Looking for a hint for today’s Connections puzzle? Below, we have clues to help you unlock whichever category has you stumped for the puzzle on July 1, 2025.
Connections first launched on the New York Times in June 2023. The premise is deceptively simple: Players have to find the thematic connection of four groups of four words … without making more than four mistakes.
Today’s Connections has categories about getting ready, staying chic and more.
Below are the hints, categories and answers for today’s Connections game, puzzle #751, on July 1.
A hint for each Connections category today, July 1
Yellow group hint: What thieves do
Green group hint: What commuters do
Blue group hint: What “suave” means
Purple group hint: What “Papa Was a Rollin’ —” is missing
Freddie Mercury’s performance with Queen at Live Aid in 1985 is often seen as the crowning glory of one of the greatest showmen the world has ever seen.
But he still needed some very clear instructions from Bob Geldof, the festival’s organiser, before going out on stage. “Don’t get clever,” the Boomtown Rats frontman told him, according to fellow Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May. “Just play the hits – you have 17 minutes.”
Twenty years after Live Aid, Queen’s six-song performance was voted the world’s greatest rock gig. During the short set, Mercury had 72,000 people clapping as one. Speaking to the Radio Times, Taylor, the band’s drummer, said: “During Radio Ga Ga, it did seem that the whole stadium was in unison. But then I looked up during We Are the Champions, and the crowd looked like a whole field of wheat swaying.”
The performance might never have happened, too, if it were not for the persuasive powers of May, Queen’s lead guitarist. “We weren’t touring or playing, and it seemed like a crazy idea, this talk of having 50 bands on the same bill,” May said. “I said to Freddie: ‘If we wake up on the day after this Live Aid show and we haven’t been there, we’re going to be pretty sad.’ He said: ‘Oh, fuck it, we’ll do it.’”
Mercury was told by Geldof to focus on playing Queen’s hits. Photograph: Brook Lapping/BB/Band Aid Trust
He added: “It was one of the few moments in anyone’s life that you know you’re doing something for all the right reasons.”
The singer was not the only one who wasn’t immediately convinced that Queen should even play that day. It has previously been reported that Geldof was reluctant too.
Speaking to Mojo magazine earlier this month, the promoter Harvey Goldsmith said he and Geldof were working together on the lineup. “Being the producer, I understood how slots work and who went where. I was also dealing with the technical side: we were doing two shows [London and Philadelphia] and had to stay strictly to time because of the satellite.
“I thought about it, and said for the late afternoon slot the perfect act would be Queen. Bob said: ‘No, they’ve peaked. I don’t think they should play! I said to Bob, I really think they’ll be perfect to go on in that 5.30, 6 o’clock type slot – knowing Freddie as I did, I knew they’d really make a show of it.
Netflix is not always known for its restraint in the documentary genre, but with its outstanding recent film Grenfell: Uncovered, and now Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers, it appears to be finding a new maturity and seriousness in the field. There have been plenty of recent documentaries on the subject of the attacks and the sprawling investigation that followed – no surprise, given that it is the 20th anniversary this week – but there is still real depth to be found here.
Over four parts, this thorough series unravels the initial attacks on the London transport system, which killed 52 people and injured more than 700, then follows that febrile month into the failed bombings of 21 July, and then the police shooting of the innocent Jean Charles de Menezes, a day later. The first 25 minutes or so simply recount those first attacks, compiling the story using phone pictures, news footage, occasional reconstructions, the infamous photographs of the injured pouring out of tube stations and accounts from survivors and the families of victims. Though it is by now a familiar story, this evokes the fear, confusion and panic of that day in heart-racing detail.
Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead by police, after being mistaken for a suspect. Photograph: Courtesy of Netflix
In those details, it is unsparing and frequently horrifying. Daniel Biddle lost his legs in the explosion at Edgware Road. His memory of locking eyes with the man who would shortly detonate the bomb in his bag is chilling, and his account of his fight to survive is as gripping as it is brutal. Others talk about the chaos, the noise, the screaming. One woman, who had managed to jump on the 30 bus near Tavistock Square in all of the transport disarray, recounts getting a text from her boyfriend at the time, saying: “You were right, they were bombs.” She had just put her phone back in her pocket after reading it, she says, when the bus exploded.
