Wear Me Out: The Rise of Nipples and Cynthia Nixon's CJR Obsession

Took a bit of time off to further deplete the reservoirs of my mind, and now I’m back and ready to dive into the last two weeks in fashion. That’s right, we’re tinkering with the approach to Wear Me Out just a bit. Instead of longform profiles, we’re going to instead look at the last two weeks in fashion and pick out some moments that either didn’t get enough shine or were too ensconced in shadow.

That doesn’t mean we won’t continue to be in conversation with the figures helping make fashion the industry worth still clamoring about. You’ll get plenty of that. Just means we’re going to widen our scope a bit and be able to commentate on what’s happening now. Like, I don’t want to waste another second not talking about Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu’s nipple dress. So let’s get to it. Welcome back!

Rihanna Is Pregnant

While many were locked indoors during Saturday’s snowstorm in New York City, Rihanna was out and about with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, with photographer Miles Diggs in tow, to announce her pregnancy. The accompanying photoshoot, which is giving Anna Wintour’s first Vogue cover meets Madonna’s "Like A Prayer" album cover, features the singer/ mogul in a pink silk puffer from Chanel's Fall 1996 collection by Karl Lagerfeld, a Christian Lacroix necklace draped over her exposed baby bump and jeans that are somehow slush-resistant. R9 may not be coming, but baby Ri is!

Seth Rogen Looking Like a Husband

Let’s start with Seth Rogen wearing Fear of God seventh collection at the red carpet premiere of Hulu’s Pam & Tommy. If this is what smoking a ton of weed does to a man, then we need to federally legalize weed now. It’s giving “daddy? sorry. daddy? sorry... daddy?” The former Freaks and Geeks star has re-upped his style in recent years, teaming up with stylist Wendi & Nicole for a look that is refined without slinking into a banal "actor wears suit" vibe that can often be the default. I love the cement colorway juxtaposed with the cream shirt and shoes relaxed fit of the double-pleated trouser, the wide lapel, the hands in pockets and the no belt/ no laces. If his vase-making wasn’t reason enough to stan, this outfit finalizes that incredibly correct decision.

There’s a faction of fandom that does the “when did so-so star get hot?” when a one-time non-skinny celeb loses weight. Besides the demeaning framework of the question, there’s also the implication that hotness cannot be obtained without thinness. We, of course, know that hotness is not linked to weight. Rogen been hot. Stays hot. It’s not that complicated.

The Rise of Nipples

“Bitch, it’s the serve.” That was the voice on the tele after Emily in Paris and Call Your Agent star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu made tongues wag while in attendance at the the Ami Fall/Winter 2022 show during Paris Fashion Week. "I loved being overdressed in Emily, because I don’t do it in real life,” Leroy-Beaulieu once told the New York Times clearly not correctly forecasting her inevitable Fashion Week reign. The forest green dress sheer and clinging long-sleeved midi dress complimented by the black trench, the scarlet red mani-pedi and, of course, the exposed nipples. As Tove Lo once sang, “I'm fully charged, nipples are hard.”

The lost And Just Like That castmember Samantha Jones once proclaimed that “nipples are huge, right now.” She was clearly predicting this moment with Leroy-Beaulieu, as well as that of Élite star Manu Rios, who stepped out at the same show, he too with visible nipples. “We decided to go slut undercover, all black and classy, but with a see through shirt — very Manu,” says Rio’s stylist, Marc Forné. Was the pointed nipple planned or just nature taking shape? I ask. “Let’s just say nature made his job.”

Cynthia Nixon as a CJR squirrel

Thankfully, with And Just Like That and The Gilded Age airing in tandem, the Cynthia Nixon-aissance will, in fact, be televised. As a result, we’re being treated to a dujour of Cynthia Nixon red carpets, photoshoots and talk show appearances. And her designer of choice of late? None of than CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year Christopher John Rogers. She kicked things off in December in a bright tangerine dress — or “habanero,” according to CJR’s signature captions — from Collection 008. “It was such a thrill to wear your beautiful clothes,” Nixon wrote on CJR’s Instagram. This set the standard. She maintained perfection most recently during an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, where she set her stun gun to 100 in a fully-fashioned merino wool frock, also from Collection 008.

“I’ve been curious about CJR for a while, says Nixon’s longtime stylist Alicia Lombardini. “When we were talking about the premiere for And Just Like That, I knew I wanted something that would stand out from the large ensemble. I did not want something that was just pretty or even beautiful. That didn’t feel special enough for such an iconic moment.” Even more special, according to Lombardini, was the meeting of the two great creative minds at the the premiere. “CJR and Cynthia met at the premiere and they had a lovely connection which felt perfect. I was proud of that moment because in the end it is about connecting with people. That’s why we do this.”

Tributes

Much like Virgil Abloh’s untimely passing in November, the deaths of André Leon Talley and Manfred Thierry Mugler — and in such quick succession, no less — rocked the fashion world. In the case of Mugler, tributes poured in from all walks of the fashion world, but especially from the models and celebrities who he loved, and loved him in return. Diana Ross. Christy Turlington. Beyoncé. Naomi Campbell. Linda Evangelista. Cardi B. Irina Shayk. Carla Bruni. Kim Kardashian West.

Talley’s death, which first broke on Diane von Furstenberg’s Instagram page, set into motion a similarly endless amount of tributes from friends and colleagues from his decades-long career in the chiffon trenches of fashion. Perhaps the most sought after remembrance came from his friend Anna Wintour. In her tribute, posted to Vogue.com, she left this mustache twirl-inducing nugget: “Unsurprisingly, clothes — his, mine, and those seen in runway shows — made for some of André’s most incisive and hilarious commentary. One collection invoked his ire: “What was all that stuff, Amish uniforms on steroids. Pretentiously artistic! FASHION NUNS Meets The Handmaid’s Tale.” Who is the creator of this collection? That’s a tidbit that may, unfortunately, remain in the vault.

Welcome to "Wear Me Out,"a column by pop culture fiend Evan Ross Katz that takes a deep dive into celebrity dressing. From award shows and movie premieres to grocery store runs, he'll keep you up to date on what your favorite celebs have recently worn to the biggest and most inconsequential events.

Photos via Getty