British Vogue August 2021

As is the way at Vogue, the August issue brings with it our first proper look at the season to come. Idling at the crossroads of trepidation and freedom, the urge to go out, the desire to dress up, to look ahead to autumn and imagine a life built on the alluring combination of plans and spontaneity once again, are all strong. But perhaps our feelings remain a little tempered by recent experience, too. Certainly, it is a more carefree life we crave, but one that allows our increasingly mindful ways of engaging with fashion to flourish. So it is only fitting that this issue is all about an important style concept: the key look. With many of us having stepped off the treadmill of “normal” life for a time, as…

For a pre-Tokyo Olympics story on Dina Asher-Smith, photographer Charlotte Wales captures the champion sprinter as a cross between 1980s American track-and-field legend Flo-Jo and Grace Jones on the cover of Island Life. Charlotte’s favourite image from their studio session? “Dina in the gold Versace dress. It represents such a powerful and inspiring woman.” Meanwhile, in the piece accompanying the shoot, Vogue contributing editor Ellie Pithers writes: “Zero other interviewees have ever brought me a spare coat, just in case I get cold, nor texted to make sure I got home safely.” “Simply put,” Ellie tells us, “I adored her.” “The red Proenza Schouler dress had all the girls on set dreaming about tropical summer nights,” says stylist Hanna Kelifa of this month’s Trends shoot. You’ll find this, plus summer’s best bralets,…

“Dark denim worn with bold gold jewellery is such a striking statement – and ideal for dressing across the seasons”DONNA WALLACE, FASHION & ACCESSORIES EDITOR“Crisp and clean, Ami’s skirt suit presents a modern rendition of ’90s minimalism”OLIVIA SINGER, FASHION NEWS DIRECTOR Short & SHARP Thanks to chic tailoring, thigh-skimming minis are no longer reserved for after dark Knit ONE When it comes to comfort, there’s nothing better – or cooler – than knitwear “How to wear fulllook knitwear? Proenza Schouler’s crochet halter dress”LAURA INGHAM, FASHION MARKET DIRECTOR“Whether you’re going grunge or elegant, the elongated sleeve adds a modern touch to your look”LAURA INGHAM, FASHION MARKET DIRECTOR All day LONG Take your comfort clothing from the sofa to the streets with the snuggly super-sleeve Fom Acne’s dreamlike duvet dressing to Raf Simons’s grunge-tinted enveloping knits, an array of designers…

Maybe it was the surge of zinc and protein but, by oyster number three, I’d completed the self-checkout on my phone and a Pucci maxi dress was mine, ready to take home with me. Sitting back on the banquette at Native, the courtyard restaurant at the newly opened Browns Brook Street, I was hit by a wave of euphoria. That dress and I might soon be strolling around Giudecca in Venice, or making an entrance at a grand reunion picnic party. Being in a physical store in real time stimulates the imagination in ways that a doorstep delivery can rarely manage. The four floors of the Browns town house seduce with an offbeat elegance and charm. The Dimorestudio interior plays off floral carpets with metal cube shelving, while original Flemish-style frescoes…

“I really can’t tell you anything!” squeals Meng’er Zhang from her apartment in Singapore. The 34-year-old actor has been sworn to secrecy about her breakout role as Xialing in Marvel’s upcoming Asian-led film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. So, what can she reveal? “It’s going to be epic,” she grins. “I kick ass.” The daughter of an actor and stage designer, Zhang has largely worked in the theatre, in Nanjing – the city in eastern China where she grew up – and Shanghai. Wanting to broaden her acting training, she also studied in London and Moscow. Did she ever think that after two auditions she would star opposite Awkwafina, Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh in one of the year’s most keenly awaited blockbusters? “I’m still processing it,” she…

CUT, COLOUR, CLARITY and carat are at the heart of Pandora’s new Brilliance collection, its debut venture into the realm of sustainable lab-grown diamonds. The diamonds posses the same quality and shine as mined diamonds, with the identical physical properties of their natural counterparts, offering an innovative alternative for a new generation of diamond consumers. Weighted with timeless value – deeming it a worthy addition to your forever jewellery box – Pandora’s Brilliance release has limitless styling potential, as well as expert craftsmanship. The unveiling (exclusive to the UK) marks Pandora’s inaugural certified carbon-neutral product, recognising the supply chain, manufacturing, packaging and transportation. Sixty per cent of the energy used in the production of the Brilliance capsule is from renewable sources; a strive towards Pandora’s plan to be completely carbon neutral by…