The Vogue Weddings curse

8:22Georgie:Saffron secret is so high on my wishes. It's not funny. Okay. But I think you and I should have a little wedding fragrance day.

8:29Madeleine White:Let's do it. Yeah. Can I? I'm down. Of course. I was like, guys, don't forget the formal girl.

8:34Georgie:Okay, well, you two get to bond over being autumn shades all the time. So it's about time, you know, I got something. I'll give it to you.

8:40Madeleine White:I learn something new every time I sit in this chair. EDP, EDT, won't be layering the EDP times two. Glad we can help. Yeah. Thank you.

8:48Georgie:Well, I'm poorer every time we sit in this chair because I feel like I go and buy whatever you guys recommend.

8:52Madeleine White:So do I. Went and bought the candle version of your perfume, the oud, and oh my gosh, last night I did it burning in my house and it was like medicine just wafting up and down the hallway. Like I loved it. It was very sexy. Ooh. Yeah, James thought he got lucky.

9:08Georgie:I was about to say it was triggering and you're like, oh, it's very nice, very sexy. I'm like, ooh.

9:13Madeleine White:She likes me back. I like you. Anyway, I'm going to swap in something just so not sexy. Actually, we could make this sexy. Make it sexy. So this one is going to be quite a divisive trend report, and I don't know if you will be into it. Okay. But the Aladdin-style billowy pants trend. Okay. Have we been seeing this? Go on. I have seen it. It's all over my algorithm, and I'm talking like harem style, like big oversized billowy pants. Yeah. Very, very Euro summer right now, and I feel like Aliyah did a great job with their Spring Summer 25 runway show. Like they really accentuated the trend, but they're doing it in denim and really beautiful cottons and lightweight fabrics as well.

9:51Madeleine White:Yeah. Jacques Mez, I feel like I always butcher saying that, Jacques Mez.

9:56Georgie:Kind of nailed it the second part, I'm not going to lie.

9:59Madeleine White:You know, they've even bought into their ranges. And then obviously brands like Free People have been doing it forever because it's so on brand for them. But I've even seen options on ASOS. And I don't know if I'm going to get behind this trend. I've actually been toying with adding to cart, but I just don't know if I can pull it off. But if I was to do the trend, I feel like I'd wear it like something super fitted up top. So the pants were kind of like the big feature. Yeah. But still undecided.

10:24Georgie:I think if anyone could pull it off, it would be you.

10:27Madeleine White:Could not agree with that more.

10:28Georgie:Yeah. And I would like you to be the sacrificial lamb of the three of us. Because it ain't going on these hips. That's for sure.

10:34Madeleine White:You know what? Every time I go to New York, it's like my alter ego comes out. So maybe I'll get them and we'll see them in my next New York photo album. Do that. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I'll do it. Add to cut.

10:44Georgie:The alter ego. I love that. My alter ego wore a denim short for the first time in about 10 years. So yeah, it turns out. I love that.

10:50Madeleine White:get those legs out.

10:52Georgie:Right, right. Get the oud, get the shorts. Okay, our first headline is that TikToker Madeline White's wedding has everyone talking. So it's the wedding that you've likely seen all across your TikTok and Instagram feeds. But fashion TikToker Madeline White got married last week and it was everywhere. In large parts, thanks to the coverage on Vogue Weddings and all the discussion her dress choices sparked. She's known for DIYing her own outfits and has been documenting her wedding planning journey, including taking her viewers through her potential dresses, which explains why everyone was so hyped up to see the finished product.

11:32Georgie:She brought her DIY pension into her wedding too. She actually DIYed her bridesmaid dresses. So impressive. I thought it was so impressive. They were beautiful dresses too. In total, she showcased four wedding looks, But while commenters adored the bridesmaid dresses, they were divided about her actual wedding dress. One commenter wrote, she tried on all those beautiful gowns, dot, dot, dot, and the comment got 7 ,000 likes. Which is kind of snarky.

12:01Madeleine White:I just don't get it. Like, what is it about weddings and bridal fashion that brings, like, such an open platform for negative commentary? I thought it was very her.

12:09Georgie:I totally agree. You're so right, though, Annika. there's something about a wedding dress that becomes an open slather for a make or break decision of whether someone has style or not. Yeah, I don't get it. How do you feel having been a bride and about to be a bride about what someone would think of your wedding dress? I don't really care, to be really honest with you.

12:32Madeleine White:Great answer. I just love this so much for you. Like Jo has the biggest like if you energy and I love it. Well, I just, if it's something I feel comfortable in. And I think people forget not everything is created for you. A thousand percent. They just don't get it. And so they want to give their opinion. Oh, I didn't like her dress. Okay. Well, that was very her. She loved it, obviously, because that's the dress she chose. Keep it to yourself. A thousand percent. I honestly like, I think a lot of people were quite surprised by my wedding look or my bridal look, just because I never wear like skin tight clothing.

