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Refinery29
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
Fashion's Piercing Obsession Is The Antidote To The Quiet Luxury Trend
All linked products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase any of these products, we may earn a commission. I'm exhausted by the ' quiet luxury ' trend. The understated look, popularized by brands like The Row and Totême and cultural drivers like Succession, has dominated the fashion industry for nearly two years — causing the market to feel saturated with lackluster, albeit universally appealing, basics. As a result, those with a more alternative sense of style (like me) are left craving something edgier and grittier, like an asymmetrical silhouette, playful textile combinations, or some eye-catching adornments — something with a more distinctive personality. Thankfully, I'm not the only one looking to disrupt the khaki trench coat haze, and designers across the fashion industry are taking cues from the punk movement by refreshing a timeless motif that has also fortified me during trying times: a piercing. While my early experience with piercings was sneaking off to New York City at the age of 17 to visit a dubious smoke shop-turned-piercing parlor on St. Mark's, designers are proposing something different — using piercing-like designs to adorn every garment and accessory imaginable. Versions of metal horseshoes, captured bead hoops, and barbells can now be found on everything from shoes to bags, shirts to skirts, sunglasses to belts, and more. Whether you're simply a fan of the look or have real piercings of your own, incorporating them into fashion is a way to engage with the trend without committing to the trials and tribulations of body modification, pain, or aftercare. Can't (or don't want to) get your nipples pierced? Try the Skims push-up bra or the Mugler bodysuit with a faux set of embellishments. The very act of piercing is deliberate, combined with a bit of pain and determination, so using piercings in clothes and accessories creates a sense of impact. Punk subcultures have used piercings as a vehicle of self-expression and rejection of societally-imposed beauty standards since the '70s, and the 'other-ness' of having piercings created a sense of belonging among people who had them. While piercings today are more widespread and accepted by mainstream society than they used to be, utilizing them as adornments in fashion still seems to be a rebellion of sorts against the 'beige-wash of quiet luxury,' as Ssense womenswear buying director, Isla Lynch, puts it. 'The introduction of piercing and hardware to classic silhouettes has offered a subtle edge and individuality to dressing again,' she tells Refinery29. And while piercings are certainly not new to fashion, Tory Burch's Pierced Mules and Pierced Slingbacks, leather flats with metallic hardware at the toe, seemed to kick off the latest wave of embellishments. The designer debuted the styles as part of the brand's spring/summer 2023 collection, and they became so popular that Burch began adding the metal detail to nearly every shoe style — from sandals to slides, pumps, and wedges — before recently expanding to pierced tote bags. Celebs including Elizabeth Olsen, Mindy Kaling, Ella Emhoff, and Joey King have been spotted wearing various versions of the shoe; fashion editors everywhere endorsed the style. The style was a stark, refreshing change of pace for the brand, which was — until then — known for preppy, classic designs. Today, several other luxury labels are leading the charge. Lado Bokuchava has designed numerous shoes, bags, and garments adorned with silver hoops and horseshoes in recent seasons. Melitta Baumeister incorporated chunky piercings on various tops, boots, and gloves in both spring/summer and fall/winter 2025 collections, while Aknvas showed a pierced dress and matching scarf in its spring/summer 2025 collection. Among other accessory iterations, Déhanche designed a belt with dangling hoops, while brands like Dezi and Arcus sell sunglasses fitted with studs and barbells. Justine Clenquet, founder and designer at her namesake brand, has created a business around necklaces, bracelets, and earrings embellished with piercings of their own. 'I think the trend reflects a desire for more personal and expressive fashion,' Clenquet tells Refinery29. 'It's a way to play with identity,' she explains, but notes that the concept is far from new, given that 'brands like Vivienne Westwood [and] Jean Paul Gaultier have been doing it since the '90s.' Indeed, the punk influence has been alive and well in fashion for decades. Gaultier and Westwood were among the first major designers to incorporate body piercings into high fashion, a time when body modification was still considered somewhat subversive. Gaultier and Westwood sent models with facial piercings down the runway at their spring/summer 1994 and fall/winter 1993 shows, respectively. Shortly after, piercings became the focal point of John Galliano's 2004 collection of 'Hardcore' bags for Dior. Today, these vintage pieces are some of the more rare and expensive designs on the resale market. Dior's coveted Hardcore Pierced Saddle Bag is hard to come by and, depending on the condition, can easily cost upwards of $5,000 on resale sites. For comparison, a plain black saddle bag of the same calfskin fabrication from the same year