Summer's Freshest Fashion

Where digital meets travel + lifestyle … A collection of can’t-miss news from this week. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox every Friday.  

Social Media Makes The Man

When it comes to fashion, menswear has traditionally been far less important than womenswear. But that seems to be changing. According to Digiday, “Menswear is forecasted to grow at a faster rate than womenswear over the next three years, with net gains of 2.3 percent and 2.2 percent respectively.” One of the reasons for this expansion is social media. “Digital media and a constant stream of imagery of stylish iconic men — from successful entrepreneurs to funny YouTube personalities — have encouraged the socialization of men’s fashion,” says Tammy Smulders, global managing director of LuxHub. “Social media and being ‘always on’ has made it so that everyday men have become more focussed on their look.” You heard that right – guys aren’t afraid to look good anymore.

Red Carpet Confidential

We all love to see celebs strutting their stuff on the red carpet, looking perfectly put together. But that perfection doesn’t just happen. Behind the scenes of every red carpet event, there’s an entire world. Fashion stylist to the stars Micaela Erlanger (whose clients include Lupita Nyong’o and Meryl Streep) has drawn back the curtain via her entertaining Instagram account. “My strategy is all based on authenticity and sharing things that people otherwise wouldn’t have access to,” Erlanger told  Entrepreneur. “It really is that sneak peek into my world and what I do. I hope it's inspirational.” Worth a follow!

A Big Step For Nike and Instagram

Who needs a website? Nike Inc. has announced it is going to sell some of its products directly through Instagram. How it will work is not entirely clear, but it’s definitely a major move for fashion brands and the photo-sharing app. Bloomberg isn’t convinced it’ll be a big hit with social media crazy millennials, however: “[T]here is a delicate balance to be struck between being social and pushing sales,” writes Andrea Felsted. “Social media is like a friend you want to spend time with. You wouldn't like it if your pal turned round and started flogging you a new handbag.” We’ll see whether Nike has cracked the code.

Google’s Massive Fashion Archive

And speaking of cracking codes – Google is trying to figure out fashion via We Wear Culture, an online, searchable archive made up of more than 30,000 images of apparel from 180 cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Google claims it puts “three millennia of fashion at your fingertips” – an amazing inspiration resource, right? But it also digs deeper into the stories behind the trends; check out this great video about Coco Chanel’s legendary little black dress. We can already tell we’ll be spending plenty of time on We Wear Culture.

Weekly Moment of Zen

The freshest fashion trend of the summer? Watermelon dresses.