vogue travel 2022

Teen Vogue's Summer 2022 Ultimate Travel Guide 

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There are two questions every college graduate is asked after being handed their diploma: what time did you get home from partying last night and what's next? For the latter question, the answer might be an exciting internship or entry-level job in a new city. But for some, traveling is what's next on their horizon. 

There's truly no better way of celebrating years of studying than traveling somewhere new and fun. If you've spent the last couple of years in campus libraries and dorm rooms — not getting the pleasure of studying abroad — a trip to someplace out of your purview is an excellent idea. But you need to pack smart.

In addition to considering the best ways to travel this summer, you should also be mindful of what you're packing. If you're flying, travel light with a carry-on filled with necessities (we'll get to those below). If you're going on a road trip, still try to pack light but also consider ways to condense, compartmentalize, and carry all your must-haves. 

And with that said, below is our Teen Vogue guide to traveling this summer. 

Where to Stay & What to Do

Photo: Courtesy of Town Hall Hotel

Stay at the Town Hall Hotel

If you've never traveled out of the country, London is a great first place to visit. The bustling city of 8.9 million is similar to New York in being fast-paced, but has an older history that's been well preserved by architecture. If you're a history lover, the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green is an amazing stay. Situated within walking distance of luscious Victoria Park and the hipster Shoreditch neighborhood, the hotel is a refurbished town hall from the turn of the century that local politicians use to discuss legal affairs! The mid-century modern designed suites that were previously offices are fairly large and can accommodate friend groups. And there's a fantastic restaurant on the second floor that offers room service and a lovely Sunday brunch. For a Michelin Star experience, the hotel boasts Da Terra, a fine dining restaurant that needs to be booked well in advance of your stay. 

Go to Carnaby Street

Deciding on where to eat doesn't have to be frustrating. When in London, head straight to Carnaby Street for a diverse mix of global restaurant options. For super fresh, delicious small plates we highly recommend Imad's Syrian Kitchen (order the fattoush salad and shish tawook). If your group is in the mood for something more hearty, Dehesa has savory Spanish tapas in a cozy, corner-side location. And if in between sight-seeing you want a quick laser facial that will make your makeup pop in all those vacation selfies, book a 15-minute appointment at Skin Laundry for a state-of-the-art refresh. 

Lake Como, Italy

Stay at the Dandelion Suites and Park Como

Your graduation trip is actually doubling as a bae-cation and we're not mad. For a romantic summer trip, Italy is your best bet. The Dandelion Suites and Park Como is just miles from Milan but also close to Lake Como, one of Italy's most popular summer spots. We love this stay because it's the best of both worlds and hidden enough that you can just enjoy time walking on the hotel's grounds. 

Stay at the Bisha Hotel  

There's a family member who's willing to treat you to a hotel for your graduation trip, but they want to know where you'd like to stay. Let us tell you why Toronto should be your answer: the Caribbean food, the nightlife, and the friendliest people around. If you stay at the gorgeous Bisha Hotel — which has rooms designed by Lenny Kravitz's design company — you're in a safe area of downtown and not far from the beach. Trust us, add Toronto to your travel list. 

Go to Carnival

If your travel dates are around the end of July, you cannot miss Toronto's world-famous Caribana . The four-day celebration, which is considered the largest outdoor festival in North America, honors the rich Caribbean history and culture of the city. Tied to Afro-Caribbean emancipation in colonized islands, Toronto started its carnival celebration in 1967 and has kept it going with the annual parade, food vendors, live music, dancing, parties, and more. Seeing the beautiful Mas Band costumes alone is worth the visit.

Albuquerque  

Stay at the Los Poblanos Historic Inn

If staying in the States and frolicking in a field of lavender is your idea of a good time, book Los Poblanos Historic Inn ASAP. This ranch-turned hotel is a road trip away in the great blue state of New Mexico. You love a spa, they got it. You love culinary experiences, they got it. You love Indigenous history, they have that too. And if you're an art lover, we suggest you take a day trip to Santa Fe to see the amazing Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

What to Pack

Photo: Courtesy Image

Youth to the People travel set

As one of the cleanest and most environmentally conscious brands on the market, Youth to the People is truly top tier for keeping your skin glowing whatever timezone your land in. Most of their products come in travel size (2 oz or less) sets , but we also urge you to try their new  Polypeptide-121 Future Cream  which gives an extra boost of moisture for a dewy finish.

CEP compression socks

If you suffer from circulation issues or are going on a long flight, compression socks are good to have on hand. CEP's Tall Compression Socks for Recovery increase blood flow reducing cramping and swelling. Even if you think you won't need these, pack them!