can be found for as low as $1,750 on some sites. Even today, the pierced version of Balenciaga's Le Cagole bag is often priced at over $1,000 more than its plain black counterpart. As a perpetually gender-dysphoric nonbinary person, the piercing trend resonates with me in a way many other fashion fads don't. Throughout my life, piercings have helped me reclaim my body and gender. I had more than 15 by the time I graduated college, and still distinctly remember the euphoria I felt after seeing my eyebrow piercing for the first time — I felt like I finally recognized the reflection looking back at me in the mirror. While embedding metal into my clothes, shoes, and accessories doesn't quite achieve the same feeling, in some ways it has a similar effect: imbuing confidence in my self-image and instilling a feeling of protection, almost like armor. Metal is fortifying, and as I still mourn my body's rejection of some of my piercings over the years (RIP), at least my wardrobe can still bridge the gap and still make me feel at home in my fleeting visage with faux metallic accents. Body piercings are only semi-permanent after all, but a pierced purse is forever. Though the majority of people shopping this trend might not be in the midst of a lifelong battle against societally-imposed gender norms, the heavy metal look still speaks to its wearer's desire to subvert prescriptive aesthetics. While the impact of a pierced bag isn't quite the same as flesh-and-blood modification, they're both a means of self-expression and, in many cases, self-confidence.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Schneider nearly unhittable as No. 8 MSSU upsets No. 1 UCM in MIAA quarters
In an unusual situation, Missouri Southern State University hosted a game at Warren Turner Field as the away team. The eighth-seeded Lions played host to home team and top-seed University of Central Missouri Thursday for the quarterfinal round of the MIAA tournament. Advertisement UCM, ranked third in the nation (38-11), struggled to find much offense as MSSU's Casey Stalzer and Owen Schneider combined to allow just two runs on four hits on the way to a 7-2 upset of the Mules. "Schneider was great. Obviously, he was the difference for us," MSSU head coach Bryce Darnell said. The lefty entered the game in the third inning with the bases full and only one out. Stalzer had pitched two scoreless frames but started to struggle in the third, allowing three hits and walking one batter as the Mules got a run across, making it 5-1. That's when Schneider came in. "When I came in, I was a little nervous. I faced these guys a couple weeks ago and didn't have my best stuff. I knew I had to come in with my better stuff and pick up my teammate Casey (Stalzer)," Schneider said. Advertisement His stuff was good enough to strike out UCM's Vance Tobol and Isaiah Keller to end the threat and preserve a 5-1 lead. The redshirt sophomore from Rockwood Summit High School in St. Louis went on to finish the game, limiting the opposition to just one hit. He walked three batters and struck out eight. It seemed he may have had some extra juice in the last couple of innings as he recorded four of his eight strikeouts then. On one of them in the eighth frame he let out a loud grunt as he fired a two-strike fastball to the outside part of the plate that Tobol watched go by for a called strike three by the home plate umpire. "It helped that I had my teammates behind me. I did get a little stronger as the game went on. I focused a little more, and I was locating all my pitches," Schneider said. Advertisement The lone hit from the Mules off of Schneider was a solo home run by Keller that made it 5-2 in the sixth inning. Schneider talked about the excitement of getting to be a part of a key victory for his team over a nationally ranked opponent. "It feels amazing. We'll knock out the one seed, and we ain't done yet," Schneider added. Up next for the Lions (28-24) will be the winner of No. 4-seed University of Central Oklahoma and No. 5-seed Rogers State University at 1 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. "Just try to get to the next day. Owen (Schneider) was just wonderful today (and) his ability to get inside on those right-handed hitters was a huge part of the success," Darnell said. Advertisement MORE FROM THE GAME UCM head coach Kyle Crookes elected to go with Jake Wilson as his starting pitcher. Wilson had not started a game all season. He made it through three innings but allowed five runs on six hits while walking two batters and hitting another. It all began in the first inning as the Lions used two hits to score three runs. Drew Townsend started things with a walk. Ethan Clark singled and then Brayden Luikart laid down a bunt for a single to load the bases. Then two runs were scored as Nate Mieszkowski was hit by a pitch and Jacob Filip walked. Treghan Parker grounded out to drive in the third run. "You start fast, and it's hard to beat a good team; when you get up 3-nothing early it makes a difference," Darnell said. Advertisement Darnell noted that the early lead could have played a factor in the way the Mules typically play aggressively on the base paths. He thinks trailing all game may dictate how aggressive Crookes and the Mules want to be. While UCM struggled to score, Crookes felt like his offense was doing good things at times through the early parts of the game. "I think for the