Archive dressing just got its biggest endorsement yet, and it came wrapped in silver studs on a New York City sidewalk. When Dakota Johnson stepped out after hosting Saturday Night Live this past weekend, the outfit that lit up red carpets and group chats alike wasn’t fresh off a runway. It was a black velvet coat from the Dries Van Noten Fall/Winter 2016 collection, a piece nearly a decade old that proved far more talked-about than anything brand new could have been.

The occasion was twofold. Johnson had just wrapped her hosting duties on SNL, and the after-party doubled as her 37th birthday celebration once midnight hit. For a night that called for both comedy-world camaraderie and personal milestone glamour, she reached into fashion’s past rather than its present, and the choice says a lot about where celebrity style is heading right now.

What Makes Archive Dressing So Powerful

The coat itself looked like a constellation map come to life: inky velvet scattered with silvery studs arranged in star-like patterns, worn almost like a robe over the rest of her outfit. Underneath, Johnson wore a strapless black Saint Laurent sweetheart minidress, so small it disappeared entirely beneath the coat, and finished the look with mesh pumps from Aquazzura that kept the midnight-sky theme consistent from head to toe.

That’s the quiet appeal of archive dressing. Instead of chasing the newest thing on a brand’s current runway, stylists and celebrities are increasingly raiding ten, fifteen, even twenty-year-old collections to find pieces with more personality and rarity than anything available off the rack today. A decade-old Dries Van Noten coat can’t be bought at a boutique this season. It has to be sourced, which instantly makes it a statement about taste and access rather than just spending power.

It also signals something about how fashion memory works now. Johnson wasn’t dressing for a formal red carpet with strict brand obligations; she was dressing for a party. That relaxed context is exactly where archive dressing thrives, because it lets a celebrity show off genuine style instincts rather than a publicist-approved look.

The Bag That Stole the Spotlight

As striking as the coat was, it was the accessory that had people talking. Johnson carried a Silvia Gnecchi Miranda bag, constructed from see-through, hand-woven gold mesh that resembled a fine chainlink fence, topped with galvanized brass discs along its edge and finished with a chunky silver strap. For years, the chainmail dress has been a reliable birthday-night uniform for celebrities from Paris Hilton to Dua Lipa. Johnson’s choice suggested a new variation on that idea: let the chainmail live in the handbag instead, so the statement is carried rather than worn.

Paired with a coat built around celestial imagery, the metallic bag didn’t just match tonally, it completed the narrative of a woman dressed like the night sky itself, turning a simple after-party appearance into a fully realized concept.

Why This Moment Matters for Style Watchers

Celebrity dressing has always been a barometer for where fashion culture is headed, and Johnson’s look fits neatly into a broader shift. Archive dressing rewards knowledge over novelty, and it rewards stylists who can find meaning in old collections rather than simply styling whatever a brand sends over for the season. A birthday party might seem like a low-stakes setting, but it’s exactly these off-duty, after-hours moments where personal style tends to show through most clearly, unfiltered by red-carpet dress codes or sponsor obligations.

There’s also a practical lesson here for anyone paying attention to their own closets. The appeal of archive dressing isn’t limited to celebrities with stylists and industry connections. It’s a reminder that a decade-old coat, a vintage find, or a piece pulled from the back of a closet can carry more visual interest and conversation value than something brand new. Johnson didn’t need a fresh look from this season’s collections to make headlines. She needed one good, distinctive piece with a story behind it.

As fashion weeks churn out new collections every few months, it’s worth noting that the most memorable outfit from Johnson’s birthday weekend wasn’t from the current cycle at all. It was proof that style longevity still beats novelty, and that archive dressing, done with the right eye, can outshine anything straight off the runway.

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Miuccia Prada spent the weekend convincing Paris that gym knickers and track pants belong on a runway alongside tailored blazers, and the result was one of the clearest statements yet that sportswear style has become the defining language of modern luxury fashion.

