LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
As spring bursts into full bloom, Loop Mag enters May with fresh stories, bold ideas, and voices that challenge the ordinary. This month, we explore what trends have taken over and how we always come back to the old. And for fun we decided to research what are the best vintage stores in NYC that you didn't (or maybe already did) know.
In curating this issue, our goal was simple: to reflect the loops we all find ourselves in—artistic, personal, and societal—and how we choose to break or embrace them. Whether you’re here for inspiration, information, or simply a new perspective, we’re glad you’ve joined us.
Here’s to curious minds, fresh starts, and new beginnings.
Photo: Luis Jimenez
Juicy Couture Is Back!
10 Superfans On Why They Can’t Quit the Tracksuit
Words By: Christian Allaire
Thinking back on the Juicy Couture tracksuit craze is both nostalgic and comical: We really were splurging on a bonafide pajamas with crystals glued onto the derrières. At the time, it was like carrying an Hermès Birkin—only less expensive. You couldn’t pick up a tabloid without seeing one of the signature velour sets in candy colors on the biggest names of the day: Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Lopez. But there was something authentic and charming about the trend. Stars seemed to wear them because they loved them, not because they were paid to. “Juicy was before the heyday of stylists,” says Nicky Hilton Rothschild, who, along with her sister Paris, was an early adopter of the tracksuit, and helped it reach an insane level of covetability. “Now, girls are styled in head-to-toe runway looks just to do errands. Girls wore what they wanted because they liked it, and it was comfortable.”
While remembering the bright-colored, bedazzled tracksuits may cause you to cringe, you may want to rethink that: the brand is poised for a serious comeback. This week, the tracksuiter to the stars announced that, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, it is relaunching its e-commerce website in November, and launching a slew of exciting new collaborations to go with it. Currently, Juicy is licensed through Authentic Brands Group, which also owns Hervé Leger and Forever 21. This fall and holiday season, Juicy is partnering with NYC Alliance on a new collection of tracksuits,
T-shirts, and jumpsuits that will be available on JuicyCouture.com this fall. It’s also collaborating with Apparis on the first-ever faux fur tracksuit, releasing this holiday season.
The brand’s splashy return certainly comes at the right moment. For starters, COVID-19 lockdowns and the new WFH lifestyle has caused many of us to rethink our wardrobes: We basically all live in loungewear now. A Juicy tracksuit couldn’t feel more timely. “Postquarantine, everyone’s wardrobe and waistbands have gotten a lot more relaxed,” says Hilton, who is still a fan of the Juicy look. “People aren’t going into the office as much, but you want to look stylish, and there’s something about a Juicy Couture tracksuit that you don’t look like a slob. There’s something refined about it.” In the fashion world, there have been signs that the Juicy tracksuit is slowly creeping back into our closet, too. Remember when Vetements partnered with Juicy on runway tracksuits in 2016, and then Rihanna wore it a year later on the streets? More recently, Timothée Chalamet broke the Internet with his pink Juicy hoodie which he wore in an issue of GQ, and Kim Kardashian West even released her own velour tracksuit line for Skims, tapping Paris Hilton to star in the promo photos with her (an obvious nod to their early-aughts Juicy days).
Photo: Juicy Couture
Velour reimagined: Juicy Couture’s Fall 2024 collection brings Y2K glam into a bold new era—plush textures, rich hues, and unapologetic attitude.
For stars like Kardashian West and Hilton, the love for Juicy has clearly never stopped. But they’re not the only ones. Below, Loop Mag also asked nine Juicy superfans to look back on the craze—including celebrities, stylists, and vintage experts—and share why they’re excited about its return.
Tiffany Pollard, reality star and 2000s icon
I love Juicy Couture! Back in the day, they had the best (and most comfy) two-piece terry cloth sweat suits. I had one in pink and I had one in sky blue—I wore the hell out of both of them. And I also drowned myself in “Viva la Juicy” perfume. It’s still my favorite Juicy Couture fragrances ‘til this day.
Nicky Hilton Rothschild, businesswoman and socialite
My friend Lara Shriftman did the PR for Juicy [in the 2000s], so she gave Paris and I some pieces. We fell in love with it and it became our uniform. It was love at first sight. All the fun, bright colors. We were living in L.A. at the time time, and they really had that laid-back, California girl thing going on. One of the first things I wore was definitely a tracksuit. I also remember wearing the terry cloth tube dresses. Paris wore the more bright, bubblegum pink ones; I wore the navy, hunter green, and black. But definitely with rhinestones. I have a few of the originals. The brand recently sent me a velour tracksuit with my name in crystals on the back in Old English writing. But when Paris and I got robbed in the Hollywood Hills in the early 2000s, they stole a lot of our treasures!
