A Melbourne cat named Violet has become an unexpected Ramadan star after her puzzled early‑morning wanderings were shared on social media.
The series of videos posted by owner Jenna, show the nearly‑two‑year‑old British Shorthair mix blinking into the kitchen in the early hours of the morning, confused as to why the whole household is suddenly awake long before sunrise.
Jenna, who adopted Violet seven months ago, explained that the reaction was immediate once the family began waking early for suhoor, the pre‑dawn meal.
“Violet is almost two and will be turning two on the 1st of March. We’re very excited for her birthday coming up,” Jenna told Newsweek. “She was adopted 7 months ago and had a difficult start to life before coming to us, so she’s now incredibly loved and spoiled. It’s also her first Ramadan with us.”
Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims observe Ramadan as a month of fasting, prayer, self‑discipline and spiritual reflection. From dawn to sunset, they abstain from food and drink, including water. The day begins with a pre‑dawn meal called suhoor, and the fast is broken at sunset with iftar, traditionally starting with dates and water.
Because the Islamic calendar follows the moon, the dates shift each year. In 2026, Ramadan began on February 18 and will last until March 19, subject to the usual one‑day local variation for Shawwal.
The routine shift caught Violet off guard. “The videos started when we began waking up early for suhoor and she was immediately confused by the change in routine. She’d wander in wondering why everyone was awake, and I started filming because it was funny and relatable,” Jenna explained.
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The clips quickly gained traction, earning an outpouring of warm reactions.
“Ramadan Meowbarak to her,” joked one commenter on the first video that has been viewed over 2.9 million times.
“I’ve been really grateful for the response online. It’s been overwhelming in the best way,” Jenna said. “Violet is also a bit of a diva and definitely enjoys the attention.”
Now, the family has leaned into the fun, experimenting slightly with their routine just to see how Violet reacts.
“Sometimes we do different things—cook different foods, weekend hours will be different—so sometimes there are variances. Now it has become a bit of a game and we are doing different things to see how she responds,” Jenna said.
With Ramadan underway and Violet’s second birthday approaching, the “confused Ramadan cat” seems poised to enjoy plenty more attention—whether she understands the early alarms or not.
Pantone’s “Cloud Dancer” may be the 2026 Color of the Year, but what other home design trends are taking over this year? We asked local design and home industry experts to share their insights on 2026 design trends and the products that are becoming a favorite.
“This year, I see a continuing color trend of rich tones—deep teals, muted greens and warm neutrals, for example,” says Danielle Muecke of Muecke Design & Construction.
Color isn’t the only change to expect; textures and materials are getting a revamp as well.
“Our 2026 design trend forecast is that we will continue to ride the all-natural wood grain and stain wave, however, think darker stains like walnut and more variations of marbles, granite and real stone materials,” says Rachel Simpson, Senior Interior Designer of Revive Design and Renovation.
When it comes to countertops, quartzite is still a favorite for local designer Nicole Roe of R. Nickson Interiors.
“A lot of that comes down to the horizontal veining and flow,” Roe says. “Being a Florida-based firm, so many of our projects are on the water, and the movement in the stone feels like a subtle nod to the ocean or lake outside.”
Carin Zwiebel of Carin Zwiebel Interior Designs notes that 2026 isn’t about what’s new, but rather a return to classic and enduring materials like plaster finishes, Moroccan glazed tiles and warm, aged brass.
“Deep, saturated colors, architectural curves, warm woods and metal accents set the tone, while timeless elements like herringbone and marble ground the space,” she says.
For nonexperts, interior design can feel overwhelming: paint colors and wallpaper, countless fabrics across dozens of furniture styles, lighting choices—decisions, decisions, decisions. That’s why the role of an interior designer is crucial for homeowners. These experts translate a client’s ideas and goals into reality.
Whether the vision is cozy and comfortable, elevated and modern, or ultra-luxurious, a skilled designer can breathe life into any space while reflecting a client’s personal style. So whether you’re planning a single-room refresh or a whole-home transformation, here are some of Tampa Bay’s trending interior designers.
Dalton Scott Studio is a full-service interior design firm based in Tampa, known for creating spaces that feel personal, thoughtful and enduring. Dalton’s ethos is centered on elevating and amplifying each client’s unique style, creating interiors that are true reflections of their individuality.
Dalton Scott
He believes every space should tell your story, blending personal expression with refined design. Drawing from his Southern roots and years working at prestigious firms in New York City, Dalton brings a tailored, collaborative sensibility to residential and commercial projects nationwide, crafting interiors that feel authentic, curated and quietly confident.
Rob Bowen’s design style is bold, architectural and irresistibly refined. His interiors are layered with intention, where strong spatial structure meets sensual materiality. Known for sculptural lighting, rich natural stone, smoked mirrors, bespoke millwork and tactile fabrics, Rob creates environments that feel powerful yet deeply livable.
Rob Bowen
There is an unmistakable mood to his work, dramatic and immersive, balanced by warmth and precision. He blends masculine edge with organic softness to deliver spaces that feel tailored, elevated and unforgettable. Every detail is carefully considered, resulting in interiors that are emotionally compelling and timeless in their sophistication.
More Designers to Lookout For:
Elizabeth Ashley Interiors As a boutique design firm, Elizabeth Ashley Interiors takes on select projects, including a two-story, four-bedroom home in Bayshore Beautiful. The firm incorporates new trends when possible, such as fluted, or reeded, furniture accents.
Emily Moss Designs Specializing in high-end residential projects, Emily Moss Designs brings texture, color and natural materials to homes, including a four-bedroom residence in Holmes Beach. That project from their portfolio features limewashed walls, arched ceilings and layered textures that create a boutique hotel feel.
Landscape Fusion – Outdoor When it comes to exterior spaces, Landscape Fusion creates escapes tailored to each property, including a South Tampa outdoor retreat designed for all seasons.
Michelle Erin Interiors Founded on the belief that a home should be both beautiful and livable, Michelle Erin Interiors considers clients’ desires and a home’s location. The firm’s portfolio includes a waterfront residence on Indian Rocks Beach that nods to Old Florida.
Ryan Hughes Design – Outdoor While it may not seem like it during January and February, Florida is an ideal state for enjoying time outdoors, and Ryan Hughes Design is well-versed in creating stunning outdoor retreats—especially those with stunning pools.
Studio M For neutral tones and coastal vibes, Studio M’s favorite home décor items can easily elevate any room in the home.
Want more? Check out this Lakefront Living design. Or if you’re looking to advertise, click here.