At Sunday’s Miu Miu show during Paris fashion week, the designer sent out a collection built on what she described backstage as “real clothes” — the unglamorous staples people actually reach for when running errands, rather than the exaggerated gowns of traditional haute couture. Her goal, she said, was to take that everyday reality and make it “more interesting, more rich” by colliding it with tailoring and polish. The show opened with crisp, pleated checked skirts worn with equally crisp blazers, but the sensible footwear was swapped for brightly coloured trainers. A few looks later, spiky heels returned, crop tops slid beneath blazers, and track pants — the kind usually reserved for lounging at home — appeared under sharp knitwear and structured jackets.

How sportswear style took over the Miu Miu runway

The through-line of the collection was deliberate friction: gym-class basics dressed up, formalwear stripped down. Sports bras were reworked as sequinned party tops, some worn alone and others layered over clingy jersey. Gym knickers got the same elevated treatment as the skirts and blazers around them. Even denim got a twist — a collaboration with Wrangler reimagined vintage jeans with low-slung hips and shoelace-style fastenings in place of buttons or belts. Prada called the overall approach “nonconformist dialogues exploring a form of friction and tension,” a tidy summary of a trend that has quietly been building across the industry: the deliberate clash of performance wear and polished tailoring, designed to look both effortless and expensive.

It’s not a new idea for Miu Miu, a brand built almost entirely on the pleasure of subverting the ordinary. Since launching in 1993 as a younger, cheekier sibling to Prada, the label has turned plasters, aprons and embellished trousers into objects of desire. But this season’s full embrace of sportswear style feels like a natural extension of that instinct, pushing gym-floor basics into spaces usually reserved for eveningwear and formal tailoring.

A billion-euro bet on “real clothes”

The timing is notable. Luxury fashion has been grappling with a slowdown in big-ticket spending, yet Miu Miu has continued to outperform much of the market. The brand currently ranks second on the Lyst index, the quarterly ranking that tracks consumer demand for fashion labels, trailing only Chanel. Sales climbed 3% to more than €700m in July alone, making Miu Miu one of the few bright spots in an otherwise cautious luxury sector.

Much of that resilience comes down to a sharply defined customer the brand calls the “Miu Miu girl” — someone drawn to clothing that reads as a little odd, a little undone, and unexpectedly sexy. Crucially, that archetype isn’t tied to a single age bracket or gender, which helps explain the eclectic casting on Sunday’s runway. Emma Corrin paired white knickers with a cropped croc jacket, Olivia Colman walked in a cracked suede skirt suit, and Jamie Bell wore low-rise, Prince of Wales check trousers with a two-tone vest. The mix of generations and genders reinforced the idea that this version of sportswear style isn’t aimed at a narrow slice of shoppers chasing trends, but at anyone willing to mess with the usual rules of dressing up or down.

Beyond the catwalk: sport as cultural strategy

Miu Miu’s interest in sportswear style extends well past the runway. Earlier this year the brand partnered with New Balance on a performance-wear collection for tennis star Coco Gauff, who debuted the pieces at the Italian Open in May before wearing them again on Centre Court at Wimbledon. It’s a calculated move: by dressing an athlete competing at the sport’s biggest stages, Miu Miu gets visibility far beyond the fashion crowd, while reinforcing the same blend of sport and sophistication that defined Sunday’s show.

That strategy fits a broader pattern at the brand, which has spent the past 15 years building cultural credibility through projects that have little to do with clothes at all — a literary club that has tackled Simone de Beauvoir and Ama Ata Aidoo, and a series of female-directed short films from names including Mona Fastvold and Miranda July. The common thread is an insistence that Miu Miu isn’t just selling garments but a whole sensibility, one where sportswear style, intellectual curiosity and a slightly subversive sense of humour all sit comfortably together.

Whether rivals follow Miu Miu’s lead into sports bras and trainers on the runway remains to be seen, but the commercial numbers suggest there’s little incentive to abandon the formula. In an industry anxious about where the next wave of luxury spending will come from, a brand that can turn a tracksuit into “more interesting, more rich” fashion — and back it up with sales growth — is hard to ignore.

