The HALO Report 4.16.25: Microtrend Mélanges
- Em Seely-Katz
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Thoughts on Duran Lantink at JPG, Simone Rocha SS25, and a sale at Proenza Schouler.
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, trans lives always matter, sock styling mysteries are solved, Duran Lantink is in at JPG—yay?, big week for weird collabs, Cold Picnic turns 15, and more.
The latest long-ish reads from the brightest minds in fashion.
One of Vogue’s best writers, José Criales-Unzueta, covers the T-shirt du jour in “How Conner Ives Raised Tens of Thousands For Trans Rights, With a Little Help From Troye Sivan, Pedro Pascal, and Haider Ackermann.” You’ve surely seen the shirt grace your timeline in a dozen instances this week, but unlike most microtrends, this one will have an impact beyond its lifespan, with 100% of the profits from each $99 tee sent to Trans Lifeline. The cherry on top is that the shirt isn’t just a throwaway piece of merch: it is smartly cut in what looks to be high-quality cotton.
One of my favorite genres of stylist writing is when someone whose style I don’t relate to at all gives me advice that transcends aesthetics and feels shockingly objective. “Which socks and when?” by Abby Arad for Your Stylist Says is one of those pieces—Abby manages to nail down the specifics of why some looks are ruined by an expanse of sock but others benefit from it, even going so far as to explore the nuance between pairing socks with hemmed vs. cut-off shorts.
“My Ride or Die Fashion Brands” by Lucy Williams for Remotely is a solid primer to IYKYK indie-leaning labels, perhaps for someone slowly weaning themself off fast fashion: Gimaguas and &Daughter number among those listed.
Selleb Sisters and Arden Yum ask “Is there a Gen Z uniform?” and answer their own question with some insightful anthropological/sartorial observations.
“Coachella 2025: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Celebrity Looks” by Brooke LaMantia for The Cut is exactly what it says on the tin: a reminder that there have been AT LEAST a few decent looks in the desert among a sea of copy-paste microtrend mélanges.
What to keep in mind — and look forward to — in the past and coming weeks.
The Cut’s Danya Issawi reports that “Duran Lantink Is Jean Paul Gaultier’s New Creative Director,” but whether this is good or bad news is up for debate—the young designer seems to have vision, but as I <3 Mess’ Emily Kirkpatrick opined, his brash sense of body humor with little regard for the nuances of gender politics seems immature and doesn’t bode well for heading a brand as sensuality-centric as JPG, especially in comparison to former JPG resident Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
The Simone Rocha SS25 collection is out, and though it’s quite darling, its themes seem to be a jumbled mass of trends recently passed: sailor collars, ballerina tulle, the dreaded “just a girl” bow…
Often underrepresented in the world of activewear, hiking is a gold mine for sportstyle fits, and Girlfriend Collective’s new hiking line is a brilliant entrée, with windbreakers cheekily cut like moto jackets; colorful, sleek compression tops; and thick socks that proclaim “kick rocks” or “touch grass.”
The marriage of two weirdo brands is always a sight to behold, and Yume Yume x Andersson Bell offers up freaky, futuristic footwear with signature flair from both labels.
Coming soon to Gimaguas: a special project with Havaianas. Guess we know what every Substack girlie with robust arches will be wearing this summer!
Less about impulse buys — and more about tracking discounts on the pieces already on your wishlist.
Every interior design lover worth their salt knows of Cold Picnic, and this week, its founders celebrate the 15th anniversary of its founding with a 15% off sale using 15FOR15. Now is the time to snag the statement rug that’s been on your wish list since 2015!
Take up to 70% off a sprawling selection of past seasons’ fare in the Proenza Schouler archive sale—some amazing bags in there, especially.
Use SPRING2025 for 30% off selected styles of denim, flannel, and other hardy basics in the HOPE Stockholm seasonal sale.
SUNSHINE gets you 40% off sitewide at Vanessa Arizaga, with plenty of summer-y jewelry and seasonless baubles to pore through.
Get up to 40% off selections from brands like Helmut Lang, Erdem, Vince, and more right now in the Bergdorf Goodman spring sale.🌀
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.