Quantcast
Channel: Style & Beauty
Viewing all 18689 articles
Browse latest View live

Donald Trump Thinks Exercise Is Bad For You

$
0
0

Nothing is safe from alternative facts ― even exercise.


According to Donald Trump, physical fitness is useless. As the Washington Post’s Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher wrote in their new book, Trump Revealed, Trump believes a sweat session actually does more harm than good:



After college, after Trump mostly gave up his personal athletic interests, he came to view time spent playing sports as time wasted. Trump believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted. So he didn’t work out.



The book also states that when Trump learned that one of his top casino executives, John O’Donnell, was in the midst of training for an Ironman Triathlon, Trump told him, “You are going to die young because of this.


It’s obvious that this belief is completely untrue (not to mention the fact that golf, one of Trump’s favorite activities, is a form of exercise). But since the statement is out there, we’re here to reiterate a few life-saving benefits of physical activity.


Take a look at just some of the ways working out can help a person’s health below:


1. Physical activity boosts cardiovascular health. 


Aerobic exercise, such as walking, biking, swimming or jogging, helps prevent heart disease, which is the nation’s leading cause of death among adults, according to the American Heart Association. People should aim for 150 minutes of moderate activity per week to reap the benefits.


2. It helps maintain a healthy body weight.


Given that obesity is still slowly on the rise, this benefit is a big one. Regular exercise reduces body fat, fights against obesity and helps lower the risk of getting illnesses associated with obesity, like diabetes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. 


3. Exercise lowers stress.


You know when you just need to blow off a little steam? That’s exactly when someone should pound the pavement or sign up for a class at the gym. Research shows exercise helps people cope with everyday worries and boosts mood. Even further, exercise may have the power to reverse damage to the brain caused by stressful events


4. And it leads to a happiness boost.


Endorphins, which are little-but-mighty neurotransmitters in the brain, are released during bouts of exercise. Not only do they help increase happiness levels, they can also improve confidence and self-esteem, according to The Mayo Clinic. 


5. Physical activity can make a person stronger.


Strong health starts with making the body stronger. Exercise helps with that by engaging muscles, improving joints and boosting endurance


6. It improves longevity and lowers risk of disease.


According to the Mayo Clinic, people who exercise may be at a lower risk for stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, cancer and arthritis (just to name a few).


Even just a little bit of exercise helps people live a longer life. Recent research shows that just an hour of brisk walking or 30 minutes of jogging or biking per week is enough to improve mortality rates.


7. Exercise helps you sleep better. 


Running, biking, weightlifting, yoga and even gardening are associated with helping achieve better quality sleep than no exercise at all, according to research from the University of Pennsylvania. (And given that Trump says he only gets a few hours of sleep a night, this perk might be super useful.)


Just something to consider. Because the idea that exercise is terrible? It’s just...






-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


Yes, That's Katy Perry Hiding Under All That Red Fabric At The Met Gala

$
0
0





Katy Perry, co-chair of the 2017 Met Gala, was one of the first to arrive on the red carpet Sunday night. But you might have missed her if you weren’t looking closely enough. 


The “Chained to the Rhythm” singer wore a layered red Maison Margiela Artisanal gown complete with a tulle head covering and a headpiece that appears to spell out the word “Witness.” Which, as fans on social media pointed out, may have been worn tease an upcoming song release



It’s an elaborate interpretation of this year’s theme, “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art Of The In-Between” ― honoring the fashion house’s founder and designer of over 40 years. 



As The New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman pointed out, it may have been a way for Perry to pay tribute to Kawakubo through John Galliano, the creative director at Maison Margiela:






It’s not exactly life-size laundry lint as we’ve seen from Comme des Garçons in the past, but it was certainly a dramatic way to kick off the evening.  


See more looks from the 2017 Met Gala below: 



type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58e79dafe4b05413bfe23acf,58bdb565e4b0d8c45f455a30,577f8ba0e4b0c590f7e8d992

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Jaden Smith Brought His Own Hair As An Accessory To The Met Gala

$
0
0





Jaden Smith wore Chanel to the 2017 Met Gala, but at least one of his accessories was of his own design. Because it came off of his head. 


