Former Rep. John Conyers,
a longtime Michigan Democrat who represented parts of Detroit for more than 50 years before his resignation in 2017, has died, his son, John Conyers III, told CNN.
Ask Vogue editors to name their favorite collections, their favorite looks, or their favorite bags of Spring 2020, and they’ll rattle off a list.
Ask them to name their favorite moments, the ones they’ll hold in their memories long after we’ve wrapped another season (and another, and another), and the answers will be a lot more intriguing. Less than a week after everyone returned from Paris, we’re still thinking about how designers tackled the sustainability issue (no one more beautifully than Sarah Burton); we’re reflecting on fashion’s ability to mirror what’s happening in the world around us; we’re meditating on the power of a transportive, immersive show; and we’re speculating about what this season will mean for the decade ahead.
In other words: It’s often about a lot more than clothes. But there’s no discounting the simple joy of a beautiful dress, either. Molly Goddard reminded us of that with her tightly-packed runway, where models in XXL tulle poufs literally brushed past editors. It was as if to say: Don’t forget, these are meant to be worn and loved! We’d certainly like to wear them, ditto Burton’s exquisite embroidered gowns and Simone Rocha’s ruffled silk ones. Below, revisit all of our favorite memories and moments from Spring 2020 in Vogue Runway’s seasonal “scrapbook.”
Sally Singer, Vogue creative director
Simone Rocha’s show was held in a historic theater in the Alexandra Palace (commonly known as the Ally Pally), a giant folly of a castle that overlooks the whole of London from the north. It is a stunning location but a big schlep during fashion week, and the kvetching by editors leading up to the event was not to be believed—akin to the grousing a week before in New York when Kerby Jean-Raymond staged Pyer Moss at the King’s Theater in Flatbush. Intrepid in their vision, fashion people hate an actual journey.
Well, I am grateful to both Kerby and Simone. In the case of the latter, in the moments before the show, it was a pleasure to sit among local holiday makers enjoying the fabulous weather on a weekend afternoon with ice cream and pints. It actually felt like a holiday! Then there was the collection—complex, stunning, historicist yet modern—presented in a theater that had not been used for something like 80 years. And Lesley Manville walked! Could there be a better celebrity-catwalk follow-up to Pete Davidson at Alex Wang? For fans of Phantom Thread, there could be no greater fashion moment.
Virginia Smith, Vogue fashion director
I can’t stop thinking about Kerby Jean-Raymond’s epic Pyer Moss show at Kings Theater. From Casey Gerald’s opening sermon to the Tabernacle Drip Choir Drenched in the Blood, it was a “goosebumps” moment. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of rock and roll who inspired the collection, would have been proud.
Hamish Bowles, Vogue editor at large
It was a balmy night under a perfect crescent moon, and the collection—set to a rousing, specially composed soundtrack by Vangelis and brilliantly staged by Villa Eugenie—combined shades of Capucci’s sculptural couture and the mysticism of Hilma af Klint with Mary Katrantzou’s own inventively antic spirit. It was presented as a fundraiser for Elpida, the association of friends of children with cancer, and Marianna Vardinoyiannis, the founder and patron, sat with Queen Anne Marie and a flotilla of Katrantzou-clad beauties. For the finale, Mary’s stately lineup of models was joined by Vardinoyannis and children who have benefited from Elpida’s program, as well as the teary-eyed designer herself: bringing the collections season to a powerful and moving close.
Nicole Phelps, director, Vogue Runway
I walked out of the Alexander McQueen show with tears in my eyes. The live orchestra, Sarah Burton leading her London team out for a group bow, the way the collection engaged with the sustainability issue by embracing upcycling, and the uplift that comes from humble—but noble!—handwork, and so, so much beauty. It was fashion at its most enchanting, and Burton just keeps getting better.
