The Story Behind Leon Bridges’s Show-Stealing Afropunk Look

A few days before Afropunk took over Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park this past weekend, singer-songwriter Leon Bridges stopped by designer Emily Bode’s sun-dappled Chinatown studio to pick out the perfect onstage look. Bridges first discovered Bode when he was getting a suit tailored at Martin Greenfield a few years ago, and spotted one of her shirts hanging in the shop. “I had never seen anything like it,” says Bridges. “I thought it was such an interesting piece.”

The musician’s style has evolved over the years, and Bode has played a central role in that transition. “I started out with a very specific ’50s, ’60s kind of thing—suits only—and the more I’ve grown and matured, I’ve wanted to keep that same aesthetic, but do it in a more modern way.” When it came to updating Bridges’s wardrobe, Bode was the obvious answer. From the day he first laid eyes on Bode’s work, the pair have developed a fruitful working relationship: Bridges memorably wore a custom mustard yellow Bode suit—covered with hand-drawn references to Bridges’s home state of Texas—to the Grammys this past year. Surprisingly, perhaps, the two have only recently met for the first time in person.

Bridges, dressed in an olive green bowling shirt, flared black pants, and gold-accented Gucci loafers, carefully combs through the racks of Bode’s historically grounded handiwork. “The foundation of the brand is domestic textiles that are female-centric in nature, so quilting, mending, appliqué,” Bode says while Bridges picks out three pieces that exemplify this ethos. First, there’s a linen jacket made in India emblazoned with a classic tiger patch, which Bode recreated from the central emblem of a ’50s sports sweater that she originally bought while at college. Then, Bridges sets aside two different shirts made from souvenir tablecloths: typically purchased by World War II soldiers who were stationed abroad, one is more sheer than the other. “They purchased them for their wives or their girlfriends who were back home,” Bode says. “I have one from my grandfather. You see it a lot in vintage stores—sometimes they’re table runners, or sometimes they’re silk underwear from the ’40s that are too delicate to be touched.”

Bridges knew that he wanted to wear one of Bode’s standout pieces to Afropunk. It’s partly thanks to her breathable pieces being capable of withstanding the New York City summer heat, but also because the festival shifted his understanding of his audience in a crucial way early on in his career. “I played Afropunk Paris when I released my first album, and it was a beautiful experience—just beautiful black people. At that time I had the perception that my music wasn’t reaching the black community in a way, but that [performance] totally squashed that perception.”

By the time Bridges takes the stage at the festival itself, he’s narrowed down his selection to the more lightweight shirt of the two: embroidered with miniature trees and pagodas, it serves as a neat reminder of the textile’s WWII-era origins. Bridges has worn two jackets from Bode in that same silhouette in the past. “It’s kind of cropped—soldiers would take military shirts and crop them themselves and have them embroidered, so that’s the idea that we translate into our classic silhouettes,” Bode says.

It’s this preoccupation with the past that is woven through both Bode and Bridges’s work, making their partnership feel completely natural. “I feel like with our brand, the goal is to have shapes that are classic and materials that are comfortable and historic,” adds Bode. “You can take one of our garments and put it in a photograph and not really know what period it’s from. I think Leon’s music speaks to that as well.” She’s right: the very same could be said of the sight of Bridges onstage at Afropunk. Dressed in that sheer shirt and classic blue jeans, his outfit feels somehow both utterly timeless and perfectly of the moment.

Priyanka Chopra Has Found Summer’s Perfect Slip Dress

If summer has one essential, it’s a slip dress. When temperatures rise, it instantly becomes the most cherished closet staple: both effortlessly chic and lightweight enough to withstand the heat. And while there’s no shortage of options available, today Priyanka Chopra stepped out in New York wearing a patterned version that stood above the rest. The actress’s ice blue look, from LA-based label Hale Bob, featured a paisley print filled with illustrations of marine life. Though it took a moment of closer inspection to appreciate the details of coral, fish, and crustaceans, the playful print is what instantly makes the dress more than just a standard summer staple.

Priced at $338, Chopra’s silk dress isn’t Zara-level affordable, but it’s the kind of conversation starting statement piece that ends up earning far more than its value through cost-per-wear. Paired with a petite Ferragamo Boxyz bag in a coordinating shade of blue and glossy nude sandals, the outfit had just the right amount of cool to counteract the current warm front. And fresh from her birthday celebrations last week, what better way to indulge than in a little window shopping to find new sartorial options to beat the heat? For now, though, it seems Chopra has summer dressing covered.

