Latest news with #summer2025
Vogue
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Paging '90s Kids! Platform Flip-Flops Are Stomping Their Way Back in Style
Clunk, clunk, clunk. Do you hear that? That's the sound of an iconic '90s shoe stomping its way back into the fashion fray. Yes, I am talking about platform flip-flop. Is there a shoe more indicative of both '90s minimalism and Y2K excess? The sky-high sandal style trended throughout much of both decades, and while it was beachy and cute, it more ofter than not also caused you to roll your ankle. Its clunky nature and hefty weight, popularized by OG brands like Rocket Dog, was certainly not for everyone. But come summer 2025, it appears the polarizing sandal is being embraced once again—at least, that's what celebrities, runways, and street style stars are making the case for. Photo: Backgrid Sure, this season, you have likely already noticed that the humble flip-flop is having a moment—but the platform flip-flop is taking the movement to the next level (and quite literally—you have to learn to balance yourself on some of these new stacked platforms). Coach is selling an almost 4-inch high platform thong sandal; ERL just today unveiled a staggering 8-inch version that retails for $1,250. Meanwhile, Rocket Dog continues to sell its fun rainbow-hued version, and they are perfectly reminiscent of the kind of sandal you would see Hilary Duff rock in the year 2001. And yet: the platform also feels, somehow, relevant today. We have seen it on the recent spring 2025 catwalks at Sportmax, Alaïa, and Miu Miu. It feels modern not necessarily because of the shoe itself, and more because of the ways it is being styled. Take how this summer's crop of street style stars have dressed up the shoe at the recent shows. It feels surprisingly minimal when paired with a long, sophisticated coat, and dressy when juxtaposed against a structured blazer and below-the-knee dress. On vacation, Nicola Peltz styled hers in a breezy, nonchalant way, with a black tank and yellow paisley-print skirt. When you think of a platform flip-flop, you may expect it to be worn with a 2000s capri pant and bedazzled Ed Hardy tee. But the 2025 approach is clearly all about subduing it, and making it feel more refined and discrete. Consider it a summer fashion challenge: If everyone can elevate those $750 The Row flip-flops (Jennifer Lawrence and Zoë Kravitz are fans), surely you can make the platform flip-flop chic, too. Just start training those ankles—and don't trip!
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bananas for banana: the surprising new trend in perfume
When the sun's out, we tend to lean towards citrusy scents that enliven, invigorate, and immediately transport us to the coastline – think juicy bergamot, neroli, lemon and fig. But not this year, not summer 2025 when there's an unusual tropical fruit that's trending: banana. Yes, the fruit most of you probably have in your kitchen right now could well be popping up in your perfume. Searches across Google and TikTok for banana fragrances are up by 46.8 per cent compared to last year and the hashtag #bananaperfume has racked up over 6.6 million views. Gourmands, as a fragrance category, have also gained traction over the past 12 months. Vanilla has been leading the charge but caramel, coconut, cherry, rum and chocolate are becoming more customary aromas with audiences of every age, and now banana is being cited as the new 'it' note. 'We're all craving a playful olfactory twist,' explains Jun Lim, founder of perfume brand BornToStandOut. 'And that's where banana delivers. Its creamy, quirky sweetness hits the spot, and what used to feel like a joke, now feels fresh.' According to perfumers, banana is incredibly versatile as a note and blends well with other fragrance families – from florals and spices to musks and amber, to other gourmand flavours, be it tropical fruits like pineapple and guava or sweet treats like honey and vanilla. Of course, you can't distil a banana as you would a flower or other fruits to create absolutes and essential oils, so the scent is made up of synthetic molecules, which gives perfumers even more freedom to get creative. It's also why not all banana fragrances smell like a Knickerbocker Glory and can be surprisingly grown-up, wearable and modern. Offering escapism, nostalgia and originality, banana perfumes are perfect if you like your fragrance wardrobe on the quirkier side. Plus, what a great talking point if someone asks you what scent you're wearing. Will we still be going bonkers over bananas come winter? Who knows. Romy Kowalewski, founder of Barcelona-based perfume house 27 87, thinks this is just the beginning: 'We're at the early exploration of what this note can become and banana is ushering in what feels like a new chapter for tropical scents. Think of how pistachio went from niche fascination to mainstream darling. I believe banana is on a similar trajectory and is an evolving note with elegance and edge.' Interested to see which scents we're going bananas for? These are the ones that have real 'a-peel':