Chioma Nnadi, Vogue fashion news director
Molly Goddard’s show in London was easily one of my favorites. The runway was set up in narrow lanes so you could actually feel each one of her beautiful tulle dresses swish right by you. It was just the kind of up-close-and-personal experience that you want from Fashion Week but rarely get.
Lynn Yaeger, Vogue contributor
Under the Roofs of Paris is the name of Rene Clair’s famous 1930 film—but it was literally the models strolling atop the roofs of Paris that thrilled me during this most recent round of fashion shows. At Chanel, where you invariably leave humming the scenery, the conceit this time was those iconic gray gables themselves. It was as thrilling as looking out your imaginary garret window, dreaming of living in that dream city—and even the presence of a crasher on the runway could not steal the power of those mute roofs.
Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue archive editor
In his recent memoir, Isaac Mizrahi, writing of Anna Wintour, said: “She was the fashion editor of my life.” Well, Christian Lacroix is the fashion designer of mine. So, of course, Dries Van Noten’s collaboration with @fkachristianlacroix tops my Spring 2020 best list. As it’s sure to appear on many others as well, I want to shout out Yohji Yamamoto’s incredible and poetic walk through fashion history, too.
Steff Yotka, Vogue fashion news and emerging platforms editor
Over a month of fashion shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, I saw so much—and so much to love—from Rick Owens’s bubbles to Dries Van Noten’s incredible Lacroix collab. But for the first time, I also saw something I’d never seen before: An actually fun fashion show. In London’s Tottenham Hale, Jonny Banger put on a fashion-show-party-rave for his brand Sports Banger that was a singular, revelatory, really damn excellent time. We were out there, away from “the scene,” with almost no other fashion editors, buyers, or press present, just hanging out, witnessing a show that felt wholly in and of its time and place. Banger is wildly creative, and seeing him reinterpret fashion and cultural codes is a delight (with a side of thumping music and lethal cocktails, I should note). I loved his homage to Mugler, and the way his friends and models just hung out in the lot afterward, drinking champagne straight from the bottle, wishing Jonny the best. He earned it and then some.
Emily Farra, Vogue senior fashion news writer
It’s often said that “real clothes” make for boring fashion shows, and it’s often true! But after years of splashy, Instagram-y runway statements, it was refreshing to see a return to simplicity and ease. What kept it all from being snoozy was the attention to detail and beautiful materials. I’d buy the entire Prada collection if I could—my fellow Vogue Runway colleague Brooke Bobb and I have been searching for fine-knit polos ever since Freja opened the show in one!—but it’s worth pointing out that elevated, hard-working sportswear is a distinctly New York thing. The Deveaux collection was full of good vibes and great clothes—I want to live in this breezy top and green trousers next summer—and in the nearer future, I’ll be attempting to recreate Khaite’s luxe, vaguely Western head-to-toe-suede look all winter long.
Brooke Bobb, Vogue senior fashion news writer
There’s been so much discussion around sustainability this season—some of it probably just talk, and some of it real, actionable change. It’s a challenging, overwhelming, and frightening topic, one that in our everyday lives, we may feel somewhat distant from or ill-equipped to help with. But sitting outside at Hillary Taymour’s Collina Strada show, with her real-people models; the humble, heartfelt calls to action of her show notes; and the pop-up farmer’s market, I felt closer and more personally attached to the sustainability conversation than ever before. It was beautiful and relatable, and I left feeling like I could make even some small difference in the world. In my opinion, that’s how fashion should be inspiring us right now.
Liana Satenstein, Vogue senior fashion news writer
I loved the sweaty, low-slung, bare-it-all vibe of Barragán. The models were dewy and had red-rimmed eyes as if they had just come back from a hot night of clubbing.
Janelle Okwodu, Vogue senior fashion news writer
Alton Mason dancing at Tommy Hilfiger was a beautiful expression of joy in the middle of a week that could use more good vibes.