Sixty-five percent of educators use AI to bridge resource gaps, even as platform fatigue and a lack of system integration threaten productivity, according to Jotform‘s EdTech Trends 2026 report.
Based on a survey of 50 K-12 and higher education professionals, the report reveals a resilient workforce looking for ways to combat the effects of significant budget cuts and burnout. The respondents were teachers, instructors, and professors split about equally between higher education and K-12.
While 56 percent of educators are “very concerned” over recent cuts to U.S. education infrastructure, 65 percent are now actively using AI. Of those using AI, nearly half (48 percent) use it for both student learning and administrative tasks, such as summarizing long documents and automating feedback.
“We conducted this survey to better understand the pain points educators have with technology,” says Lainie Johnson, director of enterprise marketing at Jotform. “We were surprised that our respondents like their tech tools so much. Because while the tools themselves are great, their inability to work together causes a problem.”
Key findings from the EdTech Trends 2026 report include:
The integration gap: Although 77 percent of educators say their current digital tools work well, 73 percent cite a “lack of integration between systems” as their primary difficulty. “The No. 1 thing I would like for my digital tools to do is to talk to each other,” one respondent noted. “I feel like often we have to jump from one platform to another just to get work done.”
Platform fatigue: Educators are managing an average of eight different digital tools, with 50 percent reporting they are overwhelmed by “too many platforms.”
The burden of manual tasks: Despite the many digital tools they use, educators spend an average of seven hours per week on manual tasks.
AI for productivity: Fifty-eight percent of respondents use AI most frequently as a productivity tool for research, brainstorming, and writing.
Data security and ethics: Ethical implications and data security are the top concerns for educators when implementing AI.
eSchool Media staff cover education technology in all its aspects–from legislation and litigation, to best practices, to lessons learned and new products. First published in March of 1998 as a monthly print and digital newspaper, eSchool Media provides the news and information necessary to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.
In 2025, consumers spent more money on non-game mobile apps than they did on games for the first time, according to the findings from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower’s annual “State of Mobile” report. While this milestone had been seen in particular markets, like the U.S., or during certain quarters, 2025 marked the first time it occurred globally. Worldwide, consumers spent approximately $85 billion on apps last year, representing a 21% year-over-year increase. The figure was also nearly 2.8x the amount spent just five years ago.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
Generative AI, a defining trend over the past year, led the revenue growth, as in-app purchase revenue in this category more than tripled to top $5 billion in 2025. Downloads of AI apps also grew, doubling year-over-year to reach 3.8 billion.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
The segment’s growth can be attributed to several factors. For one, the popularity of AI assistants among consumers was a large driver, with all of the top 10 apps by downloads being AI assistants. This group was led by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and DeepSeek. ChatGPT alone generated $3.4 billion in global in-app purchase (IAP) revenue — a figure that we reported on late last year.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
In 2025, consumers spent 48 billion hours in generative AI apps, or 3.6x the total time spent in 2024 and 10x the level seen in 2023. Session volume, meaning the number of times users opened and used an app, topped one trillion in 2025. Of note, this figure was growing faster than downloads, suggesting that existing users were deepening their engagement faster than the apps were adding new users.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
Another factor driving AI app revenue and adoption is that big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and X have been heavily investing in their AI assistants to challenge ChatGPT. Over the past year, they’ve been rolling out new capabilities at a rapid pace, improving in areas like coding assistance, content generation, reasoning, task execution, accuracy, and more. The report specifically called out improvements in image and video generation, like ChatGPT’s GPT-4o image generation model released in March, and Google’s Nano Banana.
Among the top AI publishers, OpenAI and DeepSeek accounted for nearly 50% of global downloads, up from 21% in 2024. Meanwhile, big tech publishers grew their share of the market from 14% to nearly 30% during this same time, crowding out earlier ChatGPT competitors like Nova, Codeway, and Chat Smith.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
The report also highlighted the role that mobile plays in connecting users to generative AI services. Sensor Tower estimates that the total audience for AI assistants topped 200 million in the U.S. by year-end, and more than half (110M) were accessing the assistants exclusively on mobile devices. In 2024, for comparison, only around 13 million users were mobile-only.
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Beyond assistants, other popular AI apps included the AI music generation app Suno; ByteDance’s text-to-video app, Jimeng AI; and AI companion apps like Character.ai and PolyBuzz.
Image Credits:Sensor Tower
However, AI wasn’t the only revenue driver last year, Sensor Tower found. Other apps, including those in categories like social media, video streaming, and productivity, also helped fuel the growth, the report noted. For instance, consumers spent an average of 90 minutes per day on social media apps, totaling nearly 2.5 trillion hours, up 5% year-over-year.
Research showed a disproportionately high share of foreign-born workers active in the construction trades nationally in 2024. While immigrants made up one in five workers nationally, they composed one in three workers in the construction trades sector.
The highest percentage of foreign-born trade workers occurred in the seven metros that issued at least 150,000 building permits between 2019–2023. In these locations, immigrants composed 54% of the trades workforce.
In Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, which led the nation in homebuilding permits at 350,000, 61% of the workers in the trades had immigrated to the country.
Metros with slower housing growth still had disproportionately high shares of immigrants active in the trades. On average, metros that issued 75,000–149,999 permits had a 40% share of foreign-born trade workers, while those with fewer than 75,000 permits had a 22% share.
When categorized by specialty, foreign-born tradespeople most commonly worked as construction laborers or carpenters in 2024. They composed three-fifths of all plasterers and drywall installers in 2024 and half of all roofers, painters and carpet, tile and floor installers.
With foreign-born workers playing such an outsized role in housing production and homebuilding, negative immigration trends could signal danger for the market, according to experts.
“There is a disproportionately high share of foreign-born workers in the construction trades nationally and that share is even higher in these communities,” said Harvard Senior Research Analyst Riordan Frost. “The recent slowdown in immigration will limit foreign-born labor for the trades, however, potentially worsening chronic labor shortages and constraining the ability to build and remodel housing.”
Every year, our team steps back and looks across the hundreds of products, tests, conversations, retail walks, and consumer moments we touch. There is always a pattern hiding in the noise. Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it shows up quietly and then becomes the only thing anyone talks about a year later.
2025 was one of those years where the small signals were more revealing than the flashy headlines.
Innovation didn’t tilt in one direction. It spread out into very specific behaviors, formats, and consumer expectations that kept showing up in multiple categories. That is usually the first sign that a trend is real.
Here are the five themes our team keeps returning to. Each one has its own shape, but they all point toward the kind of innovation shoppers will reward in 2026.
