The annual celebration of all things black culture known as Afropunk made its way back to Brooklyn over the weekend for two legendary days of music, art, and unbridled self-expression. People from all backgrounds and every corner of the globe joined New Yorkers to share in the festival’s offerings, which included an epic musical lineup with performances by Jill Scott, FKA Twigs, Alabama Shakes lead vocalist Brittany Howard, and Santigold, to name a few. As per usual, we found ourselves completely captivated by the bold beauty looks put on display by this colorful set of festival-goers who continue to inspire us to push boundaries every single day. Ahead, the 20 looks we’ll be putting on our mood boards.
If you live in NYC or spent any amount of time on Instagram this weekend, you’re probably aware that Afropunk descended upon Brooklyn for its annual two-day music festival. The lineup was especially exciting this year, stacked with favorites like FKA Twigs, Leon Bridges, and Kamasi Washington, but it was the festival’s street style that really grabbed our attention this year.
Unlike other music festivals where the outfits all blend together after a while, Afropunk brings together an inclusive group of NYC creatives, which makes for some pretty epic street style. To showcase it, we’re rounding up the coolest looks we spotted at the festival, and they all speak for themselves. Prepare to see one-of-a-kind DIY pieces, eye-catching color palettes, and an emerging trend that’s officially festival style–approved: sheer. Scroll down to fill up on inspiration.
Some might say that style and politics are mutually exclusive. I’d beg to differ. Sure, the way you choose to dress can seem frivolous compared to the tragedies happening in the world, but the truth is that style has been and continues to be a tool for marginalized communities as a form of visual dissent. As we celebrate Women’s Equality Day and reflect on the history of how women fought for our right to participate in democracy (while wearing all-white, might I add), let us note the role style can play in the fight for the rights of all marginalized groups.
By no means am I looking to diminish the message of any movement, especially when we’re advocating for human rights, but fashion doesn’t have to take away from the message or the fight; it can add to it. How you choose to dress can speak to your beliefs. Not only can your T-shirt say what you care about, but your purchases can impact the environment and the communities that are producing the products you buy. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Ahead, I’ve tapped fashion historian Laura McLaws Helms to speak to the intersection between style and politics and how style can be a form of dissent.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you study?
I grew up in New York City and London. I got my BFA in photography at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU, and then went on to get my masters from FIT in fashion and textile studies. Afterward, I did two years toward a Ph.D. in fashion history at LCF. Even as a little child, I was interested in fashion and especially historic fashion—poring over old photo albums, digging through trunks in my grandparents’ attic, obsessing over paper dolls based on past eras. As soon as I could read, I was learning about fashion, and then I started collecting vintage from secondhand shops and car boot sales when I was a pre-teen, so it is unsurprising that I made fashion history my career.
As a fashion historian, how would you describe your job to those who don’t know what that is?
I study, research, and write about the interconnections between fashion and culture throughout history—looking to situate dress as an integral part of the culture, both shaping and shaped by how we live our lives. Most of my work currently is writing articles and consulting with brands about fashion history, but I’ve also curated museum exhibitions, written books, and given talks/seminars about fashion and cultural history.
You have a serious vintage collection. What era of clothing do you personally love and collect the most?
I really adore 1967 to 1973. It was an era of real fantasy in fashion. Historic revivalism met Bohemian luxe in a theatrical ode to times past and far-off places.
Why do you think that in spaces of academia, and wider society, people are quick to dismiss the importance of fashion and its role in both historical movements and the cultural zeitgeist?
For centuries, society has seen fashion as frivolous and the purview of bored women with brains only for feathers and furbelows. While academic publications that have centered dress as a vital aspect of culture have begun to shift attitudes, it has been a very slow process over the last 60 years—though I’ve definitely seen an increase in acceptance and understanding of the value of fashion history and fashion itself in the last 10 years.
From a historical lens, what examples would you give to shed light on the fact that marginalized communities use style as a visual indicator of their dissent against the political systems and societal “norms” that oppress them?
