#simoneolivero

(Ted Baker)

Hands up if you’ve ever used your cell phone to buy something? According to Lisa Green, head of Fashion at Google, mobile phones have not only become our gateway to e-commerce, but will play a huge role in the way we both discover and engage with fashion and retail in the years to come.

“Over the last four years, there’s been an evolution in understanding that customers are online and using digital more than any other tool,” Green says. “Brands are starting to use more of their own data to understand their customers and deliver their message to her and they’re really starting to use digital to tell their stories.”

Yahoo Canada recently had the chance to chat with Green at the launch of Ted Baker London’s AW16 collection entitled Mission Impeccable, a campaign that truly captures the essence of this relationship between retailers, shoppers and how we engage digitally with fashion.

The campaign features a three-minute film created in collaboration with director Guy Ritchie (of “Snatch,” “Fight Club” and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E”) called Mission Impeccable, which launched globally this week. Aside from being totally shoppable — all the clothing and accessories featured are from the AW16 Ted Baker London collection and available for purchase in-store and online — the video serves as a jumping off point for engaging with customers on both a social level as well as in store.

“Ted is always pushing the envelope with how it communicates and engages its customers and this season we’ve achieved that on multiple fronts,” says Craig Smith, Global Brand Communication Director at Ted Baker.

“Supporting the films and the evocative still imagery we have our highly playful and engaging window displays, where we’ve incorporated a world-first fashion application of Google app’s voice search to run an extensive surprise and delight reward program around the world. It’s an exciting time for Ted and this Autumn Winter is unlike anything we have executed before.”

The window display at the Ted Baker flagship on 5th Avenue in New York (photo: Simone Olivero)

Green’s fashion role at Google is a relatively new one and reflects the growing interplay between fashion and mobile throughout the industry.

Having worked at Google in various roles for the last 11 years, Green acknowledged that something big was happening in fashion and that brands were looking to digital to not only grow their presence but also to help tell their retail stories.

“We’re seeing a massive explosion of how much video people are watching online so the more video brands are able to produce, I think the better they’re going to be able to communicate to their customer.”

But this doesn’t mean that bricks and mortar stores are closing up shop.

Green is quick to note that the majority of sales are still happening inside of actual stores but the brands that are really flourishing are the ones that understand their customers are multifaceted.

“One brand who’s done an incredible job with this is Sephora,” she says. “Sephora found that one in four customers would prefer to consult their phone over an in-store associate so they created an incredible mobile app where you can go into the store and navigate without ever having to speak to anyone — and you still walk out  with all of these products! This is a case where the brand really understands that it’s not just about delivering on that e-commerce experience but how you allow the two to work together.”

ALSO SEE: Sephora’s updated app includes interactive beauty tutorials

And this isn’t just for the big budget brands.

Green points out that one of the great things about expanding digitally is that it can be done relatively on the cheap. 

A closer look???? into how we're executing the first ever Snapchat show- each look is shot directly in Snapchat and then handed over to the illustrator. #regram ???? @larajadephotography #NYFW #MNLiveLookbook

A photo posted by MISHA NONOO (@mishanonoo) on Sep 7, 2016 at 1:14pm PDT

“In a way a lot of the smaller, more independent brands are leading the charge in this,” she says. “Last year, American-based designer Misha Nonoo put her entire show on Instagram instead of doing a runway show at New York fashion week. This year, she’s broadcasting it on Snapchat.”

ALSO SEE: Why Designer Misha Nonoo is Showing Her Spring 2016 Collection on Instagram

“You no longer need a massive print budget to get your brand out there.”

Ted Baker London has long been a pioneer of unconventional advertising, often focusing on more alternative ways to reach the Ted consumer — and this campaign is simply the latest iteration of that mentality.

T.E.D. agent identity revealed. Trust [and impeccable style] is what knits us together. Who would you trust with your secret identity? Tag your two closest allies with #MissionImpeccable for a chance to win.

