During a meeting at the White House Wednesday, photos of Nancy Pelosi emerged that set the internet on fire thanks to a five-year-old burnt orange coat, which—for reasons you’ll see in a moment—will henceforth be referred to simply as The Coat.
The Coat was such a thing, that director Barry Jenkins wrote a love letter to it via tweet. “And she knew exactly what she was doing wearing THIS coat on THIS day coming out of THAT room, placing THOSE shades on JUST so.”
The attention was so overwhelming, in fact, that MaxMara—the label behind The Coat—told us they’d be re-releasing it next year. But if waiting for The Coat isn’t in your plans, here are 9 styles to shop now that are highly similar, and will give you the same powerful vibe as Mrs. Pelosi strutting out of the White House.
When you think back on everything that you’ve watched on television in 2018, are there any emerging themes that comes to mind? So often, we see our real-life interests reflected back at us on screen (all those royal references in entertainment right now.) Other times, they’ll offer us a glimpse of an alternate reality, one not too far off from what we know—like how, in 2018, more shows envisioned what a female U.S. president might look like.
After a landmark year for women not only running for political office in the U.S., but also winning elections, this subject was more prescient than ever. The memory of Hillary Clinton’s loss was still fresh—and though she was certainly not the first to run for the highest political office in the land (Shirley Chisholm did so in 1972, as did Victoria Woodhull a full century before her), she broke new ground as the first female candidate nominated by a major party and as winner of the popular vote. Globally, there are and have been plenty examples of women leading countries, from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to British Prime Minister Theresa May. And what we’ve seen for them and female political leaders stateside is that, unlike their male counterparts (save for the time Barack Obama donned a khaki suit on Easter), their wardrobes play a significant role in the public’s perception of them and their performance. We may not have had a female POTUS yet, but we can imagine what kind of scrutiny she would face for her fashion choices.
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Claire Underwood in House of Cards.
In 2018, we’ve seen various interpretations of how this would play out—and how she would dress—on television. On the sixth and final season of Netflix’s House of Cards, Claire Underwood (played by Robin Wright) has settled into the role of POTUS, after her husband, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), was killed off—a result of the actor’s firing following allegations of sexual abuse. The role is a significant change for the Underwood matriarch: She was Vice President in season five, but this new position bestows her with more power and as much force and fire as ever. It also gives viewers a sense of what politics might look like in the U.S. if a woman was in charge. Yes, that means a lot of suits.
“We knew Claire was going to be president at the end of season five, so I immediately started researching past and present world leaders, both men and women,” says Kemal Harris, who has dressed the character since the show’s third season and also styles actress Wright in real life. She looked at what White House employees would wear day in, day out, to inform what President Claire Underwood’s “everyday suit” would look like: “It was still form-fitting, with easy pieces like a suit jacket and skirt or pants and dresses, but with militaristic details, like gold buttons.”
“Whereas in the past we’d go for three-quarter sleeves, I went for a higher neckline and longer sleeves,” Harris continues. “This season, she’s ready for battle.”
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Underwood in House of Cards.
President Underwood takes the classic suiting look, but wears it in her own way: tailored to uplift and showcase the female form, accented with those military-esque elements that reflect the battle for power that she would have to wage, and very high-fashion for a highly-visible leader (though never in a way that detracts from her purpose.) These aren’t simply pantsuits—they’re sartorial weapons, used to convey power, but also to persuade.
“For Claire, it’s always been about power, control, trust, trying to win everyone over to her side,” Harris adds. “She wants to be streamlined and unfussy and her wardrobe really reflects that.”
This is but the latest as-seen-on-TV female POTUS wardrobe: Underwood joins Homeland’s President Elizabeth Keane and Scandal’s President Mellie Grant, which have paved the fictional landscape before her. And viewers will recognize a lot of the same sartorial references on House of Cards as they saw on Homeland and on Scandal.
To outfit President Keane, costume designer Katina Le Kerr says that, like Harris, she looked at the clothing of current politicians, as well as that of female leaders from different industries— “community leaders across the country, Washington D.C. pros, international leaders, and Fortune 500 CEOs”—throughout history. “I studied which women wore pant suits, which wore skirt suits,” she recalls.