Yes, the 18-year-old walked the red carpet clutching a wad of his dreadlocks.



His decision, like some other fashion choices he’s made over the years, is admittedly questionable. And yet, the avant garde move is not totally unreasonable considering this year’s theme: Comme des Garçons and the fashion house’s ahead-of-her-time designer Rei Kawakubo


If you had any doubt that this was his own hair and not just any random person’s hair, consider the photos recently posted by his dad, Will Smith, who had a hand in the cut.  





Naturally, it took the Twitterverse no time to comment on the look, which received both praise and, of course, some head-scratching. 










We could analyze this look for days -- but the long and short (hair) of it is this: Smith certainly wins for most inventive accessory of the night. 



type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=57fffb49e4b05eff5582a13f,57e2d5fee4b0e80b1b9fddc5,57c58f8fe4b0cdfc5ac92abd

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Pregnant Serena Williams Is Glowing In Green At The Met Gala

$
0
0





Serena Williams served in a totally different way at the 2017 Met Gala.


The tennis great arrived on the red carpet Sunday in a gorgeous, plunging emerald gown with massive matching earrings and of course, her growing baby bump.



The jewel tone gown looked lovely on the 35-year-old, and if this is an indication of maternity looks to come, we’d call it a game, set, match. 



Check out more looks from the Met Gala below:


-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Exclusive Photos From The 2017 Met Gala You Won't Find Anywhere Else

$
0
0

Fashion’s biggest night of the year has arrived, and this time it’s gone completely avant-garde.


The 2017 Met Gala paid homage to Comme des Garçons and Rei Kawakubo, the fashion house’s visionary founder and designer of over 40 years. It’s the first time the costume institute has dedicated its theme and exhibit to a living designer since the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit in 1983, according to Vogue.  



Kawakubo’s designs are known for their construction (and often deconstruction), raw edges and unusual shapes. The celebrities, models and designers in attendance stayed true to those concepts.


Katy Perry arrived draped in a deconstructed look complete with a veil covering her face, Priyanka Chopra wore a trench coat of epic proportions and there was a lot of red ― which makes sense, seeing as Kawakubo once said, “red is black.”


There’s no shortage of images of the beautiful attendees wearing beautiful clothing, but you won’t see these exclusive photos ― including detail shots and candid moments from the event ― anywhere else. Check them out in all their intricate glory below.



This story may be updated with more photos.


type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=5729fca2e4b016f378942f14,57289b4de4b0bc9cb0447ad9,5728a136e4b016f378937ab9

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Blake Lively's Met Gala Dress Has A Magical Surprise At The Bottom

$
0
0





Blake Lively is a red carpet queen, and now she’s also a red carpet mermaid.


The 29-year-old attended the Met Gala on Sunday wearing a plunging gold Versace gown that would have been pretty epic on its own but reached magical new heights thanks to a train made out of bright blue feathers.



She was joined by husband Ryan Reynolds, who adorably matched his bow tie to her bold ensemble. 



We’d make a joke about Serena Van Der Woodsen hanging out on the Met steps, but we’re too busy swooning over this winning look ― and this winning couple. 



 Check out more looks from the Met Gala below. 


-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Katy Perry, Celine Dion And More Stars Go Avant-Garde In Stunning Met Gala Videos

$
0
0





On Monday night, some of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars rubbed shoulders with the style set for fashion’s biggest night. 


That’s right, the annual Met Gala took place in New York City, which means we got to see stars like Katy Perry and Celine Dion rock some avant-garde fashions on the red carpet. Like last year, Vogue released a set of stunning videos from the evening, featuring attendees dancing around and striking poses under some artsy light projections. 


Scroll through to see clips to see Dion crawling in her custom Versace gown and Jaden Smith dancing with his dreadlocks in his hand. We can’t stop watching. 