A video posted by Ted Baker (@ted_baker) on Sep 1, 2016 at 4:29am PDT

“Busting out from the chains of virtual constraint, we’ve taken the campaign into the physical world, says Nik Roope, executive creative director of Poke, who also collaborated on the campaign. “Offering a more cryptic augmentation than our Pokemon friends, Ted offers a way to discover secrets in and around their stores, otherwise hidden from the naked eye. The espionage theme plays naturally with unfolding technologies that allow participants to search via voice, accessing geofenced and chronofenced codes that lead to further experiences or unlock special Ted Baker product.”

The campaign video and interactions will be streaming online and at Ted Baker London stores across Canada as well as in select Nordstrom locations.

What do you think of the future of mobile and fashion? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. 

Don’t feel like hitting the gym today? Turns out a nice, hot bath may be just as beneficial.

(Giphy)

According to a recent study by Dr. Steve Faulkner of Loughborough University, a soak in the tub was found to not only lower blood sugar levels but also to do it better than conventional exercises like taking a long walk or sweating it out for an hour cycling.

“The amount our blood sugar rises after a meal is one of the risk markers for things like developing type 2 diabetes, so keeping it down can be good for our health,” Faulkner tells the Telegraph. 

“We think the reason is that the bath may encourage the release of heat shock proteins, which may help lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin controlled glucose uptake.”

The study looked at 10 unfit males who were instructed to take hot baths (at 104 F or 40 C) wearing glucose monitors that would record the changes in their blood sugar levels over the course of 24 hours. They then tested this against the same participants cycling on a different day at an intensity that increased their body temperature to the same as the bath water.

Researchers were surprised to find that the bath reduced blood sugar levels 10 per cent more than the cycling and that there was a similar energy expenditure (of 80 per cent), which allowed participants to burn approximately 126 calories.

“We discovered the participants who bathed had, on average, 10 per cent lower peak glucose levels in comparison to the exercise, which was completely unexpected,” Faulkner says.

Before you go packing up your sneakers and investing in some bubble bath, researchers still maintain that exercise is a big part of leading a healthy lifestyle.

“Although these findings are interesting, we would always encourage increased physical activity and exercise as the best way to maintain good health.”

Also, keep in mind that this study was only conducted on 10 participants and requires further investigation.

(Facebook/Mum on the Run)

“No, this isn’t a before and after shot of weight loss. But it is a victory story,” says Australian mom, Laura in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

The post features side-by-side images of the mother of two: one before she had kids and the other after. But unlike the usual before and after comparisons we see going viral on the internet, it isn’t a story of weight loss, but rather one about coming to terms with your post-baby body.

“No stretch marks or scars from belly button piercings. A belly button that was high. A flat stomach,” Laura says of the picture on the left.

“I ate no carbs, and barely any vegetables. Just meat. But I loved it because I was losing weight rapidly and the more bones that protruded the more I valued myself.”

“No one else would have said anything, they would have told me I looked fit, that I was healthy. I remember people asking me what my exercise routine was… They admired me. I admired me! I bought a whole new wardrobe. I was so proud. I showed off my body.”

But Laura admits that deep down, she used to look at this photo and feel fat.

ALSO SEE: This mom refuses to “bounce back” after giving birth

She then addresses the picture on the right.

“People don’t want to see this photo. All of a sudden it’s not okay. It’s not pleasing to the eye anymore. It’s not a body to be admired,” she says.

“The scars and stretch marks and jiggly tummy is because I made humans. I ate a little more cake, I drank a little more wine. I made mug cakes at 9pm and snuggled on the couch with my husband.”

“But for some reason, I didn’t love this body. It’s sad.”

She addresses how women can be so hard on themselves after having kids, feeling like their changed bodies are no longer worthy of luxuries like sexy underwear or new clothes. She admits that she too was guilty of this and that it really took some time for her to come around.

ALSO SEE: Pregnant fitness model calls out body shamers for saying she’s fat

“But you know what? I have achieved more with this body, then I have with my old body. I’ve eaten more good food. I’ve lived more, I’ve given more, I’ve enjoyed more. I’ve made life. This body, THIS body should be celebrated and admired.”

“Healthy bodies should be celebrated. Healthy should be what we strive for. Healthy minds, healthy journey’s and however that reflects on to our bodies, we should admire it.”

That said, she does still long to have her old body back some days.

“I still want to look like the first photo, no doubt. I miss that body, it makes me sad. But I want to get there in a healthy way, mentally and physically. I want to be proud and at peace with this body. And I want to like what I’ve got now.”

