Zendaya is the opposite of a "smug married", except on last night's red carpet for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which took place in a meltingly-hot Paris, she had every right to be; not so much because of her husband but because of what she had chosen to wear: a gorgeously oversized T-shirt. Vintage, and naturally depicting the film's titular superhero, it was cool in both senses of the word; a lesson in undone summer dressing and not trying too hard.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The vintage T-shirt—or, in some cases, the vintage-esque T-shirt—is proving to be a hot-girl saviour this summer (especially if you dress it up with a pair of jelly shoes or smouldering heels). Jennifer Lawrence's off-duty wardrobe revolves around a rotation of tees—one of which pledges her allegiance to Mickey Mouse—which she pairs with elevated joggers or studded pants.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Alexa Chung is known for her vintage nous but, also, her "outfitcam" selfies that she's been posting on Instagram, most of which include what is a graphic or slogan tee (that's either vintage or has a lived-in look) from her extension collection.
Teaming hers with the ideal heatwave bottom half—fluid slips that grace the mid-calf—Chung makes a (very convincing) case for re-embracing the vintage-looking T-shirt, an item of clothing that might have defined your early '00s wardrobe if you were obsessed with the Olsens.
Vestiaire Collective's T-shirt section carries a wealth of pre-loved designer tees, but, really, your best bet is probably hanging in your local charity shop or nearest vintage boutique. And like Zendaya, who chose a motif that meant something to her, the best tee will telegraph something about your personality, whether that's your favourite band or cartoon character.
Shop The Best "Vintage" T-Shirts
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Every two years, Venice hosts the Biennale d’Arte—the world’s largest and longest-running international art exhibition. Sometimes called the Art Olympics, the Biennale is made up of dozens of competing national pavilions, alongside two large-scale group shows put together by a guest curator. Programmed to coincide with this are hundreds more exhibitions, performances and interventions that turn the city into a unique cultural phenomenon.
The Venice Biennale is the art world’s most storied stage. From a performance pioneer making history to a feminist icon debuting new work, below (in no particular order!) is my pick of some of the women telling the most inspiring and powerful stories this year.
THE WOMEN OF VENICE BIENNALE 2026
LUBAINA HIMID AT THE BRITISH PAVILION
(Image credit: Lubaina Himid ‘Boatbuilders’, Courtesy the artist and the British Council )
Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid transforms the British Pavilion into a beautiful meditation on belonging. Predicting History: Testing Translation brings together vibrant large-scale multi-panel paintings, with works on found objects, ‘kanga’ paintings, and a soundscape made in collaboration with artist Magda Stawarska.
Himid, who was born in Tanzania and raised in the UK, describes the exhibition as “a guide to navigating life beyond one’s roots and to understanding what home can mean”. In that context, the neo-classical architecture of the pavilion, which opened in 1909 at the height of the British Empire, seems the perfect site to reflect on questions of national and personal identities, and what it means to make a home in a new place.
(Image credit: Jenny Saville, courtesy the artist and and Ca’Pesaro)
British painter Jenny Saville’s first major exhibition in Venice traces her practice from the 1990s to the present. The show brings together more than thirty canvases and works on paper, including new pieces created in homage to the city, alongside some of Saville’s most recognisable early nudes, which revitalised figurative painting while raising questions about societal perceptions of the body.
Saville’s practice is deeply rooted in the history of painting—Venetian painting in particular has become an essential reference for the artist. Placed here on the Grand Canal, in conversation with masters of Venice’s past, her work feels very much at home.
Ca' Pesaro, International Gallery of Modern Art, Santa Croce 2076, Venice Until 22November 2026 www.capesaro.visitmuve.it
DANA AWARTANI AT THE SAUDI ARABIA PAVILION
(Image credit: Dana Awartani ‘May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones’ installation view, photo: Alive Busetto courtesy Visual Arts Commission)
Dana Awartani’s May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones, throws focus onto cultural heritage under threat. The artist invites visitors into an imaginary archaeological site, inspired by historically and materially important mosaics from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, whose shared motifs and traditions highlight common cultures spanning three millennia.