13:05Madeleine White:Like you will never see this body. And then underneath all of this bagginess, there is actually a body. So when people saw me go down the aisle, even my girlfriends, they were like, holy shit. When I saw you at the Henny shoot, I was like, wait, what? I know, there's some legs down there. But I'm actually, yeah, I channel Joe on this one because when it came to finding the dress, I think there's so much like sentimental value and emotional value that goes into that moment. And for me, when I actually put on the dress that I chose, I never in a million years thought that that would be my look, but it was something I loved and I felt confident in.

13:36Madeleine White:And I think that's all that matters.

13:38Georgie:Yeah. Her dress was very unique. Do we feel like there is a move away from that cookie cutter wedding formula that we've come to see?

13:46Madeleine White:Yeah. I think it's all about accessorising now to make your look look very different. Yeah. I kind of feel like there's a bit of pressure around the amount of looks people are doing now. Yes. And that's making me feel a little bit... Yeah. I'm like, I can't afford four different dresses for this one event.

14:05Georgie:Is there a number you think is too many?

14:08Madeleine White:Probably four. That's a lot. Four is a lot. And then if you're thinking about how long her event is as well, like she had like the welcome dinner and then all of the like other events leading up. So many looks, so many events. Like I would love to know how much she spent on her wardrobing. But I feel like there is such excessiveness and elaborateness that comes with all of these like high profile weddings as well. But I think something that she really stuck to was like the overall theme. Like it was very whimsical. Yeah. And I feel like the dresses, the attire, the hand applied aplique, everything was very much.

14:39Madeleine White:I loved the flower crown. It was very cute. Yeah. I think it just tied into her whole look. Like it's not something I would ever personally wear on my wedding day, but I just thought it looked so beautiful on her and it just was very her. Yeah. I know you can appreciate it, right? Yeah. But it was her overall aesthetic and I think it just made sense for her.

14:56Georgie:Yeah. And we had the Vogue collaboration as well, which I thought was genius because I feel like she cut a good check for that. So get that bread, girl. The Vogue bride piece fascinates me as well because apparently, and this is all alleged, there's a lot of rumours about what you can and can't showcase if you are a Vogue bride. So what I have heard is that none of your photos that you intend to publish are to be shown before they're published. So that's where I suspect we've seen a lot of TikTok bride or coverage via Vogue and Instagram or like digital features because obviously brides don't want to be waiting, you know, weeks, months and months to have a publication, you know, have their wedding photos out for them to be sharing with friends and family.

15:41Madeleine White:Yeah. How do we feel about the Vogue to Divorce pipeline that goes around on TikTok? There looks to be quite the trend. I really hope that's not the case.

15:52Georgie:Oh, no. Madeline, wish you a lifetime of happiness. You know, having been there, done that myself, would hope that you don't have to, my girl. Not a Vogue bride, though. Not a Vogue bride. Well, only do it once, maybe twice. Not you two, just the once for you, but second time's the charm for me. But I would say that it's hard to deny that there is a pipeline for a Vogue bride to divorce. Maybe it is the pressure of these grand weddings. And do you think that people have a habit of getting caught up in the wedding and not the marriage? Yeah. I cannot imagine being under that kind of spotlight and pressure and what kind of monsters could be created.

16:32Georgie:Brides, grooms, you know, families. And it's a stressful time. I can't imagine adding Vogue to that.

16:40Madeleine White:Yeah. To loop back to Madeline's wedding for a second, we've never really had this kind of insight into people's weddings and rich people at that. Obviously, you know, she would make good money and it's clear by the amount of money that has been spent on that wedding. And prior to this era, we wouldn't have seen the detail of these weddings 10 years ago even. No. Like celebrity weddings, you might have seen a feature in Vogue and that's all you would see. You wouldn't see all the behind the scenes, all of the additional content that gets shared with us now that gives you the peek inside these events and how extravagant and beautiful and amazing they are.

17:16Georgie:Or fun. Yeah. Like Sophia Ritchie Granger's wedding. Oh yeah. If I could pick a celebrity wedding that I went to, like, hello, the good Charlotte footage of her dancing shoeless on the stage. I was like, I want to go and I want to rock out to that song with them. Like they look like my people. Like I was like, no, you guys would like sing to my jam.