PHOTO: Antony Platt
President Elizabeth Keane, left, in Homeland.
Lyn Paolo, who was responsible for all things fashion on Scandal, focused on transitioning Mellie from First Lady to President Grant, much like Underwood and Harris are doing now: “We went from a lot of dresses with shrug cardigans to more of a suited look with a jacket and a dress combination,” she explains. “After her election win—and once she stood on the Seal of the US, in her Oval Office—we made a transition to a pantsuit.”
When it comes to mimicking a presidential wardrobe, it’s about the small but consequential details that ensure the costumes read as authentic. “One thing I noticed about all of the past presidents and leaders is that they never carry a briefcase and you never see them with their roller bag,” Harris says. “Women in positions of political leadership don’t carry handbags, so I made a conscious decision to go without handbags for Claire in season six. She’s the president—she’s got people to carry her ID and her lipstick for her now.”
Then, there were the cufflinks: “In the past, the White House has made special cufflinks for each President, and you can buy replicas at the White House gift shop. So I reached out to figure out what was up with these cufflinks, because they were so intriguing—I didn’t even know they existed.” The White House Gift Shop sent her a prototype of a cufflink that had the presidential seal, but hadn’t been customized for any past president, so they became Claire’s. “She’s wearing them in almost every scene for every outfit,” Harris adds.
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Underwood in House of Cards.
But of all the items in their fictional closets, it’s the pantsuits that feel the most on the nose. For women in Washington, they’ve become a symbol of authority (thanks, in part, to Clinton and her penchant for suits of all kinds.) But the classic blazer-pant combo has gone from Capitol Hill to the red carpet in recent years, and is increasingly marketed by contemporary brands as a “power look” for shoppers who want to feel more in control. The language surrounding it can be complicated for some costume designers, though—as Le Kerr notes: “That word ‘power’ surfaces strangely, only when there’s a discussion about women wearing suits. When a man wears a suit, we don’t think of him wearing a ‘power’ suit—he’s just wearing a suit. The power is implied. With women having not had political power for so long…Well, someday we won’t be having these discussions.”
Still, Le Kerr believes that the pantsuit will continue to be the agreed-upon look of politicians, both male and female, both real and fictional. “Even if a woman has a certain style proclivity, the political arena isn’t the place to fully express it,” she says. “It’s an extension of the business world, where expressing personality takes the back seat to conveying intelligence, qualities of character, and leadership skills.”
Across all three characters, there’s a deliberate shunning of traditional “feminine” clothing, of the stuffy pencil skirts and pearl necklaces. That doesn’t mean femininity doesn’t play a role in imagining these women—in fact, it’s central to the way some of them communicate and assert their power. It’s just done in a much more subtle way.
PHOTO: Richard Cartwright
President Mellie Grant, left, in Scandal.
“She has this kind of quiet sensuality about her, without ever being in your face—you’ll never see [her in] a plunging v-neck or a mini skirt,” Harris says of Underwood. “We’re showing this disarming strength through her wardrobe without ever having to flash it in your face… That’s one of the ways Claire manipulates people around her.”
President Keane, on the other hand, was “a woman in a dark suit with very little time to stand in front of her closet wondering what she was going to wear,” according to Le Kerr. “Her wardrobe didn’t evolve—that was my intent. We dropped into a slice of this woman’s life and focused on her words and actions.” Harris also made an effort to make President Underwood an outfit repeater “because she’s a world leader now and it would look conspicuous if she showed up in a brand-new fancy suit everywhere she goes.”
This strategy is more reflective of how we imagine past (male) presidents’ approach to their wardrobe. It’s a double standard that Michelle Obama has talked about. “[Keane’s] costumes weren’t flashy, but that was the goal,”Le Kerr adds; her wardrobe was to be “believable and powerful.”
PHOTO: Antony Platt
President Keane in Homeland.
