Claire has been taking the modelling world by storm since her accident 25 years ago (Picture: MDWfeatures / Claire Freeman)
In November 1995, model and Ph.D. student Claire Freeman from New Zealand was in the car with her mum Barbara and sister Beth.
During the two-hour drive, Barbara, now 70, fell asleep at the wheel.
Disastrously, the car veered off the road and rolled down a cliff crashing it on impact.
Claire sustained a severe spinal cord injury at the C5/6 level, which is the type of injury that can result in loss of sensation or function of everything in the body.
Claire was flown to Auckland Base Hospital by helicopter where she was placed in an induced coma for two weeks.
She had to spend a year in and out of hospital and was given less than a 10% chance of survival.
Despite doubts, she made it through the three surgeries and subsequently became quadriplegic, paralysed from the neck down.
Since then, Claire has been using a wheelchair and taken up a modelling job.
In February 2018, she was approached by an Italian modelling agency Iulia Barton and has since been on the catwalk in Milan for Fashion Week.
Her injury happened as a result of a car crash where her mum had fallen asleep at the wheel (Picture: MDWfeatures / Claire Freeman)
Though she is now thriving, growing up with a disability has been difficult and she has experienced PTSD from the accident.
The trauma she felt caused her to attempt suicide four times within a five-year period.
While she recovered, Claire also started her design degree in Wellington and became reluctant to move back to her hometown of Whangarei.
She said: ‘I never returned home to the far north after the accident, I was too humiliated and didn’t want anyone to see me using a wheelchair.
‘I felt like a total freak; I didn’t know anyone who was disabled, and I hated the fact I couldn’t walk. I despised my new broken body and would wear black baggy clothes and hide when I could.
‘Growing up after the accident was extremely difficult. The university campus was totally inaccessible, and I spent the first three years not talking to a single student due to being extremely shy, depressed, and embarrassed about having to use a wheelchair.’
Thanks to her Instagram page, Claire’s modelling career has taken off (Picture: MDWfeatures / Claire Freeman)
In the years since the accident, Claire had to have other surgeries including one to connect her bladder to an external bag.
But after they used the wrong tubing, Claire went into a coma.
Claire spent years feeling insecure about her disability and would hide away, until one day she decided to put herself out there by setting up an Instagram account.
She said: ‘I connected online using Instagram, where I amassed a fairly substantial following. I connected with others with the same injury and for the first time, felt happy and had a sense of purpose.
‘I hid from people, ashamed of using a wheelchair, yet now, I call myself a survivor and I only feel pride in who I am and where I’ve been.
Claire wants more work to be done to change society’s perception of those with disabilities (Picture: MDWfeatures / Claire Freeman)
‘My body doesn’t end at my flesh, I consider my wheelchair a part of who I am, much like an amputee feels like their prosthesis is a part of their body.’
Claire also has a very close relationship with her mum, who moved to Wellington to be with her.
‘I have lived the most spectacular life in many respects,’ added Claire.
‘It has had its dark moments, but they have taught me so much.
‘I feel I am a better person having had this injury. I’m not saying it’s easy, it’s not, but it is rewarding and through studying, I have realised how much work needs to be done regarding society’s perceptions of those with disabilities.’
In the post, which has amassed 123,000 upvotes, Marina wrote: ‘After getting to know each other for the last few months throughout the lockdown in France and spending some time trying matching outfits for our future first dates, we finally were able to meet and are officially together now!’
Marina added: ‘We both feel that the lockdown allowed us to really get to know each other in a deep and meaningful way!
They are now a couple (Picture: M_Cpom/Reddit)
‘And now that we’ve built a strong foundation, we really appreciate every moment together and are looking forward to the future – even if it feels quite uncertain nowadays.’
People were really here for the romance, wishing them luck for the future.
One person wrote: ‘This is nicest thing I’ve seen on internet in a long time. Good luck’.
Another said: ‘Oh my word, you are adorable together and you’re confirming the French stereotype of being super fashionable! I hope it is the beginning of something wonderful!’
What a great couple. We wonder what they’ll wear on their next socially distanced date.
Not only has lockdown given us an opportunity to clear out our wardrobes, but it’s also prompted a shift in the way we think about our clothes, in general.
Yes, lockdown has physically changed the way we dress – with joggers, PJs, gym wear and dressing gowns forming the four pillars of the 2020 wardrobe – but it’s also made us think, psychologically, about our attitudes to fashion.
From the amount of clothes that are gathering dust in our wardrobes to our online shopping habits – the pandemic has made us question a lot of things.
Kate Oldfield, a designer from London, tells Metro.co.uk she’s dramatically changed her views towards clothes and online shopping over the past few months.
She says: ‘At the beginning I was really against online shopping, because when the UK was at its peak I felt like I was unnecessary putting people at risk getting things that weren’t essential.’
Kate now wants to spend a bit more on clothes that last longer, rather than fast fashion.
She adds: ‘I did a clear out and I have loads of clothes that I’ve only worn once or never worn. I found ones with tags that I bought for holidays last year that I’d packed, taken with me, didn’t wear and brought back.
‘I’m not going to just buy loads of cheap stuff online anymore. I’m going to spend more on things that I can wear with loads of different outfits – so more of a capsule wardrobe, rather than buying loads.’
One enormous change is the way lockdown has altered the way people dress day-to-day.
While lots of people have opted for slouchy clothes, Rebecca Lockwood says she’s turned to more glamorous pieces to boost her mood.