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1. Micro-occasions became the real battleground
Innovation used to chase broad needs. Better snacks. Cleaner ingredients. More flavor. Those ideas still matter, but the real action this year happened inside very narrow consumption moments. Tiny slices of the day where shoppers want something oddly specific.
Evening treats that offer comfort. Midday bites that feel functional but still taste indulgent. Seasonal flavors that capture nostalgia without drifting into gimmicks. Our team watched these micro-occasions become a strategy, not an accident. If a brand could anchor itself to a clear moment, it usually performed better.
This tells us something important about next year. Brands that define the moment clearly will separate faster, because shoppers don’t think about “snacks” or “treats” anymore. They think about what they need right now.
2. Protein kept rising, but shoppers demanded cleaner vehicles
Protein has been climbing for years, but the shift in 2025 trended more toward the delivery systems. There was a noticeable push toward products that deliver meaningful protein with fewer tradeoffs. Cleaner labels. Better textures. More sustainable formats. Less packaging waste.
Protein is no longer limited to bars and shakes. It is showing up in pastas, foams, lattes, kids’ snacks, and pantry staples. The message is clear. People want functional benefits woven into the items they already enjoy. They want it to feel natural and balanced, not bolted on.
Looking to 2026, the expectation will rise again. More thoughtful sourcing. More believable benefits. More formats that feel familiar instead of clinical.
3. Frozen became the most creative playground in the store
Our team kept finding innovation wins in frozen. Not big one-off experiments. True, thoughtful expansions that unlocked new occasions. Candy bar novelties. Fruit-forward indulgence. Classic brands stepping into frozen desserts in a way that made perfect sense once you saw it.
Frozen rewards brands that already have strong emotional equity. The category gives them a way to extend that story without confusing shoppers. It is also a place where retailers seem very willing to support disruptive ideas because frozen lifts the basket and drives repeat trips.
In 2026, expect frozen to pull in even more brands that want to stretch into new formats without overextending their identity. The category has become a safe place to take creative risks that still feel grounded.
4. Everyday functional benefits turned into expectations
This trend was everywhere. Drinks with added protein. Snacks layered with superfoods. Lattes with meaningful nutrition upgrades. Shoppers aren’t chasing miracle claims. They just want small boosts that make daily choices feel more intentional.
Functional has moved out of the “performance” world and into the mainstream. It showed up in categories that never used to carry added benefits. Families are reading labels differently. Kids are asking for products that feel like upgrades. Even quick on-the-go purchases have shifted toward items that offer a little more than flavor.
In 2026, functional will become the price of entry in many categories. Brands that ignore this shift will feel stale quickly.
5. Fan-driven innovation created instant traction
The most surprising pattern of the year came from collaboration and cocreation. When brands paid attention to what fans were already mixing, posting, or hacking together, the launches hit stronger and spread faster.
Several high-profile examples proved that shoppers respond when brands formalize something people already love. It creates trust because the demand existed before the product did. Retailers also lean in quickly because the signal is loud and honest.
Next year, more brands will study these organic behaviors. They will use real consumer creativity as a pathway to faster yeses, cleaner bets, and launches with ready-made momentum.
What all of this says about 2026
The biggest theme is clarity. Shoppers reward products that understand the moment, the benefit, the format, and the emotional cue behind the purchase. They reward simplicity with purpose. They also reward brands that innovate without overcomplicating their identity.
Innovation in 2026 will favor teams that stay close to real behavior. Teams that choose sharper occasions rather than broader claims. Teams that use frozen strategically. Teams that make functional benefits feel natural. Teams that let consumers lead the way when the signal is loud enough.
At Mission Field, we spend a lot of time helping brands read these signals and translate them into smart, testable ideas. If this year taught us anything, it is that the best innovations didn’t try to reinvent everything. They solved real moments in believable ways.
2026 will be no different.
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Through his attorney, Alex told People that Fuller and Carr’s series “mischaracterizes Alex’s relationships with his wife Maggie and his son Paul, both of whom Alex loves so dearly.” To that, Fuller tells VF: “I do truly believe, to whatever extent I can understand, that he did love Maggie and Paul. I think that’s one of the reasons he can’t open that door of monstrousness to acknowledge what he did.”
In one final, prescient twist, Alex used a visit to his elderly mother, Libby, then suffering from dementia, as an alibi for the murders. “After the most dehumanizing, monstrous thing someone could do, he went and sat there with his mom,” Fuller says.
Like Alex fleeing from the darkest moments of his life and into the arms of his mother, Fuller ventures that the rocky last few years have led us back there culturally too. “We’ve been through so much in the past 10 years, particularly the past five. The collective psyche has just been so traumatized, and there’s so much uncertainty when we’re dealing with AI, what the economy’s going to look like, climate change—all these massive things,” says Fuller. “We dramatized [Paul’s older brother] Buster Murdaugh saying at the end of his father’s murder trial, ‘I just want my mom.’ There is something fundamental that a mother in the most general way provides. But what we’re seeing, with If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Die My Love, is the burden of that on the individual.”
Die My LoveMubi/ Everett Collection
In a year where men channeled their inner demons into vampires (Sinners), gods (Superman), and even a new Frankenstein, motherhood served as a trippy catalyst for many writer-directors. “We are thinking about ourselves as mothers, but also our own mothers. If you have a good enough mother, those problems and demands and terrible feelings that we’re putting forth in these movies are all behind the scenes,” says Bronstein. “Those are mommy’s little secrets. Kids go to bed, wine comes out or whatever it is, but we don’t see that as kids. We don’t see all the work that goes into even something as simple as a birthday.”
The unflinching portraits of maternity have had a profound effect on mothers, but also on young people deciding whether or not to procreate. “Women are really openly expressing a total disinterest in marriage and children,” says Gallagher, citing a recent Pew Research Center study that found a 22-point drop over the last three decades in teenage girls’ desire to get married. As of 2025, teenage girls are officially less likely than teenage boys to say they want to get married. “So, it makes sense to me that we’re finally free enough perhaps to explore and say out loud that having kids isn’t for everyone, and/or you can love your kids to death and still acknowledge that the life of having kids is really hard,” she continues.
Getting crafty about cutting corners, consumers are changing their approach to holiday shopping. Against a background of intimidating inflation and tariff costs, the traditional peak spending season is moving away from the short, sharp spending spree that it has always been associated with. Instead, shoppers are shunning impulse buys for a more measured, strategic, and information-led approach.
Recent holiday shopping reports help identify these trends. Here’s what they mean for your business’s holiday shopping season strategy.
Important holiday shopping trends for 2025
The distinctive consciousness of the 2025 shopper is defined by three changes: a combination or hybrid of online and in-person shopping, calculated trade-offs to mitigate inflation, and starting the holiday shopping earlier.