The conversation about how women in politics use their wardrobe is top of mind as a new class of Congresspeople are sworn in this January. For so many of them, how they dress speaks to their identity—like Ilhan Omar, who wears a hijab and was one of two Muslim women elected to the House of Representatives in November. It’ll also continue to play out on the small screen: The reigns of Presidents Grant, Keane, and Underwood are now over (for now—you can’t rule out a reboot), but a new female leader will be coming to Netflix, as Jennifer Aniston and Tig Notaro have signed on to play POTUS and FLOTUS , respectively, in the forthcoming movie First Ladies.
Though we know women lead and lead well whether they’re in a suit or a pair of sweats, the more we speak our power into existence, the more it will come to fruition. Here’s to more women leaders everywhere—no matter what they’re wearing.
When you think back on everything that you’ve watched on television in 2018, are there any emerging themes that comes to mind? So often, we see our real-life interests reflected back at us on screen (all those royal references in entertainment right now.) Other times, they’ll offer us a glimpse of an alternate reality, one not too far off from what we know—like how, in 2018, more shows envisioned what a female U.S. president might look like.
After a landmark year for women not only running for political office in the U.S., but also winning elections, this subject was more prescient than ever. The memory of Hillary Clinton’s loss was still fresh—and though she was certainly not the first to run for the highest political office in the land (Shirley Chisholm did so in 1972, as did Victoria Woodhull a full century before her), she broke new ground as the first female candidate nominated by a major party and as winner of the popular vote. Globally, there are and have been plenty examples of women leading countries, from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to British Prime Minister Theresa May. And what we’ve seen for them and female political leaders stateside is that, unlike their male counterparts (save for the time Barack Obama donned a khaki suit on Easter), their wardrobes play a significant role in the public’s perception of them and their performance. We may not have had a female POTUS yet, but we can imagine what kind of scrutiny she would face for her fashion choices.
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Claire Underwood in House of Cards.
In 2018, we’ve seen various interpretations of how this would play out—and how she would dress—on television. On the sixth and final season of Netflix’s House of Cards, Claire Underwood (played by Robin Wright) has settled into the role of POTUS, after her husband, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), was killed off—a result of the actor’s firing following allegations of sexual abuse. The role is a significant change for the Underwood matriarch: She was Vice President in season five, but this new position bestows her with more power and as much force and fire as ever. It also gives viewers a sense of what politics might look like in the U.S. if a woman was in charge. Yes, that means a lot of suits.
“We knew Claire was going to be president at the end of season five, so I immediately started researching past and present world leaders, both men and women,” says Kemal Harris, who has dressed the character since the show’s third season and also styles actress Wright in real life. She looked at what White House employees would wear day in, day out, to inform what President Claire Underwood’s “everyday suit” would look like: “It was still form-fitting, with easy pieces like a suit jacket and skirt or pants and dresses, but with militaristic details, like gold buttons.”
“Whereas in the past we’d go for three-quarter sleeves, I went for a higher neckline and longer sleeves,” Harris continues. “This season, she’s ready for battle.”
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Underwood in House of Cards.
President Underwood takes the classic suiting look, but wears it in her own way: tailored to uplift and showcase the female form, accented with those military-esque elements that reflect the battle for power that she would have to wage, and very high-fashion for a highly-visible leader (though never in a way that detracts from her purpose.) These aren’t simply pantsuits—they’re sartorial weapons, used to convey power, but also to persuade.
“For Claire, it’s always been about power, control, trust, trying to win everyone over to her side,” Harris adds. “She wants to be streamlined and unfussy and her wardrobe really reflects that.”
This is but the latest as-seen-on-TV female POTUS wardrobe: Underwood joins Homeland’s President Elizabeth Keane and Scandal’s President Mellie Grant, which have paved the fictional landscape before her. And viewers will recognize a lot of the same sartorial references on House of Cards as they saw on Homeland and on Scandal.
To outfit President Keane, costume designer Katina Le Kerr says that, like Harris, she looked at the clothing of current politicians, as well as that of female leaders from different industries— “community leaders across the country, Washington D.C. pros, international leaders, and Fortune 500 CEOs”—throughout history. “I studied which women wore pant suits, which wore skirt suits,” she recalls.
PHOTO: Antony Platt
President Elizabeth Keane, left, in Homeland.