Those attacks led to the largest criminal investigation ever seen in the UK, which is the primary focus of all four episodes. These were the first suicide bombings to take place on British soil, and police did not know, immediately, that the bombers had also blown themselves up. The revelation about how they came to suspect this – from evidence gathered in one of the tube carriages – is gruesome and fascinating. Explosives expert Cliff Todd talks of material and techniques he had never seen before, and the work that went into tracking down those responsible – and attempting to prevent further attacks – is astonishing in its scale and reach.
This is not simply a police procedural – and that strengthens it greatly. It is impressively comprehensive, taking in the political and media climate of the time. There are interviews with Eliza Manningham-Buller, then director general of MI5, as well as the former prime minister Tony Blair. It even puts the crucial question to Blair: did the invasion of Iraq in 2003 lead directly to these attacks in Britain? His answer is politician-like and broad, but at least it asks the question, and offers context to attacks that did not happen in a vacuum.
Another survivor, Mustafa Kurtuldu, recalls his experience of being on the tube near Aldgate when his train was blown up. When he was finally removed from the carriage and taken out of the station, police searched his bag. There is footage of an appearance on GMTV, just days later, when the presenter asks him how he feels about the attacks, “as a Muslim”. When the investigation moves to Beeston, in Leeds – where two of the four attackers were from – a youth worker in the Muslim community talks about the realisation that, as after 9/11, he would be asked, once more, to apologise for the actions of extremists.
The third episode deals with the failed attacks on 21 July. There are eyewitness accounts of the explosions that went wrong – chilling and eerie, in their own way – the subsequent hunt for the four men who escaped is, again, astonishing in its scope. The next day, the 27-year-old Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was on his way to work when he was described as behaving in an “edgy” manner by police who had mistakenly identified him as a suspect. He was shot dead. One of the officers who pulled the trigger speaks here, his identity disguised.
Again, the strength of Attack on London is in the details. When officers finally caught up with Yassin Omar – who had attempted to blow up Warren Street and had fled to Birmingham disguised in a burqa – he was standing in a bath with a backpack on. Fittingly, though, this does not end with the attackers, but with the survivors and their relatives. It strikes a careful balance throughout.
New Delhi, India — When models sashayed down the ramp at Milan Fashion Week last week, Harish Kurade looked at them on his smartphone in awe, sitting in his village in southern Maharashtra state, more than 7,000km (4,350 miles) away.
Models were showcasing a new line of open-toe leather sandals, designed by Prada, the iconic luxury fashion house. However, in India, the visuals raised a furore among artisans and politicians after the Italian giant failed to credit the ancient Maharashtra roots of its latest design.
“They [Prada] stole and replicated our crafty work, but we are really happy,” said Kurade in a chirpy tone. “Today, the world’s eyes are on our Kolhapuri ‘chappals’ [Hindi for sandals].” Kolhapur is a city in Maharashtra after which the sandals are named.
After facing backlash, Prada acknowledged that its new sandal designs “are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage”, in a letter to the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce.
While Kurade is chuffed about the centuries-old sandal-making craft from his village potentially gaining global exposure, other artisans, politicians and activists are wary of cultural appropriation and financial exploitation by Prada.
So, what is the controversy about? And what are artisans in Kolhapur saying about Prada? Can it change anything for the workers behind the original sandals?
What did Prada step into?
Prada showcased the classic T-strapped leather flats at the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week.
In its show notes, the Italian brand described the new range of footwear only as “leather sandals”. The notes made no mention of any Indian connection, despite its uncanny resemblance to Kolhapuri sandals, which are wildly popular across India and often worn on special occasions, such as weddings and festivals, along with traditional Indian clothing.
Outraged, a delegation of Kolhapuri sandals manufacturers met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday last week to register their protest.
Showing his support for the delegation is Dhananjay Mahadik, a member of parliament from the state’s Kolhapur district, belonging to the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mahadik told reporters that the sandal makers and their supporters are in the process of filing a lawsuit in the Bombay High Court against Prada.
Mahadik also wrote to Fadnavis, drawing “urgent attention to a serious infringement on Maharashtra’s cultural identity and artisan rights”, and called on him to “protect the cultural heritage of Maharashtra”.
In his letter, he noted that the sandals are reportedly priced at approximately $1,400 a pair. By contrast, the authentic Kolhapuri sandals can be found in local markets for about $12.