The work covers the entire pavilion floor and comprises 29,000 handmade bricks, made in collaboration with 32 master craftspeople over 30,000 hours. Fabricated without binding agents, the bricks crack as they dry, representing the fragility of places across the world that have suffered devastating damage through man-made conflict and violence.
The presentationis curated by Antonia Carver, the UK-born Director of Art Jameel in Dubai and Saudi Arabia and, as with much of the work she has a hand in, it stayed with me long after I left it.
Arsenale, Sestiere Castello, Campo Della Tana 2169/F, Venice Until 22 November 2026 www.saudipavilion.org
KATE MCCGWIRE AT FONDAZIONE DRIES VAN NOTEN
(Image credit: ‘The Only True Protest is Beauty’ installation view: Comme des Garçons Spring/Summer 2025, Christian Lacroix Fall/Winter 2004, Kate MccGwire ‘Stifle’, photo: Mattero de Mayda courtesy the artist and Fondazione Dries Van Noten)
The inaugural exhibition from Fondazione Dries Van Noten, The Only True Protest Is Beauty comprises more than 200 works of art, design, jewellery, and fashion—including stunning archive pieces from Comme des Garçons and Christian Lacroix—and explores beauty as a force for provocation and transformation. The title comes from one of American writer Phil Ochs’ 60s activist anthems, “In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty” —the concept being that beauty can be unsettling, awakening and rejuvenating.
Despite this context, the title didn’t sit entirely comfortably with me. However, I could very comfortably spend hours in the exhibition—an extraordinary celebration of craftsmanship across disciplines, exquisitely curated by Dries Van Noten himself. Amongst many highlights are Stifle and Murmur—two pieces by British sculptor Kate MccGwire, known for creating mesmerising ‘three-dimensional paintings’ using the feathers of common birds.
NALINI MALANI AT KIRAN NADAR MUSEUM OF ART IN VENICE
(Image credit: Nalini Malani ‘Of Woman Born’, courtesy Kiran Nadar Museum of Art copyright Nalini Malani)
For the second edition running, Kiran Nadar—arguably India’s most influential collector and founder of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art—presents a large-scale immersive work in Venice. This year, legendary artist Nalini Malani’s Of Woman Born transforms a former salt warehouse into a “thought chamber” filled with 67 animations made from over 30,000 iPad drawings, accompanied by a 20-minute soundscape of women’s voices.
The work is inspired by the Greek myth of Orestes, who murdered his mother and her lover in revenge for them killing his father. Though pursued by the Furies, Orestes was saved from punishment by the goddess Athena. Here, Malani meditates on this myth and its resonance with present-day wars, where accountability is rare and women continue to bear the brunt of patriarchal violence.
Magazzini del Sale n° 5, Fondamenta Zattere Ai Saloni, Dorsoduro 262, Venice Until 22 November 2026 www.knma.org
FLORA YUKHNOVICH AT VICTORIA MIRO VENICE
(Image credit: Flora Yukhnovich ‘Peas in a Pod’ (detail), courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery)
Currently on show at the Venice outpost of British gallery Victoria Miro, London-based Flora Yukhnovich is one of the most compelling painters working today. Her exhibition Egg is inspired by storytelling: myths, Biblical accounts and fairy tales, particularly those that feature fantastical conceptions and births.
Yukhnovich’s paintings are at once dreamy and unsettling and, hung against a large mural she has painted on site, they take on an almost ancient or mythical feel. One can easily imagine these works living on the walls of the gods and (wo)men whose legends they take inspiration from.
Victoria Miro Venice, San Marco 1994, Venice Until 4 July 2026 www.victoria-miro.com
Gabrielle Goliath’s Elegy is the biennale exhibition that almost never was. Originally selected as South Africa’s official presentation, the project was controversially ‘decommissioned’ before the entire national pavilion was cancelled. The work is now presented independently, and with particular resonance, in one of Venice’s many beautiful churches.
