Thoughts on the preppy revival, how to dress like the Erewhon Cloud Smoothie, and a sale at Girlfriend Collective.
Welcome to The HALO Report — HALOSCOPE’s new weekly digest, an of-the-moment mix of news items, opinion pieces, and sale announcements designed to keep you posted on the nitty-gritty of the fashion world and all of its tangents without having to keep a constant eye on your feed.
This week, dress like an Erewhon Cloud Smoothie with a side of liver, what the preppy revival might essay about the state of our fashion world, the irony of White Lotus for H&M, Milan Fashion Week missives, GOOD socks on sale, and more.
The latest long-ish reads from the brightest minds in fashion.
Kayla Roolaart’s No Crumbs is one of the only publications I know of that directly associates food with fashion, and “Color Combinations I Love of Food Pairings I'd Hate” is truly the blueprint for that crossover — Erewhon Cloud Smoothie + Liver and Mustard + Grape are my personal favorites from among this repertoire of nightmare snacks that make for brilliant outfit recipes.
Seemingly following suit after last week’s Teen Vogue sustainability pledge, Vogue curated “The Best Vintage Looks From the 2025 Awards Season,” including Cynthia Erivo in archival Givenchy by McQueen, Keke Palmer in 1985 Chanel (first worn on the red carpet by Jamie Lee Curtis decades ago!), Rachel Sennott in vintage D&G, and more.
Kendall Flavin’s article “Anti-Intellectualism and the Prep Revival” for The Dressing Room makes the point that preppy fashion cannot exist without conservative undertones, all the more relevant in a world where Pete Davidson is getting his tattoos removed and Sabrina Carpenter’s has catapulted to the pinnacle of stardom on retro aesthetics alone.
I <3 Mess’ Emily Kirkpatric continues to stun with her prescience (she predicted the pannier trend long ago) and wit, and her latest thoughts in “Why? What have you heard?” suggest that we may soon see celebrities wearing their hearts on their sleeves, literally — think anatomically-correct, innards-as-outers viscera couture.
“Style How to Style Oversized Suits, The Celeb-Approved Trend to Watch in 2025” by Sara Delgado for Teen Vogue is a genuinely helpful tool for people like me whose bodies aren’t necessarily proportioned for effortless, Julia Roberts-esque suit-wearing: apparently, it’s all in the tie.
What to keep in mind — and look forward to — in the past and coming weeks.
“How The White Lotus Costume Designer Used Season 3’s ‘Escapist Aesthetic’ To Create An H&M Collab” by Victoria Montalti for Refinery29 is an interesting article in that it doesn’t seem to acknowledge the irony of making a mass-produced, fast-fashion collection in tribute to a show that revolves around the foibles of the wealthy — the mention of an “escapist aesthetic” is deeply ironic in light of White Lotus’ actual message that you can’t escape from the existential terror of being human, even when you’re rich, even on vacation.
“Gucci kicks off Milan Fashion Week with furry coats as it awaits new designer” by Elisa Anzolin for Reuters covers the storied brand’s latest offerings, its tamest in years — oddly enough, I’ve been seeing people online write that their favorite Gucci collections are those produced when the house is in between creative directors, a sentiment I couldn’t agree with less.
For WWD, Julia Teti notes that “Naomi Campbell Hits the Runway at Burberry’s Fall 2025 London Fashion Week Show in Dramatic Purple Coat With Fringe Details.” It feels strange that Naomi seems never to have been taken to task for the allegations against her of loathsome, violent acts, but apparently the clothes were good enough that Anna Wintour smiled through the entire show (from photos, I found them a bit overwrought).
Reporting from Milan Fashion Week, Jacob Gallagher writes for The New York Times that Dsquared2 has made “Ridiculously Fun Clothes” this season, comparing the sleazy, sultry garments to the clothes worn by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander and citing Doechii as the show’s most iconic guest.
Everyone needs to see the titular look of “Julio Torres Is the Quirky Red Carpet Risk-Taker We Need” by Christian Allaire for Vogue. The cheeky “utilitarianism” of the accessories (honestly, I need to start carrying scissors with me wherever I go) plus the cartoonish details like a faux-windswept tie are so much more compelling than 99% of the rote red carpet repetitions we see these days.
Less about impulse buys — and more about tracking discounts on the pieces already on your wishlist.
Take 20% off a selection of Damson Madder’s beloved causal wear with 20FORYOU—quite a few late-season knits are up for grabs at great prices right now!
Kolonaki’s archive sale discounts the Spanish label’s quirked-up blazers, cable-knit sweaters, and silk blouses (plus more) by up to 70%.
In the brand’s archive sale, SOCKSSS socks are available for $25 a pair, which seems steep for a discount, but I will note that my one pair of purple SOCKSSS has lasted upwards of four years with nearly zero wear and tear (and let’s just say I don’t hand-wash the contents of my underwear drawer).
With SOS20, get an additional 20% off the already-discounted pieces in Nikki Chasin’s sale section. Plenty of unique, season-defining coats to stock up on for next year’s cold or use to brighten up these last weeks of winter.
Possibly the best end-of-winter deals on the market right now are at Girlfriend Collective, where you can stock up on long john-like leggings, cozy fleece jackets, and more for prices that rarely surpass the $50 mark. 🌀
Em Seely-Katz is the creator of the fashion blog Esque, the News Editor of HALOSCOPE, and a writer, stylist, and anime-watcher about town. You can usually find them writing copy for niche perfume houses or making awful collages at @that.esque on Instagram.