FASHION March 2024

I CHASED BILLY PORTER FOR A COVER FOR A FULL FOUR YEARS BEFORE HE FINALLY SAID YES. The turning point came thanks to Mike Chalut, executive director of the legendary El Mocambo nightclub, which is now an event space. Chalut invited me to a launch party for The Bow, Toronto creative director Matthew McLaughlin’s forthcoming digital hub for LGBTQIA2S+ people. Porter, who met McLaughlin when he was in Toronto to shoot an episode of Accused, is The Bow’s equity, diversity and inclusion adviser and performed at the launch. Chalut walked me into the green room, where Porter was chilling with a glass of Champagne, and declared: “Billy! I want you to meet the Anna Wintour of Canada!” Now, for starters, that is not how I would ever refer to myself.…

How do you describe April Lockhart’s style? It’s a question the content creator (@april_lockhart) doesn’t quite know how to answer herself. “Truly, every day is different,” she laughs over the phone. Teenage dirtbag biker chic one day, Beach Blanket Bingo the next. And since the New Jersey native moved to Nashville in 2021, cowboy boots have entered the equation. What can she say? “I’m really inspired by a theme,” Lockhart shares. “I’ll always choose fashion over function, even if it’s sometimes to my detriment.” Lockhart was born with amniotic band syndrome—a condition she refers to simply as “a limb difference”—which led to her left arm not forming properly while she was in her mother’s womb. “It’s single-handedly been the biggest insecurity of my life,” Lockhart begins. “For years, I would…

Picture this: You’re caught in a time loop, forced to repeat an experience over and over again. Despite all your efforts to change the outcome, as soon as the cosmic clock restarts, the same dreaded dilemmas persist. Sounds like the plot of a terribly tiresome film, right? Well, these days, fashion is following that same frustrating formula. Except this isn’t a movie—it’s real life. And the problem playing on repeat? The lack of body inclusivity. The proof was evident on the Spring 2024 runways. At the top of last year, the ’90s “heroin chic” standard began to creep its way back into the zeitgeist and, by default, onto the catwalk. An analysis by Vogue Business found that out of all the Spring 2024 shows in major fashion-week cities, fewer than…

THE WORLD IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY POLARIZED. We tend to think of this in terms of politics—the erosion of the middle ground, the lack of compromise, an aversion to different points of view. These days, people seem to be more comfortable when they’re entrenched in an ideological camp, far removed from those who disagree with them. This phenomenon goes beyond politics, though; it even extends to matters of fashion and personal style. In menswear right now, two distinct looks have emerged for below-the-waist dressing. In one camp, skin-baring short shorts. (Think celebs like Paul Mescal, Jeremy Allen White and Pedro Pascal and designers like Thom Browne and Valentino.) In the other, oversized cargo pants like those seen on Gen Z influencers, Justin Bieber and a wide range of runways. These A-listers…

Not every style vogue of our day starts with the tastemaker triad of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Rihanna. Take earcuffs, for example. Yes, the triad has been wearing them a lot lately, but they’re not a new thing. The Celts were wearing them thousands of years ago. Earcuffs were big in ancient Greece. Sailors and pirates wore them, along with hoops and studs, for centuries before they became a hippie—and, of course, gay—thing in the 1960s and ’70s. Runway ears in the ’80s were chockablock with punk-inspired ones. Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld were reportedly fans. And later, the cuff trend had the ear, so to speak, of Dries Van Noten and Jason Wu. Ear decoration in general dates back even further than earcuffs—probably as far back as 5,000…

THE DROP: PIXI ANTIOXIDANT TONIC ($38) THE DETAILS: What do you get when you combine a toner, a serum and an essence? Pixi’s new Antioxidant Tonic, a do-it-all potion that’s formulated with three specific skin goals in mind. First and foremost, it’s hydrating, due to the inclusion of humectants in the formulation, says Amanda Bell, the brand’s global director of education and artistry. Second, she says, “ceramides and probiotics provide a calming, soothing effect that your skin barrier will love.” And lastly, the new staple is full of clarifying, brightening antioxidants, such as buzzy niacinamide. “It’s like pressing the reset button on your skin,” says Bell. THE DROP: GUERLAIN NÉROLI PLEIN SUD ($485 FOR 100 ML) THE DETAILS: “Picture kilometres of orange-tree fields,” says perfumer Delphine Jelk over a video…