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These holiday shopping trends introduce a new consumer character that brands must adapt to, and reminds us that dynamism and close attention to consumer sentiment are indispensable.
1. The relationship between hybrid shopping and holiday shopping
Rather than separate options, both online and in-person shopping are playing a part in the customer journey.
Seventy-seven percent of consumers are searching for items on their mobile devices even while in the store. Combining the convenience of online reviews and research with the advantages of in-person purchasing, consumers are blending both worlds to get the best customer experience.
2. Inflation is changing consumer behavior
While many plan to spend less in their holiday shopping this year, another take is that consumers will spend the same, while changing their shopping behavior.
For example, holiday shopping data suggests that 81 percent plan to focus on gift cards this holiday, as more are assessing purchases for their necessity, price, and long-term value.
3. Consumers are beginning holiday shopping earlier
It seems that shoppers are turning their backs on the traditional holiday splurge, that slim seasonal shopping window defined by Black Friday and other flash sales.
The PissedConsumer survey reveals that 46.7 percent of consumers planned to start their holiday shopping between August and October, whereas stores are also changing their calendars to meet this change in buying behavior.
Online reviews affect holiday shopping behaviors
Trust and customer loyalty are even more valuable to your business during times of economic uncertainty. Holiday shopping statistics indicate that consumers are becoming increasingly cautious about where their money goes, and are looking for assurance through social proof found via online reviews and social media.
Indeed, 89 percent of consumers note that negative reviews influence their purchase decisions. A well-executed online review management strategy could shape holiday shopping for your brand more than any other aspect of business.
Understand the new needs
Holiday shopping trends in 2025 are defined by a cautious consumer looking for value, flexibility, and brands that listen. A receptive approach is the answer. The customer experience during the holiday season shopping has to be prioritized, and your brand must satisfy the emerging need for hybrid, value-focused shopping that meets the consumer’s need to feel that their money is being spent prudently and wisely.
PALM HARBOR, Fla., November 17, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– John Koch, Founder of Koch Associates, has unveiled his annual predictions for five emerging trends set to influence food and beverage menus in 2025 and beyond. With over 25 years of experience in tracking and producing flavor and trend forecasts, Koch offers invaluable insights into the trends that will shape restaurant operations in the coming year.
1. Sweet, Spicy & Sour (The Next Swicy) Sweet and spicy has been a reliable driver, but in 2026 it’s evolving into something more layered: sweet, spicy, and sour. That third dimension-vinegar, tamarind, citrus, sumac-is what makes these builds pop. Think mango‑chili glaze with rice vinegar, chipotle chocolate with lime, or tamarind barbecue on pork. It’s craveable, emotionally charged, and easy to execute across sauces, snacks, and beverage platforms. Operators can lean on this trifecta to refresh familiar items without reinventing the wheel.
2. Sweet Meets Savory Miso honey, black pepper and blackberry jam, maple‑soy, fish sauce caramel-these combos are showing up everywhere, and they make sense. They’re familiar, operationally simple, and they deliver depth without complexity. Whether it’s a glaze for chicken, a dessert drizzle, or a beverage syrup, these blends offer comfort with a little edge. The beauty is that they don’t require a new SKU or a complicated build; they’re plug‑and‑play flavor systems that deliver big impact. No need to name the trend-just use it.
3. Global, But Specific Global fusion is fading, replaced by a demand for specificity and authenticity. Consumers want flavor with a story-something real, not generic. Instead of “Asian purple yam,” say Filipino ube shake. Instead of gochujang wings, try West African suya wings. Rather than a “Middle Eastern‑style glaze,” go with Persian barberry glaze. There’s a growing desire to understand the name, the region, and the traditional use of exotic ingredients-and that’s what makes them feel credible, not borrowed. For operators, specificity builds trust and differentiation.
4. Texture as Flavor Crunch, chew, and contrast are driving flavor perception as much as taste. Crispy chili oil, puffed grains, freeze‑dried inclusions-these are showing up in everything from dips to desserts. Texture lets you refresh a core item without changing the base, which is a smart way to add interest without blowing up the build. For manufacturers, inclusions and textural layers create premium cues at low cost. For restaurant chains, it’s a way to add excitement to familiar items while keeping operations tight. Texture is no longer garnish-it’s a flavor driver.
5. Fiber Forward (With Boundaries) Fiber is overtaking protein as the functional claim to watch, driven by gut health, satiety, and digestive wellness. Expect beverage developers-juice, smoothies, even coffee-to push fiber fortification hard. The opportunity is real, but the risk is turning every drink into a “functional potion.” Fiber doesn’t belong everywhere, and operators should avoid the trap of bolting it onto indulgent formats where it feels forced. The smart play is to use fiber where it makes sense-baked goods, snacks, sauces, and comfort foods with a wellness edge. Done right, fiber delivers both indulgence and relevance. Done wrong, it’s just another act in the absurdist theater.
Increasingly, accessories have become their own kind of main character in the fashion world, fading from their former status as accompaniments to ready-to-wear looks. The spring 2026 collections—shown in New York, London, Milan, and Paris in September and October—more than proved that fact. With so many designer debuts and sophomore collections taking the stage this season (especially at heritage leather-goods houses like Chanel, Dior, Celine, and Loewe) it was high time for creative directors to pour their personalities into bags, shoes, hats, sunglasses, jewelry, and more. They did so in spades, bringing each piece to life on the catwalk. Below are the 14 biggest accessories trends we saw during Fashion Month, which will surely be all over the streets by the time the leaves bloom again next year.
Pocketbook Change
One of our favorite spring 2026 trends was the continuation of what we dubbed last season the “Twisted Lady” look. For fall 2025, designers seemed enamored with the idea of a proper dame gone slightly mad, and many of them sent bags down the runway that were slightly off. For spring 2026, a modern update was applied to the classic pocketbook—at Bottega Veneta and Celine, and for Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut, which featured the new Ciale Bag, designed after the silhouette of Christian Dior’s Cigale dress from the 1950s.
From left: Bottega Veneta, Dior and Celine
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta, Getty Images and Celine
She’s Come Undone
Another hallmark aspect of the updated Twisted Lady: a look we’re calling “She’s Come Undone,” which calls for belts, bags, and other baubles intentionally styled incorrectly. Valentino’s heels were seemingly held together with tape, while Versace and Louis Vuitton left both their bags and their belts unbuckled. Fendi, Loewe, and Chanel had their bags hanging wide open as models walked down the runway.
