Rebel Wilson on Launching a Clothing Line, Challenging Beauty Standards and Living Up to Her Name

Rebel Wilson x Angels, a debut collection of cool clothes for curvy women, just landed, and Rebel herself took a break from playing Liam Hemsworth’s love interest in a new rom-com to fly in for some quality face time with fans at Nordstrom Downtown Seattle. As excited Rebel lovers lined up by the hundreds, The Thread was granted three minutes (more or less) to chat with the actress, comedian, writer and now designer before she greeted the crowd.

 

Photo by Paul Conrad/Getty Images for Nordstrom

How did your name and all-around attitude of empowerment influence this collection?

My name is used a lot in the collection, like on our pink bomber that has been so popular, basically out of the gate. I love that I have an interesting name. I was named after a little girl that sang at my parents’ wedding—her name was Rebel.

I kind of feel like it’s lucky I became an actress because I already have such a cool name. It’s a cool name for a clothing line as well. I mean, obviously, my personality is a little bit nonconformist. I’ve always been that way. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m Australian and we’ve got a bit of convict heritage. But I’ve always been a bit nonconforming to standards.

And certainly, as an outsider coming into Hollywood, I wasn’t the normal fit. I was very, very different, and I like to use that to my advantage, and not do what everybody else does.

Photo by Paul Conrad/Getty Images for Nordstrom

Do you ever feel, when you are conforming, like you’re not living up to your name?

Yeah, although I am actually quite conservative as a person, which confuses people who think, “Oh, Rebel must go out and party all the time and be real loose and crazy.” And I’m like, “No, I’m actually a conservative, classy girl.” But if I see a way to get around something, I might do the cheeky thing rather than the norm.

You’re redefining what it means to be a rebel.

Exactly.

You like to say that “style has no size.” Is there a shift under way in the fashion industry?

Definitely, yeah. That’s why I wanted to do this line. The average woman can’t wear most of what’s on the racks. I wanted to give her more options. And beauty standards are always changing. My body type back in Grecian times? Pretty much the standard. Who knows why that changed.

Photo by Paul Conrad/Getty Images for Nordstrom

Which pieces are you most stoked on from the collection?

The bombers. I mean, they have my name on them. And the denim, because it has the Lycra technology, so you can move in them. I could’ve worn them on Dancing with the Stars. They’re so good.

Shop: Rebel Wilson x Angels

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GREY Jason Wu Goes to Hong Kong with Caroline Issa–Plus His Upcoming Capsule Collection with Diane Kruger

One of our favorite things about fashion is its ability to transport the wearer–in time (historic, seasonal) and in place (environment, geography). When we think of it that way, a dress seems like a small price to pay to be lifted out of our everyday existences whenever we choose. Wear a mod sheath: go to a galactic future. While a peasant blouse seems to occupy the pastoral past.

Jason Wu masterfully designs to send his customers on adventures. His sibling collection, GREY Jason Wu, caters to the modern city dweller; the kind of women he knows and regularly dresses. And the campaign for GREY’s Pre-Fall collection occupies a particular locale: Hong Kong, that Pearl of the Orient. For the shoot, Jason asked his pal and collaborator, Caroline Issa, to style the colorful, contemporary collection in the city’s retail-heavy Central district–largely on Stanley and Wellington Streets.

We spoke with Jason about his pre-fall designs and his upcoming collection with actress Diane Kruger–at Nordstrom in November. He also shared a behind-the-scenes video of the shoot in Hong Kong. We can’t wait to go.

Why did you choose to shoot the Pre-Fall Collection in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s one of the most international cities–in Asia, for sure. I’ve always loved it. I was there for a conference and so was Caroline. And we figured, we had this great place to shoot, so we thought why not. It felt very organic. It’s not every day that you get to shoot in Hong Kong.

You shot on the street in Hong Kong.

So we went to an area where there were a lot of street vendors. The one thing that I always loved, growing up in Asia, were these markets. They are very, very popular in Asia. You can get fresh produce, there’s a butcher. Anything you want, actually, at these street markets. We wanted to really showcase the rich culture and experience that you get in Hong Kong, something that was recognizably Hong Kong.

What are some of your other favorite places in the city?