Vogue
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
The Summer Allure of a Little Gym Short
This summer in New York City, the breakout item that all the downtown cool kids are wearing is not some designer shoe or rare vintage bag—but the humble gym short. Yes, really! Just the other day, I spotted several striped Adidas gym shorts over in Dimes Square, some of them paired with dressy button-up shirts or snazzy socks and loafers. The new look of summer 2025? It's all about dressing like a gym rat, whether or not you've ever stepped foot inside an overpriced Equinox. Needless to say, I am totally captivated by this sporty new styling approach. Celebrities have been very much on board with the saucy little gym short. Just earlier today, Zoë Kravitz paired a mini black gym short with a Black History Month tee and heeled mules in New York. Hailey Bieber has stepped out in an itty-bitty blue style, pairing it with a leather bomber jacket (her signature piece), and Harry Styles has color-blocked his red shorts with a mustard-yellow sneaker. Photo: Backgrid Photo: Backgrid During the spring 2026 menswear shows, a number of street style stars were also spotted giving the athletic bottoms a more formal spin—a move we saw on the catwalks, too, like when Willy Chavarria showed his elongated silky gym shorts (an Adidas collaboration) with a matching track jacket. Gym shorts on the runway? Very protein-chic.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Why has deadly flash flooding intensified in the U.S. this summer?
If it seems like summer 2025 has been filled with reports of flooding across the U.S. — that would be accurate. The National Weather Service has issued more flood warnings this year compared with any other year on record since 1986, meteorologist Michael Lowry said in a post on X. Through July 15, there have been 3,045 flood warnings that have been issued so far in 2025, according to data from Iowa State University. That eclipses the 3,033 warnings issued in all of 1998. This month alone has seen several back-to-back record-breaking flooding events across the country, including the states of Texas, North Carolina, Illinois and New Mexico and across the Northeast — many of which have been deadly. In Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday, rain fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, leaving drivers stranded on roads and flooding at least one family's home. Flash floods are the most dangerous type of flooding because of how fast and powerful they are, as indicated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Here are some factors to consider around the recent flash flooding events and why they seem to be getting worse. How common are flash floods and when do they happen? Flash floods are common during the summer when warmer air is capable of holding more moisture, versus cooler air, AccuWeather reports. More moisture in the air means more fuel for thunderstorms and rainfall. Flash floods happen when heavy rainfall is faster than the ground's ability to absorb it, as defined by NOAA. Two key factors contribute to flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service: the rate of rainfall and how long the rain lasts. It also depends on how well the soil can absorb the rainfall, whether there's vegetation that can help with runoff and the topography of an area. Flash flooding can be hard to predict, which is why it can be so destructive. Flash floods 'can happen within minutes of the causative rainfall, limiting the time available to warn and protect the public,' NOAA says. Why have flash floods escalated recently? Population James Booth, professor of climate change and weather at the City College of New York, told Time that one factor as to why flash floods have gotten so bad is that more people in the population means more exposure to flash floods. 