An elegy is a lament, and here it manifests as films of eight vocal performances dedicated to those who have been lost to violence or injustice – often women and minorities. As mournful as the work is, it is equally elevating. A truly sublime collective experience, the absence of which would have been genuinely tragic.
Chiesa di Sant’Antonin, Salizada S. Antonin, Castello 3477, Venice Until 31 July 2026. Following Venice, Elegy will be presented at Ibraaz in London (October 2026) and ICA Milano (January 2027) www.elegyinvenice.com
Lahore-born, London-based artist Faiza Butt represents Pakistan with Punj•AB: A Sublime Terrain—one of the most beautiful presentations of the biennale. The exhibition is inspired by a region that is both a deeply personal geography for the artist and a historically rich site, shaped by millennia of trade, migration and cultural exchange.
Butt has filled the exhibition space with monumental and magnificent tapestries that combine dhurrie weaving, ikat, jacquard, and hand-spun cotton, and map the rise and fall of civilisations through colour and composition. A film work shot in a factory introduces viewers to rituals, labour, and communal life of Punjab today, juxtaposing rural traditions with industrialisation, and creating a through line from the past into the future.
Ex Farmacia Solveni, Dorsoduro 993-994, Venice Until 22 November 2026 @pakistan_pavilion_2026
Judy Chigaco is a living legend. At 87, the artist—probably best known for her iconic project The Dinner Party—is having one of the richest moments of her already extraordinary career, creating vital new work, which can be seen for the first time at Alberta Pane Gallery this summer.
The Materiality of Judy Chicago offers a sweeping survey of her six-decade practice, from 1960s minimalist sculptures and The Dinner Party’s iconic plates to eight new glass and bronze sculptures, created in collaboration with internationally-renowned Venetian glass specialists, Studio Berengo.
For many years, Chicago has been a museum-level artist. This is a rare opportunity for fans to see her work in the intimate setting of one of Venice’s best independent galleries.
Gallerie Alberta Pane, Dorsoduro 2403H, Calle dei Guardiani, Venice Until 22 November 2026 www.albertapane.com
ARCHIVIO is Dayanita Singh’s tribute to the Italian archives she has photographed over the past decade, as well as her growing archive of images she’s taken of Italian architecture, interiors, artworks, friends, and more.
Singh is renowned not only for her photography, but also for challenging the concept of the exhibition, and the museum itself, as something static. She has reinvented both as living and evolving experiences, through an exquisitely-designed portable display system that can be used from architectural scale to that of furniture, or even a book. The system is used to perfection in Singh’s Venice presentation, which is part photographic exhibition, part sculptural installation, and wholly worth seeing.
Archivio di Stato, Campo dei Frari, San Polo 3002, Venice Until 31 July 2026. After Venice, the exhibition travels to Rome, Turin and New Delhi. www.dayanitasingh.in
LORNA SIMPSON AT PINAULT COLLECTION PUNTA DELLA DOGANA
(Image credit: Lorna Simpson ‘Head on Ice’, photo: James Wang courtesy the artist)
Over almost 50 years, François Pinault, Founder of the luxury fashion group Kerring (Gucci, YSL, Balenciaga, Bottega Venetta) has built an extraordinary collection of over 10,000 works of contemporary art. In 2006, he created his first exhibition space at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, followed soon after by a second at Punta della Dogana. Along with a third space in Paris, they offer an opportunity to see pieces from the collection within a programme of world-class exhibitions.
One of four such shows running to coincide with the biennale, Third Person is the most significant presentation of American artist Lorna Simpson’s work in Europe for more than a decade. The exhibition brings together around 50 paintings, collages, sculptures, installations, and films, spanning more than 20 years, with the most striking being a series of monumental, majestic female figures.
