Zendaya Boosts Searches, and So Does ‘Bridgerton’ – WWD

SEARCH SURGE: After the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, it seems fans were intrigued by the blurring of gender norms among the red carpet looks.

“Dune” stars Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet, in particular, veered away from the traditional awards ceremony attire, opting for more gender neutral looks. The singer-actress wore a custom Valentino look designed by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli that consisted of a white satin cropped button-down blouse paired with a sequined silver skirt with flowing train.

The look was reminiscent of actress Sharon Stone’s Oscars outfit at the 1998 show, in which she famously wore a Gap white button-up blouse paired with a lilac Vera Wang satin skirt.

Chalamet, on the other hand, opted for a black embroidered tuxedo jacket with lace trim detailing on its sleeves and black fitted pants by Louis Vuitton from the label’s spring 2022 womenswear collection by Nicolas Ghesquière. He also wore black leather boots by the brand.

According to data by Love the Sales, a fashion e-commerce aggregator, searches for several items related to the “Dune” stars’ looks increased significantly in the last 24 hours. Fashion queries for “unisex fashion” spiked by 326 percent, while searches for “women’s cropped shirts” increased by 135 percent.

Searches for “women’s white shirts” and “women’s suits” also increased by 104 percent and 43 percent, respectively. For the Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the ceremony, Zendaya changed into a fitted suit by Sportmax.

As for Chalamet, queries for “men’s sequin jackets” and “Timothee Chalamet fashion” increased by 257 percent and 100 percent, respectively.

The two stars attended the 94th annual Academy Awards for their award-nominated movie “Dune,” which was a contender for Best Picture. At the end of the night, “CODA” took home the award. – CONCHITA WIDJOJO

DRESS LIKE THE BRIDGERTONS: While the premiere of the much-anticipated second season of the hit Netflix show “Bridgerton” was only last Friday, it seems searches for some of the series’ biggest fashion trends have already started to increase significantly.

According to data by Love the Sales, a fashion e-commerce aggregator, searches for several items and trends in the Regency-era show spiked over the weekend. The pastel tones and patterns worn by the female characters such as Daphne Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, Kate Sharma, Lady Danbury and more propelled the searches for “floral print dresses” up by 146 percent.

Meanwhile, there were 96 percent and 84 percent increases in queries for “cropped jackets” and “regency dresses,” respectively. Additionally, as the show is known for its accessories such as hair pieces like tiaras and gloves, fashion searches for “silk gloves” spiked by 63 percent.

As for the men’s fashion, worn by characters such as the Bridgerton brothers Lord Anthony, Benedict and Colin, fashion searches for “military blazers” and “waistcoats” surged by 89 percent and 77 percent, respectively.

The second season of the popular Netflix series, created by Shonda Rhimes, explored Lord Anthony’s journey to find love. Simone Ashley plays Kate Sharma, the female lead and Anthony’s love interest for season two. The first season focused on his younger sister, Daphne Bridgerton, and her love interest Simon Basset.

“Bridgerton,” which first premiered in December 2020, immediately became a phenomenon due to the chemistry between characters Daphne and Simon and the endless collection of fantastical costumes. Fans described “Bridgerton” as a clash between the original “Gossip Girl” and “Pride & Prejudice.” — C.W.

NEW CHIEF DESIGNER: Mizzen+Main, a menswear brand rooted in dress shirts and performance lifestyle products, has named Noreen Naz Naroo-Pucci chief design officer, effective April 4.

Naroo-Pucci spent a decade at Under Armour working as senior creative director and then vice president of global design engine. Most recently, she was senior vice president of design, menswear, North America for Calvin Klein and cofounder and chief creative officer of KIK Axion Sports. She has also worked for Fila and Champion Europe over the course of her career.

“Noreen is an industry leading talent that will drive Mizzen+Main to new heights, integrating and improving product, brand and design in exceptional new ways,” said Kevin Lavelle, founder and chairman of Mizzen+Main. “We’ve admired her work and look forward to her leadership on our team.”

Naroo-Pucci said she believes Mizzen+Main “is the perfect storm of craft and purpose. We have the opportunity to take the art of being well dressed into the future, and I am super excited to see where we can take our modern Mizzen man by simply making and giving him beautiful, desirable and meaningful products — all with purpose.”

Mizzen+Main was created in 2012 and is headquartered in Dallas. In 2017, L Catteron, the consumer-focused private equity firm, made an undisclosed “significant growth investment” in the company. — JEAN E. PALMIERI

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Ulta Beauty is amping up its Paypal partnership for easier returns.

The nation’s largest specialty beauty retailer is introducing Paypal’s Happy Returns Bars to more than 1,300 of its locations. According to a joint statement from Ulta Beauty and Paypal, 78 percent of Americans sit within a 10-mile radius of a Return Bar, citing U.S. 2020 census data.

The bars will expand into doors throughout 2022. The statement cited that customers increasingly are returning online orders in person via Return Bars, with 70 percent preferring them to mailing back returns. Boxes and receipts are not required to complete the returns, only their orders’ QR codes. Consumers are also able to exchange products, as opposed to returning them. Inside Happy Returns’ own online portal, consumers can also see the closest drop off locations.

“Our pilot with the innovative return platform reinforced the value simplified, in-person returns offer consumers and retailers alike,” said Kecia Steelman, chief operating officer of Ulta Beauty, in a statement. “We’re encouraged by the increased store traffic and in-store engagement the partnership drives. This is a winning opportunity for our guests, our brand and Happy Returns.” — JAMES MANSO

FANATICS’ NEW DEAL: Fanatics is partnering with the WWE on a long-term sports and entertainment deal that will expand the wrestling organization’s e-commerce and licensed merchandise offering. It will also include physical, digital and NFT trading cards.

As part of the deal, Fanatics will reintroduce a new e-commerce and mobile destination, WWE Shop, offering apparel, hard goods, such as title belts, headwear, accessories and other products. Fanatics will also work with WWE’s in-house team to design and distribute merchandise collections immediately to celebrate big moments in the sport.

Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles division, will also become the exclusive provider of licensed WWE physical and digital trading cards, which will once again bear the Topps logo. Fanatics acquired the 70-year-old Topps brand, which previously held a long-term relationship with WWE, earlier this year. That deal will commence when WWE’s existing trading cards rights expire over the next few years.

Later this year, Fanatics’ digital collectibles company, Candy Digital, will become one of WWE’s primary NFT partners under which Candy’s team of digital artists, designers and technologists will curate and build a full range of NFTs featuring WWE’s biggest moments and stars.

“WWE is one of the most widely admired sports and entertainment properties worldwide, and it made perfect sense to activate many parts of our Fanatics global platform to create a first-of-its-kind, all-in fan experience,” said Fanatics chief executive officer Michael Rubin. “From e-commerce and licensed merchandise to trading cards and more, we’re going to offer up an incredible set of capabilities to help WWE’s passionate fans worldwide celebrate their favorite Superstars, marquee events and the WWE brand overall.”

“We believe this multiplatform partnership will set a new standard for WWE e-commerce, apparel and merchandise, while providing our fans globally with more ways than ever to engage with WWE and our Superstars,” said Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of WWE.

Earlier this month, Fanatics the digital sports and merchandising platform raised another $1.5 billion, which now values the company at $27 billion. The company started out as an online sports merchandising business but has been building a global digital sports platform that now includes Topps, as well as a sport betting and iGaming division. It also holds a 50 percent stake in Lids, a retail headwear, sports apparel and accessories retailer, and recently created Candy Digital, which sells NFTs. — J.E.P.