British Vogue July 2020

Every so often a moment comes along… that snaps everything into sharp focus. That moment for this issue arrived during the first weeks of lockdown, in early April. Those days were, you will recall, not a time when clarity was in abundance. As we headed towards a first peak of coronavirus infections, the death rate was rising and official figures were frustratingly opaque, while science was struggling to get ahead of the pandemic, and hospital staff lacked basic personal protection equipment. The economy teetered on the edge of the unknown. We all did. Yet what was clear then, as it remains now that we are past that first (and hopefully highest) peak of infections, is that this chapter in history has seen society shift its attention on to some of the…

“Worn atop a pleated skirt, a blazer – whichever of the four main styles you choose – instantly elevates”OLIVIA SINGER FASHION NEWS DIRECTOR HAIR: KEI TERADA. MAKE-UP: ZOE TAYLOR. NAILS: JENNI DRAPER. DIGITAL ARTWORK: INK RETOUCH. MODELS: NIKO RIAM, ISABELLA RIDOLFI, ADELA STENBERG, KUKUA WILLIAMS…

1 DO-IT-YOURSELF TIE-DYE This summer’s easiest DIY wardrobe refresh? Tie-dye. Make do and mend like Bella Hadid, who recently filled our Instagram feeds with rainbow-whirled T-shirts. Alternatively, support one-of-a-kind dyers such as Sammy Jo, who uplifts Nike socks, or Stain Shade, which does the same with hoodies and T-shirts. 2 CHAINS ON SHOES Just when we thought our love of chain accessories couldn’t grow any stronger, Ada Kokosar’s s/s ’20 collection for Cesare Paciotti drops. The classic chain detailing on this ’90s-esque shape has us obsessed. 3 GLASS JEWELLERY The next big thing in nonprecious jewellery? Hand-blown glass. Look to independent brands, such as By Pariah, Annika Inez and Shyla London, which are busy crafting a new wave of designs. 4 PARTY DRESS AND JEANS Just because there are no parties to go to, doesn’t mean you…

It is a truth universally acknowledged that an Indian parent is in want of a child who will enter one of three professions: medicine, law or engineering. For Supriya Lele, 32, a second-generation British Indian who grew up in the Midlands, her decision to pursue fashion design disrupted an illustrious lineage of medics. Her mother is a clinical director; her late father was a consultant specialist surgeon and the first person to practice neurosurgery in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India; and other close relations include a psychiatrist and consultants in gynaecology, paediatrics and dermatology. Supriya is somewhat the black sheep of the family. Her mother, Dr Meera Bryant, says that as a teenager the designer dressed only in dark colours, painted her room purple and blasted Black Sabbath from…

For 19-year-old musician Lola Young, who has been writing songs since she was a pre-teen, there was never any question about where her future lay. “I come from a musical home,” she says. “It was what I believed in.” Born in south London to a Jamaican-Chinese father and English mother, she attended The Brit School, where alumni include Adele and Amy Winehouse. (The former was first signed by Nick Huggett, the latter managed by Nick Shymansky, both of whom now manage Lola.) An electrifying live performer and gifted lyricist, Young tells vivid stories with her soulful tracks. “I mix different subjects in one song – family, relationships, politics – it’s never straightforward,” she says. Her influences are similarly assorted (even tender ballads have a hip-hop sensibility), so when she teases,…