She says: ‘I used to tone down my clothing when at home wearing sweats and comfy clothing. However, during my lockdown, my wardrobe has literally been transformed. I now wear comfy but sexy and colourful dresses when at home – especially when working from home.
‘I realised that although it was comfortable being in these clothes it wasn’t making me feel very good. For me to be my best self – in work, as a mum and as a wife – I also have to feel my best. Frankly, being in my sweats didn’t leave me feeling productive or very sexy.’
This is something Rebecca hopes to continue post-lockdown.
She adds: ‘I think I will definitely keep getting more dressed up each day. I noticed it makes such a difference to the way I feel which makes me get so much more done.’
Similar to Rebecca, Claudia Hardy says she’s also found a new appreciation for her nicer clothes.
She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m living in my gym kit and I’m enjoying dressing up once a month way more than dressing up a few times a week.’
The pandemic has also prompted Claudia to scale back her wardrobe entirely.
‘I am not buying going out clothes at all and I have culled my wardrobe – I’ve found loads of clothes I’ve never worn with tags on which I’ve just donated.
‘I’d be keen to spend more on less clothes and just have a staple wardrobe,’ she says.
For months, clothes shops have been closed (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)
The pandemic also saw the high street grind to a halt.
Up until this week, shops stood still for months – many with Easter stock still in their windows.
Bethan Roberts, a doctor from Leeds, says this standstill made her question the importance of trend pieces in her wardrobe.
She says: ‘I’ve found it quite refreshing, looking in shop windows and there being the exact same clothes that there were four months ago. I find there’s a lot of pressure to keep on top of trends.
‘You look in a shop window and you think “I’ll buy that” and then two weeks later it’s gone because something more fashionable has come in.
‘So I’ve really enjoyed walking past the same dress in Urban Outfitters for the past three months and thinking “I still think that’s a really lovely dress” and then still wanting to buy it.’
Bethan adds that the past few months have made her think more carefully about her online orders.
She says: ‘I’ve found myself on a website and filling up a bag and then reviewing the bag more, rather than just clicking to order.’
However, people who don’t shop very often have found the pandemic has had little impact on their consumer habits.
Kezia Sullivan, from north London, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘My approach to shopping has not changed.
‘I didn’t shop before and I don’t shop now unless the jeans have worn out and even then I try and buy the exact same pair – because I’m quite hard to fit because I’m tall.
‘I probably won’t be shopping after lockdown until I can go and try things on – as stuff is a bit difficult to fit.’
You don’t need to be an A-lister to dress like one (Picture: @gessflyy/Instagram)
Rihanna, AKA queen of style, beauty and our hearts, is known for always looking incredible. Whether she’s rocking streetwear or red carpet atire, it’s always a flawless ensemble.
But if you think that you’ve got to be a multimillionaire A-Lister to pull off her outfits, think again. Model and wardrobe stylist Gess Pugh has been recreating Rihanna’s outfits and sharing side-by-side photos on her Instagram.
Her project, #RIHCreate, was designed to inspire other people to get creative with the clothes they already had in their wardrobe. Although she started the project last year, it’s the perfect lockdown experiment – given that most of us haven’t been able to go into a clothes shop since February.
‘Y’all would be surprised to know that a lot (not all) of my Rihanna-inspired looks come from things I alrady own,’ Gess says on her Instagram.
Talking about recreating a black slip and sneakers outfit Rihanna once wore to an event, Gess reveals that she bought her version of the dress at Target some years previously.
The classic denim mini and shirt combo is a universally excellent choice (Picture: @gessflyy/Instagram)
Even red carpet style can be replicated if you’ve got the confidence (Picture: @gessflyy/Instagram)
‘Just shows that you don’t have to break the bank to dress like Rih!’
Her first post was back in September 2019 – New York Fashion Week. Gess turned up to the shows wearing a vermillion, flared-sleeve trench and snakeskin thigh-high boots, in the style of a Rih-Rih magazine cover.
‘I was extremely anxious and frustrated going into NYFW because so many of my outfit ideas couldn’t come to fruition because I couldn’t find items in my size,’ she said at the time.
‘I was upset because my straight size friends NEVER have this problem, they have access to soooo much and rarely have to worry if someone else will have their exact outfit on. But that’s a reality for plus-size women, which is so defeating when you work in fashion. Instead of giving up hope, I decided to pull my sleeves up and throw together looks I could be proud of. Rihanna is my no.1 style inspo and I was nervous that I wouldn’t look as good as her or do her outfits justice. But I’m damn proud, y’all.’
You can’t buy attitude! (Picture: @gessflyy/Instagram)
And so she should have been; Gess has gone on to prove that the size of your body and wallet shouldn’t be a barrier to style.
#RIHCreate has been about proving that fashion doesn’t have to be predictable and that plus-size women ‘can wear bold, fun, different and cool outfits like our fave celebs, fashion editors and bloggers’.
It’s been a challenge, Gess admits, because ‘there’s still a great deal plus-sized women don’t have access to, but I’m learning that there are small designers committed to giving plus-size women the luxury of choice.’
In search of a new summer hero piece to show off on Zoom and IRL?
H&M has you covered.
The high-street brand has launched a blouse that’s for all those fancy-on-top-sweatpants-on-bottom meetings – and that you’ll wear long after lockdown ends.
Behold: the puff-sleeved blouse, in a delightful green and purple mini floral print.
It’s great because it’s easy to throw on and super flattering, but instantly makes you look like you’ve made an effort.
