We re Fascinated by Lykke Li s Nomadic Lifestyle, Fashion Line, and Reason for Wearing All Black

In the October issue of InStyle, on newsstands and available for digital download now, musician Lykke Li takes on fall s cool-girl wardrobe—and paints it black. The following is an excerpt from the Swedish-born songstress and high-fashion minimalist s feature.
Judging from her structured all-black outfits and the exquisite heartbreak of her 2014 hit single, No Rest for the Wicked, it would be easy to cast Lykke Li as just another melancholic Swede. But the starkness is simply a layer of Li s no-nonsense sensibility. When you re always traveling, you can t wear color because you don t have time to wash clothes, explains the pragmatic chanteuse to InStyle. So you refine your style to the basics.
Li is certainly no newcomer to a life on the road. My mother was a crazy restless soul, she says. The first time I circled the globe I was 9 months old. Now the singer splits her time between Stockholm and Los Angeles. But between three acclaimed albums in six years, modeling gigs for Levi s and H&M, and a grueling performance schedule, she still leads a largely nomadic life. When it comes to style, Li prides herself on slicked-back simplicity: I like to travel with good perfume and a pocketful of gold jewelry, she says. This fall Li debuts her first fashion line, mostly black ready-to-wear pieces and accessories she designed together with the Swedish fashion house & Other Stories (available in late October). The collection is inspired by her lifelong wanderings.
Here, the singer shares some of the places that feel like home:
Los Angeles
Every American tour I did ended here. The city makes me dream and blossom. L.A. welcomes you: Here s a perfect avocado and silence so you can sleep.
Alagarve
We used to live in a small town on a hill in the south of Portugal. My parents still have a house there. Every summer I visit with the same bunch of friends to grill fish and just chill.
Stockholm
When you tour this much, you need to know that you can go somewhere and close the door. I don t think Sweden is that great for creativity, but I can just hang out in my sweatpants.
To see Lykke Li s full fashion feature, pick up the October issue of InStyle, available on newsstands and for digital download now.

Carrie Underwood Debuts Her Baby Bump in a Floral Jumpsuit

See All Photos Leave it to Carrie Underwood to follow her adorable pregnancy announcement with an equally adorable on-stage baby bump debut. The country crooner, who announced last week via her Instagram account that she and husband Mike Fisher are expecting their first child together, showed off her pregnant belly for the first time Saturday night at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Ill. Underwood took the stage at the event in a floral jumpsuit by Katherine Feiner that perfectly showcased her tiny belly.
Based on Undrewood s on-trend sartorial choices in the past, we re sure this will only be the first of many stylish maternity outfits, and we can t wait to see them! Until then, check out Underwood s best looks ever in our gallery, plus see more chic celeb moms-to-be!

It s Gossip Girl Heartthrob Chace Crawford s Birthday!

Happy 29th birthday, Chace Crawford! The Texas-born dreamboat, made famous by his swoon-worthy role as Nate Archibald on Gossip Girl, has proven life extends far past the golden bounds of the Upper East Side and has quite the lineup of upcoming projects. Not only is the actor slated to star in two indie-flick comedies—Undrafted and Mountain Men—but he also has the horror film Eloise, which is set to debut later this year. Then there is a role in an untitled romantic-drama project with Academy Award–winning director Warren Beatty. What character Crawford will play isn t clear, but he will be part of an ensemble cast alongside Lily Collins and Matthew Broderick.
Whatever this mysterious top-secret project may be, we know he’ll look sexy doing it. Take a peek at the Crawford sans shirt and see more of Hollywood s best abs here!

Our July Sweeps Is Open! Enter for a Chance to Win Chic Beach Essentials

Looking to add extra oomph to your beach gear? We ve got you covered! This month, in celebration of InStyle’s 20th anniversary (have you peeked at our 20 -themed style galleries yet?), we are rolling out the latest summer sweepstakes that will award 20 lucky winners a Profile by Gottex cover-up and sun hat. Enter for a chance to win the prize pack and make the ultimate splash this summer.
The contest is now open! For full rules and to enter our sweepstakes, visit 20th.instyle.com. Good luck!

This Week s Wow: What Is the Meaning Behind Barneys s Hypnotic (& Creepy) Window Display?

