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What I Learned By Embracing French Guy Style

Have you ever been in a fashion rut? The kind where you look into your overflowing closet and all of your clothes fail to spark any sense of joy? That’s been me for the past few weeks. Feeling uninspired by my specific array of clothing (I’ve been on a real 1970s kick lately), I’ve been wanting to switch up my style vibe and try out something new for the spring. Because if anything can reignite my love of dressing up, it’s a fashion challenge. 

When thinking of what my current wardrobe lacks, one word instantly came to mind: Minimalism. Do I have a heavy rotation of loud, printed shirts? Check! But for spring, I’ve been enticed by the idea of paring things back, and slipping into a more quietly-luxurious look. The same vibe as The Row, but since I am not an Olsen twin, I need a more realistic style inspiration. A quick brainstorm later, I had an a-ha! moment: Who does minimalism better than the French? 

French men have more of an effortless-cool vibe than my closet currently does. Their clothes are subtle, and make you lean in a little closer to notice the finer details. Luckily, there are tons of stylish French men who are totally nailing this idea right now who I can look to for guidance for my fashion challenge. Below, I replicated four noteworthy ensembles from stylish French guys like Sébastien Tellier, Stéphane Bak, Vincent Cassel, and Eddy de Pretto. What did I learn from riffing on their distinctive style? You’ll just have to find out below. 

Whenever I wear a dressier blazer (like this pinstriped, double-breasted style by Indigenous artist Justine Woods), I tend to wear it with black dress pants and dress shoes. Too obvious! As Sébastien Tellier has shown, you can also dress down an uptown jacket with light-blue jeans and a baseball cap, and it still looks totally polished. I can envision myself wearing this to Sunday brunch, or even to the office. It’s effortlessly snazzy without being too try-hard.

Vincent Cassel’s refined knitwear

I never would have thought that black pants and a turtleneck can be a fashion statement on its own, but Vincent Cassel’s ensemble here has shown me that it can be. I love the unexpected hue of his purple ribbed knit, paired with dressy boots and killer sunglasses. For my own take, I pulled out a vintage Jil Sander turtleneck (Raf Simons era!) in bright pink and orange. I admit, I’ve been struggling with how to style this piece, but letting it shine on its own, like a French guy, is clearly the right move. Merci, Vincent!

Stéphane Bak’s take on head-to-toe black

As a New Yorker, I’m no stranger to wearing all-black. But Stéphane Bak takes monochromatic dressing to another level, thanks to his outfits’ interesting proportions and play on textures. I recreated this vibe by mixing one of my sportier puffer coats (by Everlane) with a pair of Eytys leather pants and my go-to Indigenous Enterprise hoodie. The end result? A totally cool, on-the-go look for every day. Clearly, wearing all-black doesn’t have to be boring.

Eddy de Pretto’s polished double-denim

Wearing double denim is often called a Canadian Tuxedo or Texas Tuxedo—but even the French love to pile on jeans. Eddy de Pretto’s approach is totally more whimsical though, thanks to the bucket hat, striped shirt, and low-top sneakers. I re-created it with my most-worn Levi’s jeans and an A.P.C. jacket, paired with a Dhruv Kapoor shirt and my new Wales Bonner x Adidas kicks. As a denim obsessee, I will be wearing this look all spring long. C’est bien sûr!

Turns out, this experience is really a master class in pared-back dressing. These stars have taught me that your closet’s seemingly-simple pieces can in fact be very interesting, if you offset them with more unexpected pairings. Jeans—tons of jeans—are a French staple, and that works for me this spring, given it’s my most-purchased item. I’m also totally inspired to put aside my bold, brazen prints in favor of simpler garments that focus on silhouette or cuts. Looking into my closet now, I now see tons of new outfit possibilities. I feel inspired to dress up again. And no, I won’t be wearing an expected beret or Breton stripes—but expect me to be looking especially slick in the days to come. 

Street Style in 2017 vs. 2022

We’ve finally tagged as far back to fall 2017 in our Street Style Trend Tracker, and are able to confirm that five years ago fanny packs, skinny scarves, and embroidered bombers ruled. The looks that worked then are drastically different from the trends that rule in 2022. Today the sidewalks are brightened by oversized Acne Studios scarves, Telfar bags in all sizes, and Chopova Lowena skirts paired with the sheerest of tights, even in the coldest of weather.