'For the most part, there's more people in more places across America than there were 50 years ago. So the increase in exposure [to flash floods]—that's not a tricky physics problem,' Booth told Time. 'I think we can't discount the possibility that there were flood type events back in 1950 that didn't get recorded because they didn't affect anyone.' Infrastructure Water runoff happens when the ground is so saturated that it cannot absorb any more rainfall and starts to flow over the ground surface. Densely populated areas are at high risk for flash floods because buildings, highways, parking lots and driveways reduce the amount of rainfall that's absorbed into the ground. Water is then sent to storm drains that can quickly overflow or become jammed with debris. Much of the infrastructure across the nation, including roads, sewers and drainage systems, also wasn't designed to withstand the intense rainfall events that are becoming more commonplace, AccuWeather reports. What factors contributed to the recent flash flooding events? Texas In central Texas, slow-moving thunderstorms dumped an entire summer's worth of rain — more than 7 inches — over a span of hours on July 4, causing river banks to surge, resulting in flash floods that killed at least 130 people. North Carolina Over the July Fourth weekend, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Chantal inundated central North Carolina, killing at least six people in widespread flooding. The Eno River crested at over 25 feet, shattering a record set in 1996 by Hurricane Fran. Illinois On July 8, a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event hit Chicago as 5 inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes over Garfield Park. This quickly inundated homes and low-lying streets. New Mexico At least three people died as a result of severe flash flooding that swept through a south-central New Mexico resort town on July 8. Last year, the South Fork and Salt fires scorched vast areas of land, creating what's known as 'burn scars.' Without vegetation the town has been left susceptible to mudslides and increased water runoff. The heavy monsoonal rains that fell on these areas created conditions that caused water to rise rapidly, the village said. Northeast At least two people died due to flash flooding in Plainfield, N.J., after parts of the Northeastern U.S. and mid-Atlantic were inundated with heavy rain on July 14. The storm caused flash flooding in areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and central Virginia that gushed through subway stations, stranded vehicles and prompted a state of emergency. 'Five of the most intense rainstorms in New York City's history have taken place in the last four years,' Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said on July 15, a day after the city's subways were inundated with flash flooding. '[New York City's] sewers were designed over the last 100 or 200 years to deal with an intense rainstorm of up to 1.75 inches per hour,' Aggarwala said. 'The pipes were designed for a certain amount of water. A lot more water fell from the sky and was trying to get into them.' Experts say climate change is escalating flash flooding Experts say that while flash flooding is a common summertime threat, the risks are also changing as climate change can affect how intense and frequent rainfall occurs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 'A warming atmosphere means more moisture availability to storms,' Marshall Shepherd, a University of Georgia meteorology professor who previously served as president of the American Meteorological Society, wrote in Forbes. Based on the laws of thermodynamics, for every degree Celsius that rises in Earth's temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more water vapor. 'Water temperatures are warmer in the Gulf and other water bodies, which also boosts available moisture for these summer storms,' Shepherd writes. 'Heavy rain has increased in every part of the U.S. over the past few decades.' Hourly rainfall rates are 15% higher in 126 U.S. cities (out of 144 analyzed) compared to rates in 1970, as noted in a recent study from Climate Central, a nonprofit research group. 'Yes, rain storms happen naturally, but they are more 'juiced' now,' writes Shepherd.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Why has deadly flash flooding intensified in the U.S. this summer?