Lyn Paolo, who was responsible for all things fashion on Scandal, focused on transitioning Mellie from First Lady to President Grant, much like Underwood and Harris are doing now: “We went from a lot of dresses with shrug cardigans to more of a suited look with a jacket and a dress combination,” she explains. “After her election win—and once she stood on the Seal of the US, in her Oval Office—we made a transition to a pantsuit.”
When it comes to mimicking a presidential wardrobe, it’s about the small but consequential details that ensure the costumes read as authentic. “One thing I noticed about all of the past presidents and leaders is that they never carry a briefcase and you never see them with their roller bag,” Harris says. “Women in positions of political leadership don’t carry handbags, so I made a conscious decision to go without handbags for Claire in season six. She’s the president—she’s got people to carry her ID and her lipstick for her now.”
Then, there were the cufflinks: “In the past, the White House has made special cufflinks for each President, and you can buy replicas at the White House gift shop. So I reached out to figure out what was up with these cufflinks, because they were so intriguing—I didn’t even know they existed.” The White House Gift Shop sent her a prototype of a cufflink that had the presidential seal, but hadn’t been customized for any past president, so they became Claire’s. “She’s wearing them in almost every scene for every outfit,” Harris adds.
PHOTO: David Giesbrecht/Netflix
President Underwood in House of Cards.
But of all the items in their fictional closets, it’s the pantsuits that feel the most on the nose. For women in Washington, they’ve become a symbol of authority (thanks, in part, to Clinton and her penchant for suits of all kinds.) But the classic blazer-pant combo has gone from Capitol Hill to the red carpet in recent years, and is increasingly marketed by contemporary brands as a “power look” for shoppers who want to feel more in control. The language surrounding it can be complicated for some costume designers, though—as Le Kerr notes: “That word ‘power’ surfaces strangely, only when there’s a discussion about women wearing suits. When a man wears a suit, we don’t think of him wearing a ‘power’ suit—he’s just wearing a suit. The power is implied. With women having not had political power for so long…Well, someday we won’t be having these discussions.”
Still, Le Kerr believes that the pantsuit will continue to be the agreed-upon look of politicians, both male and female, both real and fictional. “Even if a woman has a certain style proclivity, the political arena isn’t the place to fully express it,” she says. “It’s an extension of the business world, where expressing personality takes the back seat to conveying intelligence, qualities of character, and leadership skills.”
Across all three characters, there’s a deliberate shunning of traditional “feminine” clothing, of the stuffy pencil skirts and pearl necklaces. That doesn’t mean femininity doesn’t play a role in imagining these women—in fact, it’s central to the way some of them communicate and assert their power. It’s just done in a much more subtle way.
PHOTO: Richard Cartwright
President Mellie Grant, left, in Scandal.
“She has this kind of quiet sensuality about her, without ever being in your face—you’ll never see [her in] a plunging v-neck or a mini skirt,” Harris says of Underwood. “We’re showing this disarming strength through her wardrobe without ever having to flash it in your face… That’s one of the ways Claire manipulates people around her.”
President Keane, on the other hand, was “a woman in a dark suit with very little time to stand in front of her closet wondering what she was going to wear,” according to Le Kerr. “Her wardrobe didn’t evolve—that was my intent. We dropped into a slice of this woman’s life and focused on her words and actions.” Harris also made an effort to make President Underwood an outfit repeater “because she’s a world leader now and it would look conspicuous if she showed up in a brand-new fancy suit everywhere she goes.”
This strategy is more reflective of how we imagine past (male) presidents’ approach to their wardrobe. It’s a double standard that Michelle Obama has talked about. “[Keane’s] costumes weren’t flashy, but that was the goal,”Le Kerr adds; her wardrobe was to be “believable and powerful.”
PHOTO: Antony Platt
President Keane in Homeland.
The conversation about how women in politics use their wardrobe is top of mind as a new class of Congresspeople are sworn in this January. For so many of them, how they dress speaks to their identity—like Ilhan Omar, who wears a hijab and was one of two Muslim women elected to the House of Representatives in November. It’ll also continue to play out on the small screen: The reigns of Presidents Grant, Keane, and Underwood are now over (for now—you can’t rule out a reboot), but a new female leader will be coming to Netflix, as Jennifer Aniston and Tig Notaro have signed on to play POTUS and FLOTUS , respectively, in the forthcoming movie First Ladies.