COVRY sunglasses

High school friends Athina Wang and Florence Shin founded COVRY eyewear in 2015 as a way to bring a diverse, structurally conscious product to the market. Now, their genderless line of eyewear offers "inclusive fits for low-bridge noses, common in BIPOC faces, and particularly prevalent among Asian faces." 

Find Me Now pant set

Another AAPI brand we're obsessed with is Find Me Now. You're gonna probably want to buy everything from their Queens-based brand, but for the sake of your trip, we suggest the practical and retro Charlie Ruffle Short Set . 

Picnicwear towel handbag

You're going to need a light, condensable bag for your trip too. There are a ton of options out there, but we love Picnicwear's Teardrop Bag made from deadstock materials that can be machine washed. 

Birkenstock sandals  

Our mantra is "light and easy" for your carry-on suitcase, which is why these Birkenstock EVA sandals are great. They are incredibly lightweight and flexible, but also comfortable for long city strolls or walks on the beach. Plus, they come in a ton of fun colors. 

Judy emergency kit  

One can never anticipate an emergency on a road trip. But you can prepare. Judy's The Mover Max has a ton of survival supplies all in one waterproof backpack. This is one of those items you just get, toss in the car, and appreciate when it comes in handy. 

Anker travel charger  

With all the airport travel this summer, there's bound to be people hogging those free charging stations at your gate. Be the hero of your travel group with a portable charger that functions for multiple devices. This Mini Portable Charger Power Bank by Anker is a pocket-size savior.

Planned Parenthood water bottle

With all the heatwaves happening across the country, it's imperative that you stay hydrated. And what better way to quench your thirst than with a water bottle that promotes reproductive rights. This $5 Planned Parenthood Water Bottle is one we'd get for ourselves and our travel companions. 

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Want more from Teen Vogue ? Check this out: 41 Best Travel Gifts for the Jet Setter in Your Life

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Vogue Singapore

Vogue Singapore is the undisputed fashion authority that empowers and inspires through elevated imagery and intelligent stories to drive change for good

13 essential travel buys to jet-set in style and comfort in 2022

By Chandreyee Ray

11 May 2022

As we gear up to tour around the globe, here are the best Vogue -approved items to keep you looking and feeling put-together no matter where you go

Dare we say it? Travel is finally back. With borders opening up globally and rules relaxing in Singapore, there has never been a better time in the last two years to book a holiday. Now, an increasing number of flights are available to destinations all over the world, and luxury hotels are ready to welcome international guests after a long and painful wait. Whether you are planning a Euro-trip or looking to go somewhere closer to home, the excitement amongst Singaporean travellers is palpable.

Aside from putting together a trip itinerary and your vacation wardrobe, it is high time to refresh the routine list of items you bring along with you whenever you fly. Where even is your passport holder? From durable luggages and high-quality organisational tools to beauty essentials kept in your carry on, there is a plethora of new helpful travel buys on the market to ease globe-trotters back into regularly-scheduled programming. Of course, travelling in a post-pandemic world also means adding a few new must-haves to your rolodex, like hygiene-promoting tech and sanitisers.

If this is your first trip in a while, you may be a feeling a little overwhelmed. Fret not, for we have put together a complete list of travel buys to procure before you take flight again. Here, find the most stylish bags to travel with, hydration products that will keep you dewy on the plane and a few lesser-known tools that will make your trip significantly smoother. From fitness hacks to gadgets that allow you to enjoy potable water on the go, here is Vogue ‘s guide to travelling safely and stylishly in 2022.

Rimowa check-in luggage in Bamboo Green, $1,380

Made from high-quality polycarbonate with a range of useful features like flexi dividers and a telescopic handle, a check-in suitcase from luggage pioneer Rimowa is equal parts utilitarian and stylish.

Available at rimowa.com

Louis Vuitton duffel bag in Monogram Canvas, $4,050

For your cabin bag, opt for something compact, spacious and durable like this Louis Vuitton duffel bag, which also boasts a classic design and impeccable craftsmanship.

Available at louisvuitton.com

Bottega Veneta passport case in Caramel, $620

Midway between stealth luxury and a statement piece, this supple passport case from Bottega Veneta is chic and has multiple compartments to house all your travel essentials.

Available at Bottega Veneta

Mejuri travel jewellery case, $78

Keep your jewellery safe and tarnish-free with this premium case handcrafted from grain leather and ultra-soft microsuede lining.

Available at mejuri.com  

Bang & Olufsen H95 wireless headphones, $1499

These sound engineer-approved headphones feature noise cancellation capabilities and 38 hours of wire-free playtime, meaning your music needs on even the longest flights are sorted.