See below for more of the trend differences from 2017 and 2022, and check out our Street Style Trend Tracker to look back at Vogue’s street style coverage over the years.

Fall 2017— Skinny Scarves

Fall 2022— Oversized Scarves

How I Found My Birthing Team As a Mother-to-Be

When model Grace Mahary began to consider motherhood, she felt an overwhelming hesitancy. Still, she and her husband found themselves asking the hard questions and reconsidering a journey toward parenthood. Mahary thought about her own childhood and what life looked like for her mother as she contemplated what she wanted and didn’t want for herself. “My husband and I had several conversations about what parenthood would look like,” says Mahary over our call. “I started thinking, we can create what this looks like for us. I don’t need to operate in fear.”

For Black women, the concerns surrounding childbirth are daunting. They remain three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues in comparison to their non-Black counterparts. As awareness of these preventable statistics grows, more Black women and women of color are taking precautionary actions and challenging the healthcare system to provide the care they deserve. 

A sense of community was something Mahary knew she needed to create in order to embark on this next journey of her life. So when she officially became pregnant in December 2020, she set out to build the right care team. Eventually, after a bit of trial and error, she was exactly what she wanted to be: protected. Here, she talks us through her considerations as she sought to find a birthing team that would support and nurture her.

Pregnancy Amid the Pandemic and Protests

When the pandemic hit, I was forced into stillness for the first time in my life after prioritizing my career for the last 10-plus years. In that stillness I started to consider my fears around motherhood. It was a bizarre time to plan birthing a life as we couldn’t even predict our day-to-day. And when George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and several Black people had been murdered, racism in this world was weighing on me immensely. It made me question whether or not we [as Black people] can exist and what life would be like raising a Black child particularly in this country. It made me very fearful for that child. Thinking about it today, I almost was robbed of the experience of having my daughter because of how Black people are treated. So it took me months into the pandemic before I could start envisioning what a positive environment looked like for a Black child. Towards the end of 2020 I started feeling sick so I went and did a COVID test and a pregnancy test—both tests came back positive. I got pregnant but I was still terrified. 

Finding the Right Care

I was searching for a team willing to understand the greater context of what it means to be a pregnant Black woman navigating the healthcare system in America. That was my initial marker for trust. 

My first visit with an obstetrician was virtual and she raced through an overwhelming script of information pertaining to my pregnancy. I didn’t need more time with her to know I needed to find someone else. My second appointment was in-person with a different OB I found through word of mouth and it, too, was a jarring experience. COVID’s impact on the healthcare system and its workers cannot be understated. I was prepared for the extra precautions, the virtual appointments and the longer waits, but I was not prepared for the feeling of quite literally not being seen until I almost fainted in the waiting room. And that was just the office staff’s behavior. The OB was always rushed. She sent me to a specialist for blood work and I became uncomfortable with his medication recommendations. Neither doctors could confirm whether the statistics they based their prescription on reflected my ethnic background as a first generation immigrant from Eritrea.

At this point I was in my second trimester and scared I wouldn’t find allies in the healthcare system. I realized I would need a dedicated advocate and began to look for a doula. After some research and calls, one doula clicked with me. I confessed my fears about healthcare, being pregnant and Black. She assured me that I would be in good hands and helped me find the OB that delivered my child. The OB was Black and addressed not only my physical needs but also my emotional, mental, and familial changes. It was the first time I felt seen throughout the whole process in finding a birthing team.  I was like a new person and I really surrendered. I stopped fighting the fact that my life was changing and acknowledged that it was okay to surrender to this little person growing inside of me.

Cultivating a Community

Community is the defining factor in this process for me. It was what made me sane and helped me keep this child alive because your own health as a mother is important. I couldn’t have made it this far without the community around me. That included my best friends who are also mothers, my doula, my OB, my husband, and my parents. They all continue to play an integral part in sustaining a rich and vast environment for my daughter and myself.

Looking back, I wish resources were more readily accessible to women that are uncertain or never planned to have children. I also wish I spoke to someone who thought more like me, because maybe I wouldn’t have felt so alone in that process in the beginning. Having a baby was an experience that no one person could or should be required to fully understand by themselves. It took a small village. My greatest wish is that every expectant mother can form their own.