(Image credit: Marina Abramović ‘Transforming Energy’ installation view, courtesy the artist and Galleria dell’Academia)
Perhaps the most world’s most famous performance artists, Marina Abramović makes history by becoming the first living woman to be given a major solo exhibition at the Gallerie dell’Accademia. Transforming Energy marks the artist’s 80th birthday and brings together iconic works from across her career with new pieces made for the show.
In recent years, Abramovic has become increasingly interested in Buddhism and spirituality, and one highlight of the exhibition is a room of her Transitory Objects—stone beds and structures embedded with crystals that visitors are invited to lie, sit or stand upon, activating what Abramović calls “energy transmission”. Another highlight —and one that could only happen in Venice—is the installation of Abramovic’s Pietà, a work made with former partner Ulay, placed in direct dialogue with Titian’s unfinished masterpiece of the same name.
Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, Campo della Carità - Dorsoduro 1050, Venice Until 19 October 2026 www.gallerieaccademia.it
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM & FRIENDS AT THE PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION
She’s no longer here in person, but Peggy Guggenheim’s spirit lives on in Venice as much as any artist’s. Guggenheim was born into a famously wealthy family, and was an avid collector of art. Before she settled in Venice, where her collection has its permanent home, she spent time in London, presenting work by avant-garde artists in her Cork Street gallery, Guggenheim Jeune.
Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector is the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to this period, when Guggenheim organised more than 20 shows over 18 months, including Kandinsky’s first UK solo. As well as a chance to see some of the world’s greatest artworks, this exhibition offers an insight into the influential personal and professional networks that helped Guggenheim shape her vision, and eventually made her one of the most revolutionary collectors and patrons in history.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Dorsoduro 701, Venice Until 29 October 2026. After Venice, the exhibition travels to the Royal Academy of Arts, London (November 21, 2026–March 14, 2027) and the Guggenheim New York (April 16, 2027–September 12, 2027). www.guggenheim-venice.it
MARÍA MAGDALENA CAMPOS-PONS AT THE CENTRAL PAVILION
(Image credit: María Magdalena Campos-Pons + Kamaal Malak_Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh and Toni Morrison, courtesy the artist and Venice Biennale.)
Installed at the heart of the Central Pavillion, the venue for one of the two main curated exhibitions, María Magdalena Campos-Pons’ monumental Anatomy of the Magnolia Tree for Koyo Kouoh and Toni Morrison is one of the most affecting works of the Biennale. The painting is simultaneously a shrine, elegy and affirmation – rightly placing the late curator Koyo Kouoh at the centre of the Biennale she conceived.
Giardini della Biennale, Sestiere Castello, Venice Until 22 November 2026 www.labiennale.org
KOYO KOUOH THROUGHOUT VENICE
(Image credit: Tribute to Koyo Kouoh by Otobong Nkanga, photo: Bakul Patki)
Last but not least, the late, great Koyo Kouoh’s influence is tangible throughout Venice. Kouoh was the widely admired Cameroonian-Swiss Executive Director of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa in Cape Town and the curator of this edition of the Venice Biennale. Tragically, she died almost exactly a year before the biennale opened. However, her vision has been realised posthumously by the team she put together before she passed.
Kouoh’s concept In Minor Keys calls for a shift away from spectacle, towards a more nuanced, quieter experience.
Her introduction to the theme began:
[Take a deep breath] [Exhale] [Drop your shoulders] [Close your eyes]
And continued, “This is an invitation to…… shift to a slower gear and tune in to the frequencies of the minor keys. Because, though often lost in the anxious cacophony of the present chaos raging through the world, the music continues. The songs of those producing beauty in spite of tragedy, the tunes of the fugitives recovering from the ruins, the harmonies of those repairing wounds and worlds.”
It is a statement that has clearly influenced so many artists at the biennale and beyond, and one that I’ll be holding onto for a long time to come.
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You'd have had to have been living under a rock not to have heard of Krissy Cela, one of the most globally renowned personal trainers and fitness entrepreneurs.
