The answer is simple: fashion innovators get creative.

Put on hold for nearly two years as a result of the pandemic, fashion shows went mainly virtual, and many of the top houses resorted to livestreams and digital showcases to present their newest collections. Others even took it a step further with über-innovative takes on the traditional. Dior, for example, presented miniature versions of their couture dresses for a digital show during the pandemic, while others opted to hold their shows in wide open public spaces to give attendees adequate room to spread out.

In 2022, however, most fashion houses have returned to the norm. In-person shows are back on the catwalk, as evidenced from the uptick in designers opting for live shows during the 2021 Paris Fashion Week (despite the Omicron surge and continuing COVID restrictions in the French capital).

But there are still fashion all-stars that are opting for creative and forward-thinking solutions when it comes to presenting their wares to the masses, whether it’s in response to the pandemic or simply as a way to stand out and be bold. The latest from Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele is a stunning example of the house’s iconic vision on full display.

Showcasing Gucci’s Love Parade Collection, the second by Michele in the historic house’s 100th year of business, the collection was originally presented outdoors along Hollywood Boulevard — the perfect backdrop for the glamorous Gucci. A riotous celebration of over-the-top luxury and cutting-edge design subverting old Hollywood tropes, the collection takes on a whole new dimension when taken off the runway and placed on display. Rather than focusing on movement, the pieces’ sedentary status is instead shown in a series of marvelous midcentury tableaus that are more akin to department store window displays than they are a live show.

The next show took place at the epic Preston Hollow Dallas mansion, a modernist marvel of clean lines and open spaces designed by Texas architect Lionel Morrison. The space was decorated with Michele’s vision of midcentury excess for the event — think bright, shaggy rugs, flower power wallpaper, and shapely furniture in lush fabrics and even more eye-popping colors.

Guests were welcomed into the magical mansion and were free to peruse the goods at their leisure. In addition to the Love Parade Collection, the space also showcased many of Gucci’s most luxe jewelry pieces and coveted skin bags (flown in from Italy specifically for the occasion), a slew of made-to-wear customizable pieces, and, of course, some decadent Gucci in-house cookies.

While many top fashion houses have already chosen to get back on the runway, others are still looking for new ways to display their wares to audiences looking for that extra touch of iconic glam — and the latest installation from Gucci’s visionary creative director Alessandro Michele is a shining example of this. Set to the backdrop of a gorgeous Dallas mansion bedecked with all kinds of plush midcentury pieces, the collection is a feast for the senses that proves fashion can exist — and thrive — just about anywhere.

The post Gucci’s Latest Fashion Show is a Midcentury Fever Dream first appeared on Dornob.

Whether it’s trash, treasure, or sunken historical cargo washing up on sandy shores around the world, there’s no doubt that what’s been washing up on the Texas Coastal Bend is undoubtedly the creepiest of them all: sand and debris-encrusted plastic dolls that would give even horror movie veteran Chucky a run for his money.

While the area, which is around 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, is no stranger to trash washing up onshore due to a “loop current” that pushes debris toward the area, these dolls are reoccurring visitors that are exceedingly unsettling. Often dismembered and deformed from their travels, some might even call them the stuff of nightmares.

Twice a week, researchers at the Mission-Arkansas Reserve at the University of Texas trawl the stretch of coast between Padre Island and Matagorda Island looking for wildlife like sea turtles, marine mammals, and even endangered bird species. What they often find instead is all the trash that washes ashore, including the uber-creepy dolls that have been showing their distorted and maniacal little faces for years now.

The dolls specifically seem to be drawn to the area. Haunted? Unlikely. A result of the area’s current washing up excess debris from Mexico? Probably. Jace Tunnell, the Director of the Mission-Arkansas Reserve, says: “Texas coastal bend beaches get ten times the amount of trash than any other beach in the Gulf of Mexico,” and this is perhaps why the dolls are so prevalent. However, this entirely scientific reasoning certainly does not detract from the eeriness of the dolls themselves — after all, the current explains the trash and debris, but what explains the dolls themselves?

While the researchers don’t have answers to this creepy conundrum, they do find it amusing, and even, as Tunnell has said, a “perk” of the job, posting images of the distorted dollies on a social media account that’s gone on to garner a cult following. “Everyday is something new,” he told McClatchy News. “Just when you think you’ve found everything that could possibly wash up on shore, something else comes up.”

If you find yourself on this lovely corner of Texas coast, don’t be surprised if you see the occasional deranged looking doll on the beach. They may not be haunted, but they’re certainly more evidence of the appallingly polluted state of our oceans.

The post Why Do These Deformed Dolls Keep Washing Up on the Texas Coastline? first appeared on Dornob.

The opening of the Gigafactory is big news for both Austin and Tesla. The $1.1 billion dollar site has been two years in the making and will serve as the company’s new HQ, employ over 10,000 people, and be the largest cell factory in the entire world. As Musk himself boasted, the facility is so huge it “could fit 194 billion hamsters” inside. He also said that if if you put the Gigafactory on its side, “it’s taller than the Burj Khalifa.”

While Musk can be prone to hyperbolic statements that often border on the maniacal, these statements are actually not far from the truth. The Gigafactory is enormous and, true to its scale, is expected to be one of Tesla’s most productive plants. Experts predict it could eventually rival even the company’s most productive plant in Shanghai. And with its top-of-the-line Tesla manufacturing technology which includes enormous die-casting presses that have the capacity to crank out cars as fast as Musk cranks out sound bites, it’s extremely likely that the Austin plant could produce upward of 500,000 cars, according to a recent article in Barron’s.

But that’s not all the news that came out of the crazy carnival that was the Cyber Rodeo (and yes, there was a mechanical bull there, though sadly no footage of Musk riding it). Below is a breakdown of the best Tesla tidbits that came in between all the prevaricating and showmanship, including what Musk said and what it could mean for the future of Tesla:

Robotaxis may be coming your way. Musk has alluded to this in the past, and it’s entirely possible that the company pulls out a whole fleet of self-driving cars in the not-so distant future.

The Cybertruck is expected to drop in 2023. Oft-delayed and overhyped, Musk didn’t give a precise date for the anticipated Cybertruck release, though he basically said the truck would drop next year (and get ready, as it’ll probably be even smarter than you).

The arrival of the Tesla robot “Optimist.” Not a ton of details on this, but apparently it will be coming next year, and will “obviate what an economy even means,” according to Musk (don’t ask us – we don’t get it either).

Also slated for next year are the Tesla semi and Roadster, according to Musk. And whatever your feelings on him or Tesla might be, there’s no doubt that the new Gigafactory will have far reaching implications for both Tesla’s manufacturing and for the city of Austin itself.

The post Tesla Holds Cyber Rodeo to Celebrate Opening of Austin Gigafactory first appeared on Dornob.