This post may be updated with more videos throughout the day. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Oh, My God, You Need To Read Ryan Reynolds' Love Letter To Blake Lively

$
0
0





Ryan Reynolds really loves Blake Lively. How much you ask? Well, enough to wax poetic about her virtues during the Met Gala on Sunday night, when he could have easily spent the extra three minutes gawking at Rihanna’s dress


The couple was stopped for a photo by Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind Humans of New York, a wildly popular photo series that collects portraits and interviews of New Yorkers around the city. 


Stanton typically elicits powerful and revealing statements from his subjects, whether they be a former president of the United States or the pharmacist at your local CVS. 


Reynolds took the opportunity to praise his wife and the mother of his two children for living her live with a deep compassion for humankind, which he says has changed him for the better. 




“She always responds with empathy. She meets anger with empathy. She meets hate with empathy. She’ll take the time to imagine what happened to a person when they were five or six years old,” Reynolds said. “And she’s made me a more empathetic person. I had a very fractured relationship with my father. Before he died, she made me remember things I didn’t want to remember. She made me remember the good times.”


The actor’s father, James Reynolds, died in October of 2015 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. Reynolds had paid tribute to his dad with an old childhood photo of his father holding him as an infant. 


The couple’s first daughter James, who they welcomed in 2014, shares the same name as Reynolds’ father. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


Sarah Paulson Lost Her Mind When She Saw Madonna At The Met Gala

$
0
0





Everyone who’s anyone attends fashion’s biggest night on the first day of May in New York City.


And, you know, Madonna is someone. 


So, obviously she’d be climbing the grand staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2017 Met Gala. Sarah Paulson was, clearly, just unaware of that fact. 



Hahaahhahahhaahahha Love you Sarah! ♥️

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on




The Emmy-winning actress fangirled out when she spotted a camouflaged Madge on the carpet, pointing at the singer with her mouth agape.


Luckily, Madonna loved it. 


Following the photobomb, Madonna enthusiastically took to Instagram to share the image, writing, “Love you Sarah!”


These two shared the moment of the night.




-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Teen Makes Her Own Stunning Prom Dress The Night Before The Dance

$
0
0

Isn’t she pretty in … purple?


Shami Oshun, a 17-year-old from California, wasn’t going to go to prom. But she ended up buying a ticket right before the big night for one very sweet reason.



“My best friend really wanted to go and I didn’t want her to go alone,” Shami told HuffPost.


The teen has been sewing since she was 8 years old and owns her own online store, shamioshun.com, where she sells her handmade creations. So she also had a teeny weeny ulterior motive.



“I was like, ‘Oh yay, prom! An excuse to make a really fancy dress.’”


On Friday, the day before the prom, Shami ran to her local fabric store and spotted some purple tulle and was instantly inspired. She paid $15 for it, ran home and got to work.


Along the way, she posted her trials and tribulations while making the dress to Twitter:






















Shami worked for about two hours the night before prom. She had to cut her time short, because she ended up stepping on a needle that went so far into her foot, she had to have her dad help her pull it out.


The next morning, which was the day of prom, Shami worked for about three or four more hours. But it wasn’t without its challenges.


“Once I got to the top of the dress, my machine broke, so I had to hand stitch the rest,” she said.






But Shami insisted that she loved “the rush” of having a time limit and “doing what I could.”


“I felt like I was on ‘Project Runway’!” she told HuffPost with a laugh.


Ultimately, Shami made it work.


Just before her prom on Saturday, she made herself an absolutely gorgeous dress.




Shami incorporated an old tube-top dress as the base for her design and made the purple flowers at the bottom of her dress from fabric from another frock she had made the year before.



“I got a lot of compliments at prom,” Shami said.



Twitter dug it as well: 






Though the design looks stellar, it’s not without its flaws. Shami said she had to cut off the bottom of the dress towards the end of prom because the flowers were too heavy for the tulle. She told HuffPost she borrowed scissors from security and she and her best friend altered the hem in the bathroom.



But Shami wasn’t about to just throw away all that extra fabric — she could definitely use it for a future piece.


“I checked it into coat check,” she said with a giggle. “Then I took it home!”


Tim Gunn would be proud.






-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Rihanna May As Well Have Been The Only Girl At Met Gala

$
0
0





At this point, no one can touch Rihanna’s status as queen of the Met Gala. And thanks to the larger than life dress she wore Sunday night, no one could touch her, period.