Anny Choi, Vogue market editor
My favorite moment from this fashion month was Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show at Barclays Center. I had no idea what to expect, and the thought of trekking to Brooklyn for a 9:00 p.m. show on a Tuesday night wasn’t my ideal scenario. (I was also slightly annoyed that they locked everyone’s phones, if I’m being totally honest!) But once the lights went down and Rihanna came out to open the show, along with all of these incredible dancers, I was in awe. It was totally epic, totally worth the trek. What a cool way to showcase lingerie! I watched the entire show all over again on Amazon Prime the day it aired.
Amy Verner, Vogue contributor
When is a dormant fashion house worth reincarnating? I visited Patou just after the shows to make up for missing Guillaume Henry’s debut presentation. From the whimsical office within an old girl’s school overlooking the Seine, to the QR code traceability labels and fully recyclable hangers, each detail felt equally charming and conscientious—a certain youthful repackaging of Parisian couture circa 2020. And discovering Henry’s (relatively budget-friendly) dressed-up denim, pretty tailoring, and bubbly dresses instead of serious fashion closed my week with a jolt of joie-de-vivre. Here’s to more of you, Patou!
Luke Leitch, Vogue contributor
Thanks to the distance and traffic between the Issey Miyake show and Balmain’s before it, many editors missed Satoshi Kondo’s debut for this Japanese house. For those who got there (metro!), it was the most invigorating show of the season. While the clothes were pretty typically Miyake-ish, it was how they were presented that impressed. As the models danced in circles, carved around in front of us on skateboards, pirouetted in bubble-hemmed dresses that inflated as they twisted, or ran in a happy ululating onrush at the end, the show unfolded as a display of clothes which enhance a joyful physical interaction between the wearer and the world around her. Which is surely exactly what you want clothes to do: bring joy.
No moment encapsulated the message more than when three dresses (and hats) were lowered from the roof onto the hands-upraised bodies of models below, who then started bouncing—a bit Muppet-ish-ly—to Afrobeat, surrounded by similarly dressed colleagues. It seemed simultaneously futuristic and primitive. This being Miyake, the pleated sponginess of the garments made it appear as if the dresses were dancing, out of time but elegantly so, against the models. No influencers, no celebrities, and no hype—we weren’t even tipped off about this coup de theatre before the show started. This was a moment that demonstrated the power of a fresh idea in fashion to catch the imagination of the wider world. Deservedly, it did.
Tiziana Cardini, Vogue contributor
There was much talk this season about the state of fashion, with shows and collections providing copious food for thought on the many relevant issues the industry is facing today. The list would be long, so I’m just picking a couple of topics that had the conversation fired up and which were big on designers’ agendas. On one hand, while there’s evidence of a certain fashion fatigue in audiences and consumers, shows were testing new formats of entertainment to generate excitement; at the other end of the spectrum, the elephant in the room for many labels was how to effectively address the sustainability conundrum and the social and ethical engagement that is unavoidable today. I found Milan rather on point on both themes. When it comes to upping the ante on entertainment, Donatella Versace certainly knows how to play the game. She staged the ultimate coup de thêatre having Jennifer Lopez closing the show wearing the famous 2000 Jungle Dress. It pretty much obliterated any other memory of even the most elaborate, fanciest performances this season provided. I was probably the only person in the audience unable to take a video or a picture, as I was completely stunned by J.Lo’s presence and confidence, not to mention by her sensationally luscious body; she strutted at such close distance, the dress actually brushed past the people in the first row. It was as glamorous as it gets, but the moment also had a potent emotional, almost personal feel. Which brings me to Francesco Risso’s great Marni show, at the sustainable end of the fashion spectrum. His engagement was as authentic, touching and human as it was higly spectacular. The Marni jungle was of a rather different kind then Versace’s: Sprouting from a recycled-cardboard seating maze, a forest of lithe palm trees, made of recycled plastic from previous backdrops, was populated by a flock of fantasmagorical creatures. They fluttered about clad in a riot of colorful dresses, printed to recreate a dense foliage, or new species of hallucinogenic blooms or else the exotic plumage of parakeets and birds of paradise. Julien d’Ys’s extraordinaire coiffures just added to the magic. Risso’s connection with the Amazon is deeply personal, having spent time there; his “save the planet” battle cry felt as powerfully raw, emotional and intense as it was poetic and delicate in its visual rendition. Today, to get a strong fashion message across you need to convey emotion—and honesty.