The Albanian-born, LA-based entrepreneur first launched her career while studying law in London, sharing gym content online that quickly amassed an engaged and loyal following thanks to her gimmick-free, reliable approach.
Following her online success, Cela launched her first business, EvolveYou, a global fitness platform with one simple aim: to encourage more women to take up strength training and build their confidence in the weights section.
In 2020, she went one step further, launching her now multi-million-pound activewear brand, Oner Active and appointing Zach Duane, the former CEO of Victoria Beckham, to help steer the business. The performance-led brand's ethos is simple: to create workout kit that performs as well during serious training sessions as it does throughout everyday life - think functional, minimal pieces designed with both lifting and looking good in mind.
And since then, both brands have gone from strength to strength: 2025 figures show Oner reported £80.8 million in annual sales, plus a £8.4 million profit for 2024, doubling revenue compared to the previous year.
Cela's aim is simple: to make strength training more accessible, particularly for women navigating confidence, consistency, and long-term health goals. Her school programme, Project Power, sees Cela and team head into schools and demystify weights to young girls; she's adamant to reframe exercise as something empowering rather than punishing.
What makes Cela unique is her unwavering passion for strength training and desire to spread the magic far and wide. Strength training has changed her life, and she's built an entire business empire around sharing that with you. EvolveYou shares plans to make lifting less intimidating; Oner sells clothes that make you feel empowered while doing so; and Project Power gives the next generation the tools to move their bodies without fear.
Below, Cela shares her first Marie Claire Masters piece, centred on why, exactly, strength training is so pivotal in your 30's, 40's, 50's and beyond. She knows first-hand that it should be a non-negotiable in your workout routine, and breaks down how the workout is about far more than just aesthetics; rather, the key to mental strength, hormonal health, and metabolic resilience. Because building muscle is one of the most powerful long-term investments you can make in your body.
Why you should make strength training a part of your weekly workout rotation, according to Krissy Cela
I first discovered strength training while studying law at university, and I immediately fell in love with the empowering feeling that it gave me. I loved it so much that I went on to obtain a Personal Training qualification so I could help more women feel the way that I feel.
Strength training has always represented a determined, goal-oriented mindset and unwavering work ethic; it can also play such a pivotal role in building confidence, plus help to balance/reset your nervous system and clear your mind, all while helping your body be the best it can be. The power of strength training never ceases to amaze me.
Strength training has always made me feel stronger, not just physically but mentally as well. After having my son, being in the gym helped me to regain a sense of routine and to reconnect with myself. Seeing what my body is capable of achieving has always given me confidence, whether that’s in the gym or anywhere else.
I’ve always believed that every woman should strength train to enhance their physical and mental well-being - it’s about building strong bodies and even stronger minds. This is why I started both EvolveYou and Oner Active: to enable and empower as many women as I can to move their bodies.
Strength training especially important for women. When we're young, strength training helps us build a strong foundation by increasing muscle mass, improving bone density, boosting confidence and creating healthy habits that support us for years to come. As we age, strength training becomes even more important because we naturally begin to lose muscle and bone density, particularly during and after menopause. By continuing to strength train, we can maintain our independence, support our metabolism, reduce the risk of injury and osteoporosis, and stay strong enough to do the things we love.
It’s imperative that we encourage young girls to create healthy habits as early on as possible, which is why we introduced our schools initiative, Project Power, in 2023. We know there are so many factors leading to young girls disengaging with physical activity, including body image and puberty, so our mission really is to transform the way that young girls perceive it and empower them to want to move their bodies.
Project Power aims to introduce strength training to young girls by visiting schools nationwide and hosting women-led, women-only workshops with young girls to educate them about movement, strength training and confidence. We also recognise that the cost of activewear can be a barrier to entry for a lot of girls and their families, so at each of these workshops, we provide the girls with kits of free suitable activewear (a sports bra, T-shirt and leggings), which will support them as they grow. To date, we’ve hosted over 4,500 workshop participants and gifted our activewear kits to over 18,000 teenage girls.