Laura hopes that other moms will see this post and know that they’re not alone in missing their pre-baby bodies. But also that they should see the value in the body they have right now.

“No matter what size you are, a size 6 or size 60. You deserve to celebrate it. Sexy underwear AND a new wardrobe. So love your body, because you truly really really, only get one! (In this life anyway)”

What do you think of Laura’s post? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. 

(Facebook/Aly Brothers)

“This is motherhood,” says Aly Brothers in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

The single mother recently posted an open letter on her Facebook page about the difficulty of raising two kids solo.

“No fancy filters, no good lighting, no new lipstick. It’s messy hair that’s wet from the rain, yesterday’s makeup that I was too tired to wash off, and tears. Motherhood is HARD. Single-motherhood is HARD.”

Brothers tells the story about how she ran out of milk the day the photo was taken and so she took her two boys to the store to get some more. While her kids are normally pretty well-behaved, this day, they were not.

“My youngest cried almost the entire time we were in the store. He didn’t want to sit in the cart, he didn’t want to be buckled, he wanted to hold all the groceries on his lap. He got mad. He threw his shoe, he threw my wallet, he threw the three groceries that did fit on his lap. And he cried. And people stared.”

“My three year old wanted to be superman and stand on the cart. That was fine. I told him to hold on and stand straight. He did not. He fell off, he leaned backwards and knocked things off their displays. He leaned back and bumped a stranger.”

Trying to take control of the situation, Brothers spotted some balloons, telling the kids they could have one if they shared. They initially agreed until they hit the cash register where a total meltdown ensued.

(Facebook/Aly Brothers)

“They screamed, they cried, they fought. I handed the balloon to another cashier to be put back and they cried louder. My youngest pushed buttons on the card machine while my oldest picked up candy. The people in line behind me glared. The cashier glared. Everyone’s eyes were on me as if to say ‘can’t you control your own children.’ One older gentleman whispered, ‘she’s pretty young for two kids’ and I lost it.”

Brothers explains how she then began to cry herself.

“They don’t know me. They don’t know me as a mother. They don’t know my children. They don’t know I was married before I started a family. They don’t know I left that marriage because of abuse knowing I would have it just as hard as a single mother. It’s hard people. The glares and whispers and judgments are hard.”

By sharing her story (and selfie), Brothers hopes other moms having a rough day will feel a little less alone.

“Sometimes I can control my children and sometimes I can’t. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I can handle it and sometimes I break down. I know these days will pass, the tears will stop, the fighting will cease, and my babies will be grown. And that will be hard too. So if you see a parent struggling, if you see a kid throwing a tantrum, if you see a mom on the verge of tears…please say something nice. Please don’t glare with judgement,” she pleads.

“And to all moms out there having a day like mine…I see you, I know you, I love you. You are strong and you are doing just fine.”

Since posting, the photo has been shared nearly 14,000 times with thousands of comments from other parents voicing their understanding.

“Been there, done that. You will survive and your children will respect you all the more for it! Chin up, it gets better,” said Cherie DeBaillon Scallan.

“I’m crying with you!” said McKenzie Katt. “I’ve gone through this before and it is not fun. You’re doing great! Some people will judge regardless of what you do.”

What do you think of this post? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. 

(Facebook/Jen Anderson Shattuck)

Jen Anderson Shattuck’s three-year-old son likes to wear tutus.

“My three-and-a-half-year-old son likes to play trucks. He likes to do jigsaw puzzles. He likes to eat plums. And he likes to wear sparkly tutus,” she explains in a Facebook post that recently went viral.

“If asked, he will say there are no rules about what boys can wear or what girls can wear.”

But while heading out to the park with him recently, Shattuck was “accosted” by a man who demanded to know why her son was wearing a skirt.

“‘I’m just curious,’ the man said. ‘Why do you keep doing this to your son?'”

While the man was unfamiliar to Shattuck, she quickly got the the sense that he had been watching her and her son for some time.

“He wasn’t curious. He didn’t want answers. He wanted to make sure we both knew that what my son was doing — what I was ALLOWING him to do — was wrong,” she says.