17:35Madeleine White:But does consuming this stuff also make other people feel the pressure, like regular people feel the pressure to have these extravagant events and spend more money and have more dresses and all of these things? Because I feel the pressure a little bit looking at this stuff and I'm like, should I be doing this extra thing at the wedding so it's like a bit more to talk about? I don't know but I don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Without question people feel that

18:00Georgie:pressure. I also feel like it doesn't help that people are creating social profiles for themselves off the back of their wedding. It's almost like people are using it as a vessel of investment to start their own personal profiles. Yeah. And that's a lot of pressure on your wedding and your marriage as well. I go to weddings now and I'm like, I mean, it's great as a guest, I'm having the time of my life, but I'm like, what happened to just like a little menu card and like a ripping DJ? Did I just use the word ripping?

18:29Madeleine White:It's literally like the PR moment becomes the focus rather than the nuptials and the actual meaning of the wedding itself. And I think that just ties right back into that Vogue theory of it being the more elaborate and opulent the wedding, then the faster the pipeline to divorce. And it's just such a wild trend. But it's also Also, it makes me think now with Anna Wintour handing over the baton, does that mean maybe the curse will break?

18:51Georgie:Maybe. Yeah, maybe. And then we have the stark contrast of Charlie XCX eloping over the weekend. I don't know if you guys saw this. I'm assuming you both did. The wraparound sunglasses. It was so brat. It was brat. It was a brat wedding. Do you know what I loved about this was that she just looked exactly like she usually does. That dress was an off-the-rack Vivienne Westwood. You know, I'm sure it was tailored to her. but she's like having a singing and a wine outside the pub with George. And I just loved how nonchalant the whole thing seemed. Yeah. Because they clearly love each other. Like she's spoken about him before.

19:27Georgie:And I just kind of loved that there was nothing grand about it. It is rumoured that they are having a much grander affair.

19:33Madeleine White:Okay.

19:33Georgie:But I think I will probably still love this one the most. I love that.

19:37Madeleine White:I've actually been to a registry wedding before and it was the funnest day. Like I almost gave like Sex and the City vibes. like one of my girlfriends, Steph, she wore like a really beautiful white suit. And then Dave, he just looks so handsome in his suit as well. And it was very intimate. There was only eight of us. Oh, like, I know I cried. How special to be invited. They gave me the task of actually filming. And I was like, why did you do that? He was shaking and sobbing.

20:00Georgie:He needed to get you one of those like stabilizer handgreens.

20:03Madeleine White:But it's such a cool event. And then we did a little like intimate long lunch together as a team. And I was like, huh, it's such a cool thing to do. Like, I feel like if I was having an overseas wedding or even had the option to elope. So I would go down that path.

20:15Georgie:Yeah. I think that might be my second wedding.

20:18Madeleine White:I definitely could have eloped.

20:19Georgie:Yeah.

20:19Madeleine White:You could have. Yeah. You could have.

20:21Georgie:So Adrian. We're not, so that's fine. Adrian's the bridezilla.

20:25Madeleine White:Yeah. No, he's very social compared to me. Yeah.

20:29Georgie:He's a very popular man. He is. I can't imagine why. He can cook. He cleans. He does it all.

20:35Madeleine White:Shout out to you, Adrian. I'm an extroverted introvert, so I'm going to need my regrouping time. halfway through.

20:40Georgie:Does your run sheet, have you seen that TikTok trend where it's got like run sheets, like, you know, 15 minute introvert time?

20:46Madeleine White:Yeah, I'm going to need some TikTok time halfway through.

20:49Georgie:15 minute death scroll and quiet time with overstimulation.

20:53Madeleine White:Yeah. I actually can't wait to see the behind the scenes footage of this. Like even with Madeline White, when she had that moment on TikTok, when she was trying to like having a panic attack, getting out of her dress and everyone was like, you know, fanning her. It's going to be okay.

21:06Georgie:To be honest, I felt like I was intruding on a very private moment watching that.

21:10Madeleine White:Yeah, it was a bit private, wasn't it? Yeah, it was very private.

21:14Georgie:We watched her whole wedding, so I shouldn't act like that was a private moment.

21:17Madeleine White:And I think for someone that really shares a lot on TikTok, it felt like we were being brought along on the journey. Yeah, I agree.

21:23Georgie:Next, we're discussing a trend we've been seeing everywhere, but that will be right after a word from today's sponsor.

21:35All right.

21:36Madeleine White:So a little trend report for you on polka dots. So this is a trend that has been steadily growing in popularity for a little while now. We've definitely touched on it on the show before and it's showing no signs of slowing down. In an article for Vogue on its rising popularity, Olivia Allen explains how it's part of a wider trend embracing 80s aesthetics. consumers are increasingly rejecting quiet luxury in favor of something louder and more decadent we are it seems entering the age of boom boom a term coined by trend forecaster sean monaghan to describe the return of unapologetic 80s excess the polka dot fits neatly into this new landscape having appeared on runways everywhere from fendi to machino to isabel moront the print has been having a major moment both on and off the runway with trendalytics data showing a 260 percent increase in search volume for polka dot items in 2025.