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Prime Day is always my excuse to stock up on the things we already use constantly: beauty and skincare I keep in my bathroom, little organizers and gadgets that make mornings with the girls easier, travel essentials that live in my suitcase, and the random Amazon finds that have somehow become indispensable. I’ve tried plenty of versions of all of the above, and these are the ones that have stuck.

Some are small things I reorder again and again, like pimple patches, micellar water, and the best nipple covers out there, while others are bigger purchases worth watching during a sale, like a Vitamix or the Theraface, both of which I use daily. Everything here has been thoroughly vetted and genuinely gets used in our house, car, bathroom, suitcase, or bag. Prime Day can get overwhelming quickly, so these are the ones I’d narrow it down to first, whether you’re restocking a favorite or finally buying something that’s been sitting in your cart.

Browse the full edit below, and explore more in our JB Amazon Shop and Amazon Storefront, refreshed weekly.

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Cooling and warming treatments help refresh tired-looking skin and make morning routines feel a little better.

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For Spring 2027, Akris offered a compelling wardrobe for the woman who meant business and dressed with imagination. Opening with an eye-catching red dress, Albert Kriemler established a confident approach to color that continued through painterly prints, unexpected contrasts, and tailoring animated by movement.

The collection drew on the work of Austrian artist Martha Jungwirth, whose expressive paintings provided both a palette and a way of thinking about clothes. In his show notes, Kriemler described dressing as an intuitive act shaped by instinct, memory, and desire. On the runway, that idea took form in garments that appeared composed at first glance, then revealed something unexpected.

The Art of Looking Twice

A cream look disclosed a pop of yellow at the hem. A pale blue strap peeked out against gray. A familiar trench became a canvas for sweeping painterly marks, while checked trousers gained ruffled details that disrupted their orderly pattern.

These touches gave the collection its character. Even the quieter looks invited a second look, with color, texture, and construction introducing small surprises.

Hand-applied ribbons translated the zigzag energy of Jungwirth’s brushstrokes into three dimensions. Folded, origami-like appliqués lifted away from the fabric, while loose ends followed the body’s movement. A cream dress combined delicate straps with patches of color and trailing ribbons, bringing the impression of an artwork still in progress to an otherwise graceful silhouette.

Kriemler’s show notes also identified reversed jacquards, frayed threads, and open structures as ways of revealing how the clothes were made. That visible process added depth to the collection’s artistic references.

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Color With Conviction

The palette ranged from vivid poppy red and rich oxblood to pale pink, lavender, ocean blue, mint green, peach, and yellow. Periwinkle was a particular standout, lending softness to a structured jacket and matching skirt.

Suede and wool gave the clothes substance, while sheer details introduced lightness and glimpses of skin. Hemlines moved between mini, knee-length, midi, and ankle-length proportions, with asymmetric cuts adding another sense of motion.

A black dress with trailing tails was among the most striking looks. Its appeal lay in the way the fabric moved, demonstrating that the collection’s expressive spirit extended beyond its colorful prints.

Accessories That Completed the Picture

The bags carried the same balance of practicality and visual impact. Oversized totes were tucked under the arm like clutches, making their generous proportions part of the silhouette. Printed versions extended the artwork across the accessories, while smaller clutches provided a concentrated dose of color.

Open-toe mules kept the styling spare. Purple pairs offered a particularly appealing contrast to the soft blue separates, allowing the shoes to punctuate the look without overwhelming it.

For the Fashion Bomb reader looking to shake up her working wardrobe, Akris offered plenty to consider: expressive tailoring, memorable color, and pieces with enough detail to hold attention beyond the first impression. This was power dressing with an artist’s sensibility—and a clear point of view.

Photos: Claire Sulmers

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These Naturalizer flats look great — and I love the unusual dark red croc print leather, as well as the cool cutouts on the side of the flat and the sleek pointed toe.

The flats are available in four colors, sizes 5-12, at Naturalizer… they were $148 but are currently marked to $135 during the big Naturalizer “Signature Sale.”