There are so many. At the Mandarin Oriental they have a really good Chinese restaurant. You can also get this rose petal jam there. I always like to get it when I’m there. There’s a dim sum place called Din Tai Fung that’s one of the most famous dim sum places in the entire world; that’s a must-go every time I’m there.

Did Hong Kong suit your collection?

Even though it’s pre-fall, the collection was not fall at all. It’s very light. So there’s a very light spirit and attitude to the collection, the cotton and silk dresses, the bomber. I think the weather in Hong Kong at the time was really great so it was particularly appropriate to shoot this collection.

You collaborate with Caroline often. What do you lean on her to do? 

Well, she’s been my friend for many, many years. I love her. She’s a great personality, great style, a really good eye. She has great taste. She’s been a Wu girl for many, many years. She wear a lot of my clothes. When it came to GREY, which is really a collection that’s inspired by my friends’ everyday wardrobe, I asked Caroline to style it because it felt like it would be a great match. I just see her in so many of the clothes.

Are there any other people that you’re collaborating with now?

I’m working with Diane Kruger on a mini-capsule collection coming out in November for GREY. And it will be at Nordstrom!

Behind the scenes of the pre-fall shoot. 

SHOP: GREY Jason Wu

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Season/Shift: Inside Our Fall Designer Showcase in Seattle

Hosted inside a renovated 1927 ice warehouse in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, Season/Shift juxtaposed fashion’s forefronts in three immersive environments: the modern, romantic and avant-garde. Twenty-one models appeared in 63 looks from designers including: Calvin Klein, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Dries Van Noten, Fendi, Givenchy, Marques Almeida, Monse, Roksanda, Shrimps, Simone Rocha, Stella McCartney and Valentino.

Images from the modern fashion environment. Models wear Calvin Klein and Stella McCartney, Fall 2017.

In lieu of a traditional runway presentation, the models walked through the party, posing for extended periods in the milieu associated with their style (Molly Goddard models sat on avant-garde benches, Valentino ladies had tea in a romantic garden setting, Stella McCartney modernists took selfies in front of a neon-lit screen).

Images of the avant-garde fashion environment.

Images of the romantic fashion environment.

The intimate event gave guests the opportunity to shop next season’s styles while mingling with models, fashion influncers, stylists and Nordstrom associates.  A well-dressed crowd became indistinguishable from the fashion models planted in the urban setting.

Pictures of party people.

Chicago-based, hip-hop ballerinas, The Hiplet, lent their talents to the evening during two performances that left the crowd enthralled with their mash-up movements.

Styles from the presentation will also be available to order on Friday, July 28 through Sunday, July 30 at Nordstrom Downtown Seattle.

Other Designer Showcases will take place at the place and dates below.

Pacific Centre, Thursday, August 3.
Michigan Avenue, Thursday, August 10.
The Mall at Green Hills, Thursday, August 17.
The Mall of America, Thursday, August 24.
Tyson’s Corner, Thursday, Sept. 7.
The Mall at Short Hills, Thursday, Sept. 14.

SHOP: Designer Collections

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Pop-In@Nordstrom Tested the ChefSteps Joule & Spoiler Alert: You’re Gonna Want One

Our latest Pop-In Shop is making the most of this tech-centric life with gizmos that’ll make your world go ’round—like the Joule Sous Vide by ChefSteps. The Seattle-based company calls it “the world’s smallest, smartest and sexiest sous vide tool, perfect for novices and veterans alike.”

So we convinced a couple of delightful amateurs to demo the Joule on two tasty ChefSteps recipes and put that whole “novice” thing to the test. What could possibly go wrong?

SHOP: Pop-In@Nordstrom Gets Wired

Sous vide: precision cooking that involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag (or in our case, fancy Ziploc freezer bags), then cooking it to a specific temperature in a water bath. The Joule makes this process a lot easier with a handy boiling and temperature-monitoring device that connects to an app via Bluetooth and WiFi. The result? Perfectly prepared dishes that’ll have you saying, “Why, yes, I did make this myself,” every time. (Plus, it looks pretty sexy, too.)

First thing’s first: Get the Joule and download the app. Setup is painless, and you’ll be rewarded with the option of naming your device (we named our two gadgets Yolanda and Becky) and a giant—but easy-to-navigate—photo and video library of step-by-step recipes. The recipes let you toggle between different measurement units and portion sizes, which is great, because math takes time.