Ukrainian Model Pasha Harulia on Working Through the Crisis

Ukrainian model Pasha Harulia has been a runway fixture since she walked for Prada’s spring 2018 show. This season, Harulia walked exclusively for Miu Miu, but her focus is far from Paris. Harulia, who grew up in Crimea and whose family now lives in Kyiv, has been attending protests in Paris almost daily to support her home country during the Russian invasion. Below, the 22-year-old tells Vogue how the past week has been for her and what she wishes the fashion industry would do in light of the crisis.

Vogue: Is your family in Ukraine right now?

Pasha Harulia: Yes, every single member of my family, except my husband, who is here in Paris with me. I live in Kyiv most of the time, so my whole community is there. A lot of people have left, but most of them have stayed.

My family has been in a shelter for the past seven days. Not only was nobody prepared, but those places are always horrible. They can’t be comfortable.

Walk me through what you’re doing this past week. How are you handling Fashion Week and this at the same time?

Right before the war started, I learned that I was confirmed for the Miu Miu exclusive, which frees me from all of the castings. I don’t have to do all this Fashion Week stuff. So I have a lot more time to do activist work. I have a community of Ukrainians here in Paris who work in the fashion industry, and everyone is feeling the same. It’s really hard to focus and to do your work.

You’ve been going to protests; what else have you been doing?

Once we’re done [with this interview] I’m going to another protest. We’re going practically every single day. If there are any gatherings we’re going there, because sitting at home is becoming really hard. I’m not alone. I’m with my husband who is suffering the same amount. But it’s really hard to do nothing. You feel a terrible case of survivor’s guilt. It’s hell. Thankfully, we’re in a great country for protesting. People here know how to protest. And it makes me really happy. A lot of people care and show us support. They’re really showing up.

A photo of you went viral, where you’re carrying a poster that says “Stop War.” How was that experience?

That was the first protest I went to after the war started, at the Russian embassy. My husband woke me up because I was sleeping. It was 5 a.m., and he says, “I might be wrong, but I think they’re shooting missiles in Kyiv.” It wasn’t a surprise at all. We thought that sooner or later, the shit’s about to go down, and we will all feel the consequences.

We went first to the Russian embassy. They wouldn’t let us come to the gates. They made us be on opposite sides of the road. People were pissed, really. I’ve never had the intention of getting my picture taken. I’ve been recognized so many times at protests already. They’re like “Oh you’re the girl with the big white fur.” I’m trying to find the positive moments [like those] but it’s getting harder everyday to find something to laugh about.

What do you wish that people in the fashion world would do right now ?

I really do wish that everybody would donate and raise awareness. Fashion is a necessity, but it’s not an obvious one. A lot of car businesses are not exporting to Russia anymore. This is really important to the economy, so this is an impact that is going to make people in Russia very uncomfortable. I saw that Nanushka and Ganni are not exporting to Russia anymore, which is amazing. I wish more brands would pick up on that. I get it, it’s a business and Russia is a huge market. But do you want to support a war criminal? There are dead bodies lying on the side of the road. This situation calls for that.

I loved what Balenciaga did [Editor’s Note: last week the brand wiped its Instagram page and posted only a statement of support for Ukraine and a pledge to donate to the World Food Programme. Its show on Sunday, which took place after this interview, also paid tribute to Ukraine]. That’s how you do it. 

After Fashion Week, what is next for you? What further action do you plan to take?

Just yesterday, my husband and I were thinking about going to Poland to volunteer, but we were told that there were so many volunteers that they don’t need help, which makes me really emotional.

We are really going to focus on raising funds. My main job is modeling, which is paid quite well if you’re lucky enough to get a job. So I’m going to focus on donating funds that I, a privileged person, can get. I’m gonna go out and get as much money as I can and donate a big share of it to the cause. Our community [of fashion people in Paris] is trying to raise awareness in our industry, because those people have money [to donate]. Just raising awareness is not exactly enough. I’m supporting one specific charity, Come Back Alive. It almost exclusively supports the army. I’ve been called a militarist, but I don’t have another choice. You can hate authority and be liberal, which I am, but sometimes you don’t have time.

