket paired with matching...

TV shows like Yellowstone and Longmire and stars like Beyonce have helped to make cowboy fashion popular again. That's good for Wyoming stores as tourists are spending big money on hats, art and all things western. Steam flies at a busy Kemo Sabe store in Jackson, where workers are putting the right shape on hats for waiting customers. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) JACKSON — Mary Sullivan of Colorado says she’s not normally one to “pull the trigger” on an ultra-expensive cowboy hat, but last weekend she was one of dozens of customers swarming the Western-chic Kemo Sabe hat shop....

(NewsNation) — The fashion industry (companies that construct clothing or make the materials for clothing) accounts for up to 4% of global climate emissions and an unknown but large percentage of worldwide water pollution. “Natural” materials like cotton and leather have huge impacts on the environment and humans. Cotton relies on pesticides, and in many parts of the world it’s harvested by children and forced laborers. Animal leather means raising cattle in ways that often lead to deforestation, water pollution and increased carbon emissions.

Glamor. Style. Class. These are the words we associate with America’s First Ladies. From Martha Washington and Abigail Adams to Barbara Bush and Melania Trump, the White House has always been enhanced with chic, colorful styles. In the 1960s, Jackie Onassis became an international fashion icon for her love of European designers Chanel and Givenchy, which she famously pimped with oversized sunglasses and pillbox hats. After that, Betty Ford’s tailored chic saw her wear wide-leg trousers with beautiful blazers, walking a tasteful life through the mid-seventies. The following decade, Nancy Reagan embodied 80s power-dressing with red, white, and blue creations...

Amelia Earhart broke into an almost entirely male-dominated profession to become one of the most famous aviators of all time, but being one of a small handful of female pilots came with plenty of obstacles. One of the more annoying problems was a lack of flight apparel designed to fit women’s bodies. At the beginning of her career, Earhart was saddled with ill-fitting clothing designed for men, which only bolstered her lifelong interest in fashion. As a child, Earhart sewed clothing for herself and her dolls; later in life, she had a reputation for wearing practical clothing, much of which...

Singer Barry Manilow is set to co-host fashion mogul Michael Smith’s mega fundraiser for First Lady Jill Biden on Saturday in Palm Springs, California. Jill Biden will headline the fundraiser alongside former U.S. ambassador to Spain James Costos and fashion designer Michael Smith, according to an invite obtained by Deadline. “Copacabana” singer Barry Manilow will co-host the event alongside his husband, Garry Kief, former Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), her husband, Stewart Boxer, and Josh.ai founder, Alex Capecelatro, among several others.

A Milan fashion show featured clothing models having trash — including food and drinks — thrown at them by audience members in an effort by the designer to simulate online commentary. Designer Beate Karlsson created the new, garbage-covered line for Avavav, for which she is the creative director. The company describes itself as an independent fashion house "striving for creative freedom, driven by humor, entertainment and design evolution." Creative freedom might be an understatement for Karlsson's recent show during Milan Fashion Week, where models had drinks, discarded food wrappers, and other garbage thrown at them on the runway. The performance...

Washington Post senior critic-at-large Robin Givhan provided a rousing defense of Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis on Thursday. Although her defense was short on facts, it was definitely heavy on fashion, most likely due to Givhan's previous stint as the Washington Post's fashion editor.However, from the headline of her story, "When Fani Willis took the stand, her fury was precise and laser-focused," you would have thought facts would have been the emphasis instead of fashion. That is, until you read the fashion-filled story.