The Pantone colour for 2024, a Christmas sweater rental service, a new exhibition all about sleeves, and other fashion news that made headlines in November.

• Amazon has closed its two brick-and-mortar Amazon Style stores to focus on its online fashion operation.
• Pantone has picked “Peach Fuzz” as the colour of the year 2024: “Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm.”
• Allure reports that concert dressing has practically become an Olympic sport.
• The side fringe is back, this time inspired by the “Indie sleaze” trend — “a darker, defiant alternative to more muted trends like “quiet luxury.”
• Inclusive lingerie brand ThirdLove is branching out into swimwear.
• In the UK, budget supermarket chain Lidl has launched a Christmas sweater rental service.
• A new law requires that all cosmetology students in New York State learn to style textured hair.
• “Statement Sleeves,” a new exhibit at The Museum at Fit, “will feature the works of designers such as Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Schiaparelli, Vivienne Westwood and Thierry Mugler, exploring how sleeves serve as a vital mode of self-expression, reflecting gestures, movements, and specific fashion eras.”
• M.A.C Cosmetics has been named the “biggest” beauty brand in 2023 due to the launch of its dewy skin tint.
• Phoebe Philo has launched her much-awaited first collection.
• The Guardian reports that the vintage clothing market is flooded with fakes.

Fun Fashion Quote

I love what criminal defense attorney Hannah Proff is saying here:

“My feet are wide, so I’ll get shoes stretched. My cobbler is super grumpy, but you just hand him your shoes, he says, ‘Come back in two weeks,’ and they’re perfect. I’m 6 feet tall, and when I was younger, I’d avoid heels because I used to think, there’s already so much of me! But now that I’m older, I’m like, you know what, there should be more of me.”

I’ve done a lot of shopping with clients, and the big brushed fringe scarf is front and centre in almost every retail store in the US. It’s a big fuzzy textured blanket scarf with statement fringe. Available in solids, plaids, and some other patterns. The collection below shows a good assortment. 

Fabrics run the gamut. There’s everything from mohair, wool, polyamide and alpaca, to acrylic and polyester. The big brushed fringe scarf is generally super soft, cosy and warm. It packs a playful punch, and looks gorgeous if you’re into the dramatic blanket-scarf vibe. Personally, I am. I love how it double duties as a wrap for indoors. Great at keeping you warm at your desk, in your home, in someone else’s home, and at a restaurant when you’ve taken off your coat. Looks elegant to my eye too.

The scarf has its drawbacks. It might be a bit much, overly bulky, and feel suffocating since it’s a lot of scarf. You need to tie it, or place it securely around the neck so that the ends don’t flop around as you stride, or get in the way when you bend over. The fashionable draping that you see in the stock photos does not always work in practice. The fabric can shed terribly leaving its fuzzy residue everywhere, and irritate your nasal passages, skin, and eyes too. Some versions are very long and only work for Team Tall.

I walked into J.Crew where big brushed fringe scarves were freshly unpacked. I saw the pink, red and orange plaid, gasped a loud happy gasp, and tried it on right away. The colours launched me into orbit, and I was smitten. I tried the gentle toffee colour too, which worked well with my new honey blonde hair. These fuzzy scarves did not shed, nor did they irritate me in any way. They weren’t too long and bulky, and worked perfectly as a wrap too.

I came home with both at a discounted price. They replaced two problematic scarves I’d just passed on, so the timing was excellent. The pink and orange plaid worked perfectly with the outfit I had on in the mall that day (the exact items are represented in the collection). I cut off the tags and wore it as a wrap out the store. This came in handy because I left my bubblegum pink coat in the car, and felt a little cold. I’ve worn the toffee scarf as a wrap at home many times too. Yorkie Sam enjoys snuggling into it, and mischievous Yorkie Jo enjoys chewing the fringe. She stopped after she was caught, and decided that snuggling with big brother Sam was a better idea.