Often as a form of dissent, marginalized groups take aspects of their oppressor’s dress and subvert it. This can be very clearly seen by feminists over the years that have adopted masculine clothes—playing with androgyny, hinting at homosexuality, covered up in a suit or pants yet skirting the edges of what was considered “proper” and “appropriate” for a woman to wear. Lesbians like Romaine Brooks and her partners Natalie Barney and Lily de Gramont wore variations of masculine dress not in an attempt to pass as men but as a signal—a way of making their sexuality manifest. While gender fluidity and sexual freedom are accepted and understood (by most) today, in earlier decades, they were viewed with panic and as morally wrong.
Zoot suits were another form of subversive dress and bricolage. They were developed and popularized in African American and Mexican American communities in the 1940s, and for the wearers, the extravagantly flamboyant suits were a repudiation of the constrained and boring suits (and lives) of white society as well as a declaration of freedom and self-determination. The rebellion inherent in their exaggerated proportions led them to be associated in the media with delinquency, and many considered their voluminous use of fabric as wasteful and unpatriotic in light of textile rationing during World War II. The Zoot Suit Riots occurred in Los Angeles in 1943 when American servicemen and white civilians attacked and stripped primarily Mexican American youths clad in zoot suits; rooted in racism, white Americans viewed the zoot suits as an affront on traditional American values.
Though we’re living in 2019, there are a lot of misconceptions about feminism, specifically how it impacts the clothing women who identify as such choose to wear. Why do you think society as a whole tends to think a feminist can’t dress in a “feminine” way?
Often, the media has depicted feminism as a total rejection of femininity and sexual orientation instead of a push for equality and a rejection of patriarchal dominance. While there have definitely been feminists who have rejected femininity and all its associated worlds (fashion, beauty, etc.), most have sought to remove the traditional strictures put on feminine life—the idea that women’s place was in the home, solely devoted to raising children and doing housework, all while looking fresh and beautiful for their husband. The happy homemaker, as she was so lovingly glorified at the time. Femininity and feminism do not have to be mutually exclusive, though they are often considered that way. And furthermore, identifying as a feminist doesn’t determine your sexual orientation.
How has the way a typical “feminist” dresses evolved, and why do you think it’s so hard for society to believe that a woman can be both a feminist and still love fashion?
I don’t believe that there is a typical feminist or typical feminist dress. One of the greatest shifts to happen during the tumultuous changes of the 1960s was the breaking down of the idea that there is a single acceptable way for a woman to dress. Once any style is available and acceptable (jeans, suits, flowing dresses, etc.), the need to use dress to broadcast one’s beliefs and political alignments becomes less necessary (though still a totally valid mode of expression). A feminist can wear whatever she pleases today. I think in general, society is becoming more understanding that feminism does not equate to anti-feminine.
In terms of trends, which era indicated the greatest shift in women’s role within society?
The greatest shift in a woman’s role in society probably occurred in the 1960s. While the whole 20th century was full of advances in women’s rights and shifts in status, the 1960s was a decade of dramatic changes in women’s lives and also in their dress. At the turn of the decade, women were still expected to wear gloves, stay home, be docile, not enjoy sex. The pill was approved by the FDA in 1960, dramatically changing women’s sex lives and allowing women the opportunity to postpone children while pursuing careers. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin at the same time that miniskirts began to unveil women’s legs, for the first time not on a beach. All of the advancements in the women’s liberation movement and civil rights were so deeply connected with the opening up of women’s dress. In 10 years, women went from girdles, stockings, and gloves to no bras, pantyhose (first introduced in 1959 with the first seamless ones appearing in 1965), miniskirts, and jeans for everyday wear.
How do you feel culture uses style now as a political statement?
