Author name: communityoflights

His was one of the most iconic faces in fashion. And his personal style – the uniform dark suits, matching shades and the ponytail – made Karl Lagerfeld instantly recognizable. But how will the German designer be remembered? He didn’t so much have a distinctive look or design as an impact that hit home. Today, fashion shows arguably have grown larger than the collections they showcase – and none of these shows were bigger than Lagerfeld’s spectacles at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Shot by iconic photographer Bruce Weber in New York City, seventeen extraordinary men and women, transgender individuals with diverse experiences and unique personal stories, are the faces of Barneys New York’s Spring 2014 fashions campaign. Many were photographed and filmed surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones. By depicting these human connections, Weber was able to represent both the struggles and triumphs a trans person may face in relation to their gender identity. Barneys New York is proud to support the transgender community by telling a few of their incredible stories.

Peche Di, a Thai beauty queen who studied at New York University, spent five years booking occasional modeling gigs and looking for an agency to represent her. “They didn’t understand me,” she says, “so I struggled to find work.” Finally she decided to do something about the lack of opportunities for her and other transgender models. The 26-year-old walked into the county clerk’s office downtown in Manhattan and filed the paperwork for Trans Models, creating New York City’s first transgender modeling agency—and one of only three in the country, and perhaps the world.

The Met Gala staged its in-person return with predictable wow moments, and I-hope-the-stylist-remembered-to-tape-that-strap-firmly moments. The theme was the lexicon of American fashion, per the Met’s big new exhibit. Some people read the invite, some people thought about it, some people addressed it intelligently, others playfully, and others just dressed up and down for the sheer hell of it. Lil Nas X triumphed in gold, Kim Kardashian was encased in black, A$AP Rocky coveted a colorful blanket, Billie Eilish was Marilyn, and much skin was on show.

The men in skirts at the Met Gala made defying gender norms look fun If the clothes make the man, all the men in dresses and skirts at the 2022 Met Gala made a statement. Fashion is a form of play, and at long last it appears everyone has permission to dabble in the whole toy box. At a moment of gender panic, it was a delightful reprieve to see male movie stars, professional athletes and couture collectors mark the most important event on the fashion calendar — Vogue editor Anna Wintour’s fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute — in clothing and accessories long reserved for women.