The [Dior] Saddle bags, the Louis Vuitton x Sprouse, and the Juicy.
Naomi Smalls, drag star
I, unfortunately, have never owned a Juicy tracksuit—but they are tattooed in my brain forever. For as long as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with unapologetic female beauty. The characters I looked up to on television, like Paris [Hilton] and Nicole [Richie], the cast of Mean Girls, and the popular girls of Degrassi were all fans of the velour [suits with] encrusted rear ends. Iconic. 2020 has pushed the desire of being comfortable at all times to a new high. With a lot more time spent at home, it only makes sense to want to be wearing something soft and cozy. It is a slight flex to let someone know you had the means to purchase the matching set. Makes someone feel
complete when the top matches the bottom. Danny Pellegrino, Everything Iconic Podcaster and Y2K Expert I was in high school during the height of Juicy Couture in the early 2000s, and I remember every teenage girl and their mother wanted the tracksuit because it was so embedded in popular culture at the time. The brand really thrived at the same time reality TV did, so not only were we seeing the clothing in scripted fare, but also on reality shows and through tabloid culture. Teenagers could see that their favorite celebs weren’t just being put in this clothing by a network: they were voluntarily wearing it while they were being chased by paparazzi or filming shows like The Simple Life. I specifically remember the olive green suit that Jessica Simpson wore on MTV’s Newlyweds. Her mom Tina was also often spotted in the sweatsuit, giving permission for moms to wear it as well as their daughters. Suddenly it had crossgenerational appeal, and you saw Amy Poehler’s Mean Girls character, a mom trying to fit in with her daughter’s friends, wearing it. Even Lisa Kudrow’s character in season 1 of HBO’s The Comeback had a little moment where she’s wearing a ridiculously-dated windbreaker and she asks her costume designer if she can wear Juicy instead. He replies, “Well, do you have a Juicy ass?” The brand became a status symbol and a sign of youth. People wanted to wear it, and hoped they would look great and accepted doing so.
I did not have Juicy Couture because, unfortunately, the branding wasn’t geared toward teenage men at the time, and I was an in-the-closet teen in Ohio who didn’t quite feel comfortable wearing the women’s (although lord knows I would’ve liked to). I think it’s great that the tracksuit is having a comeback. 2020 is filled with so much stress and uncertainty that we all just want to be transported to a simpler time. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and I always think we clutch onto it even tighter during turbulent times. The moment we see or touch the fabric of Juicy, we are instantly reminded of the early-aughts, and although the country certainly went through difficult times back then, we tend to associate the Juicy Couture brand with the good, and simply forget the rest.
Shy Smith, TikTok star and Y2K style enthusiast
To me, the tracksuit will never lose its It factor. No matter who tries to make a tracksuit, it will never emulate the Juicy feel. I love how glamorous it makes me feel. The 2000s fashion is my personal style, so the Juicy girl aesthetic is something that will forever be relevant to me. Seeing my favorite celebrities like Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian wear Juicy Couture is what got me
into the brand and had me dreaming about wearing tracksuits. Over the years, Juicy has become a luxurious and symbolic brand to wear, something to be proud of owning, especially if it’s an “OG” piece. It is instantly recognizable anytime you see it.
I have a cute Juicy collection. I’ve collected a tracksuit, a couple purses, and a perfume. Most of my pieces are thrifted, but I have one pink velvet purse that was gifted to me, which is hands down my mostworn and favorite item. I’m a certified Juicy girl!
Haley Cullingham, editor at Penguin Random House
I feel like seeing Juicy stuff now, or anything designer, gives me a vague queasiness—I love fashion, and clothing, but I also hate that I thought those things had to be connected to money, status, and brand [when I was younger]. That
innocent and totally manipulated. It’s also interesting how out-ofreach so many things felt in that pre-Internet era. There was power in wearing something you recognized from magazines or TV—a feeling that one day you’d have access to a world that was bigger than the one you inhabited.
Jasmine Jones, owner and designer of JJ Vintage
When I think of Juicy Couture from the early 2000s, the first thing that comes to my mind is Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. They were both an iconic symbol for the brand when it came to wearing the velour tracksuits. A funny memory for me was in middle school when I dressed up as “The Cool Mom” from Mean Girls to go to a slumber party. Turns out, almost everyone at the party had the same idea and had on the same outfit as me.