A model walks the runway during the Prada collection show at Milan Fashion Week’s menswear spring and summer show, on June 22, 2025, in Milan [Piero Cruciatti/AFP]
How has Prada responded?
The Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA) also wrote to Patrizio Bertelli, the chairperson of Prada’s Board of Directors, about the concerns of sandal makers.
Two days later, the company responded, acknowledging that the design was inspired by the centuries-old Indian sandals. “We deeply recognise the cultural significance of such Indian craftsmanship. Please note that, for now, the entire collection is currently at an early stage of design development, and none of the pieces are confirmed to be produced or commercialised,” Prada said.
The company added that it remains “committed to responsible design practices, fostering cultural engagement, and opening a dialogue for a meaningful exchange with local Indian artisan communities, as we have done in the past in other collections to ensure the rightful recognition of their craft.
“Prada strives to pay homage and recognise the value of such specialised craftspeople that represent an unrivalled standard of excellence and heritage.”
Srihita Vanguri, a fashion entrepreneur from the city of Hyderabad, said that Prada’s actions were “disappointing but not surprising”.
“Luxury brands have a long history of borrowing design elements from traditional crafts without giving due credit – until there’s a backlash,” she told Al Jazeera. “This is cultural appropriation if it stops at inspiration without attribution or benefit-sharing.”
Kolhapuris, which the sandals are also known as, are not just a design, she insisted. They carry the legacy of centuries of craft communities in Maharashtra and the neighbouring state of Karnataka. “Ignoring that context erases real people and livelihoods,” she added.
What about artisans of Kolhapur?
Kolhapur, nestled in southwestern Maharashtra, is a city steeped in royal heritage, spiritual significance and artisanal pride. Beyond its crafts, Kolhapur is also home to several revered Hindu temples and a rich culinary legacy – its food is spicy.
Its famed sandals date back to the 12th century, with more than 20,000 local families still involved in this craft.
The family of Kurade, who was happy about Prada showcasing the sandals, lives on the outskirts of Kolhapur, and has been in this business for more than 100 years.
But he said the business has taken a beating in recent years. “In India, people don’t really understand this craft or want to put money in this any more. If an international brand comes, steals it and showcases it on global platforms, maybe that is good for us,” he told Al Jazeera.
He said that craftsmen like those in his family “still stand where they were years ago”.
“We have the craft and the capacity to move ahead, but the government has not supported us,” the 40-year-old said.
Rather, Kurade said, politics has made things worse.
Since 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu majoritarian government came to power in New Delhi, cows have transformed from just symbols of reverence into a flashpoint for religious identity and social conflict. Cow protection, once largely cultural, has become violent, with vigilantes hunting down Dalits and Muslims, the communities that mostly transport cows and buffaloes to trading markets where they are bought for slaughter.
That has disrupted a reliable supply of cow and buffalo hides, which are then tanned with vegetables to make Kolhapuri chappals.
“The original hide we use for quality is restricted in several states because of politics around cows,” said Kurade. “The supply has touched new lows due to politics on cows – and we have been suffering because it has become really expensive for us to keep doing it with the same quality.”
Craftsmen like Kurade believe that if they can make the sandals cheaper and more accessible, “people will wear this because it is what people have loved for centuries”.
Still, Kurade said, while Prada can try and imitate Kolhapuri aesthetics, it cannot replicate the intricate hand-woven design patterns, mastered by the Dalit community in southern Maharashtra and some parts of bordering Karnataka. Dalits are traditionally the most marginalised segment of India’s complex caste hierarchy.
“The authentic design is something which is rare and unique,” he said. “Even shops in Kolhapur city may not have them.”
The real designs, Kurade said, are still made in villages by using centuries-old craft.
But because of the challenge of sourcing quality hides, and faced with an increasingly digital marketplace that artisans are unfamiliar with, Dalit sandal makers need help, he said.
“People who know markets, who can sell it ahead, are the ones cashing in on this. Poor villagers like us cannot run a website; we do not have the marketing knowledge,” he said.
“The government should look into this, to bridge this gap – it is their duty to look into this. The benefits never reached the real makers from the Dalit groups.”
Kolhapuri sandals are on display at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
Has it happened before?
Since 2019, after sustained advocacy by artisan groups, India has protected Kolhapuri sandals under its Geographical Indications of Goods Act (1999), preventing commercial use of the term “Kolhapuri Chappal” by unauthorised producers. But this protection is limited within national borders.