Available at bang-olufsen.com

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Mask, $148

For a truly luxurious in-flight hydrator, nothing compares to this ginseng-filled sheet mask from Sulwhasoo. For mess-free convenience, the mask comes with a peel-off outer sheet, meaning no residue is left behind on your hands.

Available at sephora.sg

Caudalie Beauty Elixir, $72

Whether the climate at your destination of choice is dry or humid, this face mist from Caudalie will help to freshen up your complexion any time of day.

Aesop rinse-free hand wash, $12

Aesop’s beautifully fragranced and highly effective geranium-scented hand cleanser ensures clean and moisturised hands on the go.

Available at aesop.com

Slip silk contour sleep mask, $82

Nothing makes getting rest on a plane easier than a good sleeping mask. This silk one is easy on the skin, with divots near the optical region allowing for minimal disruption to your skincare, makeup and eyelashes.

Available at nordstorm.com

Fujifilm Instax mini film camera in Lilac Purple, $77

If you’re tired of Instagram and want to preserve your trip in more tangible forms, capture your memories on this tiny but powerful polaroid camera.

Available at bhphotovideo.com

Casall leather and wood jump rope, $59

Great for a quick session anywhere, a jump rope is the easiest way to clock your daily workout without having to look for a gym.

Available at net-a-porter.com

Larq self-cleaning bottle, $173

This technological marvel features an integrated UV-C LED light which eliminates bio-contaminants from the liquid you put in it, allowing you to have potable water wherever you are.

From ssense.com

Smythson Travels and Experiences Panama notebook, $97

If you’re travelling after a long hiatus, you’ll want to record the best parts of your journey in this sleek journal from Smythson, whether for your future self or someone waiting back home.

Available at smythson.com

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Search ToursByVogueKnitting

Tours by vogue knitting.

Welcome to Tours by Vogue Knitting! We are delighted to offer specialized one of a kind tours for knitters with a passion to travel. Our tours allow you to experience travel with the added benefits of workshops, guest speakers, specialty yarn shopping experiences and excursions to textile manufactures, mills and so much more. Our inspiring trips give you the opportunity to work on your craft alongside some of the most sought after knitting instructors while traveling to amazing destination around the world. Knit your way through your travels and make new friends along the way.

Coming Soon!

• ​Scandinavia - Denmark – Sweden – Norway ​ - ​10 Days / 9 Nights September 10 – 19, 2024 ​​ More Details
• Rhine Knitting River Cruise - Day / 7 Night River Cruise November 7-15, 2024 with 2 night post optional extension More Details
• New England and Canada Knitting Cruise ​ 7 nights May 31-June 7, 2025​​ More Details

Recent Trips

• Scenic Knitting Cruise of Alaska – View Highlights
• Knit Your Way Through Norway – April 2022 - View Highlights
• Cruise to Canada and New England - August 2022 - View Highlights
• Spring Scotland Knitting Tour – May 2023 - View Highlights

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Special Highlights Include

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• Guided Tours to Knitting, Textile and Needle Manufactories, Sheep Farms & Knitting Schools

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Tours By Vogue Knitting Products and Services

About tours by vogue knitting, trips in the making, knit your way through scandinavia, 10 days / 9 nights • september 10 – 19, 2024, denmark – sweden – norway.

Pricing starting at $6,835 per person double occupancy

Enjoy a knitting journey through beautiful Scandinavia. Experience the beauty and history of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, during this 10-day tour. Learn new techniques with some of the regions acclaimed designers and instructors. 

More Details  

Rhine Knitting River Cruise

7 night river cruise • november 7-15, 2024 (with 2 night post optional extension), basel switzerland to amsterdam, netherlands - amawaterways amalucia.

Price starting at $3,723 per person double occupancy - cruise only

 $4,674 per person double occupancy – cruise plus 2 day Amsterdam extension

Take a front-row seat on an enchanting journey that takes you along the Rhine and through its designated UNESCO World Heritage Site with its 40 castles strung like pearls on its riverbanks and to magnificent cities and charming villages alike. Enjoy an extensive lineup of included tours and knitting workshops. Then spend two days in Amsterdam exploring knitting studios and a visit to Knitwit Stable for a tour and workshop.

New England and Canada Knitting Cruise

7 nights • may 31-june 7, 2025, boston, massachusetts to quebec city, quebec - holland america-zuiderdam.

Pricing starting at $3,233

Enjoy a mesmerizing cruise to coastal gems in New England and Canada. Visit historic Portland, wander Halifax’s urban boardwalk, tour Prince Edward Island’s Fibre Trail and spot belugas in the scenic Gulf of St. Lawrence.