That’s thanks to the structure of those puffed sleeves and a high neckline, which make whatever you’re wearing on the bottom look dressed up.
Our recommendations for styling each: pair the top with a light blue pair of jeans and a strappy sandle, the dress works just as well with heels and a chunky necklace as it would with stompy boots, tights, and a leather jacket, and the skirt will look super fresh with a simple white tee.
And it turns out, all the outfits are from the high street.
Charlotte’s dungarees, teamed with a striped t-shirt, cost just £10 from John Lewis, but sadly they quickly sold out in all sizes. It might be worth having a look in your local store though.
The Toddler Brannan Bear Polo Shirt comes in navy and off-white and features a little embroidered bear.
It is still available in sizes two and three but is sold out for younger and older kids.
Louis’ Trotters shoes were £22 (Picture: Trotters)
Charlotte’s pink shoes (Picture: John Lewis)
Oldest brother George stood at the back, in a £5.99 H&M t-shirt he also wore for pictures released to mark his sixth birthday last year.
The pictures show the three children on a swing with their dad, and laughing as they pile on top of him as he lies on the grass at their Norfolk country home, Anmer Hall.
They were taken on Friday by Kate, Duchess of Cambridge but released on Sunday to mark the Duke’s 38th birthday, which happens. to fall on the same day as Father’s Day this year.
If you were a child in the 90s (or early 2000s), it’s likely one accessory would have been a key part of your hair-styling routine
We are, of course, talking about the humble butterfly clip.
Whether you preferred the minimal Britney Spears approach (with one on each side), or the scattered look worn by the Oslen twins – there was serious scope for styles with these little plastic beauties.
Now, almost two decades later, we are seeing a return of the small-but-mighty accessory.
Butterfly clips are having a revival, and we have news for you… they look just as good on adults.
Last week, ASOS shared a picture on its Instagram of model Nawel A. posing with an assortment of butterfly clips and some retro sunnies.
Omar came up with the clever process in his kitchen (Picture: REUTERS)
The process turns the aubergine peel into a kind of leather (Picture: REUTERS)
Salam Dajani sews aubergine skin to make the mask (Picture: REUTERS)
The final design was created by two designers (Picture: REUTERS)
The aubergine skins are actually sewn together using cotton thread to make them durable, and skin becomes as tough as leather, while still being breathable enough to wear on your face.
The best thing about these masks is that they are made entirely from sustainable materials, and could even help to reduce food waste by using up discarded aubergine peel.
Who knew this humble vegetable could have such an innovative use outside of the kitchen?
Do you have a story to share? We want to hear from you.
A round up of hats which protect and look great (Picture: Getty/Urban Outfitters/ASOS/& Other Stories)
With temperatures on the rise this week, our skin should be a top priority.
Of course, SPF is given, but a hat should be a summer staple, too.
Not only does a hat serve practical purposes – in protecting skin and generally keeping us cool – but it’s also a great accessory for a summer outfit.
There are so many types to choose from, too.
Once reserved for festivals and raves, the bucket hat has been creeping into mainstream fashion over recent years. The style provides a decent amount of protection as well, covering the head, neck and some of the shoulders.
Straw sun hats, on the other hand, are arguably a more grown-up, sophisticated option. Due to their large surface area, they’re also great for those who require a little more shade.
And let’s not forget about the timeless cap.
We’ve rounded up some of the best on sale at the moment.
Upgrade your regular cap with this jazzy tie-dye number. The pastel shades are perfect for summer, but if the sickly sweet colour palette isn’t your style the hat also comes in checkerboard and floral prints.
Four women headed up the campaign (Picture: Adidas)
This week, Adidas released a series of photographs as part of their SH3-ro swimsuit range launch, with the campaign titled My Body My Swim.
The shoot included presenter Maya Jama, activist Nadya Okamato, influencer Chessie King, and model Jada Sezer, with each woman sharing their stories of learning to love swimming and their bodies.
The tagline ’embrace and befriend your body’ was used as part of the campaign, as well as ‘How a shift for brands and social media helps accepting every body’.
And it appears that this body positive messaging has caused a backlash, with many people questioning whether the right models were chosen for a campaign supposed to be about celebrating a variety of body types.
After Maya Jama tweeted a link to the shoot photos, comments began to pour in from people who disagreed with Adidas’ choice.
‘I love you for pushing this message,’ said one. ‘But for lots of us it would be more effective if models of all shapes & sizes, with visible & invisible disabilities & those with scarred bodies were used along with those who most would consider to be beautiful with a great body.’
Journalist Moya Lothian-McLean also wrote: ‘Maya Jama’s body type is literally held up as the ‘ideal’ of the late 2010s/early 2020s. I know she definitely means well but Adidas should have thought twice before making her front the campaign, rather than just being a part of it.’
ðð½ââï¸New campaign for @adidas ð¦ Celebrating body confidence whilst swimming ðââï¸ Itâs important to love and accept our bodies no matter the shape or size our bodies are powerful & WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL ð pic.twitter.com/3FPZe2S22U
Many others echoed the statement that, although the models themselves could not be held accountable for Adidas’ branding decisions, they felt it was somewhat tone-deaf not to include a much wider range of bodies.
The body positive movement began alongside the fat acceptance movement, to highlight discrimination against people with larger bodies and end fat shaming.
While body positivity refers to loving your body at any size and shape, erasing fat bodies from the movement that was designed specifically for them is a controversial move.
Some feel that using ‘conventionally attractive’ people to sell products under the guise of body positivity defeats the point of the cause.
