ELLE September 2020

01. BYREDO X ISAMAYA FFRENCH The iconic Swedish fragrance house Byredo branches out into an entirely new category next month: makeup. “We wanted an open-source approach to what makeup could be—a non-dictating tool to help people express emotions,” says founder Ben Gorham, whose cult-favorite nongendered perfumes have a similarly inclusive spirit. Mascara, black liquid eyeliner, three eye shadow palettes, lip balm, 15 lipsticks, and 16 multiuse color sticks (shown above right) comprise the line. Gorham tapped avant-garde beauty wunderkind Isamaya Ffrench, whose repertoire ranges from subtle but odd colors to subversive, costume-like runway looks, to develop the textures and shades. “I would take areas of an image and find a color I loved,” she says. “One of the pinks was from a photo of a guy in Lagos in a very…

HOW DO YOU DRESS FOR THE OFFICE when your apartment becomes your cubicle? For this month’s The Feed—typically oriented around Fashion Week street style—we turned our attention indoors and to that endless well of inspiration, Instagram, asking some of the platform’s most inventive fashion creators to shoot images of their self-isolation looks. Reese Blutstein, who goes by the nom de blog Double3xposure, had a Zoom-friendly take on business casual: a structured cardi paired with bike shorts. Designer TyLynn Nguyen stayed comfortable in an airy slipdress, while model/artist Megan Harris upped the ante by “doodling the clothes” she couldn’t try on, inspired by Area, Charlotte Knowles, and Vivienne Westwood. For more on the at-home style phenomenon, see page 92.…

IN THIS TIME of free-floating uncertainty, we all want to know the answer to one question: What does the future hold? For ELLE’s first-ever Transformation issue, we look at the many ways the world is evolving amid COVID-19 and the widespread reckoning over racial justice. Our Front Row package examines how fashion will change when it comes to sustainability, modeling, fashion shows, and racial diversity. Consummate insiders like Donatella Versace, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Giorgio Armani, Virgil Abloh, and Gabriela Hearst are among those sharing how fashion can transform into a more earth-friendly, welcoming environment for all. In that spirit, we’ve devoted this issue to “forever fashion”—the pieces that we all want to buy now, but that were also made to stand the test of time. One example: photographer Chris Colls’s take…

1 THE BAG Tis for Tod’s—and for Timeless, the brand’s latest cross-body, in a petite size that doubles as a clutch. Handbag, Tod’s, $1,675, tods.com. 2 THE WATCH With its Panama-weave band, Cartier’s limited-edition La Demoiselle timepiece, inspired by Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is a call to adventure. Watch, Cartier, by appointment only, 800-CARTIER. 3 THE BOOT Wade into the season with Dior’s high-fashion take on the utilitarian coastal classic. Ankle boot, Dior, 800-929-DIOR. COURTESY OF THE DESIGNER; FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.…

“WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY, we need to look to the future, and when it comes to garments, into the past,” Gabriela Hearst said at a preview of her fall 2020 collection in February, a month before the world, and the industry, got turned upside down. Eco-pioneers like Hearst and Stella McCartney have been calling on the industry to follow their lead for some time now. But with widespread cost-cutting measures in the wake of COVID-19, it remains to be seen if the industry can maintain its commitment to greener production, and if eco-friendly habits like upcycling, resale, and clothing rental will suffer as a result of fears about spreading the virus. Fashion consultant Robert Burke predicts such innovations aren’t going anywhere. “Younger generations,” he says, “are looking for sustainability, non-mass-produced…

Indya Moore MODEL AND ACTOR “I’m interested in [seeing] fashion evolve, to go past the romanticizing of white women and whiteness. I think we need to move forward, and I don’t think white folks really see this happening, but Black and brown folks do. Dark-skinned Black trans women and femmes, and folks who are watching fashion shows and never get the chance to see themselves, know this. It’s often extremely homogeneous, and if there are POC, it’s one or two. Fashion shows seldom reflect what humanity looks like. Why would you invest in someone who doesn’t see you or doesn’t want to see you? How can the fashion industry deconstruct all the ways in which we continue to romanticize one kind of look or one kind of complexion? I think that the…