ARIA HUGHES

My name is Aria and I cover men's wear and intimate apparel for WWD. Before that I wrote about retail for WGSN, a trend forecasting service.  I've contributed to publications like Refinery29.com, NylonMag.com, Time Out New York and others. Here I post my...

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I interviewed Desiigner, the Brooklyn rapper who is creating all kinds of controversy with his hit song, “Panda.” Read it here: http://wwd.com/eye/people/panda-desiigner-rapper-interview-10431787/

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I wrote a story about how underwear brands are reaching the distracted, millennial male customer: http://wwd.com/menswear-news/clothing-furnishings/mens-underwear-sales-10419297/

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Last time around, Beyoncé announced herself to the world as a feminist. This time, she takes that label, turns it inward, and intensifies it. “Lemonade” declares that misogyny is at its most potent and complex within the bonds of love.

Carrie Battan for The New Yorker

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There aren’t a lot of independent men’s wear retailers in New York City, it’s a tough business, but the founders of Carson Street, both former lawyers, seem dedicated to their pursuit. They have a new location and a more progressive buy, but they haven’t abandoned their roots entirely. See what they had to say about how their retail concept has evolved since launching only a couple years ago: http://wwd.com/menswear-news/retail-business/carson-street-business-suit-10415739/

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As seen on WGSN.com/blogs:

What Retailers Can Learn From Spring, A New Mobile Shopping App

After a long, secretive lead up, Spring, a mobile shopping app, finally launched this week. The user experience slightly mimics Instagram. Users download the app to their iPhone (it isn’t iPad or Android friendly just yet) and can follow up to 450 brands that range from Steven Alan and Jenni Kayne to Oscar de la Renta and Alexander Wang. Considering it’s only a few days old, I’m impressed. The technology is seamless, but more than anything, the app is engaging (many online or mobile shopping experiences aren’t). Here’s what retailers can learn from the app:

Go beyond flat product shots:

As previously stated, Spring feels like a shoppable Instagram. There are very few flat product images shot on a white background. Instead, products are shot in beautiful settings or with a stylish outfit, similar to what shoppers see on social media platforms. Forward thinking brands such as Sephora, Free People, and Bauble Bar are already doing this by integrating user generated content into product pages or microsites, but there’s still a long way to go.

Don’t separate content from commerce:

Most retailers and brands create magazines or blogs, but this content is rarely accessible from an ecommerce product page. Spring smartly merges content and commerce by including images of the item worn on bloggers or featured in editorials on the product page, not a separate blog or social media account. It’s a Tumblr or Pinterest style approach that enhances the shopping experience.

Make it apparent that a product is special:

In addition to having a section for popular items, Spring has worked with retailers on limited edition products. This isn’t a new concept. In-store, Nordstrom labels popular items on Pinterest and department stores frequently sell exclusive or limited edition products, but Spring makes it easy for customers to find and shop these items. Similar to a new arrivals section on ecommerce sites, retailers should consider creating a separate section for limited edition or popular products, which can incite the customer to buy.

Make it personal:

Curation is a buzzword, but it often refers to a tastemaker or blogger curating product for the customer to shop. Spring is making the shopping experience more personal by allowing the user to curate or select the brands they want to follow and shop from. Personalized emails have made great gains, but the online shopping experience rarely feels customized to your likes and wants. Spring also allows users to like products, similar to liking an Instagram picture, and the app will send customers alerts if the item is low in inventory or going on sale.

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What I Think About Jay-Z and Beyonce's On The Run Tour

I walked into the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore with a general idea of what I was going to see. Thanks to social media, I’d been force fed key moments from the show. I knew Beyonce was going to sing Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill, which she killed. I knew she was going to do the NaeNae. And I knew I’d be privy to never before seen footage from the guarded fortress that is Jay-Z and Beyonce’s private life. But the tour spoilers didn’t make me any less attentive. I stood the entire concert, save for one minute, like a giddy school girl eating it ALL. UP. 

