the times | Wednesday August 5 2020 1GT 5
fashion
the stars who wore them best
Leopard print
The Netflix documentary Tiger King
phase of lockdown seems so long
ago now, but the big-cat print-heavy
stylings of its private zoo-owner
star Carole Baskin linger on. Thank
goodness, then, for a new leopard icon
in the form of Beyoncé, resplendent
in glittery leopard Valentino couture
in her new film Black is King and
here to chase away the trailer-park
connotations. I love Sweaty Betty’s
khaki leopard leggings (£95,
sweatybetty.com), which tick off three
trends in one — four if we’re counting
celebrating achievements, however
small, as a 2020 trend too; and we are.
Congratulations on getting this far.
Twitter: @harrywalkerthan proven its worth over the past
few months. If you’re in the market
for a new one, the label of the summer
is Faithfull the Brand, but I also
like Kitri’s Connie style (£145,
kitristudio.com) or Topshop’s puff-
sleeve floral print (£39, topshop.com).The power pony
Even that blow-dry devotee the
Duchess of Cambridge is wearing
a power pony these days; in testing
times this is her equivalent of visiting
the bombed-out East End. Give WFH
hair some oomph by backcombing the
section of your crown before securing
with seam-free Scunci bands (on
Amazon) or Herseshon’s knotted hair
ties (£5.50, hershesons.com).We couldn’t get enough of Adele,
Beyoncé and Kate’s midi-frocks
N
o red carpet, no
party circuit, no
street-stylers,
barely even
a wedding to
grumble about. The best-
dressed list in 2020 is short,
bittersweet and skewed towards
leisurewear, but there are a few
A-listers who have — reassuringly
— continued to put the effort in.6 Sarah Jessica Parker scoops the
gong for best mask in a crowded field.
One of the first famouses to sport a
face-covering publicly — on a visit
to her self-named Manhattan shoe
boutique — the Sex and the City style
icon showed off some artistry with a
silk scarf rather than a bog-standard
nosebag. It isn’t recommended by the
Sage panel, but it’s a 10 from the
fashion judges.6 Adele’s Instagram post in May was
among many shocks this spring that
made the world question things that
previously seemed incontrovertible.
One of them was what size of very
small LBD the singer was wearing.6 The Duchess of Cambridge has
emerged from lockdown and the
shadow of the Other Duchess in
recent months, wearing none other
than the summer’s It girl label of
choice, Faithfull the Brand. Almost
as stirring as the Queen’s “we’ll
meet again” address.6 Taylor Swift’s recent
re-emergence with a new album
in which she styles herself as the
folkloric heroine of her own indie
tradition has reminded the rest of
us of an important sartorial rule,
given all the alfresco evenings
ahead: always bring a cardigan.6 When Beyoncé’s beautifully
weird, avant-garde new visual
album/film landed last week,
sighs of relief could be heard
that at least one person was
carrying on as though nothing
had happened. With Black is
King the singer has provided
another ego-expanding, haute
couture-clad trip into fashionland
when the world most needs it. But is
it the giant pink tulle Molly Goddard
frock that wins the prize or Riccardo
Tisci’s cowhide ensemble with antlers?6 Finally, in the absence of celebrities,
normal people was very much a theme
of summer 2020 — and the series of
the same name (after Sally Rooney’s
novel) generated not only Paul
Mescal’s sexy bit-of-rough neckchain,
but also Daisy Edgar Jones’s strappy
holiday dress — a garment none of us
was sure we would have a chance to
wear again and which caused many
a wistful rant about Easyjet.
Harriet Walkergrum
dresse
bitterswe
leisurewear
AlisterswhThe can’t do
without dress
The power pony
From top: Beyoncé wearing Adama Paris in Black is King;
Adele in Elzinga LBD, £357 (matchesfashion.com);
Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People