22:27Madeleine White:How do you guys feel about this trend? Have you been adding anything polka dotty into your wardrobe? I feel like I saw you wearing polka dots, Madison. Guilty. Yeah.

22:38Georgie:Yes. I bought a polka dot dress. I think the brand's called LCA from Revolve like a year ago. Actually sat at the back of my wardrobe and I pulled it out for New York because I thought it was nice and lightweight. But when I knew we were going to cover polka dots, I was like, oh, yes, I also have this like midi Lee Matthews cotton dress that I bought maybe six, seven years ago that I wear every summer and always get so many compliments. But have a funny relationship with polka dots because they always remind me of that scene from the Sex and the City. We've covered Sex and the City so much. I love it.

23:09Georgie:When Charlotte York's like heavily pregnant out the front and she was like, no, no, don't. I crossed the day you were born. And then her water breaks. So I love Charlotte York. I always one on Channel Charlotte York. How do you feel about Polka Dots, our trend report queen?

23:22Madeleine White:Wow. I actually feel like we definitely touched on this last year. And I think when we're speaking about classics being reimagined, Polka Dots was one of those biggest, I would say, trend reports that we had at the time. You know, designers are playing with scale. They're blowing them up. They're putting them into different colours and colour blocking. And we're seeing them in different textures and fabrications. Like even at Australian Fashion Week this year, I just loved Bianca Spender's take on the polka dot trend. It was very femme. It was a little bit different. But like we've seen brands like Sue, the label do really cute like micro polka dots.

23:53Madeleine White:Yeah. On like a sheer kind of Georgette base, which I'm absolutely loving. Yeah. But I feel like I'm just not a print girl, but I feel like if I am to do the print.

24:02Georgie:I think you could get around like the Bianca Spender style. I think so too.

24:05Madeleine White:And you were saying with Jean.

24:07Georgie:With Jean. Like they've got some good stuff too.

24:08Madeleine White:Oh my God, they do. They've got the cutest like, they're actually doing like polka dot color blocking and then reversing it. So you could do like a white base top with like the navy base skirt. But then I'm also seeing a lot of really cute swimwear. So I'm like, maybe if I do the trend, I might, you know, get around some swim.

24:22Georgie:A little Keeney's cute.

24:23Madeleine White:A little Keeney. Yes, I've seen Kylie Jenner in the polka dot bikinis. Oh, yeah. Saw Hailey Bieber in some little capri pants, Olivia Rodrigo in some little short shorts. I feel it's a very summer type of print. Yeah. I just don't know if it translates well into winter. So I think for us, we're probably going to see a lot more of it. this summer coming and a lot more of our local Aussie brands running polka dots. Yeah. Because I think it is a trend as such, but it's something that you could continue to wear in your wardrobe and it's not going to be like, oh, that's not cool anymore. Yeah. But it's maybe not something that we see run in every season by every brand.

25:00Madeleine White:It's one of those things that kind of goes in cycles. I like a polka dot, but it depends what it's on. I don't love a black and white polka dot. You like a brown polka dot. I like a brown polka dot. Exactly. Or I like kind of a coloured polka dot or something a little bit brighter, you know, in kind of like a sundress or something like that. I can definitely get around it. Also love a little polka dot scarf in the hair. Yeah. I love that.

25:21Georgie:And I think that's such a good way to play into it if you don't want to go and invest in a piece of clothing, like a little scarf to use as a necktie or to use in your hair. I don't know if you guys have been seeing as well. I don't know if it's for me, but there's the folded silk scarf trend around the hips at the moment. If you had one of those Lola Tan, Lola Tan. Overpants. Yeah.

25:41Madeleine White:I touched on this last week, actually, in my swapping.

25:45Georgie:Yeah. I don't know if it's for me, but I feel like if you wanted to play with a little polka dot moment, that could be a good one. Definitely. But you better believe I'll be dragging out the Lee Matthews. I also did get that Bianca Spender polka dot top, so that clearly worked on me.

25:57Madeleine White:Yeah.

25:58Georgie:Maybe I do love polka dots. I think she's into them.

26:00Madeleine White:You know what? I'll let you in on another little hot tip. I've seen a sneak peek at some upcoming collections for this Australian resort season and even into spring, summer next year. and there's a lot more polka dots to come. And I think a lot more kind of continuations and variations playing with the scale and the textures again. And even, yeah, I won't give too much away, but there's some really cool Aussie designers bringing out some cool polka dot options. So I'll save that for next time. Would you two agree that polka dots feel like a very feminine kind of pattern? Like if you tend to dress a little bit more androgynous, a little bit more masculine, it maybe isn't something that feels naturally like a pattern you would gravitate towards?

