Latest news with #MeganStalter
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
People are wearing nightgowns anywhere but to bed
This is not your grandmother's nightgown. Or maybe it is. The same style of sleepwear that was once strictly relegated to bedrooms and boudoirs has now become the summer dress of the year. Reformation's Holly Sleep Dress ($128), a floaty mini dress with a scrunched 1950s-style neckline with scalloped edges, was inspired by 'vintage nightgowns that you can probably get away with wearing out and about,' the brand's website read. Similarly, fellow cool-girl label Damson Madder noted that its Elspeth Nightdress ($67), which features dainty floral embroidery and a broderie hemline, is 'effortlessly wearable from night to day.' Meanwhile, If Only If — the British brand behind the scene-stealing nightgowns worn by Megan Stalter in Lena Dunham's Netflix series 'Too Much' — photographs models wearing their nighties with woven basket bags at the farmer's market or out in the countryside. On TikTok, videos made using the hashtag #nightgown have increased 200% in the last 12 months. Content creators on Instagram are showing equal enthusiasm. 'I literally cannot stop buying vintage nightgowns,' influencer Bridget Brown told her 99,000 Instagram followers in a recent video,as she unboxed an embroidered, scoop-neck cotton nightie that flowed past her knees, bought secondhand from Facebook Marketplace. 'This is sexy for an Edwardian nightgown, let me tell you,' she added, her mouth agape with glee. But braving the outside world in your intimates is not an entirely new concept. In the late 18th century, French artist Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted a portrait of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, wearing a sloping straw hat and chemise dress — a typical undergarment for women at the time. The picture was initially displayed at Vigée Le Brun's first-ever exhibition at the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1783, though the exposing nature of the queen's nightie was deemed too inappropriate for public viewership and quickly removed. For years, designers have tried to harness that same feeling of shock, exposure and titillation by reimagining lingerie staples such as corsets, bras and nightdresses on the runway. For his Spring-Summer 1992 show in London, John Galliano honed in on the romanticism and sensuality of 19th-century slips typically worn in the French court. Named 'Napoleon and Josephine,' Galliano's collection included sheer nightdresses that revealed the bust entirely. At Calvin Klein's Spring-Summer 1995 show in New York, silky lace-trimmed nightgowns in black, stone grey and champagne hung off the frames of models like Kate Moss and Stella Tennant. If Galliano's collection was about capturing a theatrical sleepwear fantasy, Klein offered a version of nightgowns that were surprisingly sophisticated and even, at times, office appropriate. In 1997, Stella McCartney's debut as the designer of Chloé added to the conversation even further: With delicate spaghetti straps and pastel colors, the nightgowns that appeared on the runway were perhaps the most faithful to what could have really been worn to bed. The tide has well and truly changed since the days of Marie Antoinette's portrait — even Princess Diana wore an inky blue and black lace-trimmed slip dress from Dior to the 1996 Met Gala. But where nightgowns have previously been used as a visual shorthand for sex appeal, with their skin-baring cuts and silky fabric, today's trend is driven by frumpier, more historically-accurate silhouettes. Rachel Tashjian, fashion critic at the Washington Post, who also writes an invite-only newsletter called 'Opulent Tips,' has a cotton nightgown from the late 1800s she likes to wear while walking her dog in New York's Central Park on the weekends. 'The fabric is quite starchy, and it almost reminds me of wedding cake frosting,' she said over the phone. It once belonged, she thinks, to her husband's great grandmother. 'Pieces from that time, especially underpinnings, have all these incredible details of lacework and pin tucks and pleating,' she added. Sandeep Salter, the co-founder of the New York-based clothing and homeware brand Salter House, says that organic cotton nightdresses and PJs are her most popular categories. 