September 2023 Scenic Knitting Cruise of Alaska

View Highlights  

Spring Scotland Knitting Tour

We knitted our way through norway, cruise to canada and new england, august 2022, our very special guests include:, carla scott.

Carla Scott is a leading industry expert in knitting and crochet and President of McKnits International Inc. A knitter since age 7, Carla is the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Knitting, and Knit Simple magazines, both published by Soho Publishing Co. Read More about Carla

Åsa Tricosa

Swedish knitting designer who lives in Denmark knits with abandon. Åsa knitted her way from Sweden to Denmark via New York and Boston and Singapore, and Sussex – and Germany. You will soon notice that her designs are mostly seamless and top down, and that she is seriously attracted by unusual solutions. Read More about Åsa

Katrine Hannibal

Katrine Hannibal is one of the two founders and owners of the company Önling. She is the creative force behind all Önling's own knitwear designs and patterns. Read More about Katrine

Ingunn Birkeland

Ingunn Birkeland is an Oslo-based fashion designer known for her unique handmade woven square patterns, red carpet dresses and show pieces. Exquisite details, time-consuming techniques and artistic expression are central to her work. Read More about Ingunn

Jacqueline van Dillen

Meet Jacqueline van Dillen, the Dutch knitwear designer whose life is intertwined with the art of knitting. Since 1991, her sleek and timeless knits have graced the pages of Vogue Knitting magazine, where she passionately shares her craft as a designer. Jacqueline’s grandmother, who  crafted socks for all the men in the family, introduced the craft to her granddaughter at the age of 6.

Read More about Jacqueline

Carla Scott is a leading industry expert in knitting and crochet and President of McKnits International Inc. A knitter since age 7, Carla is the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Knitting, and Knit Simple magazines, both published by Soho Publishing Co. She has been working with Vogue Knitting magazine since 1982 and has enjoyed hosting the VK International Tours and teaching workshops at VKLive events and knitting guilds around the country. She created and edited the Vogue Knitting "Stitchionary" series and is closely involved in the various knitting books published by Soho, including the revised "The Ultimate Knitting Book". Her career in the hand-knitting industry spans over 35 years, working for various yarn companies, knitting magazine and book publishers. Carla resides in New York City. Read More about Carla

Fiona Nadjer

Fiona Nadjer was born and bred in the Kingdom of Fife and has lived in Sanquhar for over forty years. She cannot remember not being able to knit, and made her first jumper for herself at the age of six.

When Fiona came to Upper Nithsdale she discovered Sanquhar gloves. Not being one to shy away from a challenge, Fiona knitted her first pair, which she still has. Since then, countless more pairs have followed. Latterly, since her involvement in A’ the Airts, she has become the key glove knitting demonstrator for the Centre’s popular Sanquhar knitting tours.

Read More about Fiona

Read More about Di

Michele Lee Bernstein

Michele Lee Bernstein, PDXKnitterati, loves designing accessories, especially if they use one or two skeins of very special yarn. She's fond of texture (brioche, lace, entrelac, elongated stitches) and how interesting techniques can be used to make small objects sing; her patterns are available through  Ravelry.com . She loves teaching knitters to be the boss of their knitting, and does so at local yarn shops in Oregon, fiber festivals, and guild retreats. Find her on Instagram, Facebook, Ravelry, and Twitter as PDXKnitterati.

Read More about Ana

Franklin Habit

Designer, teacher, writer, and illustrator Franklin Habit is the author of I Dream of Yarn (Sixth&Spring Books), It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons (Interweave Press, 2008) and proprietor of The Panopticon ( the-panopticon.blogspot.com ), one of the most popular knitting blogs on the Internet. On an average day, upward of 2,500 readers worldwide drop in for a mix of essays, cartoons, and the continuing adventures of Dolores the Sheep.

Franklin is teaching an on-board class on the NCL Breakaway cruise

Read More about Franklin

Anneli Belsvik Aras

Anneli has a Master’s degree in specialized art (ceramics and print) and a 1-year study of art history. She has a long experience as an arts and crafts teacher at high school level. She designed a shawl for Bergen Knitting festival in 2018, and also works as a curator for the gallery space at the museum. 

Read More about Annelia www.anneliba.com

Siri Angela Gamborg

Siri has a Bachelor’s degree of music and craft and holds a Master’s degree in art history. She has worked as teacher for many years.

She is the regular designer of knitting kits for the museum as well as co-author of the museum’s own book of traditional knitting patterns (to be translated to English in 2020).