I never bought Juicy for retail price, because I was always able to find pieces at the thrift stores. Throughout the years, it was easy to find Juicy tracksuits and purses at the thrift store, but lately, it’s been harder to get my hands on them, since they are becoming popular again. I think the idea of tracksuits coming back is genius. Due to the current climate in the world, most people are now working from home until further notice, and everyone just wants to be cozy. It feels fresh again because brands are taking the idea of a cozy tracksuit, but making it chic and cute and something that you will feel and look good in. In my opinion, tracksuits are the new “business casual.”
Allison Bornstein, stylist
Juicy Couture was everything to me in high school. As a Paris Hilton devotee (me and my friends threw a party on Paris’s birthday one year), there was nothing that said “fashion” more than a pair of velour pants that said “Juicy” on the butt. Oh, and remember when Britney Spears had her bridesmaids wear matching pink Juicy suits for her wedding to K-Fed? Iconic. It makes sense to me that they would be making a comeback. We have cycled through the ’90s trends, and are now on to the early 2000s. They were the symbol of casual luxury, and I think that is where we are headed again. We want to be comfortable, but after all of this time at home, we also want to have fun again with what we are wearing. It’s the perfect combo— comfort but fun! It’s nice to have a little sense of humor with what we are wearing. Why not have fun?! —Christian Allaire
The Best Vintage Stores in New York City
Words By: Margaux Anbouba
Photo: Xavier Kim
Loop Mag’s guide to the best vintage stores in New York City is part of our directory of the very best vintage around the world, curated by editors from all over. Whether you’re traveling and searching for some superb stores to visit on your trip or are curious about your local vintage treasure chests, Loop Mag’s directory has you covered.
New York City’s reputation for incredible shopping needs no explanation. The microcosms of fashion design and culture—from uptown’s proper and coiffed to downtown’s more laid-back and grungy aesthetic—all come together for both incredible street style and an even better vintage and thrift scene. That’s the beauty of the best vintage stores in New York City: Whether you’re looking for something to swan about like one of Truman Capote’s brightest, or something not-so-understated to wear to a Chelsea art opening, it’s all here…and then some.
Photo: Alex Lockett
1 James Veloria
It’s a vintage rite of passage to snap a selfie inside James Veloria’s technicolor Chinatown shop. Founded in 2014 by Collin James and Brandon Veloria, the focus is fun and tongue-in-cheek fashion from designers from the ’90s and ’00s.
2 Desert Vintage
It’s a vintage rite of passage to snap a selfie inside James Veloria’s technicolor Chinatown shop. Founded in 2014 by Collin James and Brandon Veloria, the focus is fun and tongue-in-cheek fashion from designers from the ’90s and ’00s.
Photo: Happy Isles
Photo: George Etheredge
3 Happy Isles
New to New York (the OG is in Los Angeles), this appointment-only vintage salon founded by Lily Kaizer specializes in helping you find all the vintage ensembles you’re dreaming of for your big day. Whether you’re going sleek or diaphanous, there are racks upon racks of vintage Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, and Christian Dior. And if shades of white aren’t quite your style (or you’re looking for something for a different event), Kaizer gets it: There’s also an incredible collection of bold and bright gowns and suits.
4 Pippin Vintage
A true jewel box in the most literal form, this Manhattan shop specializes in things that sparkle. Cases upon cases of engagement rings from the Art Deco era are truly stunning (even if you are “just looking”), and there’s also pieces from Cartier and Mikimoto. More than half of the shop is dedicated to costume jewelry, silk scarves, and the occasional piece of clothing.
Photo: girlintheyellowtaxi
5 Cure Thrift Shop
Liz Wolff grew up scouring garage sales and dumpster diving in New York, so opening a vintage shop of her own one day only made sense. Inside the expansive East Village shop, there’s bowls of buttons, pristine vintage clogs, records, and rows of sequined dresses. Cure Thrift also donates a portion of its proceeds to juvenile diabetes research, which Wolff was diagnosed with at age 11.
6 New York Vintage
More than 150 years of fashion history have been archived by Shannon Hoey and her team at New York Vintage. Their business model is unique: It’s rental-only with a major focus on couture. You’ve definitely seen pieces from New York Vintage in magazine shoots on Madonna and in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. For those who are truly vintage-obsessed, private group tours through the archives (which include a peek at the most rare of rare) are available.
7 Treasures of NYC
The Treasures of NYC Clubhouse is the stuff of an Andy Warhol fever dream. A checkered tile floor and leopard print couch (pink pillows spelling out “SEX”) set the scene for the main event: Galliano-era Dior saddle bags, that Tom Ford Gucci thong, and accessories a modern Fran Fine would scream for are all on perfect display. — Margaux Anbouba
Iam nine years old and my mother—in her mid-20s at the time—is vacuuming the living room while “My Favourite Game” by the Cardigans plays on full blast. With each drum thwack she hits another corner with the power nozzle, bare feet padding across the carpet in low-rise jeans, me watching deadpan from the sofa. I will always associate that song with this memory. Sunlight splashing through the open window; those distorted vocals, turned up to full; and the big, blocky CD player, with speakers that make your hands shake if you touch them.