Prada has previously faced significant criticism over alleged cultural appropriation, most notably in 2018 when it released the “Pradamalia” collection – keychains and figurines that resembled racist caricatures with exaggerated red lips, drawing immediate comparisons with blackface imagery. After the backlash, Prada pulled the products from stores and issued a public apology.
Prada has also been criticised for store displays that have evoked racial stereotypes, as well as for its use of animal-based luxury materials like ostrich and exotic leathers, which have drawn criticism from environmental and labour rights groups.
But Prada is not alone.
In 2019, Christian Dior drew criticism for incorporating elements inspired by the traditional attire of Mexican horsewomen in its Cruise collection, without formal acknowledgement or collaboration.
In 2015, French designer Isabel Marant came under fire in Mexico for marketing a blouse that closely mirrored the traditional embroidery patterns of the Mixe community in Oaxaca, sparking accusations of cultural appropriation.
Rather than apologise, Vanguri, the fashion entrepreneur, said that the “real respect would be Prada co-creating a capsule collection with Kolhapuri artisan clusters – giving them fair design credit, profit share, and global visibility”.
“Structurally, they could commit to long-term partnerships with craft cooperatives or even fund capacity-building and design innovation for these communities,” she said.
A federal judge is pondering the nature of rap battles and the cutting wordplay in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” the megahit diss track that spurred a defamation lawsuit from his fellow superstar Drake.
Drake sued Universal Music Group — both his and Lamar’s record label — over “Not Like Us,” saying the company published and promoted a song he deems slanderous. Universal says the lyrics are just hyperbole in the tradition of rap beefing, and the label is trying to get the case dismissed.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas didn’t immediately decide after a lively hearing in New York on Monday, when the raw creativity of hip-hop brushed up against the staid confines of federal court.
“Who is the ordinary listener? Is it someone who’s going to catch all those references?” Vargas wondered aloud, addressing a legal standard that concerns how an average, reasonable person would understand a statement. “There’s so much specialized and nuanced to these lyrics.”
Neither artist attended the hearing.
The case stems from an epic feud between two of hip-hop’s biggest stars over one of 2024 biggest songs — the one that won the record of the year and song of the year Grammys, got the most Apple Music streams worldwide and helped make this winter’s Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever.
Released as the two artists were trading a flurry of insult tracks, Lamar’s song calls out the Canadian-born Drake by name and impugns his authenticity, branding him “a colonizer” of rap culture who’s “not like us” in Lamar’s home turf of Compton, California, and, more broadly, West Coast rap.
“Not Like Us” also makes insinuations about Drake’s sex life, including “I hear you like ’em young” — implications that he rejects.
Drake’s suit says that the song amounts to “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts” and more. Contending that the track endangered him by fanning notions of vigilante justice, the suit blames “Not Like Us” not only for harming Drake’s image but for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home. The mansion was depicted in an aerial photo in the song’s cover art.
“This song achieved a cultural ubiquity unlike any other rap song in history,” Drake lawyer Michael Gottlieb said. He argued that Universal had campaigned and contrived to make it “a de facto national anthem” that didn’t just address hip-hop fans who knew the backstory and were accustomed to over-the-top lyrical battling.
The average listener could be “a 13-year-old who’s dancing to the song at a bar mitzvah,” Gottlieb suggested.
“That would be a very interesting bar mitzvah,” the judge opined. (The song has indeed been played at some such celebrations.)
Universal, meanwhile, has emphasized that “Not Like Us” was part of an exchange of barbs between Drake and Lamar.
“Context is key,” label lawyer Rollin Ransom argued Monday, at one point apologizing for having to use profanity while reciting some of the lyrics Drake aimed at Lamar in a track called “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
“What you hear in these rap battles is trash-talking in the extreme, and it is not, and should not be treated as, statements of fact,” the attorney said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
Drake also went after iHeartMedia, claiming in a Texas legal petition that the radio giant got illegal payments from Universal to boost airplay for “Not Like Us.” IHeartMedia has denied any wrongdoing. That dispute was resolved in March.
Diljit Dosanjh, who plays the lead role in the film along with Canadian Indian actor Neeru Bajwa, posted clips of the response of the Pakistani audience in theatres to the film.