'New Yorkers know us for it and we continue to launch new designs periodically,' she wrote in an email. The frocks are inspired by a range of references — from the nightgowns first received by Salter from her mother when she was 13 years old to the original nightdress worn by Wendy Darling in 'Peter Pan.' One of Salter's designs, an oversized square-neck white cotton frock called 'The Lamb', was modelled after traditional 19th century French undergarments. 'We see our nightdresses styled into daywear in really nice ways,' Salter said. 'With a cardigan tied like a sash around the body, with a mini-heeled Mary Jane or ballet flats and a sharp purse.' She herself likes to pair a Salter nightgown with an oversized scrunchie and a baseball cap. No matter how it's worn, the common thread between these romantic, loose-fitting gowns is comfort. It's a hangover, perhaps, from the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, when people were mandated to stay home and sales of sweatpants surged (even Anna Wintour succumbed to their siren call). Two years later, when restrictions lifted post-pandemic, we slipped back into our jeans and slacks — but the hankering for comfort never left. 'It feels good, physically,' Salter said about the continued interest in gauzy gowns. Tashjian agreed, noting that nightdresses offer a more put-together alternative to baggy sweatpants. The enduring popularity of nightwear styles isn't only being driven by women, either. At Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, Dolce & Gabbana showed loungewear, slouchy separates and matching striped trousers and shirts that riffed off pajama sets. Do recent fashion trends such as these have anything to do with a revival of conservative politics? 'I think a lot of this comes down to how the person is wearing it,' said Tashjian. 'There also is a world in which it's some conflation of this conservative, 'trad wife' style,' she said, referring to the rising trend of milkmaid dresses, full A-line skirts and puff-sleeve blouses. But many other young women are winking at this type of antiquated femininity while engaging with it. Take Prada's Spring-Summer 2023 show, where sheer, matronly nightdresses and housecoats were shown with heeled Mary Janes and tightly gripped clutch bags. 'It's a woman taking things that are assigned to a particular lane in life, and recontextualizing them in a way that's very naughty or mischievous or arrogant,' observed Tashjian.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
People are wearing nightgowns anywhere but to bed
This is not your grandmother's nightgown. Or maybe it is. The same style of sleepwear that was once strictly relegated to bedrooms and boudoirs has now become the summer dress of the year. Reformation's Holly Sleep Dress ($128), a floaty mini dress with a scrunched 1950s-style neckline with scalloped edges, was inspired by 'vintage nightgowns that you can probably get away with wearing out and about,' the brand's website read. Similarly, fellow cool-girl label Damson Madder noted that its Elspeth Nightdress ($67), which features dainty floral embroidery and a broderie hemline, is 'effortlessly wearable from night to day.' Meanwhile, If Only If — the British brand behind the scene-stealing nightgowns worn by Megan Stalter in Lena Dunham's Netflix series 'Too Much' — photographs models wearing their nighties with woven basket bags at the farmer's market or out in the countryside. On TikTok, videos made using the hashtag #nightgown have increased 200% in the last 12 months. Content creators on Instagram are showing equal enthusiasm. 'I literally cannot stop buying vintage nightgowns,' influencer Bridget Brown told her 99,000 Instagram followers in a recent video,as she unboxed an embroidered, scoop-neck cotton nightie that flowed past her knees, bought secondhand from Facebook Marketplace. 'This is sexy for an Edwardian nightgown, let me tell you,' she added, her mouth agape with glee. But braving the outside world in your intimates is not an entirely new concept. In the late 18th century, French artist Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted a portrait of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, wearing a sloping straw hat and chemise dress — a typical undergarment for women at the time. The picture was initially displayed at Vigée Le Brun's first-ever exhibition at the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1783, though the exposing nature of the queen's nightie was deemed too inappropriate for public viewership and quickly removed. For years, designers have tried to harness that same feeling of shock, exposure and titillation by reimagining lingerie staples such as corsets, bras