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(Naturalizer proclaims that “heels are back,” which I know makes many readers eyeroll… but if you want some heels they have a lot of beautiful ones. Not these fugly lace-up heels. But lots of other nice ones! Do note… I don’t think this is the first place I’ve seen both platforms and peep toes coming back… and there was an op-ed in the NYT (gift link) this morning about how all the cool kids are dressing like it’s 2006 again. Prepare yourselves, ladies.)

Sales of note for 10/2:

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The Sportmax fall-winter 2026 campaign puts movement at its center, with Bebe Parnell and Caitlin Tamsyn Soetendal fronting images shot …

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Paris Fashion Week delivered a surprise front-row pairing this season: Heidi Klum and her usually camera-shy youngest daughter, Lou Sulola Samuel, stepping out together as a genuine fashion duo. The 16-year-old, who turns 17 within days, joined her mother for both the Vivienne Westwood Spring/Summer 2027 show and the star-studded BOF 500 gala on October 3, marking one of her most visible public appearances to date.

Samuel has largely stayed out of the spotlight despite growing up with two famously public parents, Klum and singer Seal. Her prior exceptions to that low profile have been limited to family-adjacent moments, such as her mother’s annual Halloween extravaganza and the 2024 Los Angeles premiere of her father’s film The Book of Clarence. A full fashion week itinerary in Paris, however, is new territory, and it suggests the teenager may be easing into the kind of public style presence her mother has built a career on.

A Mother-Daughter Moment at Paris Fashion Week

For the Westwood presentation, Samuel and Klum coordinated in peplum-inspired silhouettes before changing into dramatically different, voluminous minidresses for the evening’s gala. Samuel wore a printed denim corset paired with a matching miniskirt to the runway show, while Klum opted for a white blazer featuring a draped shawl collar over a long maxi skirt. Both finished their daytime looks with platform pumps, visually tying their outfits together despite the difference in silhouette.

The real transformation came later that evening. Samuel switched into a white off-the-shoulder silk-satin minidress, staying loyal to the Westwood design house that had anchored the day’s events. Klum, meanwhile, went in a bolder direction, choosing a red leather Saint Laurent ensemble originally from the label’s Spring 2018 collection. The look included a sculptural, strapless bodice encrusted with silver studs and an asymmetrical-hemmed miniskirt, a far cry from her daytime blazer-and-skirt combination.

Style Lessons Passed Down

Klum has been candid in the past about instilling a sense of personal style in her four children, whom she shares with Seal: Samuel, Leni Klum, Henry Samuel, and John Samuel. She’s previously described the top household rule as simply to “always look cool,” with the follow-up rule being not to forget the first one. Watching Samuel hold her own alongside her supermodel mother at this year’s Paris Fashion Week suggests that lesson has sunk in.

Klum’s current husband, musician Tom Kaulitz, has also played an active role in raising her children since the couple married, reportedly even seeking the kids’ blessing before proposing to their mother in 2018. The blended family dynamic has often played out publicly, but Samuel’s appearance at Paris Fashion Week represents a notable step toward her own visibility rather than simply tagging along at family events.

As fashion week continues to draw a widening circle of celebrity offspring eager to stake their own claim on personal style, Samuel’s debut alongside her mother stands out as one of the season’s quieter but more telling storylines. It wasn’t a solo splash so much as a shared one, a teenager finding her footing in the same spotlight her mother has occupied for decades, timed almost perfectly with her 17th birthday just around the corner.

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Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

I’ve always thought the Wit & Wisdom brand gives you some of the most bang for your buck when shopping at Nordstrom, and these pants are no exception. For less than $100, you’re getting a pair of reasonably well-made, machine-washable pants that will last you at least a few seasons.

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Despite my misgivings about being a short-legged lady, I’ve been leaning into wide-leg styles lately, and I really like these trousers for a business casual day. I would pair these with a silky top, like the reader-favorite Ann Taylor mixed-media pleated blouse, and some loafers for a comfy but pulled-together look. 

The pants are on sale for $61-$66, marked down from $88, at Nordstrom and come in sizes 0-18 and 0P-18P. They also come in “French oak” and “butter toffee.” 

Sales of note for 10/2:

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