The show was two and a half hours but it felt shorter. Sometimes two artists performing together and separately can feel stilted or choppy, but the transitions during On the Run were perfection. The mixing in general was impressive. Dear Music Director, whoever you are, thanks for having Beyonce sing Diva over Jay-Z’s Takeover beat. Thanks for having H To The Izzo immediately follow Love On Top. Oh, and thanks for placing the drums from Outkast’s SpottieOttieDopaliscious after Flawless. And Jay-Z, thanks for using Biggie’s Me and My Bitch beat for the second verse of Song Cry. I could list more of these moments, but I’ll let you Youtube the rest.

Seeing them together was just as exciting as seeing them perform alone, but first I’ll address Beyonce. I could watch a Beyonce tour on repeat and never get bored. Why? Because she’s dynamic. Duh. She effortlessly glides from powerful to innocent to sexy. During Why Don’t You Love Me she bats her lashes like a black, seductive, Lucille Ball, then she pantomimes James Brown as she walks away from the stage with her trusty dancers, Le Twins (only to come back to finish the song). During Diva, she moves with an aggression that reminds me of a black step show, then she flashes back to her brand of sexy when gracefully maneuvering around the chair from Partition. Beyonce has soaked up the influences from iconic black performers and made them her own. But with all of that aside, one of the most enthralling things about Beyonce as a performer is her face. Not because she’s beautiful, but because she is so expressive. I see her pain as she belts out Resentment and I feel her black girl frustration when she pauses during Why Don’t You Love Me. She performs with every inch of her body. 

Jay-Z’s music and lyricism speaks for itself. I’ve been a Jay-Z fan before I was a Beyonce fan, so I’m well versed in his catalog and I was very pleased with the song choices. He performed recent singles from Magna Carta Holy Grail (Holy Grail and Tom Ford), which are not exactly my faves, but when I heard the bass from fuckwithmeyouknowigotit, I almost exploded. It was nice to see him perform his classics like Public Service Announcement, Big Pimping, Give it To Me, and Dirt of Your Shoulder. What really stood out is that he seemed to be in awe along with us. Every time he left the stage, I’d hear him say something like “wow” or “they can never stop us!” They were having as much fun as the audience.

The tour was a celebration of their love and musical success. And as cynical as I am, their relationship is something to be celebrated. They represent an ideal, and considering they’re both black, that’s kind of huge. Two black people can fall in love, get married (first), have a baby, grow, and be successful independently and together? It’s not a notion that’s foreign to me, but if you flip on VH1 at any give time, you will quickly see the common narrative surrounding black relationships and it doesn’t look like Jay-Z and Beyonce.

The tour also represented their growth. Remember when they didn’t even acknowledge being in a relationship? Or when someone asked Beyonce about Jay-Z and she would either give a glaring side eye or a nervous giggle? Remember when Jay-Z said: “I don't love 'em I fuck 'em; I don't chase 'em I duck 'em; I replace 'em with another one?” Last night was a very different story. Jay-Z, Mr. Cool, was quite demonstrative with his love for Beyonce. He kissed her on the neck! We saw footage them getting matching tattoos! We saw footage from their wedding! These artists were smart enough to use the relationship as a means to appeal to a bigger audience and tell a new, authentic story about black love and human progress. Is their story a picture perfect one without any imperfections? I highly doubt it. Solange gave us a glimpse of that during her Muay Thai session in the elevator. But, that’s life. A series of highs and lows. Watching them perform was a real high.

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What I Wrote this Week

iBeacons: the next generation of geotargeting Geotargeting technology is centre-stage once more, as retailers trial ways to communicate with customers' smartphones in-store.

This week I wrote about iBeacons, this sophisticated technology that communicates with smartphones when shoppers are in-store. The technology is still nascent, but it definitely has the power to engage shoppers while they shop and increase conversions. I also like that this beacons offer utility, something retailers/brands seem to forget about when it comes to technology. 

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“International is important if J.Crew is going to be sold or to go for an IPO,” Hughes says. “People want to know that globally it can exist, and it can — but it has to be cognizant of what countries it enters and take it slow.”

Me yapping my mouth about J. Crew going International. (via Fashionista.com)

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LOVE this cover. Complex has a knack for producing really dynamic magazine covers that mesh perfectly with the subject. Jhené Aiko is sexy, but she also comes across as a calm, zen-like being. This cover reflects that exactly.  

