ELLE November 2020

surprise & delight

1. NOTES ON CAMP Whether it’s influencers hitting the road in the most luxurious of Airstreams or clever tastemakers taking advantage of their own backyards, glamping is undergoing a revival. Enter Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Mirror backpack trunk. This OTT homage to the house’s nomadic spirit comes equipped with a tent for two—leather-framed lantern sold separately. As for the mirrored finish? That’s for admiring your great style, of course. Glamping backpack trunk, Louis Vuitton Men’s, 866-VUITTON. 2. THE COUNTDOWN Patience is a virtue—especially if you wait the 24 days it will take to work your way through this huge beauty advent calendar from Dior. The whimsical scene, designed by French illustrator Safia Ouares, was inspired by the glimmering night sky, where the stars almost appear to dance. As you puncture each tiny…

capitol gains

“I’M NOT SO GOOD SOMETIMES AT asking for permission,” says Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris, in what is perhaps the ultimate understatement. In her case, that supposed liability has been an asset: The senator is now making history as the first woman of color on a major party ticket. For me, a woman of color myself, this long-overdue moment is particularly meaningful. “Optimism is the fuel of every fight I’ve been in,” Harris tells Ashley C. Ford in our cover story on page 104, explaining that she looks to the late congressman John Lewis’s lead-with-love approach for guidance. “It will often feel like [we are only] against something, but the motivation that carries us through with any longevity is knowing what we’re fighting for.” Partisan issues aside, I think…

new arrivals

THE BAG Artist Jean-Michel Othoniel works his magic on Louis Vuitton’s beloved Capucines bag with raffia and faux pearls. Handbag, Louis Vuitton, 866-VUITTON. THE SHOE Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri remixes the classic spectator heel with a ’60s-chic Mary Jane. Shoe, Dior, $1,050, Dior boutiques nationwide. THE WATCH The astronauts’ timepiece of choice gets an out-of-thisworld Art Deco makeover via Omega’s De Ville Trésor style. Watch, Omega, $5,100, omegawatches.com.…

modern love

Watching the ’40s- and ’50s-inspired looks that floated down the runways this season, I was put in mind of the painters in Mary Gabriel’s Ninth Street Women, whose prim sweaters and pencil skirts concealed a broad hint of subversion. Buttoned-up, cinched silhouettes may have once looked impossibly dull and conservative. In our current epoch of elastic-waist everything, they feel as refreshing as the dry martinis their wearers once enjoyed. Whether it’s because designers have wrung so much inspiration out of more recent decades or because the faraway-seeming optimism of the postwar years feels poignant in a time of crisis, the hallmarks of the era dominated this season, from Givenchy’s sharp caped dresses to Proenza Schouler’s portrait necklines to JW Anderson’s soft-yet-strong rounded shoulders and bubble silhouettes. When Joseph Altuzarra delved into his…

worldly goods

Kenneth Ize was in Venice when we spoke in mid-September, his first time venturing outside Nigeria after nearly seven months in quarantine. The 29-year-old onetime LVMH Prize finalist, who made his fall 2020 debut in Paris to much fanfare, was putting the finishing touches on his spring 2021 collection, including colorful glass and ceramic jewelry stemming from a chance meeting with an artist only a week prior. Like all of Ize’s work, the collection was to be both a celebration of culture and a statement of unity. “I’m a storyteller,” says the designer, who credits self-isolation with enabling him to appreciate the quiet beauty of his home city, Lagos. “I want to tell the story of my community, my experience, and my memories, while also opening people’s eyes to new…

fashion, but make it politics

It seems like several lifetimes ago that Michelle Obama shocked a public steeped in couture-clad First Ladies by rotating through a kaleidoscope of young designers—Thakoon and Jason Wu among them. In her Netflix documentary Becoming, Obama addresses the pressures that caused her to embrace clothing as part of her messaging. “Fashion for a woman still predominates how people view you, and that’s not fair, that’s not right. But it’s true,” she says. With her choices, Obama moved the needle, proving it’s possible to be a woman of substance and intelligence and still love style. Now we have a vice-presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, who wields fashion choices like weapons in her arsenal. There was her denim jacket of rainbow colors, worn to celebrate Pride in 2019, with symbolism so clear she needn’t…