Sara Ziff Speaks Out at the Fashion Workers Act Press Conference

Models are not high on the list of professions that garner public sympathy. YouTube is full of supercuts of them falling on the runway. Eyerolls greet their public complaints. As Sara Ziff, founder and executive director of the labor-advocacy group Model Alliance and a former model herself, readily admits, "I think there's very little public sympathy for models or people working in fashion more broadly, because it's seen as a glamorous profession, a privilege, not really a job."

Still, as her organization's work has shown, models are workers. As are stylists, hairstylists, and makeup artists—the people the Fashion Workers Act, a new bill going before the New York State Senate and backed by State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymember Karines Reyes, aims to protect. Amid a labor revolution that's happening everywhere from Starbucks to media companies, those behind the bill want to draw attention to the exploitation that can be all too common in the fashion industry. The bill would require management companies to pay creatives within 45 days and cease exploitative practices, like including mystery fees or overcharging models for services.

"I've worked off and on as a model since I was 14 years old and I'm turning 40 next month," Ziff says. "And unfortunately, the very same problems that I encountered as a young model are what we hear about every day through our support line." Models have also aired grievances via the anonymous Instagram account @shitmodelmanagement, which Ziff says the Model Alliance was in touch with in advance of announcing the Fashion Workers Act. Accounts like these have provided an outlet for some models to speak up without risking their livelihoods. "If people are scared and don't feel like they have any other avenue to air their grievances," Ziff says, "then it makes sense that they would use social media in that way."

Read more here.

Grindweekly Spotlight: Shoe Brand SoulsFeng

The shoe company “SoulsFeng’s” goal is to introduce to the globe a graffiti art brand made from environmentally friendly materials. Ther founder's lifelong dream has been to interact with and listen to each customer while perfecting the technique of making superior shoes. With graffiti art and technology, their brand is unique. This provides the company an advantage because there are so many ideas that arise when incorporating technology into footwear. The shoe company has been branded an Amazon best-seller and has seen international success with their brand. When the company has a new design or idea, they construct a prototype and solicit feedback from their internal team before releasing a few examples to their connected influencers. Their successful philosophy is simple: Perfect products are not developed in a single day; they require a lot of hard effort and attention. In regard to prospective new shoe companies, their advice to them is to “not keep waiting for the ideal moment since it will never come, but to take action.” To partner with the shoe company or to order merchandise, you may contact the company at soulsfeng.com

Everything You Need To Know About Gel Nail Extensions

Very few things are more satisfying and relaxing for me than a nail salon trip for a fresh set of acrylic nails. It’s the little things that I look forward to that make it so sweet: Picking a nail polish color, the buzzing sound of the electric nail drill smoothing out any roughness on my nail, and, of course, walking away with freshly coated nails to tap, tap, tap on every surface I pass. Then comes the not-so-satisfying parts like the nail breaking, the sometimes painful removal process, and the thin, brittle nails I’m left to nurse back to health for weeks on end. Press-ons are a significantly less expensive option, but they don't last as long as a professionally-applied set. So what to do when you want the look of long acrylic nails without the risk or damage? Enter: gel nail extensions.

What are gel extensions?

What separates gel and acrylics nails is the material that each is made of. An acrylic tip is made of plastic and requires a monomer liquid and polymer powder to create the sculpted nail. In contrast, gel nail extensions are “pre-shaped nail tips that are made completely out of the gel and cover the entire nail,” Trenna Seney, NYC freelance nail manicurist, tells ELLE.com. Think press-on—sans nail glue—but more durable and versatile. Gel nails are a healthier alternative to acrylic nails; they are quicker to apply and even quicker to remove—damage-free. Although you may be tempted to channel your inner nail artist, Seney recommends resisting the urge to do gel extensions yourself, and instead, go see a professional. Until then, here’s a guide of everything you need to know about gel extensions.

Are gel extensions better than regular acrylic?

What makes gel extensions superior in this situation is that it’s not only made of gel for long-wear and durability, but it doesn’t require any harsh chemicals. “There are plenty of benefits, including no damage to your natural nails, the tips are lightweight, there are no fumes, strong odors, and heavy filing," Seney adds. "When my clients remove their gel extensions, their natural nails are longer and stronger.” With acrylic tips, on the other hand, the removal process involves drilling, soaking, and filing. Removing gel extensions simply requires soaking your nails in acetone, which helps the gel tips dissolve. You don’t have to worry about gel extensions preventing you from doing your everyday tasks, either. “The gel tips are pretty strong, so you can do normal daily things without being worried your nail will pop off or lift. I tell my clients try not to touch too much-rubbing alcohol or acetone,” Seney adds, as alcohol and acetone can weaken the gel tip.

How long do gel nail extensions last?

When done professionally, Seney says gel extensions can last up to three to four weeks. Seney adds that if quality products are used you can extend the wear-time for up to five weeks. Seney uses the popular Apres Gel-X system and Medusa Gel Polish for her nail art designs.

How much do gel extensions typically cost?

Gel extensions should run you only a few extra dollars more than the normal acrylic tips. The price is comparable because of how strong and long-lasting gel extensions are. Seney explains that “rates depend on the nail tech’s level of expertise and what the client wants on the nails. Swarovski crystals, hand-painted designs, charms, etc. all come with a hefty price tag. Gel extensions range from $85-$350, the more intricate [the design], the pricier it gets.”