A lot of my friends are saying, “Let’s book a show girls and afterwards you can come out to the photographers and show them [the Ukrainian flag.]” I’m going to be using my platform to the fullest. My community of people who are stuck here with this terrible survivor’s guilt are trying to do our best with turning fashion’s heads to the issue.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Maggie Rawlins Saw Working as a Nurse at the Poland-Ukraine Border

Before Maggie Rawlins was scouted to be a model and landed in the pages of Sports Illustrated, she was a hematology/oncology nurse in Charleston, South Carolina. As she transitioned to modeling full-time, she kept her nursing license up-to-date so she would be able to practice. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, she started working on the front lines at a few hospitals in Queens, New York. Fast-forward two years later, she jumped into action again when she learned there was a need for nurses on the Poland-Ukraine border. She traveled to Medyka, Poland, for 10 days to work the night shift with the nongovernmental organization Sauveteurs San Frontieres (SSF), or Rescuers Without Borders. Below, she tells Vogue about her experience.

Maggie Rawlins

A girlfriend, Dr. Danielle Belardo, who is a cardiologist in California heard of an organization that needed medical professionals, so she went over to Poland. I asked if they needed any nurses. She said, “We need all the hands we can get.” I flew into Krakow, Poland, then drove two or three hours to the border. I worked night shifts, from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. There were a ton of things I wasn’t able to bring, but they needed a lot of pediatric medications. I reached out to my community in Charleston, and they dropped off 140 pounds of meds on my front porch.

We were on the western side of Ukraine and the eastern side of Poland. I didn’t know what to expect at all. There were just hundreds of people. I went because I felt like there was a need there. I don’t have kids, and I don’t have a 9-to-5, so I felt pretty privileged to be able to drop what I was doing and go. I knew that there would be a place to help, but I didn’t know what type of medical issues I would see. We worked mostly as urgent care. We saw gunshot wounds and broken ribs. But we also saw fatigue and people who were taking high-blood-pressure medication or insulin, and they hadn’t been able to go to a pharmacy. There were a lot of COVID cases, kids with respiratory infections. There were people who had been traveling for two or three days, and it was just extreme fatigue, especially in children and the elderly. There was a lot of dehydration. Men can’t leave, so it was women, children, and the elderly.

There were tents lined up with SIM cards and food trucks from all over Europe—there was a Turkish food truck, an Israeli one, different tents serving all different types of food. That was surreal seeing people from all over the world coming to help where they could. It wasn’t just nurses and doctors. There were people making breakfast and hot chocolate for the kids. Maybe four tents down from us, there was a tent that had food for dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, literally any pet you could think of.

It is below freezing. And you’re out in the middle of nowhere and trying to figure out the best way to help someone who has just lost everything they’ve known.

Every story was tragic, but the people I met and their resilience was super inspiring. Even the people I worked with: I had one night shift with a 70-year-old nurse from the South of France and a 71-year-old doctor from Israel. The nurse spoke French and a little bit of English, and the doctor spoke a little bit of French, so we used Google Translate to communicate. Between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m., it slows down, so you have some time where you’re just sitting by this wood-burning stove and hearing their stories. They have both worked with humanitarian organizations their entire lives. One of them has five kids and 18 grandchildren. She’s worked in 30-something countries, and she’s 71 years old, working the night shift, helping people carry their bags across the border.

Another guy, Eladio, came with one of his friends, Dr. Jeffrey Horenstein, who is a doctor in the U.S. Eladio didn’t have a medical background; he had been there five days and had been across the border 52 times. People are crossing on foot, but it’s not like you come to a gate and you step across the border. It’s a long process, and it’s probably half a mile between the Ukrainian border control, no-man’s-land, the Polish border control, and a walk to the tent where you’ll either get on a bus or have someone pick you up.

He had been across the border 52 times because there aren’t really men crossing; it is mostly women and children. If you’re between 16 and 60, you have to stay in Ukraine and fight. Eladio went back and forth with a grocery cart. He’d carry medical supplies over to the tent on the Ukrainian side, and he’d carry luggage back to Poland for people who were struggling. Things like that really touch me because people think you need a medical degree to help, but he was one of the most helpful people there and made the biggest difference.

There were girls from Ukraine who would come over and translate. They were 13, 14, 15, and they’d cross the border and spend the day translating for medical professionals. There was room for everyone to help out. And seeing that was super inspiring in such a dark place. It gave you a glimpse of hope. I was mostly doing triage nursing, so someone comes in, and you take their vital signs and try to get a bit of a history of what’s going on. That’s where the translators came to help. You can’t treat someone without knowing what is going on. The translators there were just vital.

