Spring is finally here—which means it’s finally time to break out lighter and brighter manicures and pedicures. And although there are plenty of great polish shades for spring, plus a whole season’s worth of cute nail art ideas (gotta love those rainbow nails), there’s one big trend that took even us by surprise: cow print. But hear us out: The finished black and white look is actually really chic. And, much like leopard print, it acts kind of like a neutral with a little extra oomph.
Need proof? Kendall Jenner and Ariana Grande got out in front of the trend early. In its March cover interview, Allureasked Jenner which manicure she wanted to try next. “So there’s one that’s like cow print,” she said. “I know that sounds really weird but it’s actually really cool.”
Grande, on her end, has already embraced the look: She recently showed off her cow-print mani in her Instagram Stories.
Instagram/@arianagrande
Animal prints are having a major moment in fashion right now in general, but we love that cow print has hit our manis, too. (Plus, if you’re unsure about embracing the print with a statement dress right off the bat, a mani offers an easy way in.)
Want some inspiration? Check out some of these cool takes on the trend.
Keep it classic…
…or play around with the size of the black spots.
You can mix and match the print with solids…
…or add a contrasting color on one of your tips.
You can even try a cow-print over clear nails…
…and it also looks fantastic as an accent on just the tips of your nails.
Best of all, the look is great for all sorts of nail lengths and shapes.
If you’ve ever been intimidated by the nail polish wall at your local salon, you’re definitely not alone. With so many options, it’s usually pretty overwhelming to decide on the color you want right on the spot. If you’re as indecisive as we are, we’ve got some great news: You no longer have to make a choice, because rainbow nails are officially a thing.
Rainbow manicures have been popping up on Instagram over the last couple months—each with a cooler iteration than the next. Although the OG rainbow manicure seems to be just a different color on each nail, it’s since evolved and can take the form of rainbow French manicure or rainbow nail art (think a different color flower on each finger).
Although the trend is playful, it’s also caught the attention of high fashion, seen most recently at the United Colors of Benetton show at London Fashion Week and on models like Gigi Hadid (her manicure is extra rich because it literally features euros).
The appeal is obvious. Beyond being able to wear all your favorite spring shades at once, it fits perfectly with the many other trends everyone is obsessed with right now: hair accessories, prairie dresses, tiny bags. All a little kitschy, all a lot of fun.
To pull off the look, you’ll need to stock up on a bunch of different shades. Shop our favorite colors for rainbow nails below.
Buy Now: Chanel Yellow Le Vernis Longwear Nail Color in 592 Giallo Napoli, $28, nordstrom.com
Buy Now: Essie Art of Spring Nail Color Lilacism, $9, dermstore.com
Buy Now: OPI Iconic Infinite Shine in La Paz-itively Hot, $13, dermstore.com
Buy Now: Dior Vernis Gel Shine & Long Wear Nail Lacquer in Junon, $28, nordstrom.com
Buy Now: Zoya Nail Polish in Lacey, $10, amazon.com
Buy Now: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in La Vida Lilac, $10, ulta.com
Buy Now: J. Hannah Saltillo Nail Polish, $19, needsupply.com
Buy Now: Tom Ford Nail Lacquer in Carnal Red, $37, nordstrom.com
Buy Now: Oribe The Lacquer High Shine Nail Polish in Violet, $32, Amazon
Tara Gonzalez is the commerce editor at Glamour. Follow her @tarigonzalez.
The nostalgic, cozy allure of gorpcore had a moment at Fashion Week. Blame it on the winter or on how brands like 3.1 Phillip Lim and Coach are starting to embrace fleece in their collections—either way, we’re all (much warmer, much cozier) winners here.
These new versions of the outdoorsy staple feature cool, graphic details like statement zippers and color-blocking, which lend themselves to being worn with jeans or over a pleated skirt. Fleece jackets are easy enough to throw on, and they’re all you want to wear in the middle of winter. Brands are just making it that much more exciting to reach for your favorite layer. Layer it underneath your heavy coats now, or wear it on its own in the spring and fall. Here are 21 fleeces to fall in love with now.
When it comes to footwear trends, you normally think about a specific category of shoes—cowboy boots, “ugly” sneakers, kitten heels—and not so much about a specific feature of its design. Squared-toe shoes are an exception, since they’ve defied categorization since their heyday in the ’90s. They’re not exactly universally beloved. (They’ve inspired headlines such as “The Square-Toe Shoe Must Die” and “Reasons Why Square Toed Shoes Are The Worst Shoes Ever.”) But they’ve stuck around, and have touched virtually every type of shoe type, from sandals to boots. And 2019 marks its big return to the fashion mainstream.
As soon as you bring up spring trends, you’re inevitably met with: “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” The quote is iconic for a reason, and not just because of Meryl Streep’s iconic delivery. Florals are pretty much always featured in spring/summer collections. And yes, they’re great. But sometimes your wardrobe needs a little something else. It seems designers have, too, been feeling the floral fatigue, and have started introducing a print that’s a little more unexpected—and a lot more nostalgic.