(Image credit: Krissy Cela)
Feeling empowered > fear of getting “bulky”
The biggest myth about strength training is the trope that women who lift weights are bulky and ‘masculine’. Nonsense. A woman who lifts is strong, and while strength looks different for every body, strength is undeniably and universally beautiful.
Thankfully, I think people are starting to move away from this narrative. While historically, women were told that strength training and lifting heavy was reserved for bodybuilders and that low-intensity movement and cardio were more effective ways of maintaining a ‘feminine’ figure, social media has given us clear, tangible examples of the real impact and results that strength training can have on the body.
One of the most powerful things about strength training is that it shifts your focus from how your body looks to what it can do. As you progress in your training, you start to appreciate your body for its strength, resilience, and capability rather than just its appearance.
Moving your body should never be about shrinking yourself. It’s about feeling stronger in who you are and what you’re capable of, whatever that may look like.
If you feel nervous walking into the weights section, know that your first time in the weights section can be terrifying. That said, doing anything for the first time can feel intimidating, and as corny as it might sound, the key really is remembering that you’ve done the hardest part - showing up for yourself. Gym-timidation and nervousness are so real, especially for women.
I’m a believer in moving your body in a way that fits your lifestyle and is something you can stay consistent with. That said, for women looking to build strength and see noticeable benefits, I’d recommend aiming for around three strength training sessions per week.
Combined with a balanced, nutritious diet, three sessions can be enough to improve strength, increase muscle mass, boost energy levels, and support overall health. Consistency is far more important than doing the perfect workout plan, so finding a routine that you genuinely enjoy and can maintain long-term is key. I personally have really been enjoying mixing low-intensity movement with my strength training program, and I feel the most confident I've ever felt.
Mastering a handful of fundamental strength-training exercises can provide a strong foundation for lifelong fitness and overall well-being. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, push-ups, and core stability movements help develop strength, balance and stability while supporting healthy bones and making everyday activities easier.
(Image credit: Krissy Cela)
Getting started - wherever you currently are
There is no fitness level you need to reach before you begin. Strength training is for everyone, and every single person in the gym started somewhere. Don’t put pressure on yourself to walk into the gym and lift the weight you’re seeing other people lifting on Instagram or TikTok; it’s your own journey, and progress looks different for everyone.
Focus on building confidence, proper form and technique and remembering to celebrate the small wins along the way. Starting at the lower end of the weight rack and working your way up will be one of the most rewarding feelings. Continue showing up consistently and trusting the process.
Girl, pick up those weights and start lifting!
Shop Krissy's favourites here:
Oner Active Softmotion™ Bralette With Grey Logo
Oner Active Softmotion™ 3/4 Length Leggings With Grey Logo
Oner Active Formesoft™ Fitted Off-The-Shoulder Long Sleeve Top
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Luke Hersheson is undoubtedly one of the most esteemed names in British hairdressing. As co-founder of Hershesons—the salon group that has shaped the way we think about hair for the better part of three decades—he has spent his career at the intersection of editorial, celebrity, and culture, with a client list most hairdressers could only dream of and an eye for the next it-girl haircut that has proved, time and again, to be about six months ahead of the curve.
The first salon he worked in, however, wasn't his own. It was his father Daniel's, on the King's Road in the 1980s—a place he was taken to every Saturday as a child, but rather than bored, he was inspired. "I was surrounded by loads of punks and mods," he says. "There were all these different kinds of tribes and looks that were like fascinating to me."
His father, far from grooming him for the industry, actively put obstacles in his way. He wanted to make sure Luke came to it for the right reasons—and it worked. When Luke eventually found his way to hairdressing, it was on his own terms, armed with a cultural curiosity that's never left him. Decades later, he has a client list that includes Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Keira Knightley, and Dua Lipa, and a salon empire that has rewritten the rules of what a hair appointment can look like. Here, he reflects on the cuts, the clients, and everything in between.