For the last few years, we have seen many fashion designers sending down their catwalks pieces that state in bold text grand political statements. Drawing clearly on Katharine Hamnett’s iconic mid-1980s political slogan T-shirts, designers like Pyer Moss and Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior have used their platforms to make clear political messages. These kinds of political slogan tees can be worn to boldly show any political allegiance, and a quick search online shows how omnipresent they are. Many elements of style that started as a sign of resistance and as a clear political signifier—like the LGBTQ+ rainbow—have now been commercialized by big business. They still have the same meaning but by becoming such a mass symbol have lost some of their anger and power.
In conclusion, style has had a place not only in our closets but also in our cultural movements. It has been an integral part of every movement, from civil rights to LGBQT+ rights, and continues to be. There’s power in choosing to let your personal style break societal gender norms or choosing to buy sustainable, ethically made pieces. But ultimately, the biggest power is speaking up; you can wear your feminist T-shirt, but if you’re not showing up the marches or the polls, if you’re not educating yourself on the plights of other marginalized communities, or you’re not having difficult conversations with family members, then you’re not doing sh*t other than wearing a shirt. Style is only truly radical when put in action.
Shop items that support the causes you care for below and educate yourself around the movements:
Disney World’s Star Wars theme park in Orlando, Florida is getting a new hotel called Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. It promises more realistic immersion in a galaxy far, far away than fans ever thought possible.
The concept hotel was announced at the D23 Expo. It was revealed to be a two-day vacation aboard the Halcyon—as Walt Disney Imagineering creative director Ann Morrow Johnson says, a “legendary ship with an unparalleled level of service.”
The hotel experience will be similar to that of an ocean cruise with guests checking in at a Disney World terminal where they’ll enter a launch pod that simulates taking them to outer space to board the Starcruiser.
Once at the hotel, while interacting with an alien crew, guests will learn about the ship’s navigation and receive lightsaber training. They will also have a “port day” to visit the fictional planet of Batuu at Star WarsGalaxy’s Edge.
Each room will also have a digital screen that simulates being in outer space, making for incredible “views” from every room in the hotel.
Disney has yet to announce the opening date of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser or its prices, but you can learn more about the hotel on the Disney blog.
Andrew Luck’s shocking decision to retire from the NFL at age 29 may have been more strategic than initially thought, if a purely speculative rumor is to be believed.
The now-former Indianapolis Colts quarterback might have a nepotism-related reason to join the recently rebooted XFL. Writing for NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio notes that the Commissioner of the XFL is the four-time Pro Bowler’s dad, Oliver Luck.
The man himself made no indication that he intends on signing with the Vince McMahon-owned organization during an impromptu press conference held after the Colts’ preseason loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
“I’ve been stuck in this process. I haven’t been able to live the life I want to live – taking the joy out of this game,” Luck said per NPR.
“And after 2016, where I played in pain and was unable to regularly practice, I made a vow to myself that I would not go down that path again.”
If Luck did decide to throw for one of the XFL’s eight teams, he’d have to jump through some hoops to do so. For as long as the Colts retain Luck’s rights, the franchise can easily go to court and block him from playing for the XFL, Florio added.
Then there’s the question of money. Luck has earned more than $97 million on the field during his seven-year career, according to Spotrac by way of Fox news. He had three years left of his $140 million contract, which he signed in June of 2016.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that by retiring from the league, Luck is in-effect walking away from $500 million.
“#Colts owner Jim Irsay notes Andrew Luck is giving up almost $500 million by walking away from the NFL. With QB salaries already at $35 million per year, Luck would’ve pushed $40 million APY soon,” Garafolo tweeted.
Luck would likely have to be offered at least that much, if not more, to even entertain the idea of playing at a lower level of competition in the XFL.
One thing’s for sure: some Colts fans are very angry about losing their team’s star QB. Many booed Luck off the field on Saturday after news of his retirement began making the rounds on Twitter.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I heard the reaction,” Luck said of crowd’s reaction at the post-game presser per Yahoo Sports. “It hurt, I’ll be honest. It hurt.”