Everything was heartbreaking. The last night I was there, I had an 85-year-old woman come into the tent with her 87-year-old husband who had Alzheimer’s. She was just bawling, “We weren’t going to leave, we weren’t going to leave,” but they had to leave. They have family in Italy coming to pick them up; they’ve never been there before. She didn’t speak English, so we were speaking through a translator. Their lives are completely uprooted.

How can you land there and not immediately want to take off your jacket and give everything away? But that’s not realistic. I came home, and I have a job here and a shoot tomorrow. My brain is a little rattled trying to process the two, and I even feel guilty saying that when I have my home. I don’t know if our brains can process those two extremes. Even though it’s uncomfortable for us, I think we still have to.

Joining Skims’ Supermodel Reunion

Having a master of vitality at the helm of a brand certainly helps, but Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line relies on more than the reality star’s ability to make headlines. Since its launch in 2019, Skims has masterfully grabbed the internet’s attention with talked-about campaigns featuring some of the biggest names in popular culture. Its ads are intelligent, provocative, and tap into the collective nostalgia for the early 2000s. Case in point: Skims’ new launch highlights the allure of Victoria’s Secret’s once omnipresent army of angels. Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Candice Swanepoel reunite for photographers Sandy Kim & Greg Wales’ slick images, and in a twist, Kardashian joins the party. 

As the first Black Angel and the creator of a groundbreaking reality television series, Banks was an ideal choice to appear in the ads. She is a supermodel, producer, author, and businesswoman who embodies the kind of multi-tasking ambition that typifies modern celebrity. Behind the scenes, she and fellow entrepreneur Kardaishian had plenty to discuss, including family, fame, and the advice they’ve received from their mothers. Here, Banks shares what the vibe was truly like on set, what it was like to return to lingerie modeling after years off, and why her latest venture may be her coolest yet. 

Banks joined the campaign after a heart-to-heart with Kardashian. 

Kim reached out to me, and we had a beautiful heart-to-heart conversation about the campaign. I’ve respected her business savvy for quite a while; after that call, my respect grew to an even greater level. Kim dropped words of wisdom from her mom that echoed sage advice my mom has shared with me over the years. I hadn’t modeled lingerie and undergarments in so long, but I said yes after speaking with Kim and hearing her thoughtful, loving, and instinctive words!

The supermodel was already a fan of shapewear—and Skims. 

Oh, yes, I am! I’m a fan of anything that helps women feel fierce and fabulous. I’ve used shapewear in many moments throughout my career, other times opting to go au naturel, but ultimately I believe the empowerment is in having the option. I admire Kim for bringing fashion to shapewear and making it so sexy and badass. 

You honestly can’t go wrong with the Fits Everybody Cami I wore in the campaign—I kept wearing it after the shoot and still do. They look great under a blazer. And the Crossover bralette I wore was so comfy. It doesn’t have an underwire, which is usually a must for me, but it still fits nicely. I wear it around the house for that support I need while lounging. 

Working on the shoot took Banks back to her days as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. 

I had a lot of firsts being an Angel. One being the first Black Angel and many more firsts. And then, after ten years, I retired my Angel wings and did my last catwalk in 2005. And that felt good. I was ready to move on to another chapter of my life and career. I was focused on producing and hosting television and earning respect for that new talent. But nostalgia is everything, and Kim recognized that. It’s not so easy to corral iconic groups of people to get back together again. Everyone’s so busy with life and travel and work and kids—we’re all mama’s now! Opportunities to collaborate in this way with iconic supermodel peers are rare, so to be able to team up for this project was the best of both worlds, lots of work and lots of play! It was truly special. 

Behind the scenes, Banks and her fellow VS alums reconnected over beignets. 

Kim’s studio is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever worked in. The earth-toned colors set such a chill and cozy vibe. Heidi and I shared a room to get ready. I love that woman. She’s pure effervescent happiness. Oh, and that body of hers is on fire! Still! And I kept stealing food from Heidi’s snack table because she ordered tastier things than I did. I was excited to work with Candice because I’d never worked on set with her before. Whoa, that gorgeous lady is the queen of the back arch. I’d pull a muscle if I tried to mock her back bending moves! Alessandra is frozen in time. She looks the same as when I retired. Actually, I believe she’s even more beautiful. 