Read More about Siri

Mary Jane Mucklestone

Mary Jane Mucklestone is a knitwear designer and author of 4 books specializing in colorwork knitting. With an extensive background in art and textiles she travels the world to learn traditional knitting techniques. Mary Jane is a guest speaker at our first port stop in Portland NE on our Cruise to Canada & New England

Read More about Mary Jane

Andrea Mowry

Andrea is one of the many who was lucky enough to learn how to knit as a child from her grandma. After leaving her life as a pastry chef to start a family with her husband, her hands found the necessary freedom to begin creating with fiber instead of flour.

Andrea is a guest speaker at our first port stop in Portland NE on our Cruise to Canada & New England

Read More about Andrea

Bristol Ivy

Bristol Ivy is a knitting designer, teacher, and author from Portland, Maine. Her work has been published with PomPom Magazine, amirisu, Quince & Co., Making Magazine, and her own eponymous pattern line. Bristol is a guest speaker at our first port stop in Portland NE on our Cruise to Canada & New England

Read More about Bristol

Laura Zander

Laura Zander is the co-owner of market-leading yarn retailer Jimmy Beans Wool. Laura and her husband, Doug, worked as software engineers during the dot-com era in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laura is a guest traveling on our trip through India

Read More about Laura

Dr Priya Shashank

Dr. Priya Shashank is a physician and an IBCLC by profession, working with new parents, helping to empower them to breastfeed. She is passionate about knitting and crochet and has 30 years of experience practicing and teaching the crafts. She is associated with prestigious yarn and knitting needle making companies and works with them as a knitting and social media expert.

Dr. Priya Shashank is one of the guest knitters teaching a class on the India tour

Dr Shruti Sharma

Dr Shruti Sharma, a practicing Sr Ophthalmologist in Delhi. Learnt knitting in class 2 and learnt crochet in class 7. It was just basics. Life had been hectic till I was on family way, and then I picked up knitting needles, and a close family friend introduced me to written patterns – in English. All I knew was knit and purl.

Norah Gaughan

Raised by artists in the Hudson Valley, Norah’s father, Jack Gaughan, was a well known science fiction illustrator in his day while her mother Phoebe Gaughan illustrated how-to books and magazines in the home and crafts fields. While immersed in both art and the needle arts from an early age, she also maintained an intense curiosity about science and the natural world going on to earn a degree in Biology / Art from Brown University. During the years that followed she concentrated on her greatest love, knitting. First as a freelancer for yarn companies and knitting magazines; then as the design director at JCA, followed by a nine year stint as the design director at Berroco where she headed up the design team and published sixteen eponymous booklets.

Norah is one of the designers at the specialty knitting classes on the NCL Breakaway cruise

*as new dates and tours become available, instructors may change

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Ukraine Travel Advisory

Travel advisory may 22, 2023, ukraine - level 4: do not travel.

Do not travel to Ukraine due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Department of State continues to advise that U.S. citizens not travel to Ukraine due to active armed conflict. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

All U.S. citizens should carefully monitor U.S. government notices and local and international media outlets for information about changing security conditions and alerts to shelter in place. Those choosing to remain in Ukraine should exercise caution due to the potential for military attacks, crime, civil unrest, and consult the Department’s latest security alerts.

The security situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable. U.S. citizens in Ukraine should stay vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. Know the location of your closest shelter or protected space. In the event of mortar, missile, drone, or rocket fire, follow instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately. If you feel your current location is no longer safe, you should carefully assess the potential risks involved in moving to a different location.

There are continued reports of Russian forces and their proxies singling out U.S. citizens in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine for detention, interrogation, or harassment because of their nationality. U.S. citizens have also been singled out when evacuating by land through Russia-occupied territory or to Russia or Belarus.

U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance should email [email protected] for assistance. Please review what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas . U.S. citizens may also seek consular services, including requests for repatriation loans, passports, and visa services, at U.S. embassies and consulates in neighboring countries .

On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian government declared a state of emergency. Each province (oblast) decides on measures to be implemented according to local conditions. Measures could include curfews, restrictions on the freedom of movement, ID verification, and increased security inspections, among other measures. Follow any oblast-specific state of emergency measures.

Many in the international community, including the United States and Ukraine, do not recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea in 2014, nor the September 2022 purported annexation of four other Ukrainian oblasts -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. There is extensive Russian Federation military presence in these areas. There are also abuses against foreigners and the local population by the occupation authorities in these regions, particularly against those who are seen as challenging Russia’s occupation.