Though we know women lead and lead well whether they’re in a suit or a pair of sweats, the more we speak our power into existence, the more it will come to fruition. Here’s to more women leaders everywhere—no matter what they’re wearing.
When Fuller House premiered on Netflix nearly three years ago, a whole generation of ’80s and ’90s kids were excited to check back in on the Tanner family. What followed was a fervor of binge-watching, trend pieces, and Michelle Tanner GIFs, but the buzz tempered by the second season. (How rude.) There were still milestones—an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2018, for example—but the sitcom mostly settled into a comfortable routine.
By the end of season three, though, that shifted. Fuller House returned to its roots while simultaneously laying the groundwork for its future. Becky, Jesse, and Danny decided to move back to San Francisco so Danny and Becky can host Wake Up, San Francisco again; DJ and Steve reunited; and Fernando bought the Gibbler house. These events allowed the series to keep the family-friendly vibe, while tapping into more modern storylines: namely, the non-nuclear family structure.
Full House (and, as a result, Fuller House) has always been about a non-nuclear family—but it was because of circumstances like the death of Danny’s wife or DJ’s husband, not choice. That’s not the case in season four, which premieres on Netflix today: One of the main storylines will center on Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) being a surrogate for Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin).
PHOTO: Mike Yarish/Netflix
The seeds for this actually began back in season one, when it was revealed that Stephanie is unable to have children. Then, in season three, she discovered she had a few eggs left but wouldn’t be able to carry a baby. Enter surrogacy as an option. But Stephanie was in a serious relationship with her boyfriend (and Kimmy’s brother), Jimmy Gibbler, and wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable asking him to be the father should one of her eggs be viable. Turns out he was, and by the season’s end an embryo was implanted in Kimmy. Now she’s pregnant—whether it’s a single or multiple birth is TBD.
It’s a sign that Fuller House isn’t stuck in ’90s nostalgia that Stephanie and Jimmy aren’t married or engaged or even concerned about it. They’re just a couple in love who want to have a baby together. Imagine that happening on Full House with Jesse and Becky? For 30-something Stephanie, her biggest priority is starting a family—not worrying about her forever partner.
“It’s definitely not your traditional sitcom storyline of boy meets girl and they have a baby. I think this is more relevant.”
“It’s definitely not your traditional sitcom storyline of boy meets girl and they have a baby,” Andrea Barber tells Glamour.com. “I think this is more relevant. For a lot of people having a child is not so straightforward—it’s complicated and messy. I’m glad the show went there and didn’t just drop it in season one. It’s been evolving for four seasons.”
The story of Stephanie’s fertility was originally creator and former executive producer Jeff Franklin’s idea. When season one premiered, he told TV Line he wanted one of the three lead women to not have kids—for now. “The backstory I created for her was that she’s a free spirit, traveling the world. She’s into her career and into having fun, and I thought this would be a really interesting aspect to that character—and touching,” he said at the time.
However, executive producer and co-showrunner Steve Baldikoski says that before Franklin departed the series last year he made it known that he wanted season four to be about Kimmy’s surrogacy. “In the last moments of season three, we revealed that Kimmy was pregnant with Stephanie and Jimmy’s baby,” Baldikoski says. “The challenge for [executive producer and co-showrunner] Bryan Behar and I was exactly how that would play out for the year. We wanted to have something that was real and tangible to pull Full House into the modern era of Fuller House.”
So, unlike other sitcoms that have tackled surrogacy (see: Friends, Superstore, The New Normal), the focus will be more on the relationship between Kimmy and Stephanie rather than the baby.
PHOTO: Mike Yarish/Netflix
“Kimmy is so happy that she’s finally an important part of Stephanie’s life,” Barber says. “She’s been rejected by Stephanie for many years; now these characters are bonding in a way they’ve never been able to before. Kimmy doesn’t want to let go of that. [She doesn’t want] to feel like an incubator. She wants to feel more important than that, which I think is pretty valid.”