26:38Madeleine White:Do you know what? I also think sometimes they can look a little bit more traditional. Like sometimes I feel like people think polka dots are very traditional. Yes. There's so many iconic looks of like Princess Diana and polka dots and like just looking very like regal. But I think now playing with scale and like just seeing different designers doing them in a way that doesn't feel also too retro. Like I think they're having this really nice modern kind of medium. Agree.

27:00Georgie:Yeah, I totally agree. I would say I'm more of an androgynous dresser. I think I wear a lot of like structure and, you know, it's not uncommon to see me in like jeans and shirts or blazers and jackets. I definitely felt more femme in polka dot. But for me, I am leaning towards more femme silhouettes with a polka dot. I wouldn't do a polka dot shirt. Yeah. Or like a structured pencil. Like I think for me, it is going to be those more romantic sort of shirts and, you know, chiffons and things like that, that kind of lend themselves to that whimsical shape so that it doesn't feel so 80s retro.

27:33Madeleine White:I actually now think I'm into polka dots too. I just saw this super cute like sheer skirt and it was all sheer, but it's like a really beautiful cream and black polka dot. And I was like, oh, I could get around that.

27:43Georgie:Yeah, totally. Odd Muse have also done quite a bit of polka dots. Yes. There's a girl on TikTok, Caitlin. Amigo? Yes, Caitlin Amigo. She's an Aussie. And she had this like black Odd Muse dress. It was super structured, super sexy. Like, oh, she looked incredible in that dress. I was like, I want that dress. Well, there we go. So we do all love you. So we polka dots. Polka dots. Polka dots are forever. As long as they're brown for Jo and we're here.

28:19Georgie:Our next headline, controversial one, look out. Are we seeing less and less of leggings?

28:26Madeleine White:Maybe. I'm so unsure on this one. I think no, but let's define a legging.

28:31Georgie:Define the legging for you. So we're talking like a fitted legging.

28:35Madeleine White:Okay, so fitted down to the ankle.

28:37Georgie:Yeah, or like a three-quarter. I don't know anyone that wears a three-quarter legging. If you do, good for you. It's just not for me. Without a doubt, I'm seeing less leggings. I feel like I'm seeing so many of those flare pants out and about.

28:49Madeleine White:I'm going to be honest with you. I have five pairs of flare pants. I actually wear the nimble flare pants and I look six with them. Yeah, I have four or five pairs of different colours. Love them. Best length.

29:01Georgie:So a girlfriend of mine had the Lululemon ones and I went into a store to try those on because she looked fantastic. I don't know that they're made for 5 '3 gals. I disagree. I think I'm a legging loyalist.

29:14Madeleine White:Okay, there we go. Well, that's okay as well if you want to be. I still wear a legging to work out.

29:18Georgie:Yeah.

29:19Madeleine White:But maybe we're seeing less leggings in an athleisure setting.

29:23Georgie:Do you know what I was thinking about the other day too, which is fascinating? What did our parents work out in before the legging? Parachute pants. and like tracksuit. Yeah. Like they would go for a run in a sweat. Oh my gosh, they did. Can you imagine putting your trackies on and going out for a jog?

29:38Madeleine White:I could literally draw my mum's active wear, like outfit she used to wear to the gym when I was like four years old, down to the colours and the pattern on it. Oh my gosh, do you know what my mum wore, which is so now in vogue? Did you guys see that picture of Zoe Kravitz and she was wearing the athletic shorts and the oversized tee? She looked so good. Yeah, my mum used to wear those like little athletic shorts. Yeah, same I think actually.

29:58Georgie:I know how you are who you are now, if that's how your mum would work. It all makes sense. I know, she was an icon. Still is. Well, a recent Business of Fashion article basically did a deep dive on this, in part putting it down to a generational divide. Writer Kathleen Chan says that while millennials helped crown leggings as the ultimate do-everything uniform, Gen Z is shifting the silhouette entirely, gravitating towards oversized slouchier workout clothes. For these younger consumers, comfort isn't about stretch, It's about ease, looseness and a kind of anti-polished attitude that reverses the decade-long supremacy of immaculately matching colour-blocked sets iconically popularised by outdoor voices circa 2014.

30:42Georgie:And I want to go as far as to say the data backs this up. Google searches for leggings have been consistently decreasing since December 2020 when the term peaked, which shocks me because it was still very much COVID time post-2020. Retailers are moving away from leggings as well. According to retail intelligence firm Edited, for the first quarter of 2025, leggings accounted for 39 % of bottoms assortments across activewear brands, which is down from 47 % in 2022. That's 8 percentage points.