Although Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine severely restricts the Embassy’s access and ability to provide services in these areas, the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv continue to remotely provide certain emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Crimea as well as four other Ukrainian oblasts partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – to the extent possible given security conditions.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) prohibiting U.S. aviation operations into, out of, within, or over Ukraine. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the FAA’s Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices .

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Ukraine.

Travel to High-Risk Areas

If you choose to disregard the Travel Advisory and travel to Ukraine, you should consider taking the following steps:

• Visit our website on Travel to High-Risk areas .
• Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
• Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
• Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States.
• Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
• Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
• Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify who you would contact first and how they should share the information.
• Enroll your trip in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter .
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist .

If you are currently in Ukraine:

• Read the Department’s country information page on Ukraine.
• Familiarize yourself with information on what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas .
• Have a contingency plan in place that does not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your contingency plans based on the new information.
• Avoid demonstrations and crowds.
• Ensure travel documents are valid and easily accessible.
• Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Notices related to your travel.
• Get a COVID vaccine to facilitate your travel.
• Understand the COVID testing and vaccine requirements for all countries that you will transit through to your destination.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Review the Country Security Report for Ukraine.
• Review the Traveler’s Checklist.
• Visit our website for Travel to High-Risk areas .

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“I Worried My Friends Will Think I’m Attention-Seeking If I Come Out As Bi”

I’m a girl in my late twenties, and after a couple of short-term relationships with guys, I have a growing suspicion that I might be bi. I want to start telling my friends, but I’m worried people will think I’m either jumping the gun or – even worse – saying it to seem interesting! And can I even say I’m bi if I’ve never had sex with a woman before?

Got a question for Eva? Drop her an email, here: AskEva @ condenast . co . uk.

One of the most universal, most useful pieces of advice I’ve ever been given is: when you’re worrying what other people think of you, remember how rarely they think about you at all. Which can feel disturbing, sometimes, can’t it? The realisation that everybody is locked into their own rented neuroses, all of our tired egos dragging us eternally between gritty little desires and anxieties, that all eyes are focused inwards, rather than out at friends’ sexual preferences, humiliations or hair-dos. It’s a truth both lonely and liberating, and, in your case, deeply relevant.

Unless your friends are homophobic ( in which case, new friends are necessary, and available simply everywhere ) I would put £40 on the fact that when you come out to them they’ll simply go, “Cool,” and within 10 minutes the subject will have returned to, for example, good pasta recipes with leeks, and whether the two astronauts who are currently stuck in space together have yet banged. You’re fine. You might be irritated again, however, two weeks later, when you see a girl you like and have to come out to them all over again, so preoccupied are these friends with their own internal bullshit.

I get the “interesting” concern though. There was a time, not so long ago, when girls would kiss in front of photographers at parties, or pop stars pronounce themselves queer, in order to gain a crumb of mystique, an edge. And while it might have been annoying, or offensive to queer people who did not have the privilege of returning to the safety of heterosexuality, who struggled sometimes simply to survive in a society that fetishised the intimate performances of glamorous straight women but demonised any other expressions of same-sex desire, sometimes these party experiments led to realisations, even relationships. If you get the impression your friends are suspicious of your intentions, the way to navigate the awkwardness will be to tell them this has been on your mind for a while, but you’re only now feeling ready, perhaps, to act on it.

And, you ask, can you say you’re bi if you’ve never had sex with a girl? Of course you can, silly! People routinely say they’re straight before they’ve had sex with anybody, don’t they; it’s not about what you do, it’s about what you feel. As soon as you’ve externalised this feeling, it will no doubt be infinitely easier for you to explore Hinge or Her or that funny little bar you pass on the way home from work, and then, see what happens next. Good luck.

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Cruise to St. Petersburg, Russia

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Czars and Saviors

Front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia

Located near the waterfront and housed in the former Romanov Winter Palace, the Hermitage Museum sits due north along Nevsky Prospekt from the Church of the Savior on Blood, St. Petersburg's other most iconic attraction.

Discover the Unusual

View of Saint Isaac's square in St. Petersburg, Russia

St. Petersburg's city center is overflowing with history — why not choose museums that offer something a little different? Visit the quirky Faberge Museum, dedicated to the work of Russian jeweler Carl Faberge. Or enjoy an interactive experience at the Museum of Emotions.

Imperial Excursion

Take a drive to some imperial palaces outside the city center. Under an hour away by car lies exquisite Peterhof, whose fountains alone are worth the price of admission. Cruise to St. Petersburg and go by train to the Baroque-style Catherine Palace — can you guess which Russian ruler often stayed here?