It is valid, given viewers have watched these two evolve from an eccentric 10-year-old and a precocious 5-year-old to the adult women they are today. “They’ve literally watched us grow up on TV,” Barber says. “To watch this fictional character go through such important life moments is incredible and so poignant.” That’s why she wanted the writers to explore Kimmy and Stephanie’s “mature friendship” as a sisterhood. “I’ve just been delighted for the last two seasons to have these wonderful, funny, tender moments with Jodie [Sweetin].”
Of course Full House has always tackled big subjects—DJ’s eating disorder; the death of a close family member—but they were settled in the span of a 22-minute episode. For that reason alone, Baldikoski and Behar wanted to see Stephanie’s fertility storyline through. “Bryan and I like dealing with these real issues over the entire season, not just a single episode,” Baldikoski says. “We like to think that if you’re going through something, it’s best to deal with it in a realistic way and carry it through a season. It’s not just one and done.”
“It’s a life-changing moment that we’re all going through—and as realistic as it can be for a sitcom.”
Baldikoski relied on personal stories and research to prep for the storyline. “While Fuller House is not a medical show or a drama, we do have writers who are very familiar with [surrogacy] and had different experiences with that. So we relied on a little bit of that and also sent people off to do research. Without invading anyone’s privacy, there was a lot of sharing about our writer’s experiences and the experiences of friends and friends of friends.”
Barber, a mom of two, hasn’t had personal experience with surrogacy, so she turned to one of her closest friends who did. “Her cousin was her surrogate,” she says, adding that she understands the complexities that come with that. “I would suspect…surrogates don’t want to feel just like baby machines. They want to feel important too.”
As for the birth scene, which will happen toward the end of the season, Barber had a request for the writers: make the labor as realistic as possible. “Sitcoms tend to do really silly births with lots of screaming, and it isn’t like that,” she says. “I wanted there to be an emotional connection, a tender moment between the women. They honored my request—and Jodie’s request—that it just not be a silly birth. There’s silliness trying to get to the hospital, of course, but when it comes to the actual birth scene it’s not gratuitous or over the top. It’s just a wonderful moment, and that’s what I had been hoping for for two seasons. They did it.”
Barber adds that you’ll still see lots of realistic sweat and awkward expressions. “It’s not a flawless, beautiful, ‘my makeup is perfect’ birth. It’s a life-changing moment that we’re all going through, and as realistic as it can be for a sitcom.”
PHOTO: Adam Rose/Netflix
The producers also got the rights to Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game” to play over an emotional montage. “I’m choked up as I talk about it,” Baldikoski says. “If it doesn’t make Fuller House fans choke up, I don’t know what will. It’s a beautiful scene. Andrea is amazing, Jodie is amazing, Candace is amazing, Adam [Hagenbuch, “Jimmy”] is amazing. We are very proud of it.”
As to whether the episode will serve as a series finale or season finale, Barber and Baldikoski hope there’s a season five in Fuller House‘s future. After all, there are plenty of stories that can stem from this surrogacy. “Usually surrogates don’t live in the same house as the birth mother,” Barber says. “I would love for them to explore that.” And what effect will this new baby have on Kimmy’s teen daughter, Ramona, and her partner, Fernando? How will Kimmy’s relationship with Stephanie change once the baby arrives? “Those are some pretty rich story areas that we have to deal with going forward,” Baldikoski says.
Whatever happens, Baldikoski hopes this will resonate with viewers. “Families come in all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to be a nuclear family anymore. People can feel comfortable with whatever family situation they have as long as they are loved. We want to show that the Fuller/Tanner clan is very inclusive. We’ve even included the first openly gay teenager on the show [this season], who is a friend of Ramona’s. As DJ says, ‘The door is always open.’ That’s our guiding philosophy of the show: Everyone’s welcome.”
Fuller House season four is now streaming onNetflix.
All of those summer sales have been making room for new fall 2018 arrivals—and it’s about time you clear out some space in your closet too.