From left: Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Versace
Courtesy of Getty Images (2) and Versace
Pile On
More is still more. Amid minimal looks from houses like Alaïa, there were alternately enormously decorated outfits for spring 2026. The Row came up with super-chic hair combs; Torisheju might’ve pulled inspiration from the children’s book Caps for Sale. Beaded necklaces at Chanel and Celine were, quite literally, piled on, as were belts at Chopova Lowena.
From left: Chanel, Celine, Moschino, Torisheju, Chopova Lowena, and Jean Paul Gaultier
Courtesy of Getty Images (3), Torisheju, Getty Images, and Jean Paul Gaultier
Indecent Woman!
She’s proper on paper, but peculiar in practice—and she’s the talk of the town. There was an endless amount of commentary on women’s roles in society this season. We saw the messaging come through in footwear that, like their bag counterparts, were a tad weird. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson added bunny ears to Roger Vivier’s original Dior heels. Chloe made plastic kitten heels a 1950s housewife might rock. Prada’s heels looked like they were being held together by string. Matthieu Blazy’s take on Chanel’s classic cap-toe shoe ties back to his days at Bottega Veneta, with a color palette nodding to Italian terrazzo and mint gelato.
From left: Chloé, Dior, Prada, Chanel, Lanvin and Bottega Veneta
Courtesy of Getty Images (5) and Bottega Veneta
Natural Selection
Turquoise pendants, stones that would skip perfectly over water, glowing salt crystals—these were some of the more grounded accessories that brands made, which were inspired by Mother Nature herself. Oyster shell bucket bags at Loewe were chic and au naturel, while Versace applied graffiti to its rock necklaces.
From left: Schiaparelli, Loewe, and Versace
Courtesy of Schiaparelli, Loewe, and Versace
Far From Wooden
Wood and rattan were major materials of inspiration for spring. At Miu Miu, the latter was used for a chic handbag that slightly resembled your grandmother’s porch chairs (in a good way). Bottega Veneta’s clog, meanwhile, came with a woven Intrecciato body and a wooden heel.
From left: Miu Miu and Bottega Veneta
Courtesy of Getty Images (2)
Everyday Elevation
This season, everyday footwear like sneakers and flip-flops were given the Special Occasion Treatment—embellished with gilded feathers (Rabanne) or done in sumptuous satin (Prada). At Dries Van Noten, deep blue sneakers were made of eel skin, and Carven and Rabanne studded their sandals with pearls.
From left: Dries van Noten, Rabanne and Prada
Courtesy of Getty Images (2) and Prada
Soft Power
Evening bags have lost their edge—sort of. In the place of hard clutches and blocky minaudières were soft, cinched pouches for spring 2026. Prada did its version in satin, while Loewe opted for the most supple leather and Valentino’s came with artful beading.
From left: Prada, Loewe and Valentino
Courtesy of Getty Images
Groundbreaking Florals (For Real This Time)
Each spring, we in the fashion industry make some kind of Devil Wears Prada-adjacent joke about florals being groundbreaking. But this time, we really mean it—many designers this season swapped flowery prints for 3-D florals, crafted with their house codes in mind. Jonathan Anderson was inspired by Vivier’s La Rose shoe, which was first designed for Christian Dior in the ’50s. Silvia Venturini Fendi was inspired by both eggs and flowers, and channeled their jolly pastel vibes on bags and heels. Frilly floral Chloé purses were modeled after 1940s swim caps.
From left: Fendi, Dior and Chloé
Courtesy of Getty Images
Never Neutral
The vast majority of bags and shoes that walked this season were done in bright hues, especially primary colors and super-saturated tones. Fendi’s hot-pink bags were matched with a cranberry red, while Celine’s butter-yellow skirt came with a pair of electric-blue shoes.
From left: Fendi, Celine and Miu Miu
Courtesy of Getty Images
Straight Outta the Louvre
Less than two weeks after Paris Fashion Week wrapped, thieves broke into the Louvre and stole jewelry worth millions of dollars. Designers’ baubles for spring 2026 seemed darkly prescient in their Baroque designs and museum-ready gemstone size. From Gothic pieces at Saint Laurent to lighthearted jewel stickers at Julie Kegels, the message was clear: this trend is fit for a queen.
From left: Simone Rocha, Julie Kegels and Saint Lauren
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Mad Hatter
The hats this season redefined the term “whimsical.” At Dior, Anderson paid homage to former house designer John Galliano with structured tricorne hats. Chanel had caps made of soft plumes of red feather, calling once more to Blazy’s time at the helm of Bottega Veneta. Alaïa, meanwhile, was inspired by Constantin Brâncuși, whose artful shapes informed headwear silhouettes.
From left: Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli
Courtesy of Getty Images (2) and Schiaparelli
A Cinderella Story
The lucite footwear look has just gotten a modern upgrade. From Loewe’s molded booties—some of which were worn with colorful socks, or pedicures—to Chloé’s pointy kitten heels, there was a glass slipper to fit everyone.
From left: Loewe, Maison Margiela and Chloé
Courtesy of Getty Images (2) and Maison Margiela
Out of Sight
No bad views here. This season, sunglasses provided an escape from reality, with enormous sculpted goggles at Rabanne, alien-esque rhinestones at Balenciaga, and Valentino’s diamanté cat eyes.
NAGOYA, Japan—The tourists who crowd the bullet trains from Tokyo tend not to disembark at Nagoya as they speed along the so-called Golden Route linking the Japanese capital with Kyoto and Osaka.
“Nagoya tobashi,” the locals say. Nagoya gets skipped. The manufacturing hub, which anchors the region that is home to auto giant Toyota, is Japan’s fourth most-populous city and, according to a decade-old newspaper poll that still stings here, number one in dullness.
A California man received a mysterious handwritten note on his front door earlier this year—and it’s giving people online chills.
Jacob, who lives near Long Beach, said the note appeared on his door on June 18, left by an elderly man who claimed to have once lived in the same house in the 1980s. The message, written on lined notebook paper and said: “Hello, My name is [redacted]. In the early ’80s, I lived here. Something strange happened in the back bedroom. I was wondering if it still happens. I think it was a ghost.”
The unusual letter continued with the man’s contact details, inviting Jacob to call him “if it still comes.”
Jacob said in the post that the note “gave me the spooks for a couple days,” though he explained that nothing out of the ordinary has happened since he moved in.
“I’ve lived here about two years. No strange or paranormal activity—yet, at least,” Jacob told Newsweek.
Viral Reaction
Months later, Jacob decided to share the eerie encounter on Reddit after discovering the r/Weird subreddit. Just in time for Halloween.