Luke Hersheson pictured with his father, Daniel Hersheson (Image credit: Luke Hersheson)
The shoot that changed everything
Luke had been working steadily—Sunday papers, a few pages for The Face, some i-D—when a booking came in that would change the shape of his career entirely. A shoot with renowned photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, featuring supermodel Gisele Bündchen and a then-unknown Charlotte Tilbury on makeup. "That was my first break," he says simply. "It catapulted me to really understand what great models and great photographers were, and how it made everything look better."
He's candid about how insecure he felt on set. "I had huge imposter syndrome. I got thrown into it at a very young age." The experience functioned less like a launch and more like an apprenticeship—a crash course in high-level creative collaboration. "I was just trying to be a sponge and soak up as much as possible. All their references, all their ideas. If I had the confidence then that I have now, it would have been amazing. But that's what time gives you."
Soon after, Luke booked his first shoot with photographer David Sims, which required him to cut a model's hair off—a model who didn't particularly want it to be cut. "It was kind of emotional," he says. "There was a huge responsibility. But the resulting images were extraordinary."
What the experience really taught him was about the importance of composure. "It was all about confidence. You need a bit of swagger, a bit of arrogance—but you also need to know your stuff." And when it comes to creative direction, he's developed a philosophy he still stands by today: never say no. "The worst that can happen is it doesn't work. But if you show willing, people want to collaborate with you. They want you on set."
The Body Language era
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Kylie Minogue's Body Language era—i.e. latex bodysuits and caramel waves—remains one of the most referenced aesthetic moments of the early 2000s. Luke worked closely with her stylist William Baker to design the look from scratch. "We designed it around Bardot hair," he says, "and I suppose that was before that thing even became what it became—really before that hair look became synonymous with the next couple of decades."
For Luke, the lesson wasn't just about iconography. It was about the gap between editorial trend cycles and how change actually moves. "When you look at macro trends in the salon or on the street, they evolve much slower than you think—over a few years, not every season."
The bob that broke the internet
In 2015, Luke cut Victoria Beckham's hair into what became one of the most copied haircuts of the decade. "Bobs were just coming in," he says. "We were coming out of this moment of long hair." He'd cut Sienna Miller's bob not long before, and Alexa Chung had been rocking hers for years. But when Beckham went for the chop, something really resonated.
"It was a moment of minimalism and effortlessness—you can have a great haircut and look like you don't need to style it." The collaboration itself was very much two-way. "I think I came up with the 'why don't we chop it off?' And she was up for it, strangely. One of those magic moments." He's equally clear about what makes Beckham such a singular client: "She has a very strong sensibility of what she likes and what she doesn't like. That's what makes her brilliant."
Long-term relationships, he says, are where the best work happens. "There's a trust that's magical. The fear of trying things out doesn't exist. I think that's when you do your best work."
(Image credit: Luke Hersheson)
The blow-dry bar boom
The early-to-mid 2000s congestion charge hit London's salons hard. Footfall dropped, and appointments slowly declined. And out of that pressure came something that would redefine the salon experience for the next generation. Daniel Hersheson came up with the concept of a blow-dry bar inside Topshop; Luke designed the menu—and together, they spotted the gap nobody else had seen. "Going for a blow dry in most salons meant a round brush blow dry, and everyone looked the same. Whereas we knew people wanted a beach wave, or a great messy updo, or a braid."
It was an immediate hit. "Everyone was like, 'Oh my god, why didn't we think of that?'" The ripple effect across the industry was tangible—hair menus became standard, and salons were suddenly expected to offer a variety of finishes and styles. "People demanded more from a hairdresser. It wasn't just a bouncy blow-dry anymore."
Hershesons Blow Dry Bars in Topshop, Oxford Circus, in 2007 (Image credit: Luke Hersheson)
Dua, YSL, and the wig no one knew was a wig
More recently, Luke worked on a global YSL campaign with Dua Lipa—an experience that proved to be a different creative context entirely—more of a collaborative machine than a single person's vision. "There are so many ad agencies and creative directors involved," Luke says. "You're really just taking direction at that point." But there's a detail he's happy to reveal: the iconic bob in that campaign wasn't Dua's hair. "It was a wig. She'd grown her hair much longer and they wanted the bob back. You'd never know."