It has become tradition to ring out the Link Love year with a medley of miscellaneous links. A collection of style-related stories that didn’t quite fit into the themed Link Love posts we published throughout the year, but are worth a look anyway. Happy reading!

• Over at The Guardian, five writers try sustainable fashion fixes.
• Fashionista investigates how fashion schools are addressing size inclusivity.
• Older women reflect on what they’re ‘supposed’ to wear as they age.
• Have you ever wondered how fake-hunters tell designer knock-offs from the real deal?
• “The Clothes You Could Have Worn, the Lives You Could Have Lived” was an interesting read.
• From shorts to frayed hems, PopSugar has tips for how to cut jeans.
• J.Crew employees share what to buy and what to skip.
• “Male, Pale, and Out of Step: Why Fashion Houses Have Such a Problem with Diversity.”
• Fashionista asks if any perfume brand can make a truly ‘sustainable’ scent.
• Refinery29 opines that clothes swapping isn’t just fun, it’s community care.
• Coveteur reports that innovative sneaker brands are making footwear that treads more lightly on the planet.
• “The False Logic of Faux Leather“: As more people seek out vegan clothing alternatives, pleather can seem like an ethical option. But these pieces, often made from fossil-fuel based plastics, can have a major environmental impact.
• Meet the superstars who glam up Hollywood’s A-list.

Fab Links from Our Members

Indigoprint has enjoyed Emily Wheatley shorts lately on “Wear vs. Style”: “She is an edgy minimalist, but her thoughts on putting an outfit together are interesting.”

kkards didn’t know much about Tom Ford, and found this article very interesting, especially how he saw himself as a designer, and his business acumen. 

Angie says the whole “shoes-on or shoes-off-at-home” debate continues to be an interesting one, especially when it comes to asking what your guests should do: “As someone who needs to wear supportive shoes all the time because of foot issues — it can be a tricky conversation! This article covers both sides of the debate reasonably well.”

Helena hopes this article on the new CEO’s direction means that Gap is going to return to its strength of creating excellent basics.

Nuancedream shares this fascinating story on how the Tyrian purple pigment was seemingly lost for centuries and recently rediscovered. She adds: “Hopefully, Tyrian purple will not succumb to the ravages of pollution and climate change.”

MsMaven found “How Come My Jeans Don’t Fit Anymore” an interesting read. Be sure to read the comments too.

J. Crew is 40 and better than ever, according to Suz: “I’ve been appreciating their return to some higher quality fabrics and some updated classics this year.”

Carol’s local McDonald’s gave her warmth whenever she missed the bus. Therefore, she would highly consider supporting their latest venture, a sweater for the season.

Runcarla enjoyed reading “How Hallmark’s Costume Designer Creates Holiday Movie Magic.”

L’Abeille found this an interesting take on the items and inspirations that go into a classic style type: “The approach is very prescriptive (You must buy these brands…) which doesn’t appeal to me at all. But the information is useful.”

Mary Beth found YouTube Creator Victoria Jin, who researched Fortuny and Issey Miyake, and created her own pleated fabric at home, in her oven!

Related to this, Ginger wanted to share her friend Merja’s recreation of one of the Fortuny “Delphos” dresses. She baked the material in the oven to set the pleats, over a curved surface. Fortuny took the secret to making the pleated silk to his grave, so all recreations of these dresses are having to invent the technique themselves. It’s amazing in motion. Look at the Morticia puddling.

A modern approach to good fit includes four silhouettes. A body-con fit is form-fitting. A tailored fit is the structured standard that gently follows the contour of the body. A fluid fit is moderately roomy all over. An oversized fit is very baggy and voluminous. 

There is no single way to fit a garment. Instead of deferring to designers and retailers, decide for yourself how an item should fit. Try different sizes of the item before making a purchase to effectively manipulate the fit and achieve the look you want.

Most people prefer a larger assortment of tailored and fluid fits, and fewer body-con and oversized fits. Create variety in the vibes, silhouettes and proportions of your outfits by including a range of different fits in your wardrobe.