Actually
Photo: Getty Images
Hear Me Out: What If Gen Xers Are Actually the Cool Ones?
Words By: Daisy Jones
Though I was born in the ’90s—a millennial—I was raised by a dyed-in-thewool Gen Xer, and was therefore spoonfed Gen-X culture from an early age. Our CD rack was full of ’90s bands: Pixies, PJ Harvey, Placebo. The films I later became obsessed with were all of this era: Girl, Interrupted; Fallen Angels; Run Lola Run; Hackers. By the time I got into Bret Easton Ellis, Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation, and Irvine Welsh—all Gen-X writers, with Gen-X sensibilities—something had become abundantly clear. I had been born 15 years or so too late. And now I was destined for a life of Instagram and Asos packages, as opposed to being a ’90s slacker making mixtapes and hating on my corporate job.
When punk royalty meets runway legend Vivienne Westwood lifts Naomi Campbell with the same energy she brought to 90s fashion: bold, playful, and unapologetically rebellious. Photographed by Dave Benett at the Natural History Museum, London, 1993.
Photo: Getty Images
An early look at The Cranberries. Photographed 1990s
Céline Dion stuns in scarlet—serving sheer confidence and early 2000s glamour in a crystal-embellished gown that shimmered as brightly as her voice. Photographed at the 1999 VH1 Divas Live event in New York City by Getty Images.
Over the past few years, generational warfare has only ramped up—so much so that it’s become boring to even reference: Gen Z hating on millennials for being cringe, millennials hating on Gen Z for being puritanical, and everyone hating on boomers for being, well, boomers. But Gen X—born somewhere between 1965 and 1980—has been largely forgotten about (although even saying that has become a cliché of sorts). Alongside all of this finger-pointing among the generations are claims that, actually, we were the cool ones—no, it was me! But what if it’s none of us? What if the cool ones are actually those unbothered people that nobody talks about?
Culturally, Gen Xers aren’t immune to being cringe; they’re still banging on about that one rave they went to in 1989, even though they’re in their 50s and no one cares, and they appear frustratingly unaware of the role that privilege played into their cynicism and ability to be disengaged. But, look, some of the coolest people to ever grace the planet are Gen X: Chloë Sevigny, Alexander McQueen, Winona Ryder, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss. Much of the music, art, and media created by my millennial and zillennial peers was built on the foundations of riot grrrl and zine culture, Sofia Coppola and David Lynch, Britpop and MTV. For a generation that so often goes unmentioned, they sure are everywhere you look.
Winona Ryder channels effortless '90s grunge in high-waisted jeans, a vintage Tom Waits tee, and a classic leather jacket—an enduring ode to downtown cool.
Photo by Ron Galella/Getty Images
Before blockbusters and award seasons— Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio serve 90s boyhood charm in layered streetwear and fresh-faced swagger.
Photographed at a Los Angeles industry party, circa early 1990s.
Photo by Getty Images.
Obviously, separating and defining people by generation is a largely meaningless endeavor—I probably have more in common with someone three years younger than me, who would be Gen Z, than a 44-year-old millennial. And one 50-something is going to be wildly different from the next (I’m pretty sure Gen X invented the Karen haircut, although don’t quote me on that). But as Gen Zers and millennials continue to argue over who’s more cringe, or who was born cooler, I’d like to offer an alternative viewpoint, which is this: maybe it’s neither of us. And maybe we weren’t ever the only ones in the race. —Daisy Jones
Photo: Getty Images
Style-wise, Gen X was kind of vibe, also. Young people today dress like they just stepped out of 2002—in slouchy jeans and long sleeves under T-shirts, or else spaghetti strap dresses and ugly shoes. Without playing down the millennial-ness of it all, it was Gen Xers who actually wore this garb first. And sure, bootcut jeans were sort of invented by cowboys, but would they have been what they were if they weren’t the go-to uniform of Gen X? Sometimes I watch old episodes of The Real Housewives of New York (and by “sometimes,” I mean often) and think: no, but these girls ate. They weren’t averse to a knee-high boot in the club and they also knew how to properly let loose (Gen Xers weren’t waxing lyrical about, like, 12-step skincare routines).
When fashion royalty met rebel genius— Kate Moss and Alexander McQueen share a rare off-duty moment in 90s London, fusing streetwear cool with runway legacy. Photographed at a London fashion party, mid-1990s. Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images