Others also pointed out that there were limited styles of swimwear available over an XL on the Adidas site.
We have contacted Adidas and Maya Jama’s reps for comment and will update this piece with their response.
Could this be the product that solves everything? (Picture: easylife)
Under-boob is in in a big way when it comes to fashion. Every bikini or crop top of the moment appears to be designed to show lower part of our lactation stations.
But for those of us with larger breasts, this under-boob area can be a nightmare when the temperature rises, with sweat in the area causing patches and making our bras uncomfortable.
Apart from dousing ourselves in antiperspirant before venturing outside there hasn’t been much by way of a solution to under-boob sweat. Until now.
Larger breasted women are hailing this new bra liner as a hero product to solve the problem, and the best part is that it only costs £11 for a pack of six.
The moisture-wicking fabric is tucked under your bra band and kept in place by the tightness (remember to get measured, folks, it makes all the difference). There are no hooks and eyes, but it stays in place and absorbs any perspiration.
You place the liner under your bra band (Picture: easylife(
It should help soak up sweat during the day so your bra band doesn’t rub and become sore, as well as stopping those dreaded sweat stains on your t-shirt.
The bands are washable and reusable. Simply give them a hand wash with warm water and a small amount of detergent. Then rinse and leave to dry naturally.
One review on Amazon said: ‘These under bust liners are the best thing ever. If you suffer from sweating under the bust and soreness these are perfect. I was suffering quite badly and these work so well, dry all the time no soreness. Well worth the money.’
Another said: ‘I wish I had known about these before. My underboobs can get as hot as a thousand suns so these are a life saver. It takes seconds to tuck under my bra and they stay put and keep me cool all day.’
Although it appears that the most recent iteration of the heatwave is over, ithere’s the potential of a long, hot summer. So if you’re already pre-empting the sweats, these might be an idea.
Have you nailed your jazz legs?(Picture: Getty/Instagram/Metro.co.uk)
It’s been a while since we last had a trendy pose to master.
Last year we saw the rise of the strandid, the year before was all about Barbie feet, but now the pose you’ll need to add to your Instagram roster is jazz legs.
Jazz legs have nothing to do with leaning over like Barry B Benson and asking your followers if they enjoy jazz (sadly).
Instead this pose, coined by Who What Wear, describes leaning on your back leg and bending at a slight angle, while your front leg remains forward, straight, and with toes pointed.
It looks deeply awkward in real life, and if you were to stand like this in meetings or when hanging out with friends you’d receive some baffled looks, but in photos the pose serves to make your legs look super long.
Yes, it will feel absolutely absurd, and that’s why it’s worth rehearsing alone rather than experiencing the embarrassment of your Instagram husband asking what on earth you’re doing with your body and why you’re taking such a long time.
This is also not the pose to do in public spaces – unless you’re very confident and immune to laughter from passersby.
We’re not hired assassins, but in this we’d be killin’ it (Picture: Getty)
Villanelle is one of the undisputed style icons of the 21st century, somehow pulling off everything from children’s pyjamas to clown outfits with aplomb.
They styling of costume designers Phoebe de Gaye, Sam Perry, and Charlotte Mitchell along with Jodie Comer’s unflappably cool acting are a winning combination, and it’s no surprise that Vogue dubbed Killing Eve ‘the most fashionable show on TV’.
To recreate the sartorial assassin’s looks you’d normally need to part with a lot of cash, with designers like Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, and Burberry staples for Villanelle.
But there’s a pretty great dupe on the UK high street that you can get your hands on right now, reimagining one of Villanelle’s most iconic looks.
Jodie Comer in THAT now-infamous Molly Goddard from Killing Eve season one (Picture: BAFTA/PA)
One of the outfits that cemented the character’s position as a fashion afficionado was a Molly Goddard tulle pink dress, with pictures of Jodie Comer standing in Paris’s Place Vendôme in season one episode eight sweeping the internet.
The original dress was ordered directly from the designer herself, and Molly Goddard does have a similar version – in all it’s pouffy, frothy glory – available – if you can afford the £408 sale price.
Toughen the dress up with some black boots (Picture: H&M)
H&M’s puff-sleeved cotton dress (as the name would suggest) is made of cotton rather than tulle but uses the stiffness of the fabric to create the volume of the original.
The dropped hem midi is a pleasing candy pink and long enough so you can wear it for picnics and work without flashing your knickers.
Unlike some mesh Killing Eve copycats you also don’t need to worry about suitable undergarments for the see-through fabric.
If you want to make your silhouette more feminine you could always accessorise with a waist belt, but Villanelle would wear it as is – just with some clompy boots and an unfussy top knot to pull it all together.
This is Ellie. She’s only 18 but has booked some impressive fashion shoots (Picture: Zebedee / SplashNews.com)
A teenager has become the first model with Down’s syndrome to pose for Gucci Beauty – with her pictures appearing in Vogue Italia this month.
Ellie Goldstein has also become one of Gucci’s most popular models on their Instagram page, with almost 800,000 likes.
The 18-year-old modelled Gucci Mascara L’Obscur for the campaign following her successful stint on Vogue Italia.
The teenager signed to Zebedee Management, an agency which represents people with disabilities, just over three years ago and the bookings have been pouring in ever since.
The family from Ilford, Essex, are over the moon to see Ellie – who was born with an extra chromosome – thrive in the industry.
Mum Yvonne said: ‘We’re all incredibly proud of Ellie and all the lovely comments she has had on Gucci’s Instagram.
