ELLE Summer 2020

Mere weeks after the fall 2020 shows, independent designers, beauty giants, and fashion conglomerates alike joined forces, dramatically shifting their businesses in order to meet the needs of millions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the first to heed New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s call was designer Christian Siriano, who tweeted to Cuomo that his team was ready, willing, and able to make masks. As the news spread that the designer and his seamstresses, working from home, were able to turn out roughly 1,000 masks during a three-day period, the DIY movement blossomed among his New York peers. And within the beauty industry, some of the biggest names, from Estée Lauder to Bulgari, began making hand sanitizer in place of cosmetics. The final tally continues to grow—the numbers here reflect the…

AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE this editor’s note from self-quarantine in New York, I am distracted by a new kind of workplace cacophony: There is my middle school–age son, yelling about being late for a Zoom call. There is the TV, with its constant COVID-19 news updates and briefings—the steady drumbeat of political voices trying to reassure a nation that is shaken to its core. And as grim-faced reporters, wearing surgical masks and gloves, describe scenes of devastation and heartbreak from around the nation, there is also the insistent beep of call waiting, as ELLE editors who have dispersed to locations all over the country come together to creatively reimagine our coverage in light of this crisis. To say that we are living in truly unprecedented times fails to convey…

CYBERTRUCK: COURTESY OF TESLA; SMART CITY: COURTESY OF TOYOTA; PACO RABANNE DRESS: COURTESY OF MODA OPERANDI; REMAINING IMAGES: COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.…

Ezinma, the third short film in a three-part series highlighting extraordinary women, opens with the documentary’s titular violinist (also known as Classical Bae) performing her signature fusion of orchestral soundscapes and hard-hitting beats on a moving subway car. Ezinma became obsessed with the violin at age three after learning about a Suzuki program at her Montessori school in Lincoln, Nebraska. After years of classical training, the now Brooklyn-based musician began experimenting. “I always wished I could focus on orchestra and not be bored, but it’s just how my brain is,” she says. Her 2017 cover of Future’s “Mask Off” caught the attention of Beyoncé, who invited Ezinma to perform onstage with her at Coachella in 2018. The film, directed by Alison Chernick, traces Ezinma’s creative process as she records her…

SEASON 18 WINNER GEOFFREY MAC @geoffreymac Nearly 15 years ago, a camera-shy Geoffrey Mac auditioned for one of the early seasons of Project Runway. “That didn’t work out,” Mac says. “But thank goodness, because here I am now.” It would take more than a decade—and a brush with death—for Mac to find his way to the runway. He launched his namesake label in Chicago in 1999, but found his penchant for leather and latex a tough sell in the largely conservative midwestern milieu. In 2005, after nearly drowning in a riptide in Costa Rica, Mac had an epiphany: “I remember feeling really sad for myself that this was it. So much work and so little joy.” Shortly afterward, he moved to New York, where he became a promoter for the nightclub Mr. Black. When…

1. THE EARRING Patrice Leguéreau reimagines a Chanel staple, weaving stunning “tweed” jewelry out of gold, platinum, pearls, diamonds, and onyx. Earrings, Chanel Fine Jewelry, 800-550-0055. 2.THE BAG That’s amore! Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana bring love to the latest iteration of their Devotion handbag with a pearl-encrusted ex-voto heart clasp. Handbag, Dolce & Gabbana, $1,495, dolcegabbana.it. 3. THE BOOT Couldn’t we all use a bit of a lift? Walk tall in Anthony Vaccarello’s thigh-grazing boots in classic black-and-white calf hair. Boot, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $2,195, Saint Laurent, NYC. COURTESY OF THE DESIGNER; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.…