Black was worn by the religious orders in the Middle Ages, by the scholars and thinkers of the humanist Reformation, by the Dutch burghers and Puritan divines of the seventeenth century, and by the austere Spanish nobility. In a frivolous and colorful world, black is serious. Indeed, in certain perverse, extreme circumstances, it is far more than that—it is sinister. | | | | Back in black. Sept. 1, 1953
(Sharland/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “Black was worn by the religious orders in the Middle Ages, by the scholars and thinkers of the humanist Reformation, by the Dutch burghers and Puritan divines of the seventeenth century, and by the austere Spanish nobility. In a frivolous and colorful world, black is serious. Indeed, in certain perverse, extreme circumstances, it is far more than that—it is sinister.”
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| | rantnrave:// In ANNE HOLLANDER's wonderful essay on the little black dress from 1984, she wrote, "black is the color of the unknown; it is everything and nothing." There is perhaps no other color (or rather, absence of color) that communicates power or sobriety so immediately. Addressing the all-black attire at the GOLDEN GLOBES (worn in support of TIME’S UP), ROBIN GIVHAN wrote that red carpet dressing is, at its heart, "Beautiful public relations for everyone concerned." True, and as VANESSA FRIEDMAN outlined in the NYT, the red carpet is big business. The context surrounding black clothing is always changing, yet it brings with it cultural connotations that surround us in art, literature, fashion, anti-fashion, and now—carefully calculated red carpet imagery. Is wearing black about mourning, power, elegance, religious piety? That's determined by time and place. Black draws the eye, creating contrast and sharp silhouettes. Alone, a color doesn't sustain political dialogue or the daily work required to create meaningful change, but it can instantly communicate. And the gap between instant communication and future plans for change had some red carpet observers feeling uneasy. How does an industry follow through with this kind of symbolic commitment? Stay tuned. For more on black, don't miss JOHN HARVEY's books on the subject: THE STORY OF BLACK and MEN IN BLACK... LONDON MEN'S FASHION WEEK kicked off over the weekend, and it was all about emerging talent. JOHN ALEXANDER SKELTON, CHARLES JEFFREY, XANDER ZHOU, and more... Briefs: A collection by KARL LAGERFELD's longtime bodyguard... MARC JACOBS will close its LONDON store... ANNA DELLO RUSSO's fashion collection is set for a charity auction. | | | - HK Mindy Meissen, curator |
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 | The Washington Post |
| The red carpet goes silent on the subject of fashion, but the resulting message is still muffled. | | |
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 | The New York Times |
| Make no mistake: Many of the outfits you see on awards nights are now part of a deal. Could the Golden Globes break the pattern of celebrities paid to pose? | | |
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 | The Business of Fashion |
| The chief executive of newly formed ‘modern luxury’ group Tapestry Inc speaks to BoF about competing in an uncertain world, the enduring power of brands and the challenges of managing off-price channels. | | |
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 | Quartzy |
| Streetwear represents the most dynamic crosscurrents in fashion today. | | |
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 | Refinery29 |
| "This brand is about the relationship I have with women." | | |
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| The Business of Fashion |
| An exodus of major fashion houses from the official calendar means the next month of menswear shows will provide an opportunity for lesser-known designers to shine. BoF spotlights the season’s can’t-ignore talents. | | |
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 | Dazed Digital |
| As LFWM kicks off, we take a look at the emerging talent coming out of Lagos, Tbilisi and beyond. | | |
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 | The Guardian |
| From a small Sussex village, two designers plan to cause a stir at London mens’ fashion week with their witty ‘local’ label. | | |
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| Refinery29 |
| Ten years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find a woman larger than a size 0 or 2 in the pages of a fashion magazine. For so long, it seemed the world belonged to thin, mostly white, women, and anyone who didn't fit that standard had a slim chance at success. | | |
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| Dazed Digital |
| Ahead of the AW18 shows, we spotlight the names you need to hit follow on | | |
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| The Guardian |
| LOVERBOY channels the ‘growing pains’ from the 27-year-old’s childhood in Glasgow, resulting in a performance full of pain, anger and beauty | | |
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 | WWD |
| From skiing to winning the lottery, London men's wear designers looked to a wide range of subjects for inspiration for their fall collections. Here, some of the topics that sparked their creativity ahead of the shows, which begin on Saturday. | | |
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 | Lean Luxe |
| Believe it or not, e-commerce represents a tiny sliver of total sales in the US. In the last two years, it’s increased from just seven percent to nine percent -- and half of that is Amazon. In order for e-commerce to grow, brands must start solving shoppers’ problems by thinking laterally. | | |
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 | IEEE Spectrum |
| Georgia Tech spin-off SoftWear Automation is developing ultrafast sewing robots that could upend the clothing industry. | | |
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 | Fashionista |
| Whether for saving money or saving animals, faux fur reflects the current state of the fashion industry. | | |
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 | The Fashion Law |
| British Vogue made headlines on Thursday for its "disappointing" February cover. | | |
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 | Bloomberg |
| The first augmented-reality glasses with Amazon's Alexa voice assistant will be shown next week at CES in Las Vegas -- manufactured by a 75-employee company rather than the e-commerce giant's growing devices division. Vuzix Corp. | | |
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 | Fortune Magazine |
| The department store has to win back its straying shoppers. | | |
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| Fashionista |
| The totally legal, marijuana-infused service just might pop up at a salon near you. | | |
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 | Glossy |
| Hate them or love them, the Instagramming and unboxing mass of inspirational lifestyle gurus known as influencers are only becoming increasingly central to the marketing strategies of fashion and luxury brands in 2018. | | |
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 | YouTube |
| | | | Lata Mangeshkar, Udit Narayan, Uttam Singh |
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