Maya Singer, Vogue contributor
I’m going to cheat and combine two NYFW highlights into one endorsement. Full disclosure: Batsheva Hay, of the cult-fave Batsheva dress, is one of my best friends; on the other hand, I didn’t know anything about the brand Jahnkoy or its designer Maria Kazakova until I arrived at F.I.T. for the show. But Batsheva’s fashion-défilé-cum-academic-symposium on the meaning of her clothes, and Kakakova’s weird, ecstatic dance performance celebrating global athleisure-ism and the durable power of traditional handicraft gave me a similar buzz, because both designers, in their own ways, were attempting to set style in the broad context of culture writ large and wrestle with the social impacts of their designs. Plus, it’s always rewarding to see designers try something utterly new.
BY EMILY FARRA from Vogue
Here we go… the start of the NBA season.
And for me and the rest of us who actually live near Staples Center (and don’t just tune into TNT every time the Lakers or Clippers host a home game), tonight’s rivalry signifies exactly what Los Angeles is all about.
On one hand, you’ve got the glitz — LeBron. He’s flashy, savvy, and as quick on the court as he is with his social media game. He’s a natural-born Laker; and now that he has a capable and talented co-star in Anthony Davis, the two of them can go about making a Blockbuster of a season. One that will draw in millions of dollars in ticket sales, merch, and jersey purchases from long-time fans and bandwagoners, alike.
Opposite the talent and on-screen presence of superstars like LeBron and A.D., are the workman-like “producers” who represent the Los Angeles Clippers. Don’t get it twisted, every great movie here in Tinseltown needs behind-the-scenes muscle to get the job done. Think of Kawhi Leonard like a Jerry Bruckheimer to Paul George’s Brian Grazer. Both these dudes just get buckets the way Bruck & Graze make movies and t.v. shows for anyone with two eyes and a screen.
It’s the start of the NBA season here in L.A. And it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. Guys who go by their first name only — LeBron, Kawhi— doing what they do best for the sheer entertainment of anyone tuning in tonight. And everyone who will catch the highlights on Sportscenter and YouTube tomorrow.
This is La-La Land.
La-La-La Lakers. At least, for now...
Lakers vs. Clippers odds, line: 2019 NBA Opening Night picks, predictions from top-rated computer model
SportsLine's advanced computer model simulated Lakers vs. Clippers on Tuesday 10,000 times.
The Los Angeles Clippers will look to continue their winning ways under seventh-year head coach Doc Rivers when they open up their regular season on Tuesday at home against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers (48-34 last season) are looking for their ninth straight winning season and 15th playoff appearance, while the Lakers (37-45) look to snap a six-year playoff drought. Tip-off on NBA Opening Night 2019 is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers' last winning season was in 2012-13, when they went 45-37 and placed third in the Pacific Division, losing in the first round of the playoffs. Nevertheless, the Lakers are three-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Clippers odds, a four-point swing after the line opened at +1, while the over-under for total points scored is 224. Before making any Clippers vs. Lakers picks or NBA predictions for Opening Night, you need to hear what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and anyone who followed it last season saw massive returns. The model finished 300-252 on all its top-rated picks. On top-rated against the spread and money line picks alone, the model returned a whopping $4,280.
Now, the model has dialed in on Clippers vs. Lakers. We can tell you it's leaning over, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. That pick is available exclusively at SportsLine.
