Darling Magazine

by Gina Brennan This time last year, Cannes Film Festival fashion was all about hot pink. With everyone from Anne Hathaway to Katherine Langford dressed in the colour. But will we still be seeing this shade as we approach Summer 2023?    Officially arriving on Valentino’s Autumn/Winter 2022 runway in March 2022, the Pierpaolo Piccioli Pink runway took the fashion world by storm.   Although trends change quicker than ever in an age of TikTok, it seems likely to stay - with Pantone naming magenta as the colour of the year for 2023.   Pink is a powerful colour. It is rooted in red, so enjoys the associations of love, strength, and anger while remaining soft and approachable.  Piccioli himself perhaps put it best: “Pink has the quality of being strong without actually  wanting  to; it is the perfect metaphor of poetry: gentleness and disruptiveness.”.   So why has this pink paradise had such an impact on us? In a time characterised by isolation, risin...

by Josie Sharp Beyonce’s 2023 ‘Renaissance World Tour’ kicked off in Stockholm on May 10th and the tour fashion has been impeccable.  When it comes to a Beyoncé tour, we know that the outfits are just as important as the music and choreography. In fact, the singer, styled by Shiona Turni, has already displayed an impressive array of custom and fresh-off-the-runway looks that perfectly encompass her Renaissance Era.  Taking to the stage in brands such as Alexander McQueen, David Koma, Courrgéges, Mugler, Coperni and Balmain, this tour is one for the Fashion History books.  Bey’s custom Koma look came straight from the Spring 2023 runway. A colourful, iridescent outfit paired with thigh-high boots and circular earrings for her Opening Night in Sweden’s capital. In classic Beyoncé touring-style, many of these outfits are bodysuits, bejewelled with pearls, and loud prints.  Amongst all of these, the custom robot outfit by Mugler, and the futuristic hologram look from Cou...

by Tia Janowski   Festival season has officially begun and  Live at Leeds: In the Park  definitely started it off with a bang.  With an array of food stalls, a lot of bars and of course, five stages with 30+ acts across one day, this small festival definitely packed a punch. Temple Newsam in Leeds was the perfect venue for the festival due to its large amount of space and incredible views, allowing plenty of open areas to watch performances from afar or relax with a drink. Getting to and from the festival grounds was made incredibly easy by the shuttle bus service located just around the corner from Leeds train station. Although the queue for the buses was busy at the end of the festival, the organizers were well-prepared with multiple buses arriving frequently. The festival also provided many food stalls, from vegan options to Indian and Japanese cuisine alongside classic festival burgers.   With five stages across the day, the setlist was meticulously created ...

by Emily Duff You heard it here first, blue is the colour of Summer 2023 and Y2K influences aren’t going anywhere.   Co-designed by Dua Lipa, the Versace 2024 resort campaign was giving High School Musical 2 meets disco. We can definitely picture Sharpay Evans rocking this collection.  Presented in Cannes this week, names from Iris Law to Irina Shayk took to the catwalk but with their pastel pink pallet I’m sure we’ll see many a Barbie actor styled in the collection.  In fact, Dua Lipa will be wearing strictly looks from this show in the music video for her Barbie soundtrack single, Dance the Night.  Accessorised with matching coloured towels, flip flops and teeny tiny sunglasses, the collection, simply titled La Vacanza, reminded us all that summer is almost here.  "Donatella and I bonded over our shared love of this time of year while making this collection," said Lipa Featuring OTT hair straight from the ‘60s, this show really went all out. With man...

by AJ Craig   To boil it down to it’s thick, sticky essence, haute couture is high fashion.  It is exclusive, handmade, and one of a kind. Simply considered as expensive, fashionable clothes produced by leading fashion houses.  Francois Durand/Getty Images It’s so exclusive, in fact, to be categorised as haute couture by the French government brands must have a Paris atelier and meet a quota of 35 show looks per year.   As you can imagine, it’s not cheap. And very few people actually buy haute couture. Less than 500 consumers worldwide purchase pieces regularly, by essentially window shopping haute house shows during fashion weeks and collection launches. But if it really is that exclusive, then how do us common folk fit into the puzzle?   Wether intentionally or not, haute couture serves as the building blocks for other designers, high end or otherwise. While a hand sewn, hand beaded, meticulously crafted gown or blouse sounds stunning, could any of us realisti...

by Tanvi Shah   The fashion industry has always been rife with harsh realities, and one of the most pressing issues is the pressure to fit into a "sample size”.   Sample size typically refers to the standard measurements used by designers to create clothing samples. These are for their collections which are then worn by models during fashion shows and used for photo-shoots.   But what is considered sample size? Typically, it is a size 0 in the United States, which equates to a UK size 4. The pressure to fit into a sample size is immense, and it falls primarily on the models.  Models are expected to maintain a certain body type and size to be able to wear any clothing for the runway or in campaigns. This expectation is not only unrealistic but also damaging to the mental and physical health of these professionals.  The fashion industry has been known to glorify thinness and perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards. It is time to question the industry's right to co...