Speaking directly to her son, the man told the boy that what his mother was doing was wrong and that she was a “bad mother.” He even went as far to say it was “child abuse.” Then, he proceeded to take a picture of the boy saying, “Now everyone will know.”

Shattuck was so horrified by the event that she called the police and filed a report. But she’s mostly upset that her son now feels threatened.

“My son does not feel safe today. He wants to know: ‘Is the man coming back? The bad man? Is he going to shout more unkind things about my skirt? Is he going to take more pictures?'”

ALSO SEE: Mom’s brilliant post defending her son’s right to wear nail polish is going viral

Despite the upsetting event, Shattuck will not be stopping her son for dressing the way he wants any time soon.

“I will not be intimidated. I will not be made to feel vulnerable or afraid. I will not let angry strangers tell my son what he can or cannot wear.”

“I will defend, shouting, his right to walk down the street in peace, wearing whatever items of clothing he wants to wear.”

The post has already been shared more than 43,000 times, with a flood of comments from other parents, some even sharing their own photos of their kids dressing as they please.

“My 2 year old loves trains and ‘Hello Kitty,'” says Maggie Fairman Williams. “He prefers pink to blue. He loves wearing necklaces and dancing in the mud. I love watching him revel in things with no understanding of societal gender assignments- he just loves these things because he does.”

“There was a little boy in our family who wore red pajamas on his head for several years. It was like having long red hair for him. He has grown into a loving, kind, understanding teenager who we couldn’t love more,” shared Marilyn Christmann.

What do you think? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. 

(LookHuman.com)

There are lots of things that we can get on board with: cute baby clothes, the importance of teaching consent and Spice Girls nostalgia. But when you combine all three, it just gets kind of weird.

That’s at least how the internet reacted to a baby onesie being sold on the website LookHuman.com.

Quoting the popular Spice Girls song, the onesie swaps out “you gotta get with my friends” with “you gotta get my consent.”

Clever, sure. But for a baby?

Some felt it was a little early to be teaching such things.

Consent is an important issue but in a babygro…. what the hell is wrong with some people? https://t.co/xllxL2Zsep

— Scoots (@scootertooter7) August 24, 2016

To add to the confusion, the description of the onesie reads, “Stand tall and stand proud- Wear this sassy feminist design, raise your fist, and use the power of glittering ’90s nostalgia to punch the patriarchy square in the junk.”

But this isn’t even the worst offender on the site.

According to Mic, other onesies for sale include one with the slogan, “Whose boob do I have to suck to get a drink around here” and ” If you want to be my lover you gotta be rich and close to death.”

While some defenders have been quick to point out that the site isn’t only marketing these on baby onesies and that you can print the slogan on a variety of different garments including adult T-shirts, tanks and hoodies, the fact that a baby onesie is an option still makes it a little strange.

What do you think? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA. 

“This video may distress some people but I’m sharing to show just how scary and dangerous whooping cough is to babies who are too young to be vaccinated,” says Sandra Tee in a Facebook video that has been viewed more than 420,000 times.

In the video, her 5-week-old daughter chokes and struggles to breathe, needing the assistance of an oxygen mask.

“Whooping cough is not always a loud obvious cough,” she warns. “The scary symptom for babies is when they don’t cough but silently choke and turn blue/purple from lack of oxygen.”

Tee’s daughter contracted pertussis from her son, who picked the disease up at school. She’s sharing the video in hopes of raising awareness for the importance of being vaccinated.

“Babies rely on herd immunity to keep them safe and unfortunately we cannot achieve that without high vaccination rates,” Tee said.

In a study earlier this year, researchers agreed that the less people vaccinated in a particular area, the higher the risk of these types of diseases spreading, even among those vaccinated.

“If there are a high number of susceptible or unvaccinated individuals in the community the risk of getting infected – even for vaccinated children – goes up,” explained senior study author Dr. Saad Omer.

ALSO SEE: New mother urges pregnant women to get whooping cough vaccination

While some have criticized Tee for posting the video, she responded by saying that “the head pediatrician wanted us to film it to show people how the cough isn’t always the worst/major symptom in babies. It’s the silent episodes which mean we are watching her 24/7 and very tired! Lucky my husband is amazing and we have been taking shifts.”