Rih repeatedly schools the rest of the attendees on the art of sticking to a theme. This year, she wore a huge, colorful, geometric Comme des Garçons ensemble with layers of floral fabric that came straight off the fall 2016 runway. It was a perfect choice considering the fact that the theme paid tribute to Comme de Garçons and its visionary, avant-garde designer Rei Kawakubo. 



This intricate design looks like it would be a pain in the you-know-what to get on, but the 29-year-old told André Leon Talley, former editor-at-large for Vogue, that  it was actually pretty easy. Her shoes, on the other hand, were a different story. 


“It’s like booty shorts, and you buckle some snaps. The shoes now, took me an hour to get into.”



Check out exclusive photos from the Met Gala below. 



type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=5907b364e4b05c397681a8f6,5907d215e4b0bb2d0870bc16,5907ca54e4b05c397681b825

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Stunning Photos Of The Best-Dressed Couples At The 2017 Met Gala

$
0
0





The 2017 Met Gala was a glamorous, exclusive affair attended by the who’s who of fashion, art and Hollywood on Monday night. 


Rihanna ruled the Comme des Garçons and Rei Kawakubo theme, Katy Perry courted controversy with her Artisanal Maison Margiela gown, and Serena Williams ― goddess that she is ― debuted her baby bump


Some of our favorite couples also walked the red carpet together (and Jennifer Lopez made her debut with Alex Rodriguez). Check out the best-dressed pairs at the Met Gala below: 


Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez 



Selena Gomez and The Weeknd



Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds  



Pharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh



Serena Willams and Alexis Ohanian



Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady



Chrissy Teigen and John Legend



Diddy and Cassie 



Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy 



James Corden and Julia Carey



Check out more of our Met Gala coverage below: 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

This Teen Took Her Harvard Acceptance Letter To Prom Instead Of A Date

$
0
0

Priscilla Samey found herself without a date to her high school’s prom on Saturday night, so the Minnesota-based teen did what any reasonable woman would do ― she took her Harvard University acceptance letter as her date instead. 


The teen, who was also accepted to six other Ivy League universities, tweeted a flawless photo in her flawless grown with Harvard’s letter on Saturday.


“Couldn’t find a man to accept me for prom so I took a college that did,” she wrote in the caption. 






Samey’s post has since gone viral, with more than 122,000 favorites and 27,000 retweets. The reactions were, unsurprisingly, wonderfully supportive.  












Samey tweeted her gratitude on Sunday night after her post went viral. 






HuffPost reached out to Samey for comment and will update this piece accordingly.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Diddy Takes A Seat On The Steps At Met Gala, Becomes A Meme Machine

$
0
0

Most people only dream of walking up the grand steps during the Met Gala. Sean “Diddy” Combs looks like he could have been dreaming on those very steps Monday night. 


Diddy attended the 2017 Met Gala with his girlfriend Cassie, who looked stunning in a dramatic black gown with a giant geometric train.  


But as Cassie posed solo for photographers, Diddy inadvertently stole our affection by taking a seat on those iconic steps.





Social media had a field day with the unconventional red carpet behavior. Some applauded Diddy for doing what everyone who has ever worn high heels likely wished they could be doing. 


And what would a questionable red carpet moment be without a few great memes?


























For his part, Diddy explained on Twitter that he kicked his feet back for a pretty simple reason: He was tired.


We feel you, Diddy.  






Check out more looks from the Met Gala below. 



type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=5907b364e4b05c397681a8f6,590880a4e4b0bb2d08717880,5907d215e4b0bb2d0870bc16

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Kylie Jenner Broke The Most Important Rule At The 2017 Met Gala

$
0
0





Being Kylie Jenner means you can do whatever you want, when you want. Even if that means you’re offending Anna Wintour.


The 19-year-old beauty maven broke one of Wintour’s cardinal rules at the 2017 Met Gala on Monday night, talking a selfie (gasp!) despite strict guidelines that reportedly ban cell phones and social media from the exclusive event. 