‘She has always loved being in the limelight and in front of the camera, she’s very confident and good at taking direction.’
Ellie appeared on Vogue Italia last month (Picture: Zebedee / SplashNews.com)
Ellie, who is currently doing a performing arts course at college in Redbridge in Essex, spent a day in London doing the Gucci campaign with two other models.
She said: ‘I really enjoyed the modelling and loved wearing the Gucci dress. I’m really proud of the photoshoot and would love to be famous.
‘I’m looking forward to modelling for other brands.’
Now she’s modelling for Vogue Italia (Picture: Zebedee / SplashNews.com)
Yvonne said Ellie has always enjoyed performing and started attending drama and dance classes from the age of five.
She added: ‘Drama is her passion and she has been in lots of shows. She is very outgoing and wants to be seen and heard.
‘She is very good at English and has a great memory which helps with memorising scripts.’
Ellie got into modelling when a friend saw Zebedee Management on This Morning and encouraged Yvonne to put Ellie forward.
Since 2017, Ellie has been a regular with the agency.
She has already taken part in a number of advertising campaigns, including the Superdrug Christmas advert in 2018, which was shown on primetime television.
Ellie has also modelled for a Nike advert centred around the Women’s World Cup last summer.
Zebedee Management said that research suggested that only 0.06% of those featured in advertising have a disability, and that reduced to 0.01-0.02% when looking at fashion and beauty advertising.
Laura Johnson, of Zebedee, said: ‘This is only one or two models in 10,000! Brands can no longer say that the “public don’t want to see” disabled models, as this Insta post proves otherwise!
In the past, she’s modelled for Nike (Picture: Zebedee / SplashNews.com)
‘Inclusion of all people in the industry is so important, not only because it the right thing to do ethically, but also makes good business sense. The spending power of disabled people is estimated at £249 billion per year – it’s a massive market!’
They added: ‘Ellie is such a wonderful person inside and out. She lights up the room when she walks in and is such a professional.
‘She is incredibly skilled and such natural beauty. This means the world to her, her family and the wider community.
‘We really hope that all brands take note and including disabled models now becomes the norm.’
The magical dresses (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
The dream of looking like a Disney princess on your wedding day can now be a reality.
Disney has launched a new line of princess-inspired wedding dresses that are, quite literally, the stuff of fairytales.
The 16 magical designs have been brought to life by Allure Bridal and each garment is inspired by Disney princesses Aurora, Jasmine, Cinderella, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Princess Tiana, Ariel and Belle.
Most characters have two different dress styles to their name.
The Ariel dress (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
It features a mermaid-style tail (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
The two Ariel-themed gowns, naturally, feature a mermaid-style tail.
Both have cascading layers of soft tulle and organza – designed to resemble the rippling waves of the ocean. One is more muted while the other is embellished with pearls.
True Disney fans will notice the Belle-inspired wedding dress resembles the character’s off-the-shoulder yellow gown from the film.
The Belle dress (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
The Belle gown resembles the shape of the yellow dress from the film (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
Similarly, both Cinderella dresses pay homage to her glitzy glass slipper, with a plethora of crystals and sequins.
The Jasmine dress, on the other hand, features a long detachable train that’s rather reminiscent of the magic carpet.
The Jasmine-inspired gown (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
The magic carpet-like train (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
Some of the dresses in the collection have a more modern feel to them, like the Pocahontas one – which combines a sweetheart neckline with detailed spaghetti straps.
The Pocahontas design (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
A more modern take (Picture: Allure Bridals/Disney)
At this moment in time, the collection is only available in boutiques across North America, with the Platinum collection exclusively at Kleinfeld Bridal stores in New York and Toronto.
Each dress is available in US sizes 0 to 30 (UK sizes 4 – 34) , with prices ranging from $1,200 (£921) to $10,000 (£7,861).
The more detailed the dress, the higher the price.
The cover on the left is at the centre of controversy (Picture: Vogue Portugal)
Vogue Portugal is facing criticism across the internet for one of four covers for their upcoming July/August 2020 issue.
For what the magazine has called ‘The Madness Issue’, one cover shows a woman naked in a bathtub, having water poured over her by two women in old-fashioned nurse uniforms.
Many have accused the cover of relying on an outdated and ‘upsetting’ stereotype of mental illness and psychiatric hospitals.
The magazine’s Instagram post showing the cover, which will be released alongside three other cover photos, has been flooded with hundreds of comments – sharing a mixed response.
While some have praised the magazine for ‘demystifying’ mental illness, others have called the image ‘offensive’.
Model Sara Sampaio commented: ‘This kind of photo should not be representing the conversation about mental health! I think it’s very bad taste!’
The cover shows a woman in what appears to be a psychiatric hospital (Picture: Vogue Portugal)
On Twitter, fashion writer and contributing editor at AnOther Magazine Hannah Tindle wrote: ‘So Vogue Portugal’s July/August 2020 issue is titled ‘The Madness Issue’ and uses the aesthetic of a psychiatric hospital as its cover. Who is approving this shit???’
Expanding on her tweet, Hannah told us: ‘The reason this cover is so problematic is that it uses a psychiatric institution as an aesthetic, for an edition of the magazine titled The Madness Issue.
‘If Vogue Portugal wanted to use their platform to discuss mental health, there are myriad ways they could have chosen to do so that is not offensive and upsetting to those who are, like me, struggling with mental illness.
‘If fashion publications are supposed to reflect the times we live in, mental health is a vital topic to talk about: particularly the lack of funding for public psychiatric services and the stigmatisation that infiltrates all parts of society. But this is a very poor decision which has been approved by many people in the offices of Condé Nast Spain.
