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Strategizing an outfit for a concert, the 40-year-old communications professor at UNC Wilmington had gotten as far as a black stretch-knit dress from Susana Monaco. “But in photos on Instagram, a plain black dress doesn’t pop,” she said. Jones strapped on a $188 leather belt with an etched silver buckle, debonairly looping it around her dress’s slinky fabric. In the ’80s and ’90s, branded Gucci and Chanel belt buckles served as signal flares for yuppie shoppers. And gutsy dressers are cinching and sculpting sweaters, dresses, shawls and blouses with no belt loops at all.

Persons: KELLY JONES, Susana Monaco, ”, Jones, Halston, Tiffany, Elsa Peretti, Gucci, Miranda Kerr, Jennifer Lopez Organizations: UNC Wilmington, “

I’VE ALWAYS hated dress shoes and, while it lasted, the professional obligation to submit to their sadism. Like many men, I used the pandemic to banish those Italian-leather C-clamps from my closet—and wear nothing but considerate sneakers. But once my office life in Manhattan resumed, that day-in-day-out sneaker rut began to feel schlubbly. I craved more formality. I did not crave pain.

Persons: I’VE Locations: Manhattan

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Persons: Dow Jones

IF YOU haven’t been bombarded by ads for mesh ballet flats this summer, you probably aren’t on social media. The rest of us are left wondering: What are these? Are they made of mosquito netting? Are they comfortable? Can you wear them outside?

Organizations: YOU

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mixing-patterns-mens-fashion-guide-40a0af1

Persons: Dow Jones

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/they-smooth-out-every-curve-why-popcorn-swimsuits-are-everywhere-this-summer-bc5ecc5b

Persons: Dow Jones

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/they-smooth-out-every-curve-why-popcorn-swimsuits-are-everywhere-this-summer-bc5ecc5b

Persons: Dow Jones

WHEN SAMMY Palazzolo goes out, people constantly ask to see her phone. In late 2022, Ms. Palazzolo and some of her dorm-mates at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were bemoaning their smartphone addictions. “We were talking about how we [felt] like slaves to our phones, like robots who keep scrolling and scrolling, even when we’re out at parties.” The group hatched a plan to do something about it. The next day, they went flip-phone shopping at Walmart . Ms. Palazzolo ended up with a $40 AT&T Cingular Flex.

A CERTAIN style move terrifies countless men with a passing interest in fashion. Some would sooner streak through Times Square than be seen sporting this “faux pas.” The avoid-at-all-costs abomination? Wearing black and navy together. With a discipline that would impress a four-star general, guys both young and old abide by such staid rules on not mixing certain colors. Ask them to wear, say, green head-to-toe and you might witness a conniption.

The Brooklyn writer and brand consultant, 33, has lately been trying to cut down on her screen time, so she bought an analog watch—specifically a 1979 Rolex Lady-Datejust. “That I have one less reason to pull [my phone] out of my pocket is a relief,” she said. Ms. Baxter is among the many women who, as a form of self-care, are shunning techy time-tellers and opting for analog watches (old-school tickers that actually tick). It’s a move Deepika Chopra, a Los Angeles holistic psychologist, recommends to clients experiencing smartphone or social-media overload. Janet Ozzard, 58, felt a sense of freedom after ditching her digital tracker for Shinola’s mechanical Birdy watch earlier this year.

AFTER THREE YEARS of upheaval and change, many women are realizing their old wardrobes are no longer a good fit—both literally and figuratively—for their post-pandemic selves. Here, two writers of different generations seek guidance on suiting up for their next chapters. The Woman in her 40s: Baze MpinjaA couple of months ago, I went to a sample sale for the first time since the pandemic began. For instance: While most of my fellow crazed shoppers were throwing elbows to snag sky-high pumps, I only had eyes for kitten heels. Apparently, after years of working from home in cozy socks or sneakers, I’m no longer interested in suffering for chic footwear—even if I can get it at a deep discount.

THE FIRST TIME Racil Chalhoub, 39, a womenswear designer from Beirut, decided to buy men’s clothing, she was standing in a sea of denim at Abercrombie & Fitch in Los Angeles. This was the early aughts—when many women’s jeans were so snug and low-cut that visible thongs were considered a viable accessory. But Ms. Chalhoub craved loose, roomy hip-huggers. “Everything for women was fitted or flared,” she said. Ms. Chalhoub even launched her own women’s tuxedo brand, Racil, in 2015.

TURTLENECKS HAVE A PR PROBLEM among men. Too many guys put them firmly in the “not for me” category, thinking them overly constricting, pretentious or artsy. The chin-grazing knit’s reputation suffered a further blow this fall, when French finance minister Bruno Le Maire seemingly declared a plan to reduce winter heating bills by wearing turtlenecks—and was widely mocked. “Let them wear cashmere!”Putting French politics aside, we’ve decided to assume the role of the turtleneck’s publicist. And turtlenecks have poked their heads into every fashion category this winter, from luxe (the Row) to sporty (Uniqlo Heattech).

“People are bored of a lack of innovation with sneakers, so it makes sense that more guys are getting into loafers and derbies,” said Mark Boutilier, 24, an Atlanta fashion content creator. At men’s spring runway shows in June, the shift to formal styles was clear. Sneakers had faded into the background. This presents a styling conundrum: How to resolve black-tie shoes with comfy shirts and trousers seemingly designed for naps? “Men used to use sneakers to dress down formal looks, but now they are incorporating dressy shoes to elevate more casual [outfits],” said Mr. Klingberg, who recently sold a client cargo pants to team with loafers.

ONE AFTERNOON last month, Eristheo Raif freed his shins with the swoosh of two zips. Mr. Raif, 35, a Los Angeles high-school teacher, had been in a chilly classroom all morning, but it was time for P.E. Since the bottom halves of his new convertible cargo pants detach above the knees, he could unsheath his shanks in seconds. When a student inquired, “Weren’t they pants?” Mr. Raif replied, “Yeah, but it got hot, so now they’re shorts!” He last wore convertible cargos in the early 2000s. Indeed: These pants are “a big thing,” said Katie Devlin, an analyst at trend-forecasting agency Stylus.

LAST SEPTEMBER Adi Sigler, 28, wore track pants to a business meeting for the first time. Ms. Sigler felt uneasy—were her pants too laid-back for work? Her office wardrobe now includes a pile of track pants, which she often pairs with Isabel Marant tops and a black Lady Dior bag. Track pants, a gym staple roughly defined as loose athletic pants, have new legs thanks to a one-two punch of runway dominance at labels like Gucci and Max Mara and the rise of postpandemic “bleisure” (a sloshy portmanteau for “business leisure”) that embraces soft fabrics and slouchy silhouettes. Track pants sate the appetite for easy clothes that are still style-forward.

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