Welcome back to The HALO Report. With HALOSCOPE venturing onto Substack, your weekly dose of news, sales, and long reads spanning the fashion world and beyond will now be delivered directly to your inbox!
World Cup season is in full swing, and no matter which team (or teams!) you’re rooting for, it’s time to enjoy the sense of unity and cohesion this summer’s sporting events have brought to the world. Even the Knicks’ huge championship win, mostly a boon for NYC, brought tears to the eyes of TikTok watchers around the world, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s epic followup speech sparking comments such as “that’s MY mayor” from users in Pakistan, Prague, Philly, and beyond. Love Island (both UK and USA)’s continued run is another flavor of sporting event, with team Brinity (USA contestants Bryce + Trinity) dominating the public’s affection and filling with more TV the scant hours not already booked with, as the world outside of the USA would say, futbol. It is a joyous affair, this feeling of being on the same team as the rest of the world for once–here’s hoping the sentiments we’re sharing in these summer months continue to warm us well into the winter. This week, will Whimsicraft save us from capitalist dereliction (?), Mayor Mamdani’s World Cup jerseys were a hit, Ralph Lauren sings while Louis Vuitton sinks, Rob Rausch has come out of hiding to venture into throngs of fangirls in NYC, Damson Madder has a lovely sale, and more.
“Make Way for the Paper Bag Princess,” Lauren Lexa Brown’s new piece for HALOSCOPE, is a brilliant introduction to the newfound aesthetic of “Whimsicraft,” referencing everything from one of my personal favorite childhood stories to Mark Fisher’s anticapitalist critiques in a meditation on the dismal state of the world and what we can do to make it more beautiful for ourselves.
This isn’t news anymore, as the first run of jerseys has long since sold out, but “Exclusive: Mayor Zohran Mamdani Is Launching Affordable NYC-Inspired World Cup Jerseys” via Yang-Yi Goh for GQ is a snapshot of the sporty, pseudo-patriotic style that’s defining American (yes, all the Americas) this summer, the summer of the 2026 World Cup. I was lucky enough to have a friend who braved the overheating line and sent one of the black-and-white jerseys to PDX for me (thanks, Ellie!), and I can attest to the high quality of Mazzi Sports’ local fabrication and the beauty of Arsh Raziuddin’s designs.
“Prep Never Left,” a review of Ralph Lauren’s latest men’s show by Samuel Hine for The Cut, is hardly a revelation after years and years of thinkpieces on how prep never left in 2022, 23, or 24, either. However, it’s a welcome reiteration of the fact that Lauren’s vision of “prep” and “Americana” continue to expand and become more inclusive year after year, to delicious sartorial effect and great cultural cache.
On the other hand, Emilee Russell’s “the louis vuitton show that made me lose faith in humanity” for It’s Critical is an overview of recent resort shows including a polemic against Nicolas Ghesquière’s latest offerings with the storied house. Russell compares the clothes, ostensibly “inspired” by the late, great Keith Haring, to “Planter’s wart but with a spicy fedora” and “If Michael Jackson was Michael Jordan.” Enough said.
Sam Bodrojan of cc: helmet girl argues that “You Should Care What Gay Teenagers Like,” a concept that can be stretched to apply to fashion but is applied here, in Bodrojan’s clever perspective, to several pieces of media I’ve never even heard of. Consider this Unc Education.
“The Beauty Products Hudson Williams’s Hairstylist Aika Flores Uses to the Last Drop” by Carol Lee for The Cut is a comprehensive shopping list for people of all genders who crave the Heated Rivalry breakout star’s glassy skin texture or admire Flores’ work on many, MANY a runway since the beginning of 2026. Warning: being a glazed donut will cost you, with products costing as much as hundreds of dollars, though a few affably-priced options like $13 specialty sunscreen are just as intriguing.
Snif’s milky new fragrance, 2%, is a good excuse for the brand to trot out beloved reality antihero Rob Rausch for a NYC meet and greet this Friday the 26th. If you’re interested in attending, RSVP and gird your loins for the horde of horny, lactonic-scented 20-somethings who are sure to storm Chelsea like it’s the Bastille.
“Brain Dead x Adidas x Disney” sounds like the result of a random collab generator, especially considering the capsule itself is World Cup themed, but I’m sure the chaotic kits, scarves, and trainers will proliferate across the west coast Disney set after they’re released on the 29th.
Military-style caps have been everywhere recently, but the new Lou Equipment summer drop cements their place in the pantheon of SS26 fashion, alongside new colorways of the brand’s signature raglan, contrast-stitched T-shirts, waxed canvas totes, and more gorgeous, utilitarian gear.
The Damson Madder summer sale takes up to 40% off some of the brand’s best warm-weather offerings, including ruffly cropped trench coats, raffia pom-pom berets, harlequin swimsuits, and more items that toe the line of twee with a contemporary savvy.
Use HOTCARNESUMMER40 for 40% off a robust selection of hypersexual Carne Bollente togs (typical for the brand), including a tee printed simply with “SEX” in a varsity font and a button-up covered in smooch marks.
Take 50% off a wide array of dressed-up shoes, from raffia sandals to suede pumps, in the Larroudé summer flash sale.
The Story mfg. summer sale offers up to 40% off flannel shirts patchworked with doves, intentionally-wonky workwear, puffy abstract vests, and more of the brand’s typically off-kilter fare.
From cow-print shag coats to sophisticated baby onesies, the Shrimps summer sale offers discounts on a ton of cruelty-free luxury garments.
I have personally road-tested Justine Clenquet sale jewelry, and for a typically-sub-$100 price point, you can’t beat the brand’s twisty subversions of the classic chains and metal baubles. 🌀
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