and nightdresses on the runway. For his Spring-Summer 1992 show in London, John Galliano honed in on the romanticism and sensuality of 19th-century slips typically worn in the French court. Named 'Napoleon and Josephine,' Galliano's collection included sheer nightdresses that revealed the bust entirely. At Calvin Klein's Spring-Summer 1995 show in New York, silky lace-trimmed nightgowns in black, stone grey and champagne hung off the frames of models like Kate Moss and Stella Tennant. If Galliano's collection was about capturing a theatrical sleepwear fantasy, Klein offered a version of nightgowns that were surprisingly sophisticated and even, at times, office appropriate. In 1997, Stella McCartney's debut as the designer of Chloé added to the conversation even further: With delicate spaghetti straps and pastel colors, the nightgowns that appeared on the runway were perhaps the most faithful to what could have really been worn to bed. The tide has well and truly changed since the days of Marie Antoinette's portrait — even Princess Diana wore an inky blue and black lace-trimmed slip dress from Dior to the 1996 Met Gala. But where nightgowns have previously been used as a visual shorthand for sex appeal, with their skin-baring cuts and silky fabric, today's trend is driven by frumpier, more historically-accurate silhouettes. Rachel Tashjian, fashion critic at the Washington Post, who also writes an invite-only newsletter called 'Opulent Tips,' has a cotton nightgown from the late 1800s she likes to wear while walking her dog in New York's Central Park on the weekends. 'The fabric is quite starchy, and it almost reminds me of wedding cake frosting,' she said over the phone. It once belonged, she thinks, to her husband's great grandmother. 'Pieces from that time, especially underpinnings, have all these incredible details of lacework and pin tucks and pleating,' she added. Sandeep Salter, the co-founder of the New York-based clothing and homeware brand Salter House, says that organic cotton nightdresses and PJs are her most popular categories. 'New Yorkers know us for it and we continue to launch new designs periodically,' she wrote in an email. The frocks are inspired by a range of references — from the nightgowns first received by Salter from her mother when she was 13 years old to the original nightdress worn by Wendy Darling in 'Peter Pan.' One of Salter's designs, an oversized square-neck white cotton frock called 'The Lamb', was modelled after traditional 19th century French undergarments. 'We see our nightdresses styled into daywear in really nice ways,' Salter said. 'With a cardigan tied like a sash around the body, with a mini-heeled Mary Jane or ballet flats and a sharp purse.' She herself likes to pair a Salter nightgown with an oversized scrunchie and a baseball cap. No matter how it's worn, the common thread between these romantic, loose-fitting gowns is comfort. It's a hangover, perhaps, from the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, when people were mandated to stay home and sales of sweatpants surged (even Anna Wintour succumbed to their siren call). Two years later, when restrictions lifted post-pandemic, we slipped back into our jeans and slacks — but the hankering for comfort never left. 'It feels good, physically,' Salter said about the continued interest in gauzy gowns. Tashjian agreed, noting that nightdresses offer a more put-together alternative to baggy sweatpants. The enduring popularity of nightwear styles isn't only being driven by women, either. At Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, Dolce & Gabbana showed loungewear, slouchy separates and matching striped trousers and shirts that riffed off pajama sets. Do recent fashion trends such as these have anything to do with a revival of conservative politics? 'I think a lot of this comes down to how the person is wearing it,' said Tashjian. 'There also is a world in which it's some conflation of this conservative, 'trad wife' style,' she said, referring to the rising trend of milkmaid dresses, full A-line skirts and puff-sleeve blouses. But many other young women are winking at this type of antiquated femininity while engaging with it. Take Prada's Spring-Summer 2023 show, where sheer, matronly nightdresses and housecoats were shown with heeled Mary Janes and tightly gripped clutch bags. 'It's a woman taking things that are assigned to a particular lane in life, and recontextualizing them in a way that's very naughty or mischievous or arrogant,' observed Tashjian.