We chose two recipes because we’re overachievers and wanted dessert: pork loin, gingered yams and brussels sprouts, and lemon curd.

Once you’ve laid out and ‘grammed (optional) your ingredients:

• Pork loin
• Brussels sprouts
• Yams
• Olive oil
• Ginger
• Pepper flakes
• Pork seasoning of choice
• Crushed walnuts (for garnish)
• Lime (also for garnish)

Fire up the Joule in a pot of water. ChefSteps recommends preheating the water to 140°F to get that perfectly pinkish pork finish.

Look at Yolanda go.

The second unofficial step would be to get your pairings on: might we suggest a full-bodied red light in tannins, like a Malbec, to enhance the subtle flavors of your pork loin, and a summery, barely sweet rosé to wash down that lemon curd. (A dessert wine felt like overkill.)

Season and bag your meat cuts. We opted for dried rosemary and good ol’ S+P. Once your water is at the correct temperature, lower the bag into the pot and let the magic happen until your timer goes off.

Cooking time varies depending on weight, but we decided to check in at the 45-minute mark. Then it was on to the sides.

This particular recipe lets you take a few liberties (like with seasoning), which worked out well because the store was out of yams so we subbed in sweet potatoes. Once we boiled the diced yams in a pot o’ water with sliced ginger per the recipe, we blended the spuds (sans ginger), some water and vegetable stock into a nice purée—because we’re fancy.

With the sprouts bakin’ and our purée set aside, we got started on dessert. Since we were lucky enough to have two Joules at our disposal, Becky had our water waiting for us at a toasty 167°F.

More assembling of ingredients (and more photo ops):

• Lemons
• Butter
• Sugar
• Egg yolks
• Gelatin
• Citric acid
• Salt
• Ice water (as needed; we didn’t need it)
• Something colorful (for garnish)

Once we grated, squeezed, separated and measured, all the ingredients got dumped into another Ziploc bag. The directions didn’t tell us to mix at this point in the game, so we didn’t. We should also note that we couldn’t find citric acid powder in time, so we powered through without it. (Did we regret it? Since we never remade another with citric acid, I guess we’ll never know.)

While that appetizing amalgam of soft raw things cooked (for 1 hour), we checked on our beloved pork loin. Ideal temperature for a rare loin? 145°F.

Back into the bath they went!

In total, we cooked our two 8-oz. chops for about an hour before searing to our hearts’ content.

With the pork resting and the nascent lemon curd bubbling, we took some time to enjoy incredibly refined appetizers, prep some plates and reward ourselves for our hard work-in-progress.

#art

An hour later, Becky told us to pick up our lemon curd from cooking school. We blended and poured the much more palatable-looking mixture into small premade (aka: store bought) pie crusts before transferring them into the freezer to chill and set (ChefSteps recommends an ice bath).

Time to plate our well-earned dinner. Please take a moment to appreciate the before/after reveal:

Before.

After.

We retrieved our little curd pies after about 30 minutes, added some pretty garnish, and voilà!

Before.

After. Note the dual-purpose raspberries.

We also made itty-bitty ones, topped with a little lime zest.

And finally, we feasted like a happy, modern family.

Many, many, many thanks to Ryan and Corey!

Full disclosure: the sous vide process takes time, but we considered it a fair trade for being able to control the temperature, yielding delectable food with just the right texture. And despite the fact that none of us had ever tried sous vide (sous vide’ing?) before, both main course and dessert turned out mega-on-point.

Now go get yourself one of these magical wands and make yourself something tasty.

 

SHOP: ChefSteps Joule Sous Vide | Pop-In@Nordstrom Gets Wired

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Friends from the Floor: Celebrate National Lipstick Day with Us on Saturday, July 29, 2017

“Friends from the Floor” is a series dedicated to sharing the latest product obsessions of our Nordstrom sales crew.

Psst! This Saturday, July 29, is National Lipstick Day. Not that we need an excuse to swipe on lip color of any kind (stains, balms, lacquers, glosses—we’ll literally reapply at least two of those before we finish typing this post). So what better way to honor the momentous lip-smacking occasion than to treat ourselves to a gorgeous new shade in a fancy new finish?

