Hello, Open Thread. It’s Milan Fashion Week. The weather is balmy, and the Aperol is flowing. It was a little disorienting to go from a New York blizzard to what seems like an Italian spring, but, well — that’s climate change for you. The celeb of the week thus far has been Mark Zuckerberg, despite appearances by Eileen Gu, Sarah Pidgeon (one of the gets of the season, thanks to “Love Story”), Uma Thurman and a host of K-pop stars with screaming fans outside every venue. The Meta chief and his wife, Priscilla Chan, were in town to talk smart glasses with the fashion folk, and they popped up at Prada, so far the best show of the season. It was their first fashion week experience, and they seemed quite delighted about it. Other notable debuts included Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first Fendi show, Meryll Rogge’s first Marni and Demna’s first Gucci. The Gucci show takes place after this newsletter goes out, so I’ll have the verdict for you next week. But I’ve been talking to the designer about his plans for the house since last fall for a profile, and I have to say, it was one of the most fun fashion stories I have reported. If you followed his work in his former job at Balenciaga, you might be surprised at the changes. Some outtakes, for example:
Anyway, there’s a lot more, and you can read it here. In non-fashion-week news, Melania Trump has officially donated her second inaugural gown to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Her office announced the news, along with the fact that, “First lady Melania Trump is the first nonconsecutive first lady to donate an inaugural gown for a second time, and only the second first lady in history to have two inaugural ball gowns represented in the collection — the last being first lady Ida McKinley in 1897 and 1901.” That makes it sound like a very big deal! It also seemed weird to me — after all, there have been plenty of two-term presidents whose wives had second inaugural gowns; why weren’t they in the Smithsonian, too? So I asked the museum what was going on.
The museum’s emailed response: “The policy is basically only one inaugural gown per presidential term. So, Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc., all served two consecutive terms and we acquired one gown — the first one. In modern times, no one has served two terms NOT consecutively, which is why this is unusual.” So there you have it. I am still not convinced the reasoning makes sense. (It seems like a very pretzeled justification to me and risks veering a little close to appeasement.) What do you think? Let me know. Then listen in as Richard Baker, the man behind the creation of Saks Global, offers his version of how Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman went bankrupt (it’s quite a read); catch up on the role Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos will play at the next Met Gala; and consider the white pantsuit protest that wasn’t at President Trump’s State of the Union address. Have a good, warm weekend. Talk to you next week from Paris.
Make someone’s day and forward this email. Share your feedback on Open Thread by email. Check out our full assortment of free newsletters.
Your Style Questions, AnsweredEvery week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
I’m seeing more and more people, men and women, wearing shorts outside, even in very cold weather. Sometimes they wear light jackets with their shorts, sometimes, just a hoodie or pullover. Is this a macho thing? Is it wanting to appear sexy? To me, they just look freezing. — Anthony, LondonThe contemporary phenomenon of shorts in winter, visible not just outside various urban gyms and on college campuses but also in the suburbs, on the street and at parties, is the product of a variety of factors. Some are physical, some psychological and some fashionable. And though it may seem nuts — it’s freezing out! what are those people doing? — this kind of warm weather cosplay has been going on for years. As has the debate around whether it’s ridiculous or appealing. As to why anyone would want to expose his or her legs in nigh freezing temperatures, the most straightforward explanation is the simplest: They are hot. Some people, especially when exercising (or even, say, snow shoveling), run warmer than others. On one Reddit thread, where this is an extremely popular question, a user |