“[I] just thought it was strange but didn’t post it online until I found the r/weird subreddit and thought it could be fitting,” he said.
His post quickly went viral, gaining over 26,000 upvotes and thousands of comments from amused, and occasionally sympathetic, Reddit users.
In the comments, people shared their reactions. “Poor dude has been wondering for decades if that place is as haunted as he remembers. I’d call him up and let him know the presence seems to have moved on, just to give him some peace of mind,” user Platitude_Platypus said.
While UrsusRenata joked: “Ooo, I found a new retirement hobby!”
“The letter was pretty decent and he didn’t do anything creepy, so I would call and tell him that nothing is happening, at least to get it out of his mind,” 1saylor1 said.
Despite its eerie premise, Jacob said the response from strangers has been heartwarming rather than frightening.
“The reaction to the post is awesome,” he said. “Several people have reached out to me believing that the man could be a long lost family member.”
This is not the first time a mysterious note has left a homeowner shocked. Earlier this year, a Gen Z woman found a note outside her home from a “secret admirer” that left her scared to leave the house.
Nicolas Puech says his wealth manager isolated him from friends and family and siphoned away a massive fortune. Then came the clue that began to reveal the deception.
On Wednesday, October 8, a fashion drop drew Black Friday–size crowds outside storefronts nationwide. Shoppers waited patiently—some caught in the rain, some arriving hours before stores opened to be one of the first people to buy. But they weren’t seeking a limited-edition Glossier sweatshirt or a Kylie Jenner lip kit. They were at Trader Joe’s.
By Thursday, October 9, some locations had sold out of the Halloween mini tote bags, available in black, orange, purple, and a multicolored option. In Manhattan, the Chelsea Trader Joe’s—situated on the cusp of a trendy residential neighborhood and the city’s fashion district—displayed ads for the totes near empty cardboard bins that had once held the loot. A tiny tote had been shoved behind dog treats in one aisle; after I put it in my cart, another shopper offered to pay me $20 to give them the $2.99 bag.
Trader Joe’s launched reusable canvas shopping bags in 1977, but it wasn’t until much more recently that they became a status item. The store started selling the mini version in February 2024, and a spring-themed series in pastels released this past April reportedly sold out within hours. The petite bags have been deemed collector’s items and resold on eBay for more than $100. On TikTok, Lucy Kigathidocumented her own “insane” journey at a Trader Joe’s in Katy, TX, when the pastel totes dropped in April. “If you got one, you almost got a part of social media history that you’ll live to show and tell one day. It’s a documented feeling, a trend that you just had to be there to experience,” Kigathi says in an email. “You throw away any logic of why there’s a line for mini totes and you just want to be in the trend, whatever it may be.”
These tiny totes are almost akin to a Birkin, at least in terms of return on investment. It’s no wonder that certain Trader Joe’s locations have instated limits on how many bags customers can buy.
Why are they such a big deal? Maybe because they’re teeny—so little it’s difficult to actually, you know, put many groceries in them. “When it comes to our reusable bags, our customers have made themselves abundantly clear: The smaller the tote, the bigger the sensation!” the official Trader Joe’s website says in a listing for the Trick-or-Treat Mini Canvas Totes. (Shoppers can’t actually buy the 13-by-11-by-6-inch vessels there; they can only add them to a wishlist.) Or maybe it’s that they manage to hit a certain capitalist sweet spot. “The Trader Joe’s mini tote bag is really a perfect storm of internet culture meets everyday consumerism,” Social Currency podcast host Sammi Tannor Cohen tells Vanity Fair. “It taps into the psychology of scarcity—something familiar suddenly feels exclusive. When you pair that with the Trader Joe’s brand, which has this cult-like accessibility and nostalgic Americana aesthetic, it becomes irresistible online.”
The cybersecurity industry is a microcosm of a larger economic truth: Fragmented markets are always on a path toward consolidation.
With over 3,000 vendors, the cybersecurity industry is at a pivotal moment. Market shifts indicate that smaller, niche vendors will be acquired by one of the five to seven larger players that offer an end-to-end solution—or they’ll cease to exist altogether.
The lessons we’re learning about how companies can navigate and succeed in a fragmented market aren’t just for cybersecurity companies; they’re for every B2B tech vendor navigating a landscape that’s changing faster than ever. Here are four lessons I’ve learned from the cybersecurity industry that can help tech providers of all kinds understand how to position their organizations to succeed in a fragmented market.
1. From point solutions to unified platforms
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The cybersecurity market has long been defined by its sheer number of point solutions. Does a company need to secure its email? There’s a vendor for that. Its network? Another one. Its cloud presence? A third. This model worked when threats were simpler, but it’s now creating a tangled web of complexity and inefficiency.
We’re now seeing a massive push toward platform-based solutions. Businesses want a single, integrated platform that handles multiple functions, offering a holistic view of their security posture. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift driven by the need for simplicity, efficiency, and a unified strategy.
The lesson here is universal: No matter your industry, if you’re selling a single piece of the puzzle, you’re at risk. Your customers are tired of juggling multiple vendors, and they’re looking for partners who can provide comprehensive, end-to-end solutions.
Another major force driving this trend is AI adoption. AI is creating a perfect storm, not just in cybersecurity, but in every industry. It’s making point solutions obsolete in some instances because AI-powered platforms can perform the functions of multiple smaller tools more effectively and in an integrated way. For example, an AI-powered security platform can analyze data from your network, cloud, and endpoints simultaneously, identifying threats that a single-purpose tool would miss. AI isn’t just about automation; it’s about creating new business models that are more intelligent, efficient, and valuable to customers.
In the next 18 months, the businesses that successfully harness AI to create more valuable, integrated offerings will thrive. This either means offering a comprehensive platform that holds its own alongside the other major players or strategically positioning your offering in the hopes of being acquired by a key industry provider. Those who don’t pursue either of these options are at risk of failing. This applies regardless of which industry your organization serves.
3. A shift in boardroom priorities
Another key consideration is how purchasing decisions have changed over recent years as a result of these shifts, and how those conversations are making an impact.
The conversation around cybersecurity has moved from a technical detail to a core business priority. Board members now understand that a cyberattack can cripple operations, detrimentally impacting not only the organization, but also society. They’re no longer just asking for technical metrics; they’re asking about business resilience and continuity.
This same shift is happening across all industries. Business leaders aren’t focused on growth at all costs. Instead, they’re focused on building resilient organizations that can withstand disruptions, whether from a supply chain failure, an economic downturn, or a new competitor. The key takeaway is to connect your efforts directly to business outcomes. Don’t just talk about what your product does; explain how it protects the company, ensures operational continuity, and strengthens the brand. That’s language every executive understands.