The model knows the Lakers have been one of the NBA's most successful franchises, having made 60 playoff appearances in their 71 seasons. They have won 16 championships, 31 conference titles and 23 division crowns. Twenty-six Hall of Famers have played for the Lakers through the years, while four have coached the team. They still hold the record for most wins in a row (33) set during the 1971-72 season.
The Lakers will be looking for major production from Davis, who played his first seven seasons in New Orleans. Davis, who averaged 25.9 points and 12 rebounds per game last season, averaged 34.3 points and 14 rebounds in three games against the Clippers. Also expected to provide offense is center Dwight Howard, who has averaged 17.4 points and 12.6 rebounds in his 15 seasons in the league.
But just because James now has the help he's been looking for doesn't mean they will cover the Lakers vs. Clippers spread on Tuesday.
The Clippers have had plenty of success under Rivers, compiling a 327-211 record in his seven seasons with the team. Statistically, the Clippers will look to build on last year's numbers, which saw them finish second in three-point shooting (.388), fifth in scoring (115.1 points per game) and seventh in field goal percentage (.471) and free throw percentage (.792).
While forward Paul George gets healthy, the Clippers will look to complement small forward Kawhi Leonard with three holdovers from last season: guard Lou Williams, center Montrezl Harrell and point guard Landry Shamet. Williams averaged 20 points and three rebounds a year ago, while Harrell averaged 16.6 points and Shamet was at 8.3.
So who wins Clippers vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread can you bank on well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Clippers vs. Lakers spread to jump on Tuesday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $4,200 on its NBA picks last season, and find out.
by CBSsports
Baltimore civil rights advocate and leader in Trump impeachment inquiry, dies
U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, a committee chairman known for his devotion to Baltimore and civil rights and for blunt and passionate speechmaking, died of longstanding health problems early Thursday morning, his office said. He was 68 years old.
The Democrat, a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, died at Gilchrist Hospice Care, a Johns Hopkins affiliate, at approximately 2:45 A.M., a spokeswoman said.
Cummings, who had been absent from Capitol Hill in recent weeks while under medical attention, had health issues in recent years. In 2017, he underwent an aortic valve replacement. The procedure, which aides described as minimally invasive in Cummings’ case, is used to correct narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart. The surgery led to an infection that kept him in the hospital longer than expected. He was later hospitalized for a knee infection, but he said this summer that his health was fine.
Cummings had not participated in a roll call vote since Sept. 11. His office said recently that he had undergone a medical procedure but the seriousness of his condition had not been known.
To fill the seat, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, will soon issue a proclamation stating a special primary election and a special general election will be held to fill the vacancy, according to the law. Hogan’s spokesman, Mike Ricci, said Thursday morning that it wasn’t clear yet when the special election would take place.
The committee he chaired, Oversight and Reform, is among three panels leading the impeachment inquiry of Trump, a Republican.
A former Maryland state delegate and trial attorney, Cummings became a national figure in 2019 as chairman of the committee. With Democrats assuming the House majority after the 2018 elections, he won the ability to demand documents related to Trump’s personal finances and policies, as well as possible abuses at federal agencies in the Trump administration.
Pundits had speculated before the change of power in the House that Cummings, who could be boisterous in his questioning of witnesses, might become a “nightmare” for Trump, a Republican.
“Are we going to be the nightmare? It’s in the eyes of the beholder,” he told The Baltimore Sun before ascending to the chairmanship.
In a tweet, Trump sent his “warmest condolences” to Cummings’ family and friends and said: “I got to see first hand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader. His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!”
Hogan called Cummings “a fierce advocate for civil rights and for Maryland for more than three decades. Congressman Cummings leaves behind an incredible legacy of fighting for Baltimore City and working to improve people’s lives.”
Cummings clashed with the administration over a number of issues, including the high cost of prescription drugs, a longtime concern of his. His committee engaged in a protracted court fight with the administration over subpoenas — challenged by the president — of Trump’s personal and financial records.