31:15Madeleine White:Yeah. So that's obviously specifically around leggings because the sportswear category is still increasing and still set to grow. So obviously it's just around, like how does that look different over the next decade? Because expert market research said that in 2024, the Australian sportswear market reached an approximate value of$3.44 billion Australian dollars and is set to grow to$7.09 billion in the next 10 years. Wow. Insane. So what do we think is driving this move away from leggings?

31:46Georgie:Well, the Business of Fashion article points towards a growing concern about microplastics that many activewear brands use, as well as leggings losing their cool status. I guess that makes me super uncool. But among groups with a lot of buying power. So think mums who are the most coveted consumers worldwide. Kathleen writes, whereas leggings used to be the unofficial uniform of mums dropping off their kids at school. For instance, the new look is a simple cotton pant with either an elastic or drawstring waistband and wide hems. A handful of indie labels, including Deji Studios, have come to define this look of the moment.

32:26Madeleine White:I can see this. I actually, quite a few of my mum friends, they live in like even their dish linen pants and that's kind of become like their uniform. Yeah. And I'm seeing so many more natural fibres, like cottons and just really breathable fabrics as well, especially in summer.

32:40Georgie:Yeah. An elastic band pant, perhaps, like the Van Roo cotton and like, you know that like crepey material that doesn't crease? Yeah. Basically anything that doesn't crease is going straight in my basket.

32:51Madeleine White:I do love a wide leg pant. Same.

32:54Georgie:Yeah. I have actually been picking up my niece and nephew from school. They're both in primary school. It's been fascinating seeing the school mum look. There's a lot less leggings. I was actually the one in the leggings when I last met. When I was in New York, I went to Allo. One, I couldn't get over the amount of male customers in Allo. Just stop. Just stop. No, I bet I couldn't, yep. A lot of skirts. Pleated skirts. Stop. I can't look Joanna Fleming in the height. I just love it.

33:24Madeleine White:I wish we could get aloe easily here. Isn't it? Yeah. Have you also seen a rise in one pieces? Little like unitards. Yes. I feel like I'm seeing a lot more of those. And actually some of our buyers, when we've been talking to them in Australia about what they're looking for, there's a bit of a gap in the market for definitely a move on from leggings, but more unitards, leotards, like those types of pieces. Yeah. It's quite cool.

33:47Georgie:I wonder as well if it's because of the shift from, to your point, Jo, activity. because leggings were super popular when we saw the rise of F45 body fits and that real HIIT workout culture. We've shifted a lot now. We're still in the hot Pilates, reform of Pilates yoga, but I also think we're in this wellness movement of saunas, ice baths, things like that. It's very much lifestyle clubs, retreats, things like that. It's more I'm in transit, I'm going to coffee, and then I'm going to a sauna, I'm going to a yoga class. It's not as I want to be in a matching crop top and leggings. I want to be comfortable for those things.

34:25Madeleine White:Yeah.

34:26Georgie:And I am intentionally wearing active wear not to be active necessarily.

34:30Madeleine White:I've just put my hand up to alert you. I just need to come back to the 2014 comment in that article and argue that actually leggings were around a lot longer than 2014. I feel it probably started around 2005 when we started wearing leggings underneath denim skirts. When I was in year seven. Ashley Tisdale, like, let's go, girlfriend. This was high school musical era, and then they continued to grow on an upwards trajectory, and it never stopped until now. But it had a break over the 90s. It was really popular in the 80s, Jane Fonda workout videos.

35:02Georgie:Yes.

35:03Madeleine White:Had a little hiatus. We went down the parachute pants route, and then we came back to it in the early 2000s. Leggings were back again. In a cotton way, though, don't you think? Yes.

35:12Georgie:And then the materiality changed for the 10s.

35:14Madeleine White:And now it's like which brand can do the best fit, the best fabric, you know, the best, I don't know, whatever it is. Suction personally is what I'm after.

35:23Georgie:I'm dying for the, oh no, I'll hold you on the scrunch bum. I'll leave. That's a pass for me. But I'm quite excited for the Skims Nike collaboration to see what comes out of that. But one brand that I am really enjoying as well is Adenola, who are still very much doing leggings. I think they're stocked here at David Jones. They don't have a massive assortment, but their assortment online is super cool. And I feel like they're working with really cool collaborators and are doing a great job. But again, it feels more lifestyle because the reality is I'm wearing active wear to go shopping and get a coffee with a girlfriend.

35:59Georgie:I'm not just wearing it to like go break a sweat.