According to CBS Sports, Colts season ticket holders have called team headquarters to demand refunds.
FS1 analyst Doug Gottlieb also called Luck’s early retirement “the most millennial thing ever” and was promptly called out by Fox’s lead NFL analyst, Troy Aikman, for his “bullshit” take.
Some have been more supportive, including Tom Brady. The New England Patriots quarterback appeared on the the Greg Hill Show on Monday and complimented Luck’s career and skill.
“It is his life. Everyone has the right to choose what they want to do,” Brady said according to Boston.com . “He had a great career and he was a great player. Everybody wishes they could be healthy all the time.
“It is a contact sport and he’s certainly had his fair share of injuries, so guys retire at different times. Some at the end of the season, and I have seen a lot of guys retire before the season gets going and this is just one of those examples.”
Here’s how others reacted to the news of Luck’s retirement on Twitter.
Lian Cho illustrates a funny and sad tale of a depressed rain cloud who’s outshined by his brother, a cumulus cloud, and his father, the sun, and underappreciated by all.
Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has been confirmed to star in Marvel’sThe Eternals, a day after Deadline broke the news he was headed for the MCU. Marvel boss Kevin Feige said Harington will play non-Eternal Dane Whitman in the pic, which now marks Harington’s next film. (…)
Harington, who played Jon Snow on GoT for eight seasons, now joins an Eternals cast that includes Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Don Lee and Gemma Chan.
Marvel describes The Eternals as “a race of god-like beings locked in a millennium-old conflict with the less evolved Deviants and their originators, the Celestials. Each Eternal has watched civilizations burgeon and die from their domain of Olympia – they are immortals blessed with strange, sometimes monstrous, powers.”
At Disney’s big (and eventful) D23 Expo, Marvel boss Kevin Feige brought the actors playing the immortal characters onstage and backed their appearances up with cover art depicting them as the characters they play.
Harington’s mortal character is also The Black Knight.
If you’re most familiar with the movies, the Knight is a lesser-known Marvel character. He’s had several storylines in Marvel comics and progressed from villain to even leading the Avengers at one point. He wields a sword forged by Merlin from a meteorite for Sir Percival of King Arthur’s Round Table.
It’s an oddly appropriate character for an actor so closely identified already with swords and dragon drama.
At the moment The Eternals is slated to premiere November 6, 2020.
One of the many incredible cars once owned by Elton John is going on sale to the highest bidder through Silverstone Auctions.
The knighted singer-songwriter is believed to have bought this exact 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona—one of only 158 right-hand examples ever produced—with earnings from his classic 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which spawned timeless hits including “Candle in the Wind,” and “Saturday’s Alright for Fighting.”
According to the UK-based auction house, the vintage ride is probably the first Prancing Horse John ever purchased and was likely stabled next to his 1974 Ferrari 365 Berlinetta Boxer until 1975.
The Italian marque first launched the Daytona in 1972 as a response to the Lamborghini Miura, aka the world’s first “supercar.” Thanks to a 352-horsepower Ferrari Colombo V12 and a top speed of 175 mph, the Daytona wasn’t just faster than the Raging Bull, it world’s fastest street-legal ride in its day.
Robb Report has further background details and restoration records on John’s Daytona:
Even though there are 82,000 miles on the odometer, the Daytona has been kept in excellent condition, with its Rosso Chiaro paint job still retaining a “deep shine.”
In addition to recent service and inspection, the interior was trimmed in factor specification black leather, and its original magnesium wheels, which are outfitted in Michelin XWX tires, were refurbished in 2017.
The car has passed through the hands of a number of collectors, all of whom are members of the Ferrari Owners’ Club. It comes with full documentation, including the original build sheets, delivery correspondence, chronologically ordered service receipts and every MOT Certificate ever issued for the vehicle.
It’s expected to fetch between $522,000 and $583,000. Head to Silverstone Auctions’ website to inquire.