Jenner snapped a star-studded photo that included her sisters, Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian, rapper A$AP Rocky, Paris Jackson, model Lily Aldridge, Diddy, Frank Ocean, Brie Larson and many more: 



annual bathroom selfie

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on




Jenner looked gorgeous at the event in custom Versace. Her new blonde bob perfectly matched date Donatella Versace’s hair color: 



MY DATE ICONIC

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on




As Kylie herself said in an Instagram caption, “When donatella wants you to go blonde .. you go fucking BLONDE.” Enough said.



When donatella wants you to go blonde .. you go fucking BLONDE

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on





phewf last night wasn't a dream

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on





#metgala2017

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on





thank you @donatella_versace @makeupbyariel @tokyostylez for making me feel so beautiful tonight!!!

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on





we've arrived @donatella_versace

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on




Just another day in the “Life of Kylie” (also the title of a new show about the reality star that’s debuting soon on E!). 


The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here.


type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=5908856de4b0bb2d08718ca1,59088bb7e4b05c397682b544,590880a4e4b0bb2d08717880

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


HBO To Air 'Landmark' Princess Diana Documentary For 20th Anniversary Of Her Death

$
0
0





HBO announced Tuesday it will air a “landmark documentary” about the late Princess Diana, in line with the 20th anniversary of her death. 


The documentary, which the network has labeled “unprecedented,” will focus mainly on interviews with the princess’ sons, William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, who open up about their mother and how she influenced them.


Included in the documentary will be new archival materials along with reflections from friends and family, some of whom have never spoken publicly. Will and Harry will also discuss Princess Di’s philanthropic endeavors and humanitarian work. 


“This film will show Princess Diana in a way she has never been seen before, through the eyes of the two people who knew her best,” executive producer Nick Kent said in a statement.


HBO will air the documentary ― produced by Oxford Film and Television ― in the U.S., while ITV will air it in the U.K. It’s set to air later this year, although no specific date was noted.


In light of the anniversary, HBO isn’t the only network with an upcoming Princess Diana documentary. 


Back in February, ABC announced its plans to air a docu-series focusing on the late royal, which is set to air this summer. Princess Diana and Prince Charles will also serve as the subject of the second season of Ryan Murphy’s “Feud” anthology series on FX, set to air sometime in 2018.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Jared Kushner Is Starting To Wear His Hair Eerily Similar To Donald Trump's

$
0
0

Jared Kushner, husband of Ivanka Trump and senior White House advisor to the president, is morphing into Donald Trump. Naturally, it all starts with his hair. 


Twitter user Mike Sington pointed out Kushner’s new transformation (and ‘do) in a recent tweet. 


“I think we’re in big trouble now,” he wrote. “For some reason, Jared Kushner has started styling his hair like Donald Trump.” 






Yep, that brushed-from-the-front, combed-to-the-side hair certainly looks familiar. The change is apparently recent, as these photos were taken last Friday in Washington, D.C. 


It’s only a matter of time until Kushner goes full-Trump hair and the transformation is complete: 



See more of Kushner’s style transformation below:  


August 2006



May 2007



February 2008



October 2009



August 2010



March 2011



May 2012



March 2013



September 2014



February 2015



November 2016



April 2017



The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here.


 


type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58fe65bce4b018a9ce5dd26e,58e6ac9fe4b0d6001f07f304,58e67ee0e4b07da813249d13

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

This Is Rei Kawakubo, The Designer Breaking Down Binaries At The Met

$
0
0

Categories can be presented as choices, but more often, they designate limitations to our freedom. Between options lurks an “or,” a subtle warning of our “this or that” restrictions.


“Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” the exhibition opening this week at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, operates differently. The show, honoring iconic Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, is divided into several categorical pairings, such as “Then/Now,” “East/West,” “High/Low,” and even “Clothes/Not Clothes.” Yet the slash stuck between each pairing isn’t intended as an “or.” Instead, it’s meant to demarcate an in-between, a space that turns dichotomies into cacophonous harmonies. 


