Celebrities keep trying to convince me to wear red lipstick, it won't work

Earlier this month Lena Dunham wrote an ode to bright red lipstick in Vogue. Drawing on examples from politicians, activists, fashion designers and her own mother, artist Laurie Simmons, Dunham argued that wearing red lipstick was an inherently bold and defiant act; a powerful way to express your femininity and amplify your opinions in what is, at this moment, an aggressively patriarchal culture. "The revolution," wrote Dunham, "will wear red lipstick."

Dunham also believes that bright lipstick just looks really great. And what is feminism right now but an embrace, not just of fashion and femininity, but of every sort of beauty?

Oh, it's terribly fashionable at the moment. Dunham cited the Prada and Topshop collections as proof, but look at any style-conscious celebrity and you'll note they are leading with their lips. Kerry Washington, I mean of course – her lips are stupendous. And she usually goes for a slightly orange red. And what about Priyanka Chopra? Her lips are very often painted a deep crimson and they look stunning. Gal Gadot ventured into dark burgundy territory at the Mexico premiere of Wonder Woman.

But for me? Personally? I just ... can't. I think, perhaps because, I was a teenager in the 1990s when bold, dark, matte lips were considered the business. This means that I associate red lipstick with awkward teenage experimentation – specifically, my own. Also? I've always had pink undertones. I won't go so far as to call my skin the colour of bacon as it upsets my mother, but you get the idea.

There's also this: during the 1990s, the only person I knew who wore bright red lipstick regularly was my modern history teacher. And, with her orange mop of hair and unique sense of lipstick application, (i.e., half way to her nose) she always reminded me of Ronald McDonald.

The good news (for me and anyone else left emotionally scarred by 1990s makeup) is that while there's always space for matte, the trend right now is leaning toward bright and super glossy.

Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford, made her debut just last week as the face of Marc Jacobs new Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer. The short film accompanying the launch is unapologetically retro, with Gerber sporting crimped hair and studded denim. Speaking of celebrity offspring, Lily-Rose Depp is the official face of Chanel's shiny version, Rouge Coco Gloss, which is positively slippery. Meanwhile, Estee Lauder's newly appointed global beauty director Violette is a huge fan of the colour oxblood, a satiny mix of burgundy and rust, it just about screams 1985.

Dunham associates red lipstick with bravery and I agree whole-heartedly. It highlights the mouth, which is an important piece of symbolism during this era of Trump and the general – and at times, painfully specific – silencing of women.

I have to wonder, though, if adoration of her mother aside, a large part of Dunham's love for the shade is due to lipstick's original representation of female arousal. And given that Dunham is the champion of nudity as a feminist statement, it strikes me as weird that she wouldn't go there in her piece. Then again, perhaps she omitted the reference because she's a layered woman with many different interests and tastes and didn't want to be continually striking the same nude note. Which was, incidentally, one of the themes of her article – not nudity, but the idea that a woman can be whatever she wants.

OK. So, even though I hate the way I look wearing red lipstick, I support and encourage every woman out there to continue wearing it. Because I know we don't all have to agree to encourage and stand with one another. So, go on with your red lipstick-loving self. The revolution begins with us.Read more at:prom dress shops | cheap prom dresses uk

THOM BROWNE IS TRADING NEW YORK FOR PARIS

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New York-based Thom Browne is decamping to Paris.

Browne, who is presenting his spring 2018 menswear show in Paris on Sunday, will be presenting his next womenswear collection in the City of Light, instead of New York Fashion Week, The New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman reported Thursday. The Hollywood Reporter has also reached out for further comment.

The designer's decision to move is partly so that he can better showcase his womenswear. Though his menswear clothes have earned him multiple CFDA nominations and wins, his womenswear collections have yet to receive the same level of recognition, even though they are typically well-received by critics, according to Friedman. Indeed, The Hollywood Reporter senior fashion editor Booth Moore called his fall 2017 menswear-inspired collection "an embarrassment of riches and a testament to a designer who really should have one of America's biggest fashion brands."

Browne, whose runway shows were always among New York's most theatrical, is just the latest designer to make the move; Rodarte, Proenza Schouler and Monique Lhuillier have also left American fashion capital New York for Paris.

Recognition or not, Browne's womenswear pieces still get plenty of love on the red carpet. Solange, Janelle Monae and Naomie Harris are just a few of the celebrities to have worn his designs in recent months. Browne also designed the silk tie-inspired coat and dress Michelle Obama wore to the 2013 inauguration.

Browne founded his eponymous label with five suits at an appointment-only shop in 2001 before introducing his ready-to-wear menswear collection in 2003, and he launched a womenswear range in 2011. His line can be found at retailers SSENSE, Barneys New York and FWRD by Elyse Walker, as well as his own brick-and-mortars in New York, Milan, London, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong, and online.Read more at:prom dresses 2017