4. From protection to transformation
The ultimate lesson from the cybersecurity industry is that your business can evolve from a reactive function to a strategic enabler. For Armis, it’s about moving beyond just protecting a company to helping it achieve its goals. By providing a resilient and secure foundation, we support businesses to innovate and grow with confidence.
In your own business, this means looking beyond your current offerings and asking: “How can we help our customers transform their business?” Maybe it’s by streamlining their operations, unlocking new markets, or creating entirely new value propositions. The businesses that will win in the future are those that not only understand market shifts but also actively help their customers navigate them.
Organizations that fail to adapt will be left behind. However, those that lead with innovation and strategically align their business with their customers’ needs will secure their place among industry leaders.
A rescue dog from Michigan has melted hearts online after his owners shared pictures of the pup they describe as the “silliest” mix of breeds they’ve ever seen.
Gina Dufftt, from southeast Michigan, introduced the world to Bowie, a 30-pound, low-to-the-ground rescue with mismatched eyes and a calm, quirky charm, in the Facebook group Dogspotting Society.
Despite being told he’s a corgi mix and just four months old, Bowie displays none of the typical high-energy puppy behavior. Instead, he has quickly become a laid-back, lovable companion.
“We named him Bowie because of his awesome heterochromia,” Dufftt told Newsweek. “We know David Bowie didn’t actually have two different colored eyes, but the effect is there. His name when we adopted him was Mr. Pants, which we loved too—so his full name is officially Mr. Bowie Pants.”
Pictures of Bowie the dog enjoying the backyard at his new home. Pictures of Bowie the dog enjoying the backyard at his new home. Gina Dufftt
Bowie was adopted through Bottle Babies Rescue, a local foster shelter. The group recently held an adoption event where 18 dogs found their forever homes. “They were wonderful,” Dufftt said.
Although Bowie’s exact breed mix remains a mystery, the family has submitted a DNA test through Embark and hopes to receive results in the coming weeks. “Honestly, we have no idea what his breed is. We were told he was a corgi mix and that’s it,” Dufftt said. “I truly only shared his picture online to get feedback. I had no idea so many people would offer so many great opinions.”
The post has drawn hundreds of comments from dog lovers. Tiffany-Renee Bradner wrote: “A corgi mixed with anything is 1000% adorable.” Others speculated that Bowie could have Old English Sheepdog in his genes, while many simply focused on his cuteness. “I don’t know what else he is besides cute!!!!” said Amber Dezelle.
Pictures of Bowie the dog who has captured hearts online for his unusual looks. Pictures of Bowie the dog who has captured hearts online for his unusual looks. Gina Dufftt
This isn’t the first time a dog with an unusual breed mix has melted hearts online. Like Kiki, a Belgian Malinois-Aspin mix who was affectionately dubbed by her owner as a “Wish.com corgi,” or Scooby, a 3-year-old golden mountain dog—the name given to a mix of golden retriever and Bernese mountain dog.
For the Dufftt family, Bowie’s arrival came at an especially meaningful time. “He has brought us a lot of joy since we brought him home, having just lost our longtime dog, Dale, a few weeks ago,” Dufftt said. “We are super glad he seems to have touched hearts all over the place.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Data and analytics have become the driving force behind successful competition across industries. In this article, we’ll focus specifically on the role of data in the future of ecommerce.
What follows is a discussion of some of the key ways in which data relates to and supports the major emerging trends shaping today’s and tomorrow’s ecommerce.
Personalization has been a major trend in ecommerce for years. However, with the improvement of data technology, the speed and quality of personalized offers are reaching new levels. More advanced personalization engines push the envelope by also incorporating data points like seasonal trends, weather patterns and local events. For instance, a customer may get a recipe suggestion based on data predicting a rainy day ahead.
To expand their reach beyond their own platforms, savvy retailers have been working diligently to acquire more contextual data. Tracking social media sentiment, monitoring how competitors are pricing their products, staying abreast of broad market trends — you name it. These alternative data sources help them construct a far richer understanding of their customer base. And when those estimates prove reasonably accurate, they can refine everything from inventory management to pricing strategies.
Trend 2: AI and the smarts behind the interface
Ecommerce and the magic of AI have been walking hand in hand for some time now. And it’s not just about deploying credible and flexible chatbots to shoulder some of the more formulaic customer support. Today, AI is used even in such vital initiatives as reinforcing entire supply chains. Still, the effectiveness of these applications is completely reliant on the quality and quantity of data that feeds into them.
To function well, conversational commerce platforms require a substantial amount of customer interaction data to train their NLP models. In addition to “understanding” customers’ words, they must be able to grasp the actual intentions behind those words. For instance, to distinguish a casual browser from a serious buyer, these models need to constantly graze on successful sales dialogues, customer service chats and even samples of failed transactions to get a grip on what tends to trigger breakdowns in communication.
Meanwhile, AI-based predictive analytics help avoid overstocking while keeping stock-outs at a minimum. By drawing on historical transaction data, inventory levels, outside market signals and economic trends, these systems can be harnessed to anticipate demand with unprecedented accuracy.
For retailers that want to benefit from comprehensive AI systems, the data requirements are substantial. Such systems require clean, structured data from multiple sources, including customer relationship management systems, inventory databases, financial records and third-party market intelligence.
While ecommerce platforms manage increasingly granular customer data, cybercriminals are devising schemes to target these high-value assets for themselves. Recent breaches affecting major retailers have highlighted the critical importance of data security, not just as a technical concern, but as a fundamental business requirement.
The GDPR, the CCPA and other legal requirements don’t let companies off the hook until they’re able to prove compliance with mandatory practices like maintaining detailed records of what data they collect, how they use it and who they share it with. Along with staying on the right side of the law, platforms that effectively ensure compliance gain an extra asset of customer trust by signalling their commitment to transparency.
Thus, security-minded companies are embracing zero-trust security frameworks, encryption for data transmission and data storage protocols and similar advanced measures to protect customer information.
Trend 4: Sustainability goals
Research shows that over 70% of consumers are willing to pay premium prices for environmentally responsible products. The time when marketing buzzwords and “greenwashing” still work is passing. Savvy consumers, who are increasingly skeptical of non-committal statements about sustainability, are driving demand for unprecedented levels of transparency in supply chains and manufacturing processes.