The exhibition, decisively described as not a retrospective, features 150 garments from Kawakubo’s collections, divided into binary categories she then proceeds to break down. All of the pieces are presented at eye-level, so the viewer can properly observe the magic of their construction. There is no wall text whatsoever, a nod to Kawakubo’s consistent refusal to define her work in rigid terms. “The meaning is that there is no meaning,” she said in 1995.



The designer was born in Tokyo in 1942, the oldest of three children and the only girl. At university, Kawakubo studied the history of aesthetics, which incorporated elements of Asian and Western Art. It was in 1973 when she established her now-famous label Comme des Garçons (which means “like some boys”), opening her first store just two years later. 


Kawakubo made her Western debut in Paris in 1982, disrupting the era’s wave of glamorous power suits with saggy, lopsided black frocks accentuated with holes, shredded fabric and excess layers of more black. Like many great avant-garde works of art, Kawakubo’s collection was initially met with shock and disdain; critics described it as “ragged chic,” “Hiroshima’s revenge” and “post atomic.”


One of her most iconic collections came over 10 years later with the spring/summer 1997 collection “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body,” featuring skintight stretch dresses pulled over ballooning pads. The form-hugging attire accentuated the pads’ bizarre humps and swelling, radically transfiguring the wearer’s silhouette. The dresses, which were later adapted into costumes for a Merce Cunningham dance, epitomize Kawakubo’s radical ability to defy the assumptions about clothes you never knew you had. 



Even if you’re not into identifying fashion designers, recognizing Kawakubo’s work is a cinch. Mostly because her designs barely resemble clothing at all, boldly defying the laws clothes are intended to serve. Most garments cater to the body of their wearer ― flattering the figure by enhancing certain body parts and downplaying others, all in accordance with ideal beauty standards. Even more fundamentally, they follow certain elementary guidelines ― for example, shirts and pants have a set amount of holes.


For Kawakubo, these items of clothing are hardly that simple. As she told The Guardian: “I built my work from within instead of satisfying a demand for sexualised and ostentatious clothing.”


At times, a Commes des Garçons piece can resemble a cocoon or a gift in haphazard wrapping paper. Some tops contain far too may holes for human arms to occupy, as if designed with another species in mind; others have none at all. Many feature bulging protuberances, while other extreme finishing touches like ruffles or collars seem to be exacting revenge on the wearer.


Kawakubo’s designs tend to transform those who don them into mythical personae, otherworldly creatures or conceptual artworks. Instead of aspiring to make a woman look long and lean, Kawakubo endows her models with pillowy hunchbacks and architectural nests for hair, destabilizing the gaze that often governs fashion.



For centuries, the act of dressing up has proven capable of turning women into characters ― the bride, the professional, the vixen, the princess, the tomboy. The ability to embody an alter ego just by slipping on a dress can be liberating, though of course, the range of available characters can also be limiting. They can seem like choices that, in reality, are anything but.


Kawakubo, however, explodes the vault, queering established feminine tropes and ushering in the masculine, the inanimate, the surreal. Instead of being an “old Hollywood starlet” for a night, how about a pillowcase? A cluster of barnacles? A cobweb? Kawakubo’s clothing invites women to transcend and transmute their bodies, weaving fairytales from their own flesh. In Commes des Garçons’ world, there are no stereotypes, no laws, no masters and no categories: the freedom is absolute and often breathtaking.


You might not realize how similarly individuals dress until you set eyes on a woman wearing what looks like a blowfish carcass, something so unmistakably distinct. Even at The Met Gala, where Kawakubo was the theme, Rihanna’s army of petals ― one of the few actual Comme des Garçons dresses worn ― made jaws drop.







Today, Kawakubo is known as one of the most respected designers of all time ― only the second living designer to be honored with a Met exhibition, after Yves Saint Laurent’s in 1983. Some repeated themes in Kawakubo’s work include the colors black and red, bulging shapes, punk plaid, allusions to bridal and princess gowns ― somehow mangled and resuscitated ― tattered holes, shredded layers, asymmetrical hems and a sculptural intensity that’s rarely seen on the human body.


