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The HALO Report 5.7.25: Controversial Pants Lengths

  • Writer: Em Seely-Katz
    Em Seely-Katz
  • 19 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Thoughts on the Met Gala, the concept of "effortlessness," and a sale at Eileen Fisher.



Welcome to The HALO Report — HALOSCOPE’s new weekly digest, an of-the-moment mix of news items, opinion pieces, and sale announcements designed to keep you posted on the nitty-gritty of the fashion world and all of its tangents without having to keep a constant eye on your feed. 


This week, the Met Gala happened (and it went…well?), the difference between dreaming of labor and delighting in effort, Fashion Brand Company drops its cutest collection yet, a new bombshell summer shoe has entered the villa, the summer kicks off with a sidewalk sale (AND pierogies), and more.


The latest long-ish reads from the brightest minds in fashion.


  • Emily Kirkpatrick’s “Met Gala 2025: Live red carpet reaction” via I <3 Mess is truly the only coverage of the extravaganza worth checking out. Her incisive commentary, witty observations, and ruthless, rarely met standards set a bar for fashion analysis media that legacy publications could only dream of clearing. 

  • “The Best Men’s Makeup Seen at the 2025 Met Gala and Beyond” by Lauren Valenti and Margaux Anbouba for Vogue is notable mainly for the fact that as the years go by, more and more masculine folk seem to be adopting makeup as a means of highlighting or concealing their feted or unwanted features as has traditionally been a feminine pursuit. This year, graphic, cartoonish makeup didn’t dominate the masc mugs; instead, subtle eyeshadow and tightly-lined eyes dotted the dandyish red carpet. 

  • Though it doesn’t focus on fashion, the latest issue of Eleonor Botoman’s Screenshot Reliquary, “68. Laborious Reliquary,” is one of the most relevant pieces to come out this week for any industry. They write, poignantly: “Even if what we all choose to do is different, our fights for dignity and survival remain the same,” then highlight fiber artist Tabitha Arnold’s textile tribute to the 1934 strike by workers at the Coosa-Thatcher textile factory in Chattanooga. Screenshot Reliquary may not be strictly tied to the style world, but its myriad ports of call are a great reminder of how fluid every sector of creativity can be if we keep our minds open to receiving inspiration.

  • “the effort is the point” by Rabbit Fur Coat’s Eleanor is a simple exhortation to reject a facile conception of “effortlessness” as the ultimate goal in style, referencing detailed tapestries and deliberate displays of artistry in exalting the ultimate display of love: trying.

  • For a solid primer on sporting the controversial pants length, check out “Are Capri Leggings Really Back? Here’s How to Wear the Controversial Length in 2025” by Talia Abbas for Vogue, replete with reference photos and shoppable styling ideas.


What to keep in mind — and look forward to — in the past and coming weeks.


  • The Met Gala came and went, as it always does, and commentators were largely impressed with the stylistic showings, an impressive statistic given the fact that the historical theme of Black Dandy fashion seemed an easy one for the Eurocentric constituents of the event to pervert. As expected, the best dressed list included Zendaya (though many were underwhelmed by her simple, yet immaculately tailored, white suit), Colman Domingo, and other Met darlings, but Alton Mason stole the show in a sparkly, chest-baring suit referencing the anime Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.  

  • Underrated label Fashion Brand Company’s summer-ready Sailor Collection will drop on Tuesday, May 13. I have rarely encountered quality as high as that of FBC’s garments in a comparable price range, and I have been lusting over the simple, smartly-cut navy sailor dress since it was teased months ago. 

  • Black Crane is another under-the-radar brand that deserves its flowers, debuting its SS25 collection at Bona Drag with good-weird bubble-wrap-like quilted fabrics and what seem to be the label’s first forays out of neutral territory and into the world of bright colors. 

  • I am NOT a sexy shoe kind of guy, with foot problems that make me unable to do much more than hobble when saddled with a strappy sandal, plus a sense of pragmatism that rejects any footwear designed for decoration, but Gimaguas’ new summer wedges are the first hype-y shoes I’ve seen that have made me genuinely gasp. Forget MNZ’s Olympias and The Row’s cursed jellies—these are a sun-drenched patio with an Aperol spritz in hand in footwear form.  

  • Get first access to Toteme’s SS25 collection with a ℅ Toteme account—this is what The Row thinks it’s doing, especially accessories-wise, with abundant potential it-bags and suave slip-on sandals.

Less about impulse buys — and more about tracking discounts on the pieces already on your wishlist. 



Em Seely-Katz is the creator of the fashion blog Esque, the News Editor of HALOSCOPE, and a writer, stylist, and anime-watcher about town. You can usually find them writing copy for niche perfume houses or making awful collages at @that.esque on Instagram.  


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