How are gel extensions applied?

• Step 1: Prep the nails. The nail tech will file the client’s nails, push cuticles back, trim dead cuticles, and buff nails. The nails must be clean (and dry) before application.

• Step 2: Find the right size. Take each finger and find the correct size tip that fits. All the nails in a kit of tips have numbers to compare for each hand.

• Step 3: Depending on your nail tech’s skill level, file the inside of the nail tips or apply a layer of acetone. This will create a bit of grip for the adhesive.

• Step 4: Apply bonder liquid to natural nails. Bonder is a dehydrator and you want to make sure your natural nails are as dry as possible with no oils or debris.

• Step 5: Apply primer liquid to natural nails. Primer makes your nails sticky so that it’s easier for the gel to attach. (Both the bonder and primer are included in the Apres Gel X kit)

• Step 6: Apply a thin layer of extend gel to the natural nails. (Clear gel liquid also included in the kit)

• Step 7: Put your hand in the UV/LED lamp for 60 seconds.

• Step 8: Apply some gel to the underside of the tips. Make sure the client’s hand is straight. Apply the gel tip to the natural nail, and press down. As one hand is holding the tip on the client's hand, take your other hand holding a handheld LED light shine it directly on the nail for 30 seconds. Have the client place her hand inside the UV/LED lamp for 60 seconds.

• Step 9: Repeat on all fingers

• Step 10: All done!

Couture Took Us To Infinity And Beyond

Style Points is a weekly column about how fashion intersects with the wider world.

The worlds of sci-fi and couture might not, initially, seem to have much overlap. Except, of course, for the fact that both are rarefied realms with obsessive devotees who gather periodically with Comic Con-level enthusiasm, and where the most minute details are endlessly fixated upon. But that's where the similarities usually end. Which is why it was such a delightful surprise to see references typically reserved for the D&D table pop up at the most recent couture shows.

Take Fendi, where Kim Jones cited the house's home city ("the eternity of Rome, the spirituality of Rome, the celestial Rome") as his primary inspiration, but also drew on the lore of Dune and Star Wars. Jones recently made his way through the 800-page behemoth that is Frank Herbert's book, and, he told WWD, "I’ve always loved Star Wars. I still have Star Wars toys all over my study.” The show opened with a glittering cassock-like gown that Padmé Amidala might've worn, backgrounded by a moody sci-fi set.

Another Dune convert was Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli, who took the house's trademark Surrealism in a sci-fi direction with his first physical show since the beginning of the pandemic. "After two years of thinking about the Surreal," Roseberry explained in his show notes, "I found myself instead thinking about the empyreal: The heavens as a place to escape from the chaos of our planet, but also the home of a mythical high priestess, at once goddess and alien, who might in fact walk among us." His alien goddesses wore Barbarella-by-way-of-Madonna pointy breastplates, or massive disks around their heads and wrists; a Saturn-like ring of gold literally orbited one model.

Science fiction is the ultimate escapist genre (and it helps that lockdown gave many the time to finally pick up volumes like Herbert's.) With the recent remake of Dune, the latest chapter in the Matrix saga, and upcoming releases like After Yang, we seem to be in a boom time for the genre at the multiplex. For moviegoers, the appeal of imagining alternate worlds right now hardly needs explanation—for designers, whose job is in a sense to create their own fantasy realms, it's no surprise that reference points from Blade Runner to 2001: A Space Odyssey pop up all the time.

But science fiction, for all its escapism, has also smuggled in metaphors for some of the darkest parts of our existence, from climate change to American imperialism. Roseberry found himself pondering how to create in such a fraught time, explaining that his last couture collection, an exuberant yawp of gold and otherworldly florals, "was conceived in a brief period of hope: It was April. Vaccines were becoming widely available. Travel was becoming a possibility once again. We could begin to imagine that our collective nightmare was behind us, or at least would soon be.

"And yet, now, braided with that hope is a sense of loss. The loss of people, most wrenchingly. But also, the loss of certainty; our loss of surety; the loss of our collective future. There is also the pervasive sense of exhaustion we all feel: That churn of red-carpet appearances, award shows, even fashion presentations—something about it feels lackluster. Aren’t we all exhausted by all of it? Fashion has insisted upon its relevance over these past two years, and yet I can feel that even some of its practitioners are no longer convinced. What does fashion mean, what does fashion have to say, in an era in which everything is in flux? And, with regards to this Maison, what does surrealism mean when reality itself has been redefined?"

When imagining the future feels so charged, sometimes it's comforting to go back to rosier past visions of what it would be like. While Jones and Roseberry delved into the planetary darkness and uncertainty of this time, other couture collections time-traveled to a more optimistic era, namely the '60's embrace of space travel and its attendant Space Age design. The '60's-fest we saw at spring 2022 ready-to-wear continued here, with Mod white suits at Dior, space cadet cutout leggings at Valentino, and a ruffled gown at Giambattista Valli that was spliced together with a silver leg—Princess Leia meets C-3PO. Remember optimism? Excitement? Technology filling us with a sense of hope as opposed to existential dread? Not since NASA-wear briefly took over fashion circa 2016 has the space race felt this au courant.