A list of intriguing fashion things

One: Fendi has been flirting very successfully with food-themed bags. There is the iconic Baguette—inspired by Parisian women who once carried a baguette under their arms. Far more intriguing is the collab with the candy company Chupa Chups—which has given us the Lollipop Holder Bag. You can now carry your fave lollipop in an expensive leather case. It’s an accessory for your bag… and for your neck! Like so: 

The price is TBD. (Women’s Wear Daily)

Bonus bag madness: If you prefer your accoutrements that are just plain weird, we recommend JW Anderson’s Pigeon Clutch or Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton Paint Can bag from the Fall 2022 collection. 

But the perfect comment on the insanity of handbag design is MSCHF’s Global Supply Chain Telephone Bag—a “Frankenstein” creation made “through a global game of ‘telephone’, in which they sent vague instructions and reference images in succession to four leather-working factories” around the world—including India. The result: a bag with the “curves of the [Balenciaga] Hourglass, the handles of the [Celine] Luggage, the asymmetry of the [Dior] Saddle and the flap of the [Hermès] Birkin.” See: Lead image. (New York Times, paywall, Dezeen)

Two: Dutch startup Human Material Loop has a big, beautiful dream: to turn human hair into the hottest textile in fashion. Sounds icky but as co-founder Zsofia Kolla points out, there’s no shortage of the stuff—and it’s perfectly biodegradable. 

The really cool bit: this isn’t a new idea. The Kiribati tribe in Micronesia wove armour from natural fibres including human hair. And this is because hair is actually quite amazing:

It has a strength-to-weight ratio similar to steel: One head of hair could suspend two elephants in the air. It holds heat, sheds water and traps oil. It springs back into shape when bent and can stretch up to 70 percent of its length without breaking — a trait that once allowed Greek and Roman soldiers to braid human hair into elastic ropes for catapults.

Human Material Loop is focused on weaving very cosy-looking sweaters instead—as you can see below. (CNN)

Three: Australian fashion designer Michaela Stark’s line ‘Panty’ is all about “making lingerie that makes fat desirable.” Her designs celebrate “soft paunches, buxom bosoms and luxurious thighs”: 

Panty offers fripperies that are sexy in an old-fashioned way: semitransparent bloomers with an updated cut to frame rounded stomachs, silk taffeta wrap belts to snatch waists, garters that celebrate the flesh’s folds and flirty baby-doll dresses. The collection is intended to flatter a wide range of bodies, including plus sizes that go up to 5XL, and to be worn as outerwear rather than concealed.

The best bit: it’s relatively affordable (by luxury designer standards) with prices ranging from about $75 up to $699.  

Oh, one more thing: In case you’re wondering why the model’s body looks oddly—even unflatteringly—squished:

Her pieces manipulate the body in ways traditional beauty standards deem ungainly; ripples appear in flesh, bulges are exposed from tight ribbons and sculpted boning…'I think people find it so challenging [if they] aren't already in this world of body acceptance,' she muses. 'It challenges them, and then they get confused why they might find it beautiful.

See a particularly extreme example below. Elle has more on Stark’s fashion philosophy. New York Times (paywall) looks at her new line Panty.