To help out all the lipstick lovers among us, we asked a few of our Beauty Stylists to share their current go-to formulas for a busy, social summer. Because, truthfully, every day is a lipstick day.

Rayna Jefferson, Online Beauty Stylist

1. MAC Nude Lipstick in Fresh Brew: I LOVE a nude lip and this is my all-time favorite. It’s a great color if you want a nude that’s not too pink. The formula is lightweight and hydrating with a semi-gloss finish that works for all occasions. I also love to pair it with MAC Richer Lusher Cremesheen Glass for that extra bit of shine.

2. Dior Couture Color Rouge Dior Lipstick in Stand Out: This is my go-to evening summer shade. I think a great orange lip is perfect with bronze, glowing skin. The color is long-lasting and the smooth formula makes it super easy to wear. I also love the look of its fabulous case—in case I have to pull it out and touch up while out on the town.

3. NARS Lipstick in Honolulu Honey: A soft, neutral coral shouts summer. I love this shade for the beach or pool. Its vitamin E formula helps keep lips hydrated, but the color just lasts and lasts.

Sara Cessnun, Online Beauty Stylist

1. SPACE.NK.apothecary Lipstick Queen Saint Sheer Lipstick in Saint Rose: This color pulls slightly brown on me and is perfect when I want to give off a ’90s vibe with my look. The wear time is outstanding, too—it lasts through eating and drinking without reapplication.

2. BareMinerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolor in Infamous: My all-time FAVORITE liquid lip. The product is silky smooth and the applicator makes for precise application every time. It doesn’t flake like other liquid formulas I’ve tried and is perfect for natural makeup looks.

3. NARS Lipstick in Shanghai Express: My go-to red. Classy for fancy dinners or galas, but demure enough that the shade doesn’t overwhelm your entire look. It’s just so soft and elegant.

Starla Stallings, Online Beauty Stylist

1. Giorgio Armani Ecstasy Lacquer in Adrenaline: Ready. Set. STAY! This is my favorite long-lasting lip gloss! Bold, bright colors that hold like a stain but have a beautiful glossy shine. This lacquer can be worn alone for a more natural look or paired with a lipstick. The lip applicator makes it super-easy to apply the gloss precisely to your lips. It’s available in 18 different shades, but my current go-to is Adrenaline.

2. Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Tint-in-Oil in Peach Me in Love: No matter the occasion—night on the town, beach trip or running errands, this is a must-have for your makeup bag. It will have your lips feeling soft and luscious while simultaneously looking like they’re drenched with shine! The essential oils contained in this tint keep your lips feeling hydrated. You get very natural shades that give your lips the appearance of wearing a sheer, understated wash of color.

3. MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Personal Statement: Can we say LIPSTICK FOREVER? This liquid stain lasts for 6 to 8 hours! Very lightweight but with full coverage—a little goes a long way, as all the shades are highly pigmented. It goes on wet and finishes as a matte. Helpful tip: Using the MAC Prep + Prime lip primer before applying the stain not only helps the color stay on even longer, but also helps keep your lips soft.

Elizabeth White, Online Beauty Stylist

1. Clarins “Instant Light” Lip Comfort Oil in Candy: This is the perfect treatment for your lips for those summer days in the sun. It helps to hydrate and soothe dry, sun-damaged lips with just a hint of color. With just one swipe, you get natural shine with oils and no stickiness—plus your lips appear fuller. This product complements the fresh, natural look we’re all trying to get in the summer—and you can apply it without a mirror!

2. Jouer Long-Wear Lip Crème Liquid Lipstick in Pamplemousse: When you throw your shades on, don’t forget to slip this lip cream on! The long wear of this lipstick is stellar, and you have awesome color choices to achieve any look with a variety of shimmers and mattes. My personal favorite is Pamplemousse, because it delivers a beautiful nude bronze to finish off your summer glow.

3. CHANEL Rouge Double Intensité Ultra Wear Lip Color in Daring Red: There is always that summer event that requires a little bit more lip—and this is just the lipstick. It stays on all day with its 12-hour wear, which makes it a must when attending those summer weddings. You get a stain on one end and a hydrating, high-shine gloss on the other, so if you prefer to go matte one day, just wear the stain. A simple flip to the other end gives you a full, shiny pout.

Shop: All Lipstick | All Lip Gloss

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