Cummings said he had just a single one-on-one conversation with the president. It was in 2017 when both were working on plans to lower drug prices.
More: What they're saying about Cummings' death
The Democrat recalled saying: “Mr. President, you’re now 70-something, I’m 60-something. Very soon you and I will be dancing with the angels. The thing that you and I need to do is figure out what we can do — what present can we bring to generations unborn?”
Cummings said he then told Trump that “we don’t need to be doing mean things. We don’t need to be just representing 30-something percent of the people that like us. You need to represent all the people.”
Cummings particularly resented Trump’s tweet over the summer of 2019 that four Democratic congresswomen of color should "go back” to other countries. He said it recalled the summer of 1962, when white mobs taunted and threw rocks and bottles at Cummings and other African American kids seeking to integrate the Riverside Park pool in South Baltimore.
“I don’t think these Republicans or Trump fully understand what it feels like to be treated like less than a dog,” Cummings told the Baltimore Sun.
More: What happens to Cummings' seat in Congress?
Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat who is the senior member of Maryland’s congressional delegation, said Cummings’ loss “leaves an irreplaceable void in our hearts, in our Maryland and in our Congress. Quite possibly no elected official mattered so much to his constituents.”
“I feel as though I lost a member of my family,” said former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke. “We were that close. He cared about people and making life better for others.”
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Cummings “believed that children were the messengers to a future we’ll never see, and it is our responsibility to give our kids a better life.”
In July, Trump began a weeklong series of tweets and comments attacking the congressman, his hometown of Baltimore and his congressional district, which Trump called “rat and rodent infested.” Cummings chose not to respond directly but in a National Press Club speech decried “racist language” used by the nation’s leaders and urged them to “work together for the common good.”
“God has called me to this moment. I did not ask for it,” he said in the speech.
Cummings often told the story of how his mother had witnessed Americans harmed and beaten while seeking the right to vote.
“Her last words were ‘Do not let them take our votes away from us,’ ” he said.
Cummings was known for his blunt, passionate — and sometimes intimidating — observations during committee hearings.
He did not hesitate to tell witnesses when he thought they were dodging his pointed questions.
“I felt like you were trying to pull a fast one on me, I’ve got to be honest with you, man,” Cummings told U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in March during a hearing into how the Trump administration came to develop a census question — later withdrawn — about citizenship status. Ross said he had testified truthfully.
Following his health problems in recent years, he used a wheelchair to get around and braced himself with a walker when he stood.
Cummings was born in 1951 and raised in Baltimore, where he continued to live.
He was one of seven children of Robert Cummings Sr. and Ruth Elma Cummings, née Cochran, who were sharecroppers on land where their ancestors were enslaved. The couple moved to Baltimore in the late 1940s.
As a child, Cummings struggled in elementary school and was assigned to special education courses. However, after showing promise in high school at City College, he won Phi Beta Kappa honors at Howard University in Washington. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law and passed the state bar in 1976.
After graduating from law school, Cummings joined a small Baltimore law firm and later set up his own practice, pooling expenses with two other lawyers. He soon transitioned to his second aspiration as a public servant. His longtime mentor is Larry Gibson, the Baltimore attorney and author who was active in the 1960s civil rights movement.
In 1982, with the support of several established city officials, Cummings ran for state delegate and won. He served in the Maryland General Assembly for 14 years and became the first African American in Maryland history to be named speaker pro tem.
In late 1995, Cummings decided to run for Maryland’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House after Rep. Kweisi Mfume announced he would resign to become the head of the NAACP. Cummings served as a congressman since 1996.
Cummings was an active member of New Psalmist Baptist Church and was married to Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, who was elected chair of the Maryland Democratic Party in December 2018.
“It’s been an honor to walk by his side on this incredible journey,” his wife said in a statement. “I loved him deeply and will miss him dearly.”
By MSN News