36:02Madeleine White:Yeah. I also do think though these brands are really breaking a little bit more into that athleisure space. Like we see brands like Nimble that are doing their me time sets and they're like matching little knits and things like that to go along with your active wear so that it becomes a bit more lifestyle, a bit more athleisure. And I honestly think that Nunu's are the new active wear. I really do.

36:22Georgie:Mum said to me the other day, I think you should trademark Nunu's and launch Nunu's.

36:26Madeleine White:You should. I was like, it makes sense. You shouldn't have said that on this podcast. Definitely do that.

36:31Georgie:You're a trademark lawyer. Let's talk. I mean, we're seeing it from one of the major players, Lululemon as well. We're seeing them go into trench coats and workwear pants and shirts. I don't think that's a surprise given these stats that we've just heard that they're diversifying their offering into those sort of occasions as well.

36:48Madeleine White:All right, that brings us to our next headline, which is the one that's annoying me most this week. And that is that brands are using Sunburn in their marketing campaigns at the moment. Several recent ad campaigns that we've spotted have been featuring Sunburn. Scary return to tanning culture is something that we've spoken about before in prior episodes, probably January, I reckon we spoke about that in more detail. And it's really sad to say that this trend is being adopted by some very influential high-end brands. We've got Jack Moose being probably the most prominent of these. Did see one by Tower 28 as well, who've created ads with their branding sunburnt intermodal skin, which is obviously going to be makeup, but it's still just not the message that we want to be portraying.

37:31Madeleine White:Rhodes' newest collection even has a blush named Tan Lines. These branding choices, as well as the influx of pro tanning content from, you know, famous and non-famous people on social media is just a very sad reminder that despite all the warnings and safety ad campaigns, tanning is very much back in vogue. And I'm seeing it more and more now that we're in like Eurosummer. Yeah. And we're in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. We were seeing it a lot in our summer. And I'm worried that we're going to see that even more like tenfold by the time we get to summer over here. Yeah. Which worries me. So as I said, the sunburn in these ads probably is created by a very skilled special effects makeup artist.

38:12Madeleine White:I have no doubt there's some like airbrushing going on just with like a more red toned foundation or something like that to give the appearance. But they're positioning sunburn as something that's cool and aspirational and trendy when we all know it's anything but. At best, it's skin damage. At worst, it can result in skin cancers. There's also this fake sunburn trend that's been really popular on TikTok and in fashion editorials over the last year or two that I think has played into tanning and sunburns popularity in the marketing world. Something a dazed article from last year explored with writer Tiana Meehan explaining, similar to the rejection of the clean girl aesthetic that led to the ugly beauty movement or the 90s minimalist and androgynous style in reaction to the bombast and glossy exaggeration of the 80s, the emphasis on sun protection and looking after your skin has created a wave of fake sunburns as an alternative and edgy aesthetic.

39:04Madeleine White:It's a reactionary challenge to what we are being told to do as all countercultural aesthetics are. So what's our vibe? Look, I appreciate not wanting to conform and pushing the needle on unrealistic beauty expectations and standards that the media sit, but I also feel like we're kind of seeing one extreme to another. Like there's been airbrushed and photoshopped and flawless imagery that's been put out there. And now we're glamorizing sunburn and tan culture. And I actually think Gen Z already have quite an unhealthy fascination with tanning culture. Like I've seen it so much on my TikTok, it's very much in my algorithm, people actually burning themselves to get like the lines.

39:46Madeleine White:And this kind of key messaging that we're seeing by these known brands is kind of heightening that message and it's making it seem cool and in vogue and okay when really obviously using makeup is so much better than actually going and doing the real thing but I feel like maybe these guys aren't quite getting that and it can be misinterpreted in a really dangerous and harmful way.

40:06Georgie:For me if it's for an SPF brand I'm actually okay with it because you take the Tower 28 example it was for their SPF so for me what that image is trying to elicit is that the Tower 28 brand which is what was imprinted will protect you from the sun. Gotcha. Where I have a problem with the imagery use is when a brand like Giacomo is, you say it how you did in that sexy way before, is when they're using it to glamorise tanning culture as an alignment to a brand that is peak cool, peak fashion. I was really disappointed in Rode having a blush called Tan Lines. Yeah. Because for me, that glamorizes exactly what we are alarmingly worried about to be in the zeitgeist, which is tanning culture.

40:53Georgie:I was horrifically sunburned over the summer. And I have not spoken about this because I was deeply ashamed and deeply embarrassed. And scared to tell me. She was really scared in the group chat. And deeply concerned because I used an SPF 50. My girlfriends call me the SPF which because I am that obsessed with sunscreen. Jo, I know you are synonymous with SPF, but I am right there with you. I've worked in the beauty industry since I was 18 years old. SPF is so important to me. I have tan lines still from January. That is how badly my skin was burned. I do not think that is glamorous. I am humiliated by it.