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Punjabi film ‘Sardaar Ji 3’, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has achieved a record-breaking opening in Pakistan, surpassing previous box office records held by Bollywood movies.
The movie stirred controversy in India due to the casting of Pakistani actress Aamir amid the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict.
The producers didn’t release the film in India. Released internationally on June 27, the film garnered approximately PKR 9 crore (approx $500,000) in Pakistan over its opening weekend, setting a new record for the highest three-day gross by an Indian film in the country.
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Nadeem Mandviwalla, a prominent exhibitor and distributor who owns a multiplex in Karachi, confirmed the film’s exceptional performance. He noted that the movie had already raked in around PKR 9 crore in its opening weekend.
“I think this is the best opening ever for any Indian or Pakistani film in our theatres,” Mandviwalla said.
Dosanjh
, who plays the lead role in the film along with Canadian Indian actor Neeru Bajwa, posted clips of the response of the Pakistani audience in theatres to the film.
Mandviwalla said the success of Sardaaji was a breath of fresh air for the Pakistani entertainment industry, particularly for the cinema house owners.
“I think despite the high ticket rates and the weather, the audience has come out because of the summer holidays and because Pakistani people still want to watch quality films on the big screen,” he said.
The 156-year-long journey for the royal family’s private “royal train” is set to come to an end after King Charles decided to scrap it in a bid to reduce costs. The decision taken by Buckingham Palace to decommission Britain’s royal train, a service dating back to Queen Victoria, comes as maintenance and storage were getting costlier by the day.
Victoria, King Charles’ great-great-great-grandmother, commissioned the first royal rail carriages back in 1869. The Royal Family will still travel on regular train services. According to the BBC, the annual report revealed that 141 helicopter trips were taken in 2024, costing £475,000 ($652,348).
According to Reuters, the latest incarnation is made up of nine carriages, the most recent of them added in 1986. The royal train was used just twice during the financial year 2024-25, with the two journeys together costing almost 80,000 pounds ($109,869). Speaking on the end of the royal train, James Chalmers, the king’s treasurer, said the monarch had now agreed that the train, which critics had long said was a waste of money, would reach the end of the line in 2027.
“The royal train has … been a part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved, but in moving forward we must not be bound by the past,” Chalmers, officially known as the Keeper of the Privy Purse, told reporters.
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“The time has come to bid the fondest of farewells, as we seek to be disciplined and forward-looking in our allocation of funding.” While the king had fond memories of the train, palace officials said it would require significant funds to pay for its long-term use, although it was not clear how much scrapping it would save.The announcement came as Chalmers, on Monday, June 30, 2025, unveiled the annual report of the Sovereign Grant, the government handout that covers staffing costs, upkeep of royal palaces, and travel expenses and is currently set at 12% of the profit from the Crown Estate, a property portfolio belonging to the monarchy.In November 2024, the Sunday Times and a TV documentary accused Charles and his elder son, Prince William, of making millions from the country’s health service, army, and schools from charges imposed by the monarch’s Duchy of Lancaster estate and the heir’s Duchy of Cornwall estate.
William Bax, the chief executive of the Duchy of Cornwall, acknowledged that criticism as he detailed its annual report on Monday, saying they were making changes at a time of “reflection and evolution.” Bax said they intended to end or reduce rents charged to some community groups and charities, while the report showed William’s personal income from the Duchy had fallen slightly to just under 23 million pounds.
Anti-monarchists said the annual reports were misleading, claiming that the monarchy’s price tag amounts to more than half a billion pounds. “The cost of the monarchy is out of control, and these reports receive almost no political scrutiny,” Graham Smith, chief executive of campaign group Republic, said.
Chalmers said the global significance of the royals could not be underestimated, citing a Global Perceptions Survey that found the monarchy the single biggest influence on perceptions of the UK among international audiences.
Multi-award-winning South African-New Zealander Urzila Carlson is adding an extra performance to her New Zealand tour after sell out shows!
After selling out in Auckland only days after launching her New Zealand Tour, Comedian Urzila Carlson is adding another show to her ‘You Don’t Say’ tour, Live Nation has today announced. Fans should act quickly as tickets to the new show in Auckland’s SkyCity are expected to sell out just as quickly!
Tickets for the new show go on sale to the public at 1pm local time today (1st July).