CNN
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
People are wearing nightgowns anywhere but to bed
This is not your grandmother's nightgown. Or maybe it is. The same style of sleepwear that was once strictly relegated to bedrooms and boudoirs has now become the summer dress of the year. Reformation's Holly Sleep Dress ($128), a floaty mini dress with a scrunched 1950s-style neckline with scalloped edges, was inspired by 'vintage nightgowns that you can probably get away with wearing out and about,' the brand's website read. Similarly, fellow cool-girl label Damson Madder noted that its Elspeth Nightdress ($67), which features dainty floral embroidery and a broderie hemline, is 'effortlessly wearable from night to day.' Meanwhile, If Only If — the British brand behind the scene-stealing nightgowns worn by Megan Stalter in Lena Dunham's Netflix series 'Too Much' — photographs models wearing their nighties with woven basket bags at the farmer's market or out in the countryside. On TikTok, videos made using the hashtag #nightgown have increased 200% in the last 12 months. Content creators on Instagram are showing equal enthusiasm. 'I literally cannot stop buying vintage nightgowns,' influencer Bridget Brown told her 99,000 Instagram followers in a recent video,as she unboxed an embroidered, scoop-neck cotton nightie that flowed past her knees, bought secondhand from Facebook Marketplace. 'This is sexy for an Edwardian nightgown, let me tell you,' she added, her mouth agape with glee. But braving the outside world in your intimates is not an entirely new concept. In the late 18th century, French artist Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted a portrait of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, wearing a sloping straw hat and chemise dress — a typical undergarment for women at the time. The picture was initially displayed at Vigée Le Brun's first-ever exhibition at the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1783, though the exposing nature of the queen's nightie was deemed too inappropriate for public viewership and quickly removed. For years, designers have tried to harness that same feeling of shock, exposure and titillation by reimagining lingerie staples such as corsets, bras and nightdresses on the runway. For his Spring-Summer 1992 show in London, John Galliano honed in on the romanticism and sensuality of 19th-century slips typically worn in the French court. Named 'Napoleon and Josephine,' Galliano's collection included sheer nightdresses that revealed the bust entirely. At Calvin Klein's Spring-Summer 1995 show in New York, silky lace-trimmed nightgowns in black, stone grey and champagne hung off the frames of models like Kate Moss and Stella Tennant. If Galliano's collection was about capturing a theatrical sleepwear fantasy, Klein offered a version of nightgowns that were surprisingly sophisticated and even, at times, office appropriate. In 1997, Stella McCartney's debut as the designer of Chloé added to the conversation even further: With delicate spaghetti straps and pastel colors, the nightgowns that appeared on the runway were perhaps the most faithful to what could have really been worn to bed. The tide has well and truly changed since the days of Marie Antoinette's portrait — even Princess Diana wore an inky blue and black lace-trimmed slip dress from Dior to the 1996 Met Gala. But where nightgowns have previously been used as a visual shorthand for sex appeal, with their skin-baring cuts and silky fabric, today's trend is driven by frumpier, more historically-accurate silhouettes. Rachel Tashjian, fashion critic at the Washington Post, who also writes an invite-only newsletter called 'Opulent Tips,' has a cotton nightgown from the late 1800s she likes to wear while walking her dog in New York's Central Park on the weekends. 'The fabric is quite starchy, and it almost reminds me of wedding cake frosting,' she said over the phone. It once belonged, she thinks, to her husband's great grandmother. 'Pieces from that time, especially underpinnings, have all these incredible details of lacework and pin tucks and pleating,' she added. Sandeep Salter, the co-founder of the New York-based clothing and homeware brand Salter House, says that organic cotton nightdresses and PJs are her most popular categories. 'New Yorkers know us for it and we continue to launch new designs periodically,' she wrote in an email. The frocks are inspired by a range of references — from the nightgowns first received by Salter from her mother when she was 13 years old to the original nightdress worn by Wendy Darling in 'Peter Pan.' One of Salter's designs, an oversized square-neck white cotton frock called 'The Lamb', was modelled after traditional 19th century French undergarments. 'We see our nightdresses styled into daywear in really nice ways,' Salter said. 'With a cardigan tied like a sash around the body, with a mini-heeled Mary Jane or ballet flats and a sharp purse.' She herself likes to pair a Salter nightgown with an oversized scrunchie and a baseball cap. No matter how it's worn, the common thread between these romantic, loose-fitting gowns is comfort. It's a hangover, perhaps, from the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, when people were mandated to stay home and sales of sweatpants surged (even Anna Wintour succumbed to their siren call). Two years later, when restrictions lifted post-pandemic, we slipped back into our jeans and slacks — but the hankering for comfort never left. 'It feels good, physically,' Salter said about the continued interest in gauzy gowns. Tashjian agreed, noting that nightdresses offer a more put-together alternative to baggy sweatpants. The enduring popularity of nightwear styles isn't only being driven by women, either. At Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, Dolce & Gabbana showed loungewear, slouchy separates and matching striped trousers and shirts that riffed off pajama sets. Do recent fashion trends such as these have anything to do with a revival of conservative politics? 'I think a lot of this comes down to how the person is wearing it,' said Tashjian. 'There also is a world in which it's some conflation of this conservative, 'trad wife' style,' she said, referring to the rising trend of milkmaid dresses, full A-line skirts and puff-sleeve blouses. But many other young women are winking at this type of antiquated femininity while engaging with it. Take Prada's Spring-Summer 2023 show, where sheer, matronly nightdresses and housecoats were shown with heeled Mary Janes and tightly gripped clutch bags. 'It's a woman taking things that are assigned to a particular lane in life, and recontextualizing them in a way that's very naughty or mischievous or arrogant,' observed Tashjian.