Most of all though, she’s defined by her inability to be defined. Her work’s most identifiable quality is its sense of boundlessness, which brings into being visions so viscerally peculiar most of us couldn’t conjure them in a dream state. In an interview with The New Yorker, the famously silent Kawakubo revealed that she had “never belonged to a movement, followed a religion, subscribed to an ideology, or worshipped a hero.”


She has even denounced those who have hailed her a feminist icon, refusing to belong to any such category. “I am not a feminist,” she said in 2009. “I was never interested in any movement as such. I just decided to make a company built around creation, and with creation as my sword, I could fight the battles I wanted to fight.”


Comme des Garçons does, however, liberate women from the monolithic male gaze, from the fashionable tradition of dressing up as a mode of self-improvement. But the label does more. It frees art from existing, cold and untouched, in glass cases and frames. It releases pants from the expectation of being two-legged. And it emancipates human beings from their flesh, inviting people to embody intangible ideas that defy categorization.











“Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” runs until September 4 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. See photos from The Met Gala here. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Celebrate Body Positivity With Outspeak

$
0
0

May is Body Positivity Month here at Outspeak and we’re going to be celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes, and exploring our complicated relationships with them.


Over the course of the month, Outspeak will cover topics such as illness and disability, fitness, body dysmorphia and eating disorders, self-expression through physical means, media representation, and misconceptions about bodies. There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to our flesh vessels, so let’s get this conversation going.


If you currently have a video, or are interested in creating one related to body positivity, send it to us via Facebook or Twitter. Or email your submissions to social@outspeak.tv.


Your video has the opportunity to be featured on Huffington Post’s massive social media pages, on Outspeak social media, and you have the chance to be featured in an article on HuffingtonPost.com. For an example of how these features look. Check out our recent #YourVoteYourVoice Election campaign.


Please keep the following in mind for your videos:



  • Make sure you’re shooting in a well-lit, non-distracted environment.

  • Keep the shots well-composed and in focus.

  • Keep the video short. 1-2 minutes preferred.

  • Keep the video focused on one theme. People will listen if you can speak focused and passionately.

  • Take a unique approach. How is this personal to you? Why is this issue in particular something you’re passionate about?

  • Do not use offensive or derogatory language. If used maliciously or recklessly, your video will not be considered for circulation.


If you have any questions, please contact us at social@outspeak.tv or give us a shout on Twitter.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

This Cheeky Instagram Page Is Dedicated To Vacation Butt Shots (NSFW)

$
0
0





Now this is an Instagram page people can really get behind.


It’s called @CheekyExploits and it’s dedicated to bare butt shots of people on vacation.


Whether on the sand ...




The snow ... 




At a vineyard in France ... 




In an alley ...




Or on a hotel balcony ...




The page is the brainchild of a 31-year-old woman in London who prefers to only be known as “Cheeky.”


She started @CheekyExploits last July after being inspired by an account following one man’s butt around the world.


“I thought this was such a fun idea and my friends, husband and I already had a small collection of photos similar to this,” Cheeky told HuffPost. “So I started the account as a fun way to share them amongst our friend group.”




From there, Cheeky managed to convince strangers to pose for her. Then she started getting submissions through the account and it has just snowballed from there.  




“I never meant for the account to necessarily be about travel and certainly never intended to start a trend,” she said. “It was just a bit of fun and, also, I enjoyed encouraging people to be comfortable with their bodies and participate for the thrill and confidence boost.”




Cheeky is upfront about which spots make the best butt photos.


“The most friendly butt locations tend to be fields, cliffs and beaches,” she said. “I find that people are more comfortable stripping down when they can do so with less risk.”




Although some people might think the page is asinine, Cheeky insists she has standards. She turns up her nose at pics that are too close-up, just someone in the mirror in their bedroom or overtly sexual.  




Cheeky is getting so many submissions that she jokes her life is becoming one big butt pun, “and my friends don’t miss the opportunity to make one.”




Still, she has dreams of the butt pics she’d really like to see.


“I would to love take one in a rainforest with monkeys climbing around,” she said. “Or another one that I think would be really cool is in Giza with a camel!”



-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Viewing all 18689 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images