Rated Reads: The Birth of Skorts and Britney Breaks Her Silence

Prada Menswear SS22 Takes Skorts On A Trip To The Beach 

After the long dominion of jeggings, this week welcomed in the arrival of skorts – yep, that’s a skirt and shorts combined – which have set the internet ablaze. Conceived by esteemed Italian designer Prada for their SS22 menswear range, the new item is intended for the beach.

Wonderland covered the show: “models made their way through rooms covered head-to-toe in a deep shade of lipstick red, baring long legs, exposed arms and hairless chests as they descended onto crisp blue shores. Some wore leathers that were distressed and aged like the finest of wines, others hid behind sleek sunnies like a tabloid star on a booze cruise, letting dark cardigans and striped two-pieces speak for themselves.”

Britney Spears: Full Court Transcript Against Conservatorship

The other big news this week – and just in – is that Britney Spears has broken her silence in court to speak out against her conservatorship.

After months of speculation on the case, and twisting debate in which Spears’ voice was conspicuously absent, this is a seminal moment in the #FreeBritney movement.

The pop star’s transcript reads: “I worked seven days a week, no days off… Making anyone work against their will, taking all their possessions away — credit card, cash, phone, passport — and placing them in a home where they work with the people who live with them. They all lived in the house with me, the nurses, the 24-7 security. There was one chef that came there and cooked for me daily during the weekdays. They watched me change every day — naked – morning, noon and night. My body – I had no privacy door for my room.”

Tanu Muino has conquered the music video world

Ever wondered who is behind the camera of your fave music videos? It may well be Tanu Muino.

The co-director of the video for Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, Muino’s work has sent fans into a frenzy. Sydney Urbanek looks back on her journey, from working in fashion to directing videos for the likes of Katy Perry, Rosalía, and Cardi B.

With Muino signing to William Morris Endeavor, it’s likely she’ll also be taking over our TV screens.

‘My parents’ trauma is my trauma’ – Veronica Ryan on making first Windrush monument

In a year where statues have been a hot topic, it’s about time that one dedicated to the Windrush generation has been set in motion. The artist behind it, Veronica Ryan, chats to Dale Berning Sawa.

Sawa writes: “An installation from 2016-19, entitled Arrangement in Layers, Stacking up Moments I-X, features hundreds of blue wholesaler avocado trays, gleaned from bemused shop-owners at the end of a day’s trade. ‘I’ve been collecting them for years. Some shops were sympathetic. Others thought, ‘We’ve got a weirdo here.’’ She was a mother trying to make ends meet and an artist without a budget. But she was also thinking about wider political questions. ‘You’ve got landfills and toxic waste being exported – poorer countries being the recipients of the west’s overindulgence.'”

Eastern Bloc Rock

Reflecting on 40 years since Chris Bohn shattered the preconceived notion that rock music was purely western, Tribune have interviewed the journalist himself. “At that time, the British music press enthusiastically wrote about the German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk,” Miloš Hroch writes. “David Bowie was finishing his Berlin trilogy. The first line-up of Joy Division was called Warsaw. The West was looking in the direction of the Iron Curtain.”

While assumptions were being made by rockers looking east, the genre was actually an important form of political rebellion across the Eastern Bloc. Heavily censored and frowned upon, rock bands epitomised the resistance.

Chris Bohn tells tales from behind the Iron Curtain: “I was taken to an outdoor black market selling banned records – I even saw a copy of Metal Box by Public Image Ltd., which had been out for less than a year. Then the oppressive atmosphere began to hit home. For example, once we were sitting in a pub, and Pavel covered his mouth and told me in the middle of a chat that the man sitting in the corner was a police informant watching us.”

Inside the cyber fashion market where ‘digital clothes’ sell for thousands

After the NFTs rush, it turns out the inevitable next step is digital fashion. Laura Onita in The Telegraph dives in, following in the tracks of the recent sale of a digital Gucci handbag for $4115 – costing more than the real version.

“Even before the pandemic, several brands created digital clothing that only exists online. In 2019, LVMH designed a capsule collection for Riot Games’ League of Legends. Burberry teamed up with technology giant Tencent last year to add its hallmark tartan design to characters in the popular Honour of Kings video game.”

With some fashion houses going entirely digital, we’re intrigued to see whether virtual-only outfits will go mainstream.

What clubbing in England will look like post-COVID, according to clubs

The question on all of our minds: what will nightlife be like after the pandemic has pushed the industry to the brink? With memories of sweaty clubs and venues foggy and worlds away, Dazed has delved into the industry, gaining insider perspectives.

While government support for clubs has been slim, venues have been forced to adapt. “Last summer, Invisible Wind Factory installed a green screen into the venue and began live streaming photo shoots, experimental performances, and even a multi-stage TV show. ‘Closing to the public for just over a year meant that we could explore the possibilities that online offered,’ Invisible Wind Factory’s marketing manager Clara tells Dazed, ‘rather than compromising or watering down the experience with social distancing and restrictions on volume and curfews.’ Now, the venue has transformed into a Rollerdrome, complete with DJs, socially distanced tables, and skaters in masks.”

From Brit Dawson’s report, the future of UK nightlife looks sadly uncertain.