To make carbon tracking across entire supply chains viable, companies must, at a minimum, gather data from suppliers, shipping companies and even customers’ delivery preferences. The most progressive retailers use this data to offer things like:
Carbon-neutral shipping options
Low-emission delivery routes
Environmental impact scores for individual products
The data requirements extend beyond environmental metrics, though. If sustainability is really put front and center, the entire product lifecycle — from raw material sourcing to packaging materials and end-of-life disposal — must be tracked as well. Another significant advantage for retailers is that the same data systems used for tracking environmental impact can also be leveraged to identify cost savings, supplier risks, and even to initiate circular economy initiatives.
Trend 5: Mobile commerce — a crucial data frontier
Mobile commerce now makes up the bulk of transactions online, and the potential for data analysis to improve its results is vast. Factors like touch patterns, location data, app usage habits and responses to push notifications are ready to be tapped into by enterprising retailers. Location data, for example, enables ecommerce platforms to do things like adjust inventory displays based on regional preferences, optimize delivery options for specific neighbourhoods or coordinate online promotions with events scheduled at nearby brick-and-mortar stores.
Mobile platforms also generate real-time behavioral data that allows for immediate responses. A good example of this is utilizing mobile analytics (with data streaming in from multiple touchpoints) to identify customers struggling with the checkout process and offering help, rather than waiting for a formal complaint to be made.
The trends reshaping ecommerce all share one thing in common: They’re only as effective as the data strategies that undergird them. And companies that recognize this connection and invest accordingly won’t just participate in the future of ecommerce — they’ll define it.
The upshot of this is that in the coming decade, the ecommerce leaders won’t necessarily be those with the biggest marketing spend or the flashiest products. More likely, they’ll be the ones that strategically utilize their resources to bulk up their data capacity.
An Airbnb guest in Kelowna, British Columbia, says she and her friends were left horrified after making an unexpected discovery at the home they were staying in.
When Jade, who did not share her surname, and her friends pulled back the drapes, they discovered something unusual—strands of hair pinned to the walls.
“We noticed the hair as soon as we arrived, which was 11 p.m. on a Thursday evening,” Jade told Newsweek. “It was scary because we were five women alone. At first we were really scared but didn’t really feel we had options to leave since it was so late.”
According to Jade, the host explained that the hair display had been left behind as part of a prank when the owner’s daughter once lived in the home with friends. “If you zoom in you can see they look like faces. It’s a ‘core memory,’ so they didn’t want to take it down,” she said.
Pictures from the viral video where the women shared the unusual Airbnb detail. Pictures from the viral video where the women shared the unusual Airbnb detail. @jadenicole10/TikTok
An Airbnb spokesperson told Newsweek: “Airbnb requires hosts to meet our ground rules on accuracy and cleanliness, and guests can contact us 24/7 in the rare event they encounter an issue. We are in contact with the guest to continue supporting them, and we are taking action to address this with the host.”
Instead of removing the strands, Jade said the hosts offered paper and tape for the group to cover it up themselves. “They offered to give us paper and tape to cover it up but not take it down. I shared the TikTok so I could validate that it was super insane because the host clearly didn’t think so,” she said.
She shared the moment on TikTok where it gained more than 2.3 million views, and people shared their reactions in the comments.
One commenter quipped: “I’d add a lock of my own hair. Confuse whatever serial killer is keeping trophies.”
Another wrote: “Um, Ma’am, is that a trophy wall? I’ve watched too much true crime for this.”
Some users thought the strands resembled small faces with mustaches, pointing to shiny pink dots visible above the hair. Others joked that perhaps past guests had carried on the tradition without the owners realizing.
This isn’t the first time an Airbnb has included something unusual. Earlier this week, a couple shared how they discovered a “hidden” door and “secret” third floor space in their vacation rental.
While in 2024, a viral post shared the chilling note left in an Airbnb in the Appalachian mountains that prompted the poster to say they were “so scared right now.”
A 72-year-old woman has gone viral on TikTok after declaring this stage of life her “favorite yet,” delighting viewers with a video that challenges the negative stereotypes around aging gaining traction online.
The clip, shared on September 2 by fashion designer and artist Sigrid Olsen (@beachtobistro), has been viewed more than 996,000 times. It shows Olsen in an aspirational setting aboard a boat, dressed in breezy coastal clothing, surrounded by fresh food and tranquil scenery.
“For all the fear-mongering around aging, I never imagined 72 would be my favorite year yet, and yet, here I am,” an overlaid text read. Her show of pride has been applauded by viewers online; some of whom shared they are used to seeing people as young as 30 being shamed for their age on the platform. Olsen has offered them a fresh perspective.
Olsen, a mother of two, grandmother of three, and stepmother to what she calls “countless more,” told Newsweek she is living life on her own terms. Based in Palmetto, Florida, she spends summers with her partner Mark on their 48-foot offshore yacht in New England.
Sigrid Olsen drinks on her yacht (L); and reads on the deck (R). Sigrid Olsen drinks on her yacht (L); and reads on the deck (R). @beachtobistro / @sigridolsen_design
Her career, too, has evolved. After more than 40 years in fashion, Olsen relaunched her self-titled brand independently five years ago.
“All my prints and embroideries are created by me, with pen, brush or block-print, and translated onto fabric by artisans in India,” she said.
She also teaches yoga, leads women’s retreats, and hosts weekly online sharing circles. Olsen credits much of her personal and professional flexibility to her small team at home.
“I would not be able to do this if my business at home was not so well managed by two young ladies, Kelly G. and Jessie S.,” she told Newsweek. “Kelly has revitalized my social media and improved our website exponentially…We are a team, where I film content from my travels and she creates wonderful videos to post on to all my social media outlets, especially to our growing audience on TikTok.”
The enthusiastic reaction to her post, she said, is proof of how badly “positive messaging” around enjoying life in older age is needed.
“We need to hear the true story of what it means to age with grace and gratitude,” she said.
Redefining Aging
Olsen believes her story resonates because it offers a counterpoint to what she sees as harmful media narratives.
“Beauty standards have always been unrealistic in the media, but now we are faced with performative imagery at any given moment that creates anxiety and fosters unkind comparisons,” she said. “It is hard for women these days to feel good about themselves, especially as they age.”
Her mission, she explained, is to encourage “individuality, creativity, healthy living and a connection to nature” for people of all ages.
Older women, she argues, bring something essential to the table that is often overlooked.
“We have hard won wisdom, more self-awareness, heightened compassion, less envy and more sisterhood,” she said. “And life can be filled with a sense of wonder, self-love and quiet satisfaction.”
With her viral clips and career revival, Olsen has reminded thousands of younger viewers online that aging does not have to mean fading away—it can mean stepping into a new, vibrant chapter instead.