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How cute/funny/clever/etc?!?

via intothegloss

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Need to feel better about your life? Read Heather Havrilesky's existential advice column for The Awl. I spent the other day binge reading the columns and sending snippets to friends. A lot of things resonated with me, but this did especially:

"You're never too old to have the life you want. Truly. But you do need to know what you want first, and—maybe even more importantly?—you need to be able to say it out loud, without shame. I don't know that you're surrounding yourself with the kinds of people who find these sorts of direct statements socially acceptable. Is there a dearth of passionate talk among your peers? Do they mostly discuss what they don't like, what they'd never stand for, who they would never want to be?

Fuck the meatless frozen entrees of the world. It's time to be something, to own it, to announce it to the world without apology. Fuck the hipster hedging, the cleverness, the hiding. Stand up and tell the world what you're made of, tell them what you fucking want—dearly, desperately, from the depths of your soul—and don't accept anything less."

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Here I am along with my WGSN colleagues and boss talking about the important things in life. You know, clothes, designers, neon beanies. 

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Started day one of NYFW at Harbison. I chose him, Charles Harbison, as a one to watch for WGSN and I was really impressed by his spring/summer 2014 collection. He is a black designer, which is nice to see, and has formerly worked for Billy Reid and Michael Kors. 

His autumn/winter collection was heavily inspired by menswear, but he went in a more feminine direction this season. The collection was sophisticated and classic, but modern (hence the crop tops styled with pencil skirts and trousers). I was drawn to the color palette. There was a black and white story, a cherry red and navy story, and a cobalt and fuchsia story. Harbison’s strong point is his outerwear (one of his coats was recently featured in Vogue). I couldn’t get over the floral and gingham print coat.  

Overall a strong collection. I’m sad to see that it hasn’t been covered on style.com or vogue.com, and I don’t mean to digress, but everyone keeps complaining about the lack of diversity in fashion, but the industry continues to be less than thoughtful about it. It’s a bit ridiculous at this point. 

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Go see this. It's a realistic take on being in the later part of your 20s and coming to grips with growing up. Initially Frances' character, played by Greta Gerwig, annoyed me. But I ended up really liking her character. She didn't have this depressed, morose, it's-the-end-of-the-world demeanor that a lot of 20something characters have. I even have it sometimes. She was quite confident and strong willed, but not too intense. Very well balanced character. Very good movie.

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I’ve been a long time fan of Lucky Magazine. It’s one of the few magazines that I read consistently every month. Yes, the magazine has changed. I wouldn’t say for the worst, but when Kim Francis and Andrea Linett left the magazine, I think the spirit of the “Lucky girl” left as well. A lot of their new initiatives just didn’t align with the Lucky brand. For example, the cover choices. Let’s be frank, neither Kim Kardashian nor Britney Spears represent the essence of Lucky. Also, I didn’t get the Lucky FABB (fashion and beauty blogger) conference. Cool event, but why would Lucky sponsor it? And why would Joan Rivers be a keynote speaker? When I heard that Eva Chen was named the new editor-in-chief, I got excited. If you visit Eva’s tumblr, it’s clear that she LOVES to shop. It’s also clear that she has a strong understanding of Lucky’s DNA and online content. Congrats, Eva! I'm looking forward to the September issue.

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"I’m going to be cliché for a minute and say that great art comes from pain. But also I’d say a bigger statement than that is: Great art comes from great artists. There’s a bunch of people that are hurt that still couldn’t have made the album that was super-polarizing and redefined the sound of radio."

I'm a Kanye fan. And I don't say this about a lot of artists, but Kanye feels like family. Maybe it's because his lyrics are so personal, maybe it's because of his mother's death, or maybe it's because I can relate with being a young, black person from the suburbs with a dream. Whatever it is, I have a familial affinity for Kanye. I also really respect him as a creative. Period. And I'm happy that he broke his no-press vow. This Q&A was a concise documentation of a good ass conversation. That's what interviewing should be.

I'm also becoming more and more intrigued by doing what you want your own way. It is a very attractive and compelling concept to create your own rules. Forge your own path. Build your own parameters. But not in a reckless, I could give two fucks kind of way. In a constructive way that allows you to contribute, be efficient, delight, and produce good shit. Whether you hate him or love him, the interview is worth reading.

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Shots from Donna Karan resort 2014 collection. Languid and long best describe this collection.