Local Cuisine

Russians flock to St. Petersburg because of its cosmopolitan vibe, but use your stop here to discover local cuisine. Head to the restaurant-rich Nevsky Prospect to sample borscht beet root soup (the cold version in summer), dumplings of meat ( plmeni ) and sour cherries ( vareniki ) or hearty beef stroganoff — yes, that's a Russian dish!

St. Petersburg's shopping options are as grand as its architecture. The luxurious Gostiny Dvor mall is an essential stop with your St. Petersburg cruise. If you're looking for a more down-to-earth experience, try your luck (and your Russian language skills) at Udelnaya Flea Market and bargain for one-of-a-kind antique samovars or imperial porcelain.

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The Vogue Business 2024 100 Innovators: Tech innovators

This article on the Vogue Business 100 Innovators is part of our Vogue Business Membership package. To enjoy unlimited access to Member-only reporting and insights, our NFT Tracker, Beauty Trend Tracker and TikTok Trend Tracker, weekly Technology, Beauty and Sustainability Edits and exclusive event invitations, sign up for Membership here .

You could argue that human involvement in the future of technology matters now more than ever. As generative AI takes hold and long-held promises about the potential of automation come to fruition, the people behind the scenes at startups and fashion brands experimenting with new tools are the ones shaping how we’ll interact with technology from here on out. It’s no small task. These innovators are rethinking our relationships with brands and technology, challenging perspectives and taking spaces like gaming and the metaverse to new places. From founders to big tech agitators and brand leads, these are the people determining the future of fashion tech.

Co-founder | Kiki World

An old adage in product development and marketing is “go where the customer is”. Kiki World, the brainchild of co-founder Jana Bobosikova, takes that concept much further by directly asking customers to vote on product decisions. In return, customers can earn points that go towards free products, and they can receive blockchain-based tokens that offer partial ownership of the company.

Kiki is a Web3-native beauty brand whose products play to a techie, youthful mindset without hammering home the NFT refrain. Its NFC-chipped press-on nails made waves at New York Fashion Week in February, appearing on the Dauphinette runway and igniting the imagination of creators eager for a way to share their Instagram accounts while waiting in line. Other popular products include a ‘Pretty Nail Graffiti’ (or PNG) peel-off nail polish pen and a temporary hair colour called ‘One Night Strand’, while voting for the ‘Skin Development Kit’ (or SDK) sticks remained in progress. In the first year since its 2023 founding, Kiki World attracted more than 100,000 “reward actions” (such as voting, minting and using products) in community-created experiences and products. The voting-first approach, which also reduces the number of unsold products, has attracted the attention of investors as well. This April, it announced $7 million in funding from industry heavyweights A16Z and The Estée Lauder Companies’s New Incubation Ventures, among others.

Co-founder and CEO | Archive Resale

With luxury resale on the rise, brands are left in a predicament: should they play along or watch as third-party resellers shift their existing products? Emily Gittins, CEO of Archive Resale, wants to help brands own independent resale channels. Brand partners include Ulla Johnson, Oscar de la Renta and Sandro. Using her tech background, Gittins powers resale software for brands in a bid to work towards a circular economy.

Key to Archive’s strategy is that it enables retailers to be flexible. At Ulla Johnson, customers can choose to shop from the designer’s own closet. At Pangaia, the programme also integrates digital ID company Eon so that all products sold going forth will be tagged with digital IDs that enable resale at the click of a button. Most recently, in February, circular fashion hub Advanced Clothing Solutions came on board to offer partner brands access to their cleaning and repair solutions at the UK’s ACS hub. At the helm, Gittins is developing new solutions alongside Archive’s base offering to onboard more brands to owned resale — a channel she expects every brand to have in the near future.

Founder and CEO | 100 Thieves

Former pro-gamer Matthew Haag launched gaming organisation 100 Thieves in 2017, aiming to create cool gaming merch that was less obvious, more unique and better quality than existing product on the market. It’s become the largest fashion brand in gaming, and has collaborated with Adidas and Gucci, as well as operating esports teams and hosting major gaming events for its community. Under Haag’s leadership, 100 Thieves has signed prominent influencers like TikToker Vinnie Hacker and YouTube gaming star Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter, who promote the business on their socials. 100 Thieves secured $60 million in series C funding in 2021, taking its total funding to date to $460 million. Key investors include Drake and Cleveland Cavaliers owner (and StockX founding investor) Dan Gilbert.

