3 days ago
Belt up! Cummerbunds are back — plus more trends to know now
Find out what's heating up (and cooling down) in our weekly barometer of trends from fashion to pop culture.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that cummerbunds were a relic of the past — but fashion's finest have declared the Eighties wedding classic cool again. At the recent Met Gala Madonna stepped out in a white suit with a matching cummerbund designed by Haider Akermann for Tom Ford. Elsewhere, Drew Barrymore, Paul Mescal and Industry's Marisa Abela have all recently tucked their white dress shirts into one, while Laura Dern paired her custom Gucci sash with a sheer lace top. For a modern dapper take on the look, note Ncuti Gatwa ditching the dickie bow in favour of a collarless satin blouse, or follow Glenn Powell and Nicholas Hoult's all-black, top button undone approach. *Digs out old suit for a rethink*
Unless you've been living under a Damon Albarn-shaped rock, you will have definitely maybe heard about the reunion of the brothers Gallagher. Mad fer it? Pop culture certainly is, with a supersonic level of Liam and Noel-inspired stuff coming your way. First up is The Battle, a play touring the UK until mid-July, written by John 'Kill Your Friends' Niven about the Britpop chart battle in 1995, when Blur's Country House competed with Oasis's Roll with It for the No 1 spot. See also Laugh Forever — an Edinburgh Fringe show featuring an as yet unnamed group of stand-ups telling their favourite Britpop gags, from August 11. In the book world there's The Secret Diaries of Liam and Noel Gallagher (Century £10.99, out now), a parody novel from Bruno Vincent, the wag behind Five on Brexit Island. 'What makes Oasis worthy of parody is the continuous punching, swearing, threats, booze,' he says. 'But being parodied is really a compliment.' We can also expect a film, Live '25, from the Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, following the gang on their summer jaunt. Just don't look back in anger …
You can tell a trend has hit stratospheric levels when fashion brands start getting in on the act. Or should that be getting in on the bat, as padel — aka the world's fastest-growing sport, not to be confused with the similar but different pickleball (IYKYK) — emerges as hot fashion property. Brands ranging from Armani to Varley and Oysho are jumping on the bandwagon with collections inspired by the game this summer. Think preppy sweatshirts, visors and plenty of squeaky-clean white — pleated skirts worn with oversized sweats is very much the vibe here. See you on the court.
Mexico continues to flex its cultural muscle. A new book, A Caged Dog Barks the Fiercest by the photographer Ryan O'Toole Collett, features striking portraits and candid conversations with some of the people (above left) that call Mexico City (aka CDMX) home; published by Dover Street Market, it has coffee-table clout. Speaking of home, Mexican interiors are heating up, with Google searches up a staggering 5,000 per cent year on year. Think saturated colour, texture and tradition — for example, Perla Valiterra's vibrant blue glazed bowls (below left, £160 for four, and the glazed Paloma tiles (below right, £1 each, Meanwhile, the cult Latin American restaurant Tigermilk (above right) is landing in London this month. Expect tableside guacamole-making and maracuya tiramisu — a passionfruit version of the classic. ¡Muy bueno!
Happy birthday to a modern icon. No, we're not talking Taylor Swift but the Loewe Puzzle bag, which turns ten this year. To celebrate, the Spanish house is reimagining the classic in a pink suede version that features patchwork detailing as a nod to the Seventies. The perfect match for summer denim.
Additional words: Phoebe McDowell, Karen Dacre and Hannah Connolly