‘I’d like to know how this was allowed to be made, let alone go to print. And I’d like to see Vogue Portugal donate some of the profits from this issue to a mental health charity or organisation.’
Some are fans of the edition’s imagery. One person wrote on Twitter ‘idgi this is chic’, while among the criticism in the Instagram comments there are plenty of heart emoji and praise for the magazine.
Much of the criticism around the cover raises concerns around how psychiatric hospitals are depicted in mainstream culture.
the new @VoguePortugal is extremely disrespectful, the glamorisation of asylums / traumatic methods of treatment just pushes the stigma further. I can’t believe this was approved pic.twitter.com/55oUu93tzt
Many of us will associate mental health wards with the sterile white environments and straitjackets we’ve likely seen in films and on TV, when the reality of these places can be very different.
The reality of psychiatric wards can be quite different from the images presented in glossy magazines. Here, a patient sits on a bench in the garden of the psychiatric hospital (Picture: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP
A patient walks in a corridor of the Clos Benard psychiatric hospital in Aubervilliers (Picture: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP
There’s a concern that depictions of psychiatric hospitals with these outdated tropes – the old-fashioned nurse costumes, the woman looking haunted in a bathtub – contribute to damaging stereotypes of people with mental health issues.
Mental health advocate Poorna Bell puts this more succinctly on Twitter, writing: ‘On behalf of anyone who has ever been in a psychiatric hospital or had a loved one who has been in one, honestly @VoguePortugal, f*** you.’
‘Covers like this continue to contribute to a negative stigma when it comes to mental health,’ reads another tweet featuring the cover. ‘And all for an aesthetic purpose? This isn’t it.’
Nancy*, 21, spent time in a mental health unit in her teens. She tells Metro.co.uk: ‘My experience looked nothing like this cover – staff wore normal clothes, the unit had an activities room, music room, big gardens for us to walk around in, and tried the best it could to foster a communal and positive atmosphere.
‘Of course it was challenging at times, but it was a world away from the ‘padded asylum’ type of image that this cover promotes.
‘Depictions of mental health units like this are so damaging to overall perceptions of what people who spend time in these places are like. Mental health patients are ordinary people trying to cope with extremely difficult illnesses, but that doesn’t take away their humanity and personality.’
Jo Loughran, Director of Time to Change, the mental health anti-stigma campaign run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, says: ‘Today, in a time where there is arguably more awareness of mental health problems than ever before, it’s disappointing to see this outdated depiction of a psychiatric hospital – especially on the cover of such a high-profile magazine.
‘Mental health isn’t a fashion statement. The shame and isolation that many of us with mental health problems too often experience is only made worse by imagery like this which fuels people’s lack of understanding.
‘Ultimately, misrepresentations such as this can make life even harder for people experiencing a mental health problem to speak out and seek support. Furthermore, we know that compounding negative attitudes towards mental health problems can lead to negative behaviours and discrimination.
‘While it’s great to see that Vogue Portugal is trying to raise awareness of mental health in this issue, doing so behind this cover is not acceptable.
‘Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen something like this. Some really strong stories that may indeed include great content and have educational value are sometimes weakened by the use of inappropriate images.
‘We know that people’s attitudes towards mental health are improving, and while this cover is incredibly disappointing, it’s encouraging to know that the public will no longer stand to see mental illness used as a gimmick. When people feel empowered to call out stigma it can send a powerful message to the world – that stigmatising mental health problems is never acceptable.’
Update: Vogue Portugal has responded to the backlash with a statement on Instagram, reading: ‘Our July/August issue is themed ‘The Madness issue’, with four different covers each designed to address different dimensions of human behaviour, during a time when the global pandemic has brought people to confinement.
‘One of the covers portrays a hospital scene where the model is being taken care of by her real life mother and grandmother, shot by photographer Branislav Simoncik. Our intention is to open up the topic of mental health, and bring to the discussion the institutions, the science and the people that are involved with mental health today.
‘The cover story explores the historical context of mental health and is designed to reflect real life and authentic stories, inspired by deep research of hundreds of reportage photographs from some of the most relevant and famous documentarists who have captured mental health hospitals. Inside the issue, features interviews and contributions from psychiatrists, sociologists, psychologists and other experts in the field.
‘Mental health forms just one of the topics explored within the issue and is not linked to the theme of madness but instead covered as an aspect of human emotions and behaviour.
‘We acknowledge the significance of the topic of mental health and our intention, through visual storytelling, is to shine a light on the important issues of today.’
Fashion fans are cracking up at an accidental blunder from ASOS.
Shoppers were quick to notice a slight problem with one of the products on the company website.
It seems one of the shopper bags currently on sale has a typo on the front of it.
Customers have pointed out that the ‘Be Kind’ bag, which retails for £6, has a letter missing from the word ‘breathe’ – so it currently reads ‘Sleep Breath Reflect’.
What’s more, according to the ASOS website, the bag is still ‘selling fast’
People have taken to Twitter to vocalise their confusion.
One person posted: ‘Bought lots of your stuff over the years. Am I missing something re. this bag? Surely “breath” should be “breathe”, right?’
Spot the issue? (Picture: ASOS)
Someone else said: ‘Think it’s meant to be “breathe” and not “breath”. Imagine paying £6 on a canvas shopping bag that isn’t even correct.’