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for since February: During Fashion Week, you get excited over all the different trends you see on the runway. You make note of the allover animal prints at Max Mara, the bold magenta at Claudia Li…and you wait, eagerly anticipating the retail drop. Once those deliveries start, you can pick which catwalk moment you want to guide your shopping.
Whether you’re going for a Nina Ricci pajama vibe or a Calvin Klein 205W39NYC metallic moment, here are six major fall 2018 trends from Fashion Week you’ll want to shop ASAP.
We bring you the trends. You make them your own. Sign up for our daily newsletter to find the best fashion for YOU.
The perfectly-manicured English landscapes, that sweeping instrumental theme song, and, of course, the manor itself are the stars of the first teaser trailer for the much-anticipated Downton Abbey movie.
That’s right, everybody: We’re finally one step closer to being reunited with Lord and Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, the Dowager Countess, Mr. and Mrs. Bates, Mrs. Patmore, Tom Branson, and the rest of the Downton gang we’ve been missing since the show ended its television run in 2016. There’s even a title card at the end of the trailer to remind you of all the characters you’ll find in the film.
There isn’t much (well, any) plot revealed in this first look, but we do get to see maids readying the house, what looks to be a parade in town, servants lining up for a big arrival at the front door, and what appears to be a messenger on a motorbike…perhaps delivering important news to the family or staff.
The movie won’t hit theaters until September 30, 2019, so we’ll surely get more clues as to the story before then. Regardless, just hearing the music again was enough to get excited—and I’m sure I’m not alone. “When the television series drew to a close, it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie, and now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production,” said producer Gareth Neame, Carnival Films’s executive chairman, in the press release when the project was announced. “Julian’s script charms, thrills, and entertains, and in Brian Percival’s hands we aim to deliver everything that one would hope for as Downton comes to the big screen.”
The cast has been pretty pumped about the reunion project, too, as evidenced in social media posts from Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) and Joanne Froggatt (Mrs. Bates).
September simply can’t come soon enough. Watch the trailer below:
Kendall Jenner just turned 23, but she’s already leading the modeling industry for the second consecutive year.
Forbes unveiled its annual ranking of the highest paid models yesterday (December 13.) Topping the list was Jenner, who reportedly raked in $22.5 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.
PHOTO: ANGELA WEISS
Her earnings came with the help of some notably high-profile gigs, according to Forbes: Jenner continued her longstanding partnerships with brands like Adidas and Estée Lauder this year, and booked appearances at international fashion weeks and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Last year, Jenner knocked Gisele Bündchen out of the highest-earnings spot—a title she’d held since 2002—by earning a reported $22 million. This year, Jenner held onto her first-place ranking by several million dollars; Karlie Kloss followed her to second place with a reported $13 million in earnings. Rounding out the top five list of earners were Chrissy Teigen and Rosie Huntington-Whitely in a tie for third highest-earnings with $11.5 million, followed by a tie for fifth between Gisele Bündchen and Cara Delevingne with $10 million.
Despite raking in the cash in 2018, Jenner has also faced her share of controversy within the modeling industry. Earlier this year, she told Love magazine that she is “super selective” about the jobs she takes. Her quote was heavily criticized by other models who accused her of having special privileges because she belongs to a famous family. Jenner later clarified her comments in a tweet, but still received some pushback from fellow models Naomi Campbell and Ashley Graham. “These t*ts and a** have just had to fight through and break down barriers everyday,” Graham said.
Will Jenner hold on to the title for a third-year running? Check back in with Forbes next fall.
Some people are born with hair that looks like it’s straight out of a shampoo commercial and some, well, are jealous of that. Regardless of whatever hair type your mama gave you, every texture comes with its own set of pros and cons. Take fine hair: It’s easy to wash and dry, but damn near impossible to keep a curl held. Which is why we pressed a handful of top hairstylists to share the hair products that actually work on fine hair.
Whether you’re looking for an almost-out-the-door volume boost or something that can actually plump up your hair’s follicle to make each strand thicker, we’ve got your solution. Shop the best hair products for fine and thinning hair ahead.