ABC News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Too Much? The return of Lena Dunham's messy white women
More than a decade after HBO's Girls made her "a voice of a generation" for white millennial women, Lena Dunham's back with Too Much, a rom-com series for Netflix. Hannah and Bev peel back their layered feelings about Lena Dunham, and get into whether Too Much, starring Megan Stalter and Will Sharpe, meets expectations. And the sidebar is in session, making rulings on Emmy nominations and Dr Orna Guralnik's fashion. Get in touch: Share your pop culture takes with us! Write or send a voice memo to stopeverything@ Show notes: Lena Dunham rises again Girls creator Lena Dunham returns with Too Much Meg Stalter is the prettiest girl in America We all want to dress like Orna
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Every A-List Cameo In Lena Dunham's Too Much, Explained
Lena Dunham's TV genius is finally back on our screens with her new Netflix rom-com Too Much. The feel-good comedy-drama stars Hacks' Megan Stalter as kooky New Yorker Jessica, who moves across the pond to London after a breakup before falling for aspiring musician Felix, played by The White Lotus' Will Sharpe. We've already looked at the impressive cast and their various past projects, including many familiar faces like Rita Wilson, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Girls star Andrew Rannells. But there's also a host of cameos and smaller guest roles throughout the 10 episodes. Here's your guide to all of them… Emily Ratajkowski The US model and actor plays Megan's ex's cool and stylish new fiancéeWendy Jones. Emily has been friends with Lena for a long time, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the Girls creator found a perfect casting in her. 'We've always had a lot of conversations around women that you feel like you're connected to in strange ways, but you don't totally know them,' Emily told Variety of her role recently. She also explained that Lena had initially envisioned her character as a lawyer, before Emily suggested that she be an influencer instead. Andrew Scott If there's one actor who's guaranteed to make a splash no matter how big or small the role, it's Andrew Scott. The Sherlock star plays a divorced ad director called James Wenlich-Rice, who's hired to shoot the advert Jessica is overseeing. Unsurprisingly, he ends up having some of the best (and most cringeworthy) lines in the whole series. Andrew previously starred in Lena's 2022 movie Catherine Called Birdy, and it turns out he had a pretty big part in getting Megan cast in the first place. In an interview with Glamour, Lena revealed that the Fleabag star first introduced her to Megan's viral comedy videos and insisted they meet. '[He] basically said, 'You two have to meet, you have something to make together',' she recalled. Kit Harington Since his starring role as Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones, we've been able to watch Kit Harington demonstrate his range in projects like Eternals, The Beast Within and Industry. Now he appears in Too Much's flashback scenes as Jessica's late father, who died of Parkinson's disease when she was young. Richard E. Grant The legendary British actor isn't quite a fleeting cameo, since he plays a key role as Jessica's UK-based boss, Jonno Ratigan. In one scene he makes his employee reel off a list of problems he has with Jessica, including her pungent lunches and smelly feet. Unsurprisingly, he manages to strike a hilarious balance between personable and passive aggressive – he even gets into a physical altercation with Felix in one scene. Naomi Watts TheMulholland Drive actor appears in the series as Ann Ratigan, the posh wife of Jonno who forms an instant bond with Jessica (over a few lines of cocaine, no less). Envisioning the A-lister in a comedy role was exciting to Lena, who told The Hollywood Reporter that she wanted to write her something that was 'not an elegant lady role, that's like an elegant lady to the left role, like an elegant lady who's railing cocaine role'. Jessica Alba The Fantastic Four actor stars as herself in the first episode of Too Much, playing a client of Jessica's agency on a commercial shoot. When a misogynistic director tries to 'punch up' the script, Jessica Alba asks Too Much's Jessica (Megan Stalter) to step in and collaborate with her, before she becomes overwhelmed and runs off in a panic. Adwoa Aboah The British actor and model appears in a few scenes as Felix's recent ex Linnea. While she's proven her acting talents playing Becks in Top Boy, Lena explained that hiring models for the series was very intentional. 