Another wrote: ‘@ASOS_HeretoHelp is this meant to say breath or was it supposed to say breathe?’ – to which ASOS responded.
The online retailer replied: ‘Thank you for pointing that out looks like one of our designers has had a Homer Simpson moment there. I will get this looked into.’
ASOS is, of course, referring to the iconic ‘d’oh’ moments made by the lovable character.
Shein was selling seven prayer mats as Greek carpets (Picture: Shein)
Fashion retailer Shein was criticised last week for selling Islamic prayer mats as home decor.
The online store had labelled the Islamic staple as ‘frilled Greek carpets’, which caused a backlash online.
Many of the mats had pictures of mosques and the Ka’aba – a black cube located in Mecca which is the holiest site for Muslims.
The designs were first noticed by journalism student Khadija Rizvi, who posted screenshots that went viral on Instagram.
Since others also complained to Shein and said they’d be boycotting the brand, Shein has issued a public apology.
Posting on its Instagram, the brand said: ‘We’re sorry. As a global brand, we vow to do a much better job in educating ourselves on different cultures, religions, and traditions to ensure our diverse community is respected and honoured.
‘We offer our sincerest apology to all whom we have hurt and offended and hope we can earn your forgiveness.’
The brand apologised for selling the prayer mats (Picture: Shein)
The statement comes after several calls for Shein to remove the items from their site.
Beauty vlogger Nabela Noor also called on the brand to do something and personally got in touch with them.
This is unacceptable. @SHEIN_official is selling Islamic prayer mats & calling them âfloral trim carpets.â
Iâve reached out to the brand directly asking them to remove + to have a dialogue on why this is wildly offensive.
In her original viral post, Khadija wrote: ‘I am disgusted. I am livid. Shein is profiting off Muslim prayer mats (janemaz/sajadah) by selling them as “fringe trim carpets” for people to use casually around the house.
‘A few have the Ka’aba printed on them. THIS IS HIGHLY OFFENSIVE, not only is it disrespectful but they once again renamed and stole credit from a whole faith this time, by failing to label it as a Muslim prayer mat which allows people to use it casually as a decorative mat.’
Khadija pointed out that prayer mats are sacred in Muslim households and you would only use them for worship, not decoration, and would not step on them with shoes.
She added: ‘A prayer mat is an important piece of fabric, used by Muslims, placed between the ground and the worshipper during their five daily prayers. It is NOT a carpet and must be treated with respect and you don’t ever wear shoes on it.
‘It’s important for us to acknowledge the disrespect that is committed here.’
We’ve contacted Shein for further comments and will update the article if they reply.
Part nature porn, part escapism fantasy (Pictures: Getty)
The cottagecore aesthetic has been around for years, but lockdown is giving it new life.
Part nature porn and part escapism fantacy, cottagecore is the natural antidote to the coronavirus lockdown, which has seen many people all over the world confined to cities where nature is scarce.
There is more to the aesthetic than just combating lockdown however, as it also has ties to the LGBTQ+ community, the desire for sustainable living, and the fantasy of a quiet, simple life.
What is cottagecore?
Cottagecore visuals focus on idyllic country life, with the hashtags dominated by pictures of lush, cosy interiors, rolling fields, baby cows, floaty dresses, home-made baked goods and flowers. Lots of flowers.
With its emphasis on self-sustainability, it should come as little surprise that the trend is picking up speed during lockdown when people started baking so much that there was a shortage of flour.
The celebration of nature is also likely part of the appeal, especially these days.
As fashion historian Andrew Luecke told The Guardian: ‘For those who felt trapped in their apartments in the grimy, crowded city, it made sense to start daydreaming about pastoral settings, where one could be cosy and feel free from disease.’
Some of David Beckham’s latest Instagram posts are prime examples of cottagecore starting to bleed into the mainstream during lockdown.
The comfy granddad chic he’s been modelling for his followers, standing with his wooden cane in rolling flower fields, aptly represents the fantasy of returning to secluded nature when the outside world is in dire straits.
The idea of sustainability is also a major appeal for many cottagecore fans, because it represents both a friendliness towards the environment and because part of the fantasy is that it involves eshewing the trappings of modern society.
The movement has a particular draw among the WLW (women who love women) community and many of the people who find themselves drawn to cottagecore also express their distaste for capitalism and hetero-normative society.
If the news is a pantomime, then this week’s loudest ‘boo’ goes to Boohoo, as what once sounded like a fun, ironic name for a brand has become a grimly self-fulfilling prophecy.
First, a report by campaign group Labour Behind the Label put the fast fashion giant at the centre of Leicester’s Covid-19 outbreak, revealing that factories used by the company had stayed open throughout lockdown.
Then Boohoo faced allegations of ‘modern slavery’, when an undercover investigation found workers making clothes were being paid as little as £3.50 an hour, less than half the legal minimum wage.
In two days, the formerly £5bn business has haemorrhaged over £1.5bn of its value.
But while Boohoo’s long-term loss remains to be seen, there’s another question: what do its competitors stand to gain? Like dobbing in your naughtiest friend to save yourself from detention, the pointed fingers smack of defensiveness and deflection.
Yes, I support retailers in ending or suspending their relationship with Boohoo. But no, I will not applaud their actions.
As a fashion writer and long-time fashion lover, I know the lure of a new outfit as well as anyone. In my time, I’ve used shopping as a balm for every feeling from anxiety to boredom, happiness to hunger. But in recent years, the true cost of those pick-me-up clothes, to the planet and to people, has become much harder to ignore.