first six innings, our offense was, as far as my perspective, I thought we did a great job. We just hit balls right at people," Crookes said. "(Nate) Mieszkowski made a bunch of good plays, you line out to the shortstop and line out a couple places. That's baseball. "Schneider did a good job commanding the zone. And I think he commanded the zone with one pitch. He went fastball in and fastball out and mixed in enough of a slider." Advertisement MSSU tacked on one in the second and another in the third to make it 5-0. Cy Darnell doubled to start the second and Drew Townsend singled to move him over 90 feet. Clark rolled into a double play that scored Darnell. A sacrifice fly from Blake Jones scored Mieszkowski in the third. "They're (UCM) going to keep coming so it's important to keep getting runs for sure," Darnell said. The last two runs for the Lions were freebies as well as Mieszkowski again got hit by a pitch with the sacks full in the seventh, and then Parker was walked with them loaded in the ninth. "I think the game boils down to the first inning and the inning when they (MSSU) scored the sixth run," Crookes noted. Advertisement UCM had swept MSSU in the regular season, outscoring the Lions 44-19 in three games. The Lions have now won consecutive MIAA tournament meetings against the Mules. "We were 2-2 against them last year. We've played them in this tournament three straight years. We've beat them twice. They're an awesome program. But, what I mean by that is our guys are ready to play," Darnell said. "Credit to our guys. Their competitive spirit was great today." Luikart led the Lions with three hits going 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Mieszkowski, Townsend, Filip and Darnell each added two hits. Mieszkowski and Parker led the team with two RBIs apiece. The Lions drew five walks to go along with 12 hits.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cali Moniz-Kealoha continues family legacy at Leilehua
With the inaugural season of girls flag football underway across the state of Hawai'i, one team making waves in the Oahu Interscholastic Association is Leilehua — led by a name familiar to many local football fans. The Mules are off to a 4-0 start behind the leadership of head coach Bryant Moniz, a former University of Hawai'i and CFL quarterback, and his daughter, Cali Moniz-Kealoha, the team's sophomore signal-caller. 'It's nerve-wracking,' said Cali. 'At the same time, I know I have high expectations that I have to meet. But I also know my dad believes in me — in my arm and what I'm capable of.' Cali's father, a 2007 Leilehua graduate, guided the Rainbow Warriors to their last conference championship in 2010. He ranks third in UH history in career passing yards (10,169), total offense (10,681), and passing touchdowns (75), and once tied an NCAA record with seven touchdown passes in a single half against UC Davis. Now back at his alma mater, Coach Moniz says the opportunity to coach his daughter has been a gift. 'I'm truly blessed with the time I get to spend with her,' he said. 'Time is really the only undefeated player out there. To spend these hours and days coaching Cali, and still talk about the game when we go home — it gives us even more to bond over. I'm grateful for every moment.' Cali says her love for the game was inspired by watching her father's dedication on and off the field. 'My dad put in so much hard work when he was young — and even now, he still puts in that time, whether it's for my brother, us, or his craft,' she said. 'He loves the sport, and I see how much he loves it. So I love it just as much.' Leilehua's perfect start will be tested Tuesday night in a clash of unbeatens against Mililani. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. in Wahiawā. Fans should also mark their calendars for the historic conclusion to the season — the first-ever 16-team HHSAA State Tournament, which will run from April 30 to May 3. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Penzance exhibition a 'dream come true' for disabled artist
An artist with cerebral palsy is holding his first exhibition, aiming to shine a light on issues around disability and inclusion. Michael Mules, 27, from Penzance said it was "a dream come true" to be running the exhibition at the Penwith Framing Gallery from 5 to 17 condition affects his right arm and both legs, and he is also partially blind and said his art enables him to "feel free".The work represents freedom and movement "something that I struggle with because of my disability", he explained. Mr Mules started lino printing when he was at college but is currently doing more pen and ink exhibition will include a range of his work mostly in black and white. Mr Mules was bullied during his time at secondary school and recalls being told he would not achieve anything because of his called the art exhibition a "real breakthrough" and said "I've been able to achieve something that I've always wanted to achieve". He hopes his art exhibition will show other disabled people "they can achieve whatever they want."He said the message he wants to give them is: "You have the right to exist and the right to thrive within your existence."The exhibition will help raise money for Cornish disability youth charity, Active8. As well as being an artist, Mr Mules is a mentor for other young people with disabilities, training to be a counsellor and is also a stand up comedian.