41:33Georgie:I have made outfit choices because of it. I've covered it with foundation because I do not want to be seen or to glamorise something as irresponsible and awful as what happened. I was in pain. I can already see the sun damage that is starting to peek through. That is irreversible sign of ageing that I will never be able to get back.

41:53Madeleine White:Yeah.

41:54Georgie:There's nothing glamorous about it. And I'm really concerned for this spring summer sort of look that we're going to see more of it coming down the runway and really leaning into these TikTok girlies seeing a lot of trends of this like coming back to life now that I've got a tan. I'm like, go get a spray dolls. The fake tan industry is big enough. Jo, you are our SBF queen. We have given you the final word. How are you feeling? Should I check your pulse?

42:22Madeleine White:I think tanning culture is a really sticky one because we can give people all of this information and there are still people that will listen to this and be like, ah, I don't give a fuck. Yeah. I'm still going to do what I want to do. And that's their choice. They can go and do that. They're probably going to be my client in five years, but that's fine. I'm happy to see them. And we can cut that check. Yeah, exactly. And we can talk about, you know, things that we can do to improve the appearance of things like hyperpigmentation and those kinds of things that come along with sun damage.

42:48Georgie:Yeah.

42:48Madeleine White:But one thing that I really noticed about these campaigns was that they weren't from Australian brands. And I don't know if I've missed any Australian brands doing this, but I feel like they would get torn to shreds in the Australian media and on Australian socials because I think we know best as a nation in terms of not conveying that message. And I think that would get a lot of backlash. Whereas I think markets in the US, UK, Europe in general, do not take it as seriously as we do because we have such a high rate of melanoma, whereas other places don't have as much of a high rate of melanoma and they don't see it as part of their regular lifestyle to have someone in their family who's had a melanoma cut out or have someone that has a skin cancer on their face.

43:33Madeleine White:Yeah. So I think it's just more prevalent here and we're much more sensitive to it, I feel.

43:38Georgie:I think that's a really good hot take. Yeah. Well, I always knew you were clever, but I suppose it feels

43:44Madeleine White:extra clever. But I don't support these campaigns and I really am disappointed to see that brands are leaning into that. I really hope we don't see more of it. And I really, if I see a single Australian brand doing that, I'm calling them out on this podcast. There's your warning. Yeah. I don't want to say it.

43:58Georgie:I'm most disappointed by Road, though, to speak freely and Giacomo too, because I think they're probably, they're who I'm looking at for leaders in campaign. They're who I'm looking at as innovators in product, in content, in press material. I think they're doing an incredible job. I do worry that their involvement in this only fuels my fear, which is that it is trending and they are helping either perpetuate and create the trend or they are jumping on a very fast bullet train.

44:31Madeleine White:I have to echo that. I feel like they are leading in this space right now. Like their marketing, their socials, everything is very much so forward and I feel like so many brands are aspiring to be like them. Sometimes I even think local brands as well.

44:43Georgie:Yeah.

44:43Madeleine White:So I am very mindful of that too.

44:45Georgie:And Road better be really careful because I do not doubt for a second that they will have a very big SPF product launch or tinted SPF product, the message that you put out now could very well contradict the message that you try and put out then. Yeah. And the power of brand and a brand like Rode is exceptionally strong and exceptionally cool, but that you are ready to be knocked down at the top in light of the, you know, the irony is not lost in light of the tall poppy conversation we had earlier.

45:17Madeleine White:One thing I have noticed, though, since that episode in January where we spoke about tan lines and tan line culture, is that I've actually received a few briefs from brands since then that strictly say you cannot have visible tan lines, visible sunburns in your content that you submit, which is actually really positive to see because that was not something that I'd seen prior. That's great. I think that's fantastic. I remember you calling that out. Yeah. And it should be called out. Yeah.

45:44Georgie:We're your son's grandkids. We won't ever stop saying that.

45:46Madeleine White:Slap, slap, slap.

45:47Georgie:That is all for this week's episode of Stylish. It's very nice to be back. Thanks for joining us. And, of course, thank you very much, Annika Joshi-Smith and Joanna Fleming. Mustache to have you back. Thank you. And remember, you can drop us an email anytime at style-ish at shamelessmedia.com.au or you can slide into our DMs over at StylishPod. And we, of course, always want to thank our lovely audio engineer, Jonathan Last, and the Shameless Media team, head of podcast, Lucy Hunt, and our senior podcast producer, Kate Emma Burke. We'll be right back with you next Wednesday. See you then. Bye.

46:28Ciao, ciao.

46:30Georgie:New York Minute. Nothing like a New York slice.

46:34Madeleine White:This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.