Kim Kardashian West Introduces Kimono, a Shapewear Line “for Every Body”

This morning Kim Kardashian West finally lifted the curtain on her latest project, which has been buzzing about the news for a while now: a line of inclusive shapewear that she’s calling Kimono. The Vogue cover girl, lawyer-to-be, and beauty mogul has been working passionately on this collection for the last year, as she noted in the caption for her Instagram post featuring Kimono’s campaign imagery, which was shot by Vanessa Beecroft (a frequent collaborator with Kanye West). “Kimono is my take on shapewear and solutions for women that actually work,” Kardashian West added. “I would always cut up my shapewear to make my own styles, and there have also been so many times I couldn’t find a shapewear color that blended with my skin tone, so we needed a solution for all of this.” Kardashian West follows in the footsteps of Rihanna, who made her game-changing push for inclusivity and diversity at Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. Describing the imagery, Kardashian West continued, “The third pic is a solution short. I developed this style for all of those times I wanted to wear a dress or skirt with a slit and still needed the support.”

The Kimono Solutionwear line (not officially shapewear) will be available in sizes XXS to 4XL and in nine shades. There is no official launch date as of yet, but Kardashian West has undoubtedly stirred up excitement around the drop through this sneak peek. Of everything Mrs. Kardashian West has done, from makeup to perfume, this launch seems particularly apt for a woman whose body has, controversially, been the subject of many a conversation on TV and social media and in the news. “I’ve been passionate about this for 15 years,” Kardashian West added in her caption this morning. Beecroft’s imagery certainly evokes a sense of female empowerment, and we’d venture to guess that Kardashian West will reach countless women with her new Solutionwear, helping them to feel as confident in their own skin as she is in hers.

First Kendall, Now Gigi Is Bringing Back This Grungy Shoe

While many stylish celebrities are embracing quirky shoe trends such as plastic heels or dad sneakers, there’s a crew of models who prefer the timeless appeal of the grungy Dr. Martens lace-up. The thick-sole’d shoe, which was a classic choice on the ’90s punk scene, has been repeatedly worn by Kendall Jenner in the past month and now, Gigi Hadid is putting her stamp on it, too, albeit with an unexpected twist.

Hitting the streets of New York City today, Hadid was spotted wearing the original black Dr. Martens combat boot. But instead of styling it with an obvious rock ’ n ’ roll getup, she slipped on her signature athleisure instead, giving the chunky footwear a fresh, modern feel. She paired the shoes with a white hoodie by Mandkhai and monogram-printed sweat pants by Burberry, which had a side racing stripe detail. Meanwhile, a navy baseball cap, cross-body buckle bag by Prada, and tiny, round sunglasses finished the look off with sleek polish. Now, the official saying is that three’s a trend, but when both Kendall and Gigi wear something? It means the trend is fast-tracked towards becoming a thing.

Beyoncé Embraces Her Natural Curls in a Showstopping Way

If you’ve watched Beyoncé’s new Netflix documentary, Homecoming, about her headlining set at Coachella, you’re well aware that hairography is a big part of the superstar’s performances. The singer’s seriously epic mane—sometimes worn in long, loose waves, or an extra-long braid—only adds to her superhuman persona on stage.

In her everyday approach to beauty, however, Beyoncé continues to serve up some major hair moments as well. Her latest switch-up? Embracing her natural curls. This weekend, she stepped out in New York City to support her husband Jay-Z, who performed at Webster Hall. For the occasion, she called on longtime hair stylist Neal Farinah to work with her hair’s natural texture. “Rocking that beautiful Creole hair,” Farinah wrote, sharing a photo of Beyoncé’s tight, twisted curls, finished with a sleek side part.

The singer is no stranger to embracing a more natural approach to beauty. For her cover shoot for Vogue’s September issue, she wore barely any makeup, and braided her own hair into cornrows. “Every day, for years, [Beyoncé] has had someone picking at her face, pulling on her hair,” Farinah said. “And at the time of this shoot—especially now that she’s a mother of three, a wife, who tours and does interviews—she said, ‘I want to be myself, guys. I don’t want all this hair and all this makeup. I just want to be free.’” Judging by this latest moment, it’s a spirit she’s still channeling—and it makes for one showstopping end result.