Tie-dye occupies a very specific space in the “throwback trend” conversation: Like pearl hairpins and prairie dresses, it brings shoppers back to simpler times—summer camp, arts and crafts, pure unadulterated fun. And sometimes, dressing like you did in your happiest memories can feel comforting. This runway resurgence looks a lot different than how you might remember the dye jobs from grade school, though.
For both Spring and Fall 2019, designers at Fashion Week have translated this print onto puffer jackets (at Maryam Nassir Zadeh), mini skirts (Area), leggings (Collina Strada), turtlenecks (Proenza Schouler), and denim (Eckhaus Latta)—a bold graphic to stand out against basics like black skirts and T-shirts. Influencers have taken that cue and started incorporating tie-dye into their street-style outfits, layering colorful tops under suits or doubling up on the pattern with a tie-dye sweatshirt and skirt. More affordable brands, like Topshop and Free People, have also started releasing their own takes on this childhood staple. And with celebrities like Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez embracing its comeback, tie-dye might be the spring trend that dethrones pastels—this year, at least.
Shop the best 20 tie-dye pieces to add to your spring wardrobe now, below.
One of the biggest trends from the last few years wasn’t a type of hemline or a specific color, but rather a marked change in the way shoppers acquire their clothes. Increasingly, people aren’t buying, they’re renting.
Rent the Runway (with its “unlimited” monthly service) and Stitch Fix (itself a $3 billion business) are the Goliaths paving the way. Jennifer Hyman, co-founder of Rent the Runway, frequently points out how the American woman buys sixty-eight items of clothing year, some of which they never end up wearing. (According to the company, the subscription part of its business has grown 150 percent year over year since it launched in 2016.)
“Social media has created an atmosphere in which, yeah, you could wear the same thing twice, but you’d rather not,” Rachel Saunders, strategy director of retail strategy firm Cassandra, tells Glamour. “So how do you do that without spending a fortune? It’s all contributed to this idea that it’s okay to share clothes with strangers.”
Allied Market Research estimates the clothing rental market will reach $1.856 billion in global value by 2023, with more and more players in the game, like Le Tote and Gwynnie Bee. Naturally, individual brands—ones you’d normally shop at their stand-alone stores or at a mall—now want a piece of that pie, especially as brick-and-mortar shopping continues to decline.
Classic workwear purveyor Ann Taylor, fashion-forward brand Vince, and even trend-focused label Express have all launched subscription services over the last few months that allow shoppers to test a curated selection of pieces at home before either buying their favorites and sending back the rest (and then being replenished with different options.) Many of these ventures are being managed by the same company: New York-based CaaStle, which seems to have a lock on the back-end management of fashion subscriptions, at least for now.
This new development in fashion subscription boxes, cutting out the third party, begs a lot of questions for shoppers. Are these services really worth it when weighed against buying clothes outright? How easy is the rental process, really? How good is the selection? And does this mean the end of shopping as we know it?
We weighed five of the big brand options (all of which, coincidentally, are being managed CaaStle) to see how they stack up, what’s worth it, and what’s not. These might be early adopters, but judging by where the industry is growing, it’s likely you’ll see even more of your favorites jump into this space over the course of 2019.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Vince
Known for its minimal but still fashion-forward pieces, Vince enters the subscription game with Vince Unfold. To get started you create a virtual closet with at least ten items (though, it’s recommended that you add over 24), from which the brand creates your first box. Each shipment comes with four pieces. When you’re done with it, you send it back and get four new ones in a brand-new box.
The biggest difference between Vince Unfold and other brand-specific subscription boxes comes down to one thing: inventory. Vince is much more high-end than other single labels dipping their toes in this market, with most pieces featuring three-figure price tags—think silk tank dresses ($345), shaggy bear coats ($695), and oversized cashmere cardigans ($495.)
Price: $160 a month. You can exchange your four-item box an unlimited number of times, but you must return your whole box to do so. If you want to keep a piece that you’re renting, you can purchase it at a discount, between 20 and 60 percent off.
Pros: Vince clothes are gorgeous and luxurious, which means that every single item that comes in your box can easily be mixed and matched with whatever’s in your wardrobe. Additionally, the selection of products is pretty vast. You’ll get tons of mileage out of these clothes.
Cons: The price point is high, especially when you weigh it against Rent the Runway’s unlimited offering (which has Vince on its roster.) Also, you can’t return pieces individually, only as a whole box; and you don’t pick what you’re getting in each shipment.
TL; DR: While this subscription still makes sense from a cost-benefit standpoint if you’re a big fan of Vince, the fine print could be improved. Try it here.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Ann Taylor.
Infinite Style by Ann Taylor lets you rent three pieces from Ann Taylor (excluding Loft and Lou & Grey) at once. You have to select a minimum of eight pieces to add to a queue. It takes about three days to process and another two days to ship; you find out exactly which items from your edit are being shipped to you in an e-mail with tracking information for your package.