If it seems like summer 2025 has been filled with reports of flooding across the U.S. — that would be accurate. The National Weather Service has issued more flood warnings this year compared with any other year on record since 1986, meteorologist Michael Lowry said in a post on X. Through July 15, there have been 3,045 flood warnings that have been issued so far in 2025, according to data from Iowa State University. That eclipses the 3,033 warnings issued in all of 1998. This month alone has seen several back-to-back record-breaking flooding events across the country, including the states of Texas, North Carolina, Illinois and New Mexico and across the Northeast — many of which have been deadly. In Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday, rain fell at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour, leaving drivers stranded on roads and flooding at least one family's home. Flash floods are the most dangerous type of flooding because of how fast and powerful they are, as indicated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Here are some factors to consider around the recent flash flooding events and why they seem to be getting worse. How common are flash floods and when do they happen? Flash floods are common during the summer when warmer air is capable of holding more moisture, versus cooler air, AccuWeather reports. More moisture in the air means more fuel for thunderstorms and rainfall. Flash floods happen when heavy rainfall is faster than the ground's ability to absorb it, as defined by NOAA. Two key factors contribute to flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service: the rate of rainfall and how long the rain lasts. It also depends on how well the soil can absorb the rainfall, whether there's vegetation that can help with runoff and the topography of an area. Flash flooding can be hard to predict, which is why it can be so destructive. Flash floods 'can happen within minutes of the causative rainfall, limiting the time available to warn and protect the public,' NOAA says. Why have flash floods escalated recently? Population James Booth, professor of climate change and weather at the City College of New York, told Time that one factor as to why flash floods have gotten so bad is that more people in the population means more exposure to flash floods. 'For the most part, there's more people in more places across America than there were 50 years ago. So the increase in exposure [to flash floods]—that's not a tricky physics problem,' Booth told Time. 'I think we can't discount the possibility that there were flood type events back in 1950 that didn't get recorded because they didn't affect anyone.' Infrastructure Water runoff happens when the ground is so saturated that it cannot absorb any more rainfall and starts to flow over the ground surface. Densely populated areas are at high risk for flash floods because buildings, highways, parking lots and driveways reduce the amount of rainfall that's absorbed into the ground. Water is then sent to storm drains that can quickly overflow or become jammed with debris. Much of the infrastructure across the nation, including roads, sewers and drainage systems, also wasn't designed to withstand the intense rainfall events that are becoming more commonplace, AccuWeather reports. What factors contributed to the recent flash flooding events? Texas In central Texas, slow-moving thunderstorms dumped an entire summer's worth of rain — more than 7 inches — over a span of hours on July 4, causing river banks to surge, resulting in flash floods that killed at least 130 people. North Carolina Over the July Fourth weekend, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Chantal inundated central North Carolina, killing at least six people in widespread flooding. The Eno River crested at over 25 feet, shattering a record set in 1996 by Hurricane Fran. Illinois On July 8, a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event hit Chicago as 5 inches of rain fell in just 90 minutes over Garfield Park. This quickly inundated homes and low-lying streets. New Mexico At least three people died as a result of severe flash flooding that swept through a south-central New Mexico resort town on July 8. Last year, the South Fork and Salt fires scorched vast areas of land, creating what's known as 'burn scars.' Without vegetation the town has been left susceptible to mudslides and increased water runoff. The heavy monsoonal rains that fell on these areas created conditions that caused water to rise rapidly, the village said. Northeast At least two people died due to flash flooding in Plainfield, N.J., after parts of the Northeastern U.S. and mid-Atlantic were inundated with heavy rain on July 14. The storm caused flash flooding in areas of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and central Virginia that gushed through subway stations, stranded vehicles and prompted a state of emergency. 'Five of the most intense rainstorms in New York City's history have taken place in the last four years,' Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said on July 15, a day after the city's subways were inundated with flash flooding. '[New York City's] sewers were designed over the last 100 or 200 years to deal with an intense rainstorm of up to 1.75 inches per hour,' Aggarwala said. 'The pipes were designed for a certain amount of water. A lot more water fell from the sky and was trying to get into them.' Experts say climate change is escalating flash flooding Experts say that while flash flooding is a common summertime threat, the risks are also changing as climate change can affect how intense and frequent rainfall occurs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 'A warming atmosphere means more moisture availability to storms,' Marshall Shepherd, a University of Georgia meteorology professor who previously served as president of the American Meteorological Society, wrote in Forbes. Based on the laws of thermodynamics, for every degree Celsius that rises in Earth's temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 7% more water vapor. 'Water temperatures are warmer in the Gulf and other water bodies, which also boosts available moisture for these summer storms,' Shepherd writes. 'Heavy rain has increased in every part of the U.S. over the past few decades.' Hourly rainfall rates are 15% higher in 126 U.S. cities (out of 144 analyzed) compared to rates in 1970, as noted in a recent study from Climate Central, a nonprofit research group. 'Yes, rain storms happen naturally, but they are more 'juiced' now,' writes Shepherd.