There were two photo setups we all bounced back and forth between. The Skims team is a well-oiled machine; it was all super organized. And they even had a camera on a drone for some overhead shots!!! Then Christian Millan’s beignet truck showed up, and we all grubbed up on those tasty delights. Some of the models didn’t know what beignets were, so I had fun breaking down the whole New Orleans of it all for them. The next morn, my son had those beignets for breakfast! And you know Mama had to steal a bite!

Bank’s latest project? Gourmet ice cream. 

My start-up ice cream business, SMiZE Cream, takes up the majority of my time. The ice cream has a hidden yummy Surprize in every serving, so I’m not just dreaming up new flavors but concocting Surprize ideas, too. There’s a lot of international interest in the company, so we constantly travel to expand on those opportunities. And we’re working on launching vegan flavors and scoop shops. The face of the brand is a fictional character named DJ Splitz, a grandmother that’s a DJ! She’s inspired by my mom, who’s energy and vibe defies her age. My mama raised me never to stop dreaming, and SMiZE Cream is all about making people’s dreams come true. We are the ice cream company that inspires you to reach for more than just a spoon.

The best part of working on the Skims campaign? Collaborating with a fellow female entrepreneur. 

Kim has made her mark in the shapewear industry and hearing her talk about what makes her brand different is inspiring. I lectured for three years at Stanford’s Business School, and the first thing I would tell my students is, “Different is better than better.” With Skims, Kim is embodying that fully. I feel this when I see the products in the world, when I wear the products, how I see them position and market the products. It’s all different. And that’s what makes Skims extra special. I am so proud to collaborate with her and these Icons. Kim, thank you for that heart-to-heart call we had about this campaign. All I can say is, “You were right.”

This Rising Model Is the Master of Gen-Z Humor on TikTok

If you were following the fall 2022 runway shows this past fashion month, you may have caught a glimpse of a new star on the catwalks. That would be IMG model Alex Consani, who walked for labels such as Alexander McQueen and Versace (she made her high-fashion debut last season, for Tom Ford). With her signature bleach-blonde hair and eyebrows, the 18-year-old model is becoming one of fashion’s freshest new faces—but she first got big on TikTok, where she now has over 719,000 followers on her page, @captincroook. 

Consani launched her TikTok during quarantine in 2020, and has quickly amassed a following for her candid, unfiltered, and off-the-cuff videos—all defining qualities of Gen-Z humor on the app. She’ll film herself struggling to get into the Tripp NYC showroom, or imitating Euphoria’s Jules at the club. “Gen-Z humor is extremely different from the rest of humor I have seen,” says Consani of her TikTok style. “It focuses itself on randomness, and not that of planned sketches. Especially on TikTok, I notice viewers tending to lean towards content that is made from nowhere, with no explanation.” 

Another thing her fans love? Consani’s early-2000s style, which is full of shield shades, mini skirts, and Y2K scarf tops. While she’s gained an impressive following on TikTok, Consani says she’s now excited to be bringing her devoted audience into the world of modeling. For her, it’s a meaningful career that means a lot more than just wearing fabulous clothes on the catwalk. “I was always interested in [modeling,]” says Consani. “Especially as a young trans girl, I always saw the lack of representation. I wanted to fill the void and show other trans and nonbinary people that it was beautiful to be trans—not something to be ashamed of.” 

Below, Consani discusses how she started modeling, where she shops in New York, and what TikTok idea she wants to tackle next.

What made you want to start creating on TikTok?

I first started TikTok out of boredom when quarantine started. Since I can remember, I always had some sort of social media where I would post memes and humorous things for my friends to laugh at. Once I started, my friends and family told me about how funny they were, and because I enjoyed it as well, I decided to continue my journey on the platform. 

What’s your process for creating TikToks? Where do you get ideas? 

TikTok for me is something that comes very at the moment. Most of the time, it’s when I am walking with friends or in my room bored. I believe social media is the most authentic and beneficial when created that way, because it allows the person creating content to be seen as a human, and not a social media personality. Ideas just come to my head, from conversations I have, or social events going on. Allowing me to voice my opinion on issues I feel strongly about as well as just show my general humor. 

Tell us a little bit about how you started modeling. 

I began modeling in early 2015 through a Facebook ad my mom found. I was always interested in doing it. Especially as a young trans girl, I always saw the lack of representation, and wanted to fill the void and show other trans and nonbinary people that it was beautiful to be trans—not something to be ashamed of. Eventually I realized the potential the job held and signed with my current mother agent in 2018. Eventually, I signed with IMG right at the beginning of 2019.