In this weekly feature, InStyle’s Fashion News Director Eric Wilson shares his favorite fashion moment of the week, and explains how it could shape styles to come. Look for it on What’s Right Now every Friday.
The Moment: They are not quite on the scale of the phenomenal Dries Van Noten Inspirations exhibition that opened at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris this month, but the latest windows of Barneys New York on Madison Avenue gave New Yorkers at least a sense of the Belgian designer s creative process. While the Paris exhibition is most impressive for visually demonstrating how a disparate range of ideas, eras, artworks, images, and films can take shape in the design of a single garment, the Barneys windows are more abstract. Each display shows two Van Noten outfits from recent years (Barneys has been carrying his collections for nearly 30 years), next to short films by the artist Andrew Zuckerman (pictured on the right next to Van Noten, below) that show butterflies, birds, and flowers in motion. It’s hypnotizing, if not a little creepy, to see, from the sidewalk, Van Noten s exotically printed sportswear flanking a video of an amber-eyed owl in flight.
Barneys hosted a series of events this week to celebrate the designer and the success of the Paris exhibition, which has helped expand an appreciation of Van Noten beyond his well-known interests in India, flowers, and color. His ideas, it turns out, are equally influenced by punk rock, movies and music, art history from the Renaissance through the present and more. When the museum first approached him, Van Noten says, the last thing he wanted was a retrospective.
I wanted it to be about inspiration, but to really show the way I am thinking, how I work and how I make associations, he says. That’s how the whole thing started.
Why It’s a Wow: Van Noten and Pamela Golbin, the curator, plan to bring the show to Antwerp in the fall, and possibly later to the United States, but the pieces and subjects included will likely change at each venue. (Curatorial standards require some vintage fashions to rest for several years each time after they are displayed.)
Barneys also introduced a limited edition version of a book of his designs related to the exhibition, this one including a second volume of bonus images from his archives and a fancy black cloth cover. (The original version is $90; the special edition costs $275.) If you can’t get to the show, it’s a wonderful place to start to gain a better understanding of one of fashion’s most cerebral designers.
Learn More: Visit the online home of the Dries Van Noten Inspirations exhibition and plan your Paris vacation accordingly. The designer also hosts a short video about the show and his work here.

Gigi Hadid Dishes On Her Style Essentials (and What Her Closet Really Looks Like)

It-girl and model of the moment, Gigi Hadid, has got some serious style on and off the runway. Winning hearts of her 1.9 million+ Instagram followers with every new outfit post (insert thumbs up emoji here), we can’t help but wonder what does her closet look like?

At the Diesel Black Gold fall 2015 show this week, we caught up with the 19-year-old rising star backstage. “Right now, my closet is a mess because it’s Fashion Week. I don’t have time to organize it!” Hadid tells InStyle. “But besides that, I have about 75 percent simple pieces, and 25 percent unique, standout pieces. That’s really my style—jeans, a T-shirt, and one piece that pops,” says Hadid, who fittingly rocked an all-black ensemble from Diesel Black Gold, including a swoon-worthy spiky-studded leather jacket from the brand’s recent pre-fall collection.

RELATED: See All the Star-Studded Instagram Snaps From NYFW

As for her celeb style crush? “I think Blake Lively always has great style, especially when she was pregnant!” says Hadid. Much agreed on that note—everyone needs a little fashion inspo. We re already curious to know what Gigi will be wearing next.

PHOTOS: Our Favorite Runway Looks From NYFW

First Look! Kerry Washington Is InStyle's Gorgeous March Cover Star

Every Thursday, millions (13.9 million, to be exact) tune into ABC to watch Scandal, and they do so for more than the undeniable chemistry between the show’s star, Kerry Washington, and the two men dangerously and viciously vying for her affection. The fashion worn by Washington’s character, Olivia Pope, plays a major role in the show’s draw each week, thanks to crisp suits and sophisticated toppers by the likes of Dior, Escada, and Salvatore Ferragamo—who she wears for her first appearance on the cover of InStyle, available on newsstands and for digital download Feb. 13.
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Washington’s go-to style, however, is decidedly different. She arrived to our shoot at L.A.’s Milk Studios wearing a rosy pink Ella Moss top (which matched daughter Isabelle’s ruffled dress), black Vince pants, and $39 T-strap flats by MIA. In between dancing to hits by Beyoncé and doting on her other baby, shih tzu-Yorkie mix Josie, the 38-year-old chatted with us about her post-baby workout routine (yoga, pilates, and cardio).
Watch the video above for a sneak peek at some of the looks by Gucci, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler that she wears inside our pages (as well as an inarguably adorable reaction to being at her first InStyle cover shoot). And for more of our candid chat with Washington, where the notoriously private star talks about juggling fame, a new husband, and an even newer baby, pick up the March issue of InStyle, available on newsstands and for digital download Feb. 13.
PHOTOS: Kerry Washington s Best Beauty Moments Through the Years