Multi-award-winning South African-New Zealander Urzila Carlson is one of Australian and New Zealand’s biggest comedy stars, and she’s bringing her trademark cheeky wit back to New Zealand stages in 2025 with the ‘You Don’t Say’ Tour.
The tour announces comes off the back of her ‘You Don’t Say’ run at Melbourne International Comedy Festival where she was awarded People’s Choice Award for the most popular show of the festival.
Urzila Carlson’s New Zealand tour will kick off 28 November at The Civic Theatre in Auckland and continue with performances at the Wellington Opera House on the 5 December and 7 December at Christchurch Town Hall.
Talking about the upcoming dates, Urzila said, “You Don’t Say” is a show born out of sarcasm and storytelling from the mind of a woman who might be slightly out of her mind! I cannot wait to tour this show and bring it to your ears!”.
2025 started with a bang for Urzila, starring in the NETFLIX rom-com ‘Kinda Pregnant’, alongside Amy Schumer and Wil Forte, and produced by Adam Sandler.
‘Kinda Pregnant’ was viewed 25.1 million timesin its first week, making it the most-watched title on Netflix from Feb. 3 to Feb. 10 and the number 1 movie globally.
An undeniable tour de force of the comedy world, in 2025 Urzila will be doing her first national tour of the USA and her biggest tour of the UK.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit livenation.co.nz
URZILA CARLSON
‘YOU DON’T SAY’
NEW ZEALAND TOUR 2025
THE CIVIC, AUCKLAND
FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER
SKYCITY, AUCKLAND
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER
OPERA HOUSE, WELLINGTON
FRIDAY 5 DECEMBER
CHRISTCHURCH TOWN HALL, CHRISTCHURCH
SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 30 MAY, 11AM LOCAL
My Live Nation presale 10am, Thursday 29 May – 10am, Friday 30 May For complete tour and ticket information, visit: livenation.co.nz
About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. For additional information, visit livenationentertainment.com.
The fashion crowd was back at the New York Public Library on Monday night ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend to revel in Marc Jacobs latest collection of dreamlike Victorian beauties.
Per usual, Jacobs’ show notes set the stage for the five minute fall collection runway show of concise 19 looks, which each packed a punch to the soft tune of ‘Song for Jesse’ by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
“Beauty,” the notes read. “A quality or combination of qualities that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is often associated with properties such as harmony of form or color, proportion, and authenticity.”
Backstage at Marc Jacobs Fall 2025
Kelly Taub/WWD
Jacobs, during a recent conversation with author and former WWD executive editor Bridget Foley at La Maison Orveda’s debut fireside chat of its Cultural Tastemakers programming series, spoke about his ongoing inspirations and evolution.
“It’s been more interesting to think about clothes in a sculptural way and without being pretentious or arrogant — we do it our way, which usually has a reference to something known,” he said. “When I wear fashion, I want a real shoulder commitment, I want a silhouette going, and I want to feel involved. Fashion is really special and it’s something you don’t need. It’s not a mere piece of cloth to cover your body. It’s something that pulls at your heart.”
His words came to mind on Monday night, seen through through the fall collection, a fabulous continuation of the larger than life, twisted, doll-like takes on the familiar – the vocabulary he’s been developing strongly over the last few years. Jacobs leaned into Victorian shapes mixed with a bit of grunge, as seen through look one model’s giant lilac lace blouse, grounded with extra large and baggy cargo pants featuring a big bow on its rear. There were bows galore, also seen on the backs of almost every look, including gorgeous sculptural lace gowns (in pretty pastels or darker, vampy hues) and cinched up or pin-tucked big pants; in the models’ hair, or twisted into a bulbous, pale pink layered lingerie dress that fell off the body just-so.
Jacobs continued his story with ditsy wallpaper floral prints and pastel lace, whipping them into exaggerated Victorian doll silhouettes, some of which hugged closer to the body than in recent seasons before exploding out into pouffed shoulders and hems. His sculptural blouses were knockouts – a billowing floral version on Alex Consani; a rounded, polka-dot rendition on model Wali Deutsch, or a sweet but strong white lace one worn by Sascha Rajasalu – but really, so were each of the designer’s sixteen other looks.
Once again through fashion, Jacobs transported his guests into an otherworldly escape of fairytale, dreamlike beauty.