You took over the runways this fashion month! What did you think of the whole experience? 

I can’t even explain how grateful I am of this past [fashion] month. I have been able to do things I never thought I would accomplish. From traveling the world, to meeting incredible people and working with fashion houses that I have only dreamt of. The whole experience has been exactly what I would have wished for. There has been so much support along the way— from my agents, other models I get to meet, the designers, and casting teams—every person has made me feel so comfortable in being me. 

How did you prepare to walk for major shows like Versace and McQueen? 

Having a healthy mindset holds true value to me, as a person, as a student, and obviously as a working model. I usually just take time to appreciate things I have in my life and ground myself—little things like listening to music and just breathing. My little secret for removing anxiety before a show is playing the game Subway Surfers on my phone. Something about it literally removes all the worry and anxiety I have and puts me in a better mindset. 

How would you describe your personal style? 

I am still definitely trying to find my personal style, though I believe my aesthetic is closest to the brand Diesel—if it was going to Woodstock. Lots of leather, moto jackets, and miniskirtst. I like revival 2000s and ‘90s pieces that have anything lace or beaded, mostly circling around grunge. I get a lot of inspiration from older runway shows out of the ‘80s and ’90s. 

Where do you like to shop in NYC? Where are your go-to spots? 

Recently, I have been really into vintage pieces, ones that hold their value in quality. One of my favorite places right now to shop in that market is James Veloria in Chinatown. They have a lot of beautiful investment pieces that never fail to amaze me. Often including gowns and jackets that perfectly fit in my closet. Another is Cafe Forgot on the Lower East Side. They have a rack of clothes that can be spun with a controller on their wall, allowing all of their pieces to be seen. Nothing hits like a good trip to a thrift store though, that’s where most of my pieces in my closet are found. 

How would you describe your personal style? 

I am still definitely trying to find my personal style, though I believe my aesthetic is closest to the brand Diesel—if it was going to Woodstock. Lots of leather, moto jackets, and miniskirtst. I like revival 2000s and ‘90s pieces that have anything lace or beaded, mostly circling around grunge. I get a lot of inspiration from older runway shows out of the ‘80s and ’90s. 

Where do you like to shop in NYC? Where are your go-to spots? 

Recently, I have been really into vintage pieces, ones that hold their value in quality. One of my favorite places right now to shop in that market is James Veloria in Chinatown. They have a lot of beautiful investment pieces that never fail to amaze me. Often including gowns and jackets that perfectly fit in my closet. Another is Cafe Forgot on the Lower East Side. They have a rack of clothes that can be spun with a controller on their wall, allowing all of their pieces to be seen. Nothing hits like a good trip to a thrift store though, that’s where most of my pieces in my closet are found. 

The Best Street Style Photos From Taipei Fashion Week Fall 2022

Street style in Taipei has moved on from prints and color; as in Seoul, the head-to-toe monochromatic looks in neutrals dominated the scene. This season all eyes are on accessories, specifically hats (boaters and beanies), glitzy jewelry, and handbags. Follow along as James Kung, Lee Shou Chih, and Shawn Sun scope out the best street style at the shows, and follow along for our daily updates.

Long Sleeves Trail Down the Runway and Street

What do The Row and Rick Owens, Americans in Paris, have in common? A preference for ultra-long sleeves and barely seen hands. This fall 2022 runway trend is already hitting the streets, albeit in less dramatic fashion, maybe because selfie-loving street stylers need constant access to their phones.

Below, see how fashion month’s best dressed are wearing their über-long sleeves, and check out more trends on our Street Style Trend Tracker all year long. 

Street Style’s Best Dressed Musicians

The awards circuit moves from movies to music, with the airing of the 64th Grammy Awards. Ahead of the red-carpet extravaganza, here’s a look at how musicians have approached fashion week street style. This fall 2022 season, we’ve seen J Balvin pull off genderless fashion and Jared Leto proved that a classic two-piece suit never goes out of style. Hip hop’s best, like Ye and A$AP Rocky, have put their own spin on statement, while Blackpink’s Lisa and FKA Twigs opted for metallics and tulle. Below the best-dressed musicians of street style.

To see more of your favorite famous faces in street style, check out our Street Style Trend Tracker.