'And I think modelling is such an expressive art and models are very often really good actors because they have to do that,' she told Radio Times. 'What I love about Emily [Ratajkowski] and Adwoa [Aboah] is that, in addition to being models, they're so outspoken in their activism, in their writing, in their creative expression,' she added. Stephen Fry The British actor and presenter plays Felix's dad Simon in the series, who finds himself in financial hardship. He appears in episode seven – which sheds some light on Felix's upbringing – and the finale titled The Idea Of Glue. This also isn't his first collaboration with Lena, having played the writer-director's father in the 2024 tragicomedy Treasure. Rhea Perlman The Cheers and Matilda actor features as Jessica's cheeky grandmother Dottie, who does her best to offer advice on her chaotic love life. 'Lena has a way of creating and directing that makes people feel free,' the actor said in an interview with The New York Times. 'Maybe some people would be turned off by that much sex and that much talk of sex,' she continued. 'But she made it so funny and so real.' Carlos O'Connell Fans of Dublin post-punk heroes Fontaines D.C. will have instantly recognised Carlos O'Connell's pink hair in Too Much, with the guitarist appearing as Felix's bandmate Eoin. Their fictional band The Feelers actually features original music from Attawalpa, the band of Too Much co-creator and Lena's husband Luis Felber. This marks the musician's latest foray into acting, having made a cameo in Andrea Arnold's 2024 movie Bird. Don Letts Another real-life musician appears in the series in the shape of legendary British DJ Don Letts. The Big Audio Dynamite co-founder features as a club emcee called Jonah The Ox. There's also a few more details sprinkled throughout the show for real music buffs, like when Jessica's ex Zev (played by Michael Zegen) is featured wearing an Idles T-shirt in one scene. Rita Ora The Anywhere singer appears late in the series as herself to play Santa Claus in a Christmas advertising campaign, and also hypes Jessica up after her social media scandal. The pop star posted on social media that she had 'so much fun filming' in the show, which she shared alongside a picture of her with Lena. Jennifer Saunders The Absolutely Fabulous star is in episode nine's clubbing scene, appearing briefly as an older woman called Fiona who sleeps with Felix in a moment of self sabotage. Felix remarked in an interview with Netflix's Tudum how 'every week, there'd be somebody new that is a hero of yours' appearing in the show. Lena said that even she was starstruck, adding: 'I was like, 'I cannot fucking believe this is happening'.' Alix Earle If you've ever watched a 'Get Ready With Me' video on TikTok, there's a good chance one of them was by internet personality and model Alix Earle. She appears as herself in episode nine, posting a video in support of Jessica's viral videos. Jake Shane The US comedian and influencer known as Octopusslover8 also appears as himself in episode nine to show his support to Jessica. It's also a bit of a reunion with Jessica, having previously featured in three episodes of Hacks season four in the role of Social Media Girlie. Related... Megan Stalter Makes Surprising Admission About THAT Outrageous Too Much Spit Scene Thought The Stars Of Too Much Looked Familiar? Here's Where You've Seen The Cast Before Is Too Much Lena Dunham's 'Worthy Successor To Girls' Or A 'Total Disappointment'? Critics Can't Agree