Like so many reformed fast fashion shoppers, I’ve understood for a while now that you can’t make a brand new £5 dress without somebody, somewhere, paying the price.
Why did it take front-page headlines and a global pandemic to finally prod them into action?
The terrible conditions in the UK’s own fashion industry have been public knowledge for years. In 2015, an investigation by the University of Leicester found that the majority of the city’s 11,700 garment workers were paid below national minimum wage.
In 2017, two further investigations found factories for River Island, New Look, Missguided and, yes, Boohoo, paying workers as little as £3 per hour. Where was the outrage then?
If these companies take their ethical responsibilities so seriously, why did it take front-page headlines and a global pandemic to finally prod them into action?
We might also ask why it is only exploitation on our own doorstep that earns this kind of response. Criminally overworked, underpaid and unprotected, the reality of life for garment workers in some of the world’s poorest countries is not a secret.
Seven years have passed and despite the incredible efforts of organisations like Labour Behind the Label, which campaigns for garment workers’ rights to fair pay and conditions, we’ve kept on buying fast fashion.
Companies like Boohoo have been allowed to flourish into billion-pound empires in a culture that values our desire to have the latest £20 trend item over the rights of millions of workers. Excuse me, not ‘workers’. People.
‘We expect our partners to apply similar fundamental priorities and will distance ourselves from those who don’t,’ read a statement from Zalando, who also dropped Boohoo from its website this week. Yet ‘distance’ is part of the problem.
Distance is why we’re appalled at modern slavery occurring in Leicester, but not Bangladesh. And it’s all too easy for other retailers to take a few performative steps away from the worst culprits. It would be far braver to stand up and recognise the part they themselves play in a greedy, global machine.
Of the businesses linked to the Rana Plaza collapse, many argued that they had no idea their clothes were being produced in unsafe factories. And of course, that’s the problem. You can’t fix what you don’t know is happening.
Under immense pressure to make clothes faster and cheaper, it has become commonplace to outsource orders to other, often unaudited, factories in developing countries, and turn a blind eye. Not just for the cheapest brands, either – some mid-range and high-end designer names have also been accused of being non-compliant with the Modern Slavery Act.
There’s more than a little snobbery tied-up in Boohoo gate (Picture: Ben Stanstall / AFP via Getty)
There’s more than a little snobbery tied up in Boohoo-gate. It’s easy for people to dismiss a brand that caters predominantly to young, working class Love Island fans as evil and unethical, while ignoring the unanswered questions in their own wardrobes.
This is why the rallying cry of Fashion Revolution, another campaigning group, has been focused on transparency – to end the secretive pass-the-parcel approach to outsourced labour, and force companies to unpack the truth about where their products are made, who by, and for how much.
Consumers deserve to know the full picture, however ugly. We need to ask #WhoMadeMyClothes, and keep asking until we get a good answer.
True, there are different levels of hypocrisy at play here. ASOS has boosted its ethical credentials substantially in recent years, boasting more sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics, impressive reductions in carbon emissions, numerous corporate social responsibility commitments and a full list of its supplier factories published online. The Good On You directory rates their efforts ‘It’s a start’.
But let’s not forget, 500 employees at its Yorkshire warehouse staged a walkout on 27 March, in protest to unsafe conditions. And while ASOS might be making big strides to do better, we can’t ignore the role brands like this have played in working up our appetite for cheap, speedy fashion in the first place.
While its factories still churn out clothes at the sheer pace and volume it does, it’s hard to see how it will ever truly be ethical.
Very.co.uk, which also issued a Boohoo veto, doesn’t have any kind of ethical declaration available on its main customer website. Next fares better, with a lengthy modern slavery statement.
It shouldn’t be up to consumers, or journalists, to police a company’s conduct – but here we are
The retailer told one broadsheet that its approach to the Boohoo revelations would be ‘based on trust’. What that means, if anything, is unclear – but you don’t have to be a business mogul to know it’s better to have an approach based on facts.
Besides, what about the trust relationship shoppers have with the brands we buy from?
When we spend our hard-earned cash with a company, we enter into a form of implicit agreement with a company. We expect that they will provide the goods and services as advertised, and do it honourably – or at least, as a bare minimum, not illegally.
It shouldn’t be up to consumers, or journalists, to police a company’s conduct –but here we are.
There is barely room here to get into the hypocrisy of Amazon – whose ethical conduct has been called into question so many times there’s a Wikipedia page devoted to it – attempting to claim a spot on the moral high ground. Just last November, 600 employees signed a petition calling for improvements in warehouses due to unsafe conditions.
But then, I still use my boyfriend’s Prime video account. I’m a hypocrite too.
And there’s the rub; hypocrisy is often an unavoidable stage on the way to real progress. Guilty though I feel about my problematic habits (I’m not a vegan yet either, before you ask), we don’t have time to wait for perfection before we let people join the fight.
We can’t expect huge conglomerates to change all their spots overnight, much as we’d love them to try. And infuriating though it may be to see fast fashion giants trying to join the ranks of the good guys, the truth is it’s still better than the alternative: more feigned ignorance, more evasiveness, and more exploitation going unchecked.
It’s vital these brands use Boohoo’s exposure as a prompt to confront their own culpability, and keep working. Right now, all eyes should be on ASOS, Next, et al. If they’re serious about untangling messy supply chains and encouraging others to do the same, then good.
If, however, by distancing themselves from the enemy du jour they’re hoping to sit back and bask in the warm glow of positive PR? The message from ethical shoppers is loud and clear: not on our watch.