Ariana Grande dropped the second song presumably from her upcoming album, Thank U, Next, on Friday (December 14). Titled “Imagine,” the track is an airy R&B slow-jam that places Grande’s out-of-this-world vocals up front and center. That’s not surprising, though—we know Grande has pipes. What might surprise fans is the inspiration behind the song. Twitter is convinced the song is an ode to Grande’s ex-boyfriend, the late Mac Miller, and the evidence holds up.
For one, there’s the title: “Imagine.” Miller actually had an “Imagine” tattoo on his upper arm, so it’s possible Grande derived inspiration from that. There are also some telling details in the lyrics. “Staying up all night, order me pad thai,” Grande sings at one point in the song. Miller mirrors this in his song “Cinderella” when he raps, “And when you hungry, I can chef you up a stir fry.” (Grande confirmed back in May “Cinderella” was written about her.)
A second parallel occurs later in the song when Grande sings “I never thought that it would be you.” On “Cinderella,” Miller croons, “You used to tell me all the time I ain’t your type.” Finally, Grande sings in a whistle tone at the 2:45 mark on “Imagine.” She uses a similar tone on her song “The Way,” which she recorded with Miller, at the 3:14 mark.
Fans are clearly in their feels about all of this. Below, just a few reactions.
Grande, for her part, hopes the viral feud between Drake and Kanye West on Twitter right now doesn’t deflect from her music or her friend Miley Cyrus’ new song release. “guys, i know there are grown men arguing online rn but miley and i dropping our beautiful, new songs tonight so if y’all could please jus behave for just like a few hours so the girls can shine that’d be so sick thank u,” she tweeted last night. Amen.
A blog post from a conservative Christian mommy blogger is taking over the parenting corner of the internet, a place that often has more discord than the halls of Congress. Lori Alexander, a.k.a. The Transformed Wife, posted a chart titled “Should Mothers Have Careers?” in which she compared her thoughts on working moms vs. stay-at-home moms—and it’s really something.
Alexander is a full-time homemaker who has been married for 39 years and has four grown children and nine grandchildren. Her About section on Facebook reads, “Learning about marriage, raising children, homemaking, and being a godly woman who desires to be transformed into the image of Christ!”
In the flowchart, she directly compares and contrasts her perception of the lives of working and stay-at-home moms. For example, in the SAHM column she writes of dinnertime, “Dinner is from scratch, nutritious, and delicious” whereas with working moms, “Dinner is usually fast food or microwaved.” She also says working moms lack time for intimacy and that their lives are “falling apart” whereas SAHMs spend weekends at the beach and are totally fulfilled.
It’s easy to see why people are angry—and the ire coming from both sides of the mommy aisle. (Not to mention that staying at home is not a financial option for many families.) “Motherhood is not a competition. Moms in both groups have challenges to face that are not more important than the other,” wrote one commenter on the Facebook post. “Also- welcome to 2018 where dads are like, fathers and stuff now, who also help with domestic duties such as cooking, cleaning and! (Are you ready for this? Clutch your pearls) help take care of the children. 😱” Another said, “I have been a stay-at-home and work-from-home mom for the last 16 + years. This chart is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Staying home with a three-year-old makes me feel like more of a failure as a mother than working out of my house EVER did! Also, if this stay at home mom is resting when the children do, when is she preparing that from scratch meal and cleaning so she is free to spend weekends at the beach?” another commenter remarked.
When Glamour reached out to Alexander, she said she did not intend to shame working mothers but “I simply want them to ponder their life paths.” She explained that she is “teaching Christian women biblical motherhood according to Titus 2:3-5 in the Bible where God commands older women to teach younger women to be ‘keepers at home.'”
“No one can take the place of a mother in a child’s life. I was a career woman for the first two years of my first child’s life and I could totally relate to the left side of the flowchart,” she told us. “I knew I was the one that was supposed to be at home raising my own children. Most women aren’t even told that this is good! Homemakers are embarrassed when asked what they do. What can be more important than raising the next generation?”
As for the viral backlash, Alexander says she’s had it since she started writing in 2011 and won’t let it “steal her joy.”
“I teach what I am called to teach and leave the results in the Lord’s hands.”