Where Ann Taylor’s service really shines is in its abundance of workwear. At the moment, you can rent pieces like houndstooth ankle pants (which retail for $98), a tweed sheath dress ($159), and a sequin fringe jacket ($129.)
Price: $95 a month. You can return the complete box for a new one as many times as you’d like throughout the month.
Pros: This is one of the best subscription box options out there if you need a big rotating closet of professional clothing. Plus, you get the option of buying clothes you’ve already rented for 60 to 70 percent off.
Cons: Given the higher price tag compared to comparable services, you have to really love the Ann Taylor look. You also have to return a complete box in order to get sent new product.
TL; DR: This is a solid solution to the what-to-wear-to-wear problem, with some casual attire and cocktail looks thrown in, too. Try it here.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Express.
Called the Express Style Trial, this service allows shoppers to rent three items from the brand at a time for $69.95 a month. There’s a pretty big range of merchandise to choose from, all of which appears to be current season—a striped jumpsuit (which retails for $79.90), a faux-leather-trimmed shift dress (also $79.90), and a satin maxi dress ($88.)
“We see Style Trial as an complement to our e-commerce and store business, allowing our customers to engage with fashion and experiment with new styles and trends that she may not otherwise invest in,” Jim Hilt, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer at Express, tells Glamour. “It provides our customer with easy access to the latest trends, as well as an ongoing rotation of staple pieces at a fraction of the prices.”
To begin renting, you have to add at least eight items to a virtual closet (though it’s recommended that you add around 20.) From that selection, Express creates a box of three pieces to send to you. You can prioritize what you want, through a feature that promises “we’ll try to ship those first.” But once you’re done with those first three, you can ship everything back, and Express will dispatch a box with new product. You can do this as many times as you want. Per Express’ estimates, a super-active user could have 12 different pieces a month (or four boxes); an average user, meanwhile, would probably have about nine (or three boxes.)
Price: $69.95 a month. You can cancel the subscription at any time, and you can return your boxes to exchange for new items as frequently as you like.
Pros: The price, definitely—if you’re already a big fan of Express, you can maximize the amount of returns that you do throughout the month to get the most product.
Cons: The work-appropriate options are on the limited side (in general, the offerings are much better suited for casual wear), if you need to replenish that part of your wardrobe, specifically. Because of the way that Express builds its subscription boxes, you don’t select the exact items that end up in your shipment—rather, the brand picks from which of your pre-selected favorites are available. You also can’t cancel your subscription directly online, only over the phone.
TL; DR: If you are already a big Express shopper, the cost benefit of this is pretty great. Try it here.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Rebecca Taylor.
Rebecca Taylor’s foray into subscription boxes, RNTD, is comparable to Rent the Runway Unlimited in price—Both are $159 a month. The brand grants you access to a rotating closet with four items at any given time; you must add at least 10 pieces to a queue, from which Rebecca Taylor then puts together your shipment.
“The pricing was meant to be realistic and attainable for our customer,” says Janice Sullivan, President of Rebecca Taylor. In other words: It’s hoping this service opens Rebecca Taylor up to a new shopper who otherwise couldn’t afford to constantly and consistently buy its pieces. And the “new arrivals” section has a solid mix of Rebecca Taylor’s signature dresses as well as some of its more trend-forward garments: a silk embroidered ruffle dress ($395), high-waisted plaid pants ($395), and a laminated navy trench coat ($1,295.)
“I think consumers value options, the option to rent, to own, to lend, to resell—as a brand you want to move with her and be there on every level that makes sense,” Sullivan adds.
Price: $159 a month. You get four pieces per shipment, and you can send the box back for new items as often as you’d like.
Pros: It’s hard to not love Rebecca Taylor. And while a closet full of its pieces has long been out of reach for most shoppers, it’s suddenly much more accessible.
Cons: Like with Vince, you can’t return individual pieces to get new ones—only the full shipment. That’s really what sets it apart from Rent the Runway Unlimited, which carries Rebecca Taylor.
TL; DR: You’d have a pretty dreamy rotating wardrobe. You just have to love or let go of everything you get as a bundle. Try it here.
PHOTO: Courtesy of New York & Co.
New York & Co.’s NY&Company Closet is one of the most affordable subscription boxes out there, charging $49.95 a month for three items at a time from the brand—return them all, and receive a new selection in the mail.
This offering has a great mix of both work and weekend clothes, making it one of the most versatile single-brand subscription boxes. That being said, it’s one brand—so you have to like the aesthetic to begin with. On offer are pieces like a leopard sweater dress ($74.95), a red striped blazer ($79.95), and houndstooth wide leg pants ($79.95.)
Price: $49.95 a month. You get three items at a time; you can return the full box for new product as many times as you like.
Pros: You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck with this one.
Cons: The unpredictability of not getting to choose exactly what comes in your shipment isn’t ideal.
TL; DR: This is a great value subscription service for someone who wants to test-drive this method of shopping. Try it here.