Lessons on great hair
While Hershesons has grown into an empire of three salons and a namesake brand of hair tools and products, Luke's ethos hasn't shifted since the King's Road days. "I hate that some people think they have to get a blow dry to make their hair look good," he says. "Put some Almost Everything Cream on, spritz it with Air Dry Spray, tuck it behind your ears. Work with your natural texture and don't labour over it—it should look like part of you. I think that's what's timeless."
Hershesons
Air Dry Spray
Hershesons
The Great Iron
Hershesons
Almost Everything Cream
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We may all be Googling heatwave sleep hacks—window open, fan on, just a sheet, no duvet, is my personal sweet spot—but working out what to wear to the office in a heatwave feels considerably harder. That bikini and denim shorts, flip flops and mini dress, or shirt and shorts co-ord that looks great in the garden probably won't cut it at work. The women at Milan Fashion Week Men's Spring/Summer 2027, however, seem to have found a failsafe formula that's as simple as it is sleek: black and white.
This is nothing groundbreaking, of course. The two shades have long lived alongside each other in many a minimalist's wardrobe—just look to the Spring/Summer 26 runways of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren for further evidence. But it's precisely this effortless simplicity that makes the pairing so appealing, and the small styling tweaks that keep it from feeling overdone.
(Image credit: Future/Getty Images)
Lightweight natural fabrics like linen, cotton and silk, lay the foundations for looking both cool and comfortable. While structure is what makes them office-appropriate: tailored shorts, midi skirts and dresses that meet even the trickier dress codes.
Layering the two together is what keeps things crisp. A white smock dress with a black fisherman's sandal, a black skirt with a loose linen shirt, a black midi dress with white sandals are just a handful of starting points, none of them complicated.
(Image credit: Future/Getty Images)
Below, an edit of office-friendly black and white staples to take the faff out of heatwave dressing. Nobody needs that extra stress on top of the commute. Though let's be grateful for office aircon.
Shop Black and White Workwear
DÔEN
Melie cotton poplin midi dress
The best-dressed women, it seems, have long worked out that having a small curation of versatile dresses is one easy way to get out of the house faster.
With Nothing Underneath
The Boyfriend: Linen, White
I've found a classic white linen shirt to be a staple for any occasion, whether that be at the beach or in the boardroom.
net-a-porter
Embroidered silk shorts
You're bound to have seen the Toteme trouser and shirt set on many a great dresser, but the shorts feel even more tailored for the warm weather.
Massimo Dutti
Long Flowing Printed Dress With Knot Detail
Fluid shapes and subtle prints are no-brainers in the heat.
ARKET
Tailored Linen Shorts
If you aren't one for dresses or skirts, consider culottes a particularly sleek alternative. And one that's far breezier than trousers.
ALIGNE
Darcy A-Line Mini Dress
Granted, not every office dress code will allow for a mini dress. But for those that do, this Aligne option can be styled in a huge number of ways.
POSSE
Rio linen tank top
White skirts, culottes and trousers will all pair perfectly with this linen button-up waistcoat.
Massimo Dutti
100% Linen Denim-Effect Midi Skirt
A black vest top and flip flops, white shirt and black sandals, or even a blazer on cooler days are just a handful of ways to style this white linen midi skirt.
COS
Sheer Pintucked Dress
This sheer midi works just as well layered over white linen trousers as it would worn alone with a simple white sandal.
ARKET
Arket and Laila Gohar Apron Dress
Arket's collaboration with artist Laila Gohar is selling fast and this apron dress is great proof of why.
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Styling fine jewellery and watches is no longer about precision—it’s about building looks that are entirely your own. This is how we’re wearing jewellery now
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