Co-founders | The Gang

Entrepreneur Marcus Holmström and game designer Gustav Linde are co-founders of gaming studio The Gang, which launched in Stockholm in 2019 and is the engine behind a series of popular games and fashion brand experiences on Roblox. The Gang was early to recognise the potential of Roblox as a platform for brand activation and has helped various fashion and lifestyle labels build Roblox worlds to reach new, young consumers. Its projects include the Gucci x Vans co-branded world, Givenchy Beauty’s winter world and footballer Jack Grealish’s appearance in Roblox’s Gucci Town. The Gang, which now operates across Lisbon, Stockholm and Kuala Lumpur, creates mini games and interactivity tailored to each brand and has even implemented personalisation of virtual products within Roblox worlds, which brands such as Vans can use to learn about customer likes. It was profitable in its first year of operation (2020), and is now an eight-figure business.

Co-founders | Blng

Generative AI is seen as a broad technology that can hypothetically expand access to design and creativity and shorten the time it takes for creatives to translate ideas into tangible products. Valerie Leblond and Dumene Comploi, co-founders and the CEO and CTO of Blng, are bringing that technology to the fine jewellery industry in a practical, specific way, having created a tool that speeds up and simplifies the technical and slow process of 3D modelling and rendering in jewellery design.

Blng can convert rough sketches, paintings or text prompts into photorealistic 3D renders of jewellery that can be tweaked with text prompts in seconds. It then converts that render into an on-model image — especially useful for custom jewellery. The founders’ backgrounds span design and engineering (Comploi’s work has more than 10 patents), immersive technologies, robotics and even theatre troupe Cirque du Soleil; they have raised at least $2 million, and clients include a celebrity brand, a major retailer and a large diamond house. This spring, it was recognised by LVMH with a Special Innovation Prize for smart use of data, AI and generative AI, leading to luxury brand pilots in the works. That’s a blistering pace for a tech startup founded in 2023, illustrating the immediate practical potential of a complex technology.

Founder and futurist | M7 Innovations

Many in the luxury industry are curious about phygital NFT products, AI wearables and NFC-chipped merch. Few have actually kicked the tyres. Matt Maher, futurist founder of M7 Innovations, an independent research and development firm that demystifies and stress tests innovation for curious luxury executives, is one of those few.

The Dior B33 connected sneaker? The soundtrack-enabled Balenciaga hoodie? The AR-enhanced Rimowa and Rtfkt suitcase? The Apple Vision Pro versus Meta’s smart glasses? Even the Humane AI pin — Maher has tested those products and more, filming the results and sharing them with clients through non-nonsense video recaps, newsletters and presentations. He is often tapped to take things a step further, helping brands dream up and prototype uses for new technologies.

While much of his work is confidential, he’s on the international advisory board of Chanel, where he has advised on innovation since 2018 across multiple divisions, and on the board for AR and VR company the Glimpse Group. With Snapchat, M7 helped develop projects using its new In-Lens Digital Goods system, which allows in-app upgrades for AR lenses. Most recently, M7 was tapped by MIT’s research-focused Media Lab to provide insights into the challenges facing the world’s top brands and to help develop solutions.

VP of product, augmented reality and AI | Meta

The brightest minds in tech have tried to convince consumers to wear smart glasses for more than a decade, but nothing has taken off. That changed when Meta’s Li-Chen Miller announced a new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses on the Meta Connect stage in September.

Wearing a cat T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, Miller introduced the complex tech with approachable energy, tapping into the zeitgeist by emphasising how people can wear the glasses so that they no longer have to “choose between capturing the moment and experiencing it” — a concept that immediately ignited interest from fashion editors and creators.

Miller, as VP of product, augmented reality and artificial intelligence at Meta, led the launch of what has become Meta’s surprising smart glasses success story and the first hardware from the company to have Meta AI built in, leading to more styles and interest from additional brands. Part tech device, part fashion statement (made in partnership with luxury eyewear makers EssilorLuxottica), demand has outstripped supply and fashion brands are now giving the glasses a closer look. Miller is also an advocate for women leaders within the innovation division of Meta’s Reality Labs, having created a group of 12 senior women leaders who are supporting 250 women at Meta across disciplines, becoming one of the most popular such programmes introduced at the social metaverse company.

Founder and CEO | Mmerch

You’ve heard of haute couture, but how about neo-couture? It’s a category coined by Colby Mugrabi, the fashion-tech entrepreneur who founded Mmerch in 2022. The new-age ‘fashion house’ combines digital design, blockchain and craftsmanship to introduce more people to the power and potential of tech-enabled couture.

Each item in Mmerch’s collections is one-of-one and backed by NFT, taking the concept of exclusive ownership to new levels. In her role, Mugrabi acts as a tech translator for fashion traditionalists, showing how AI and Web3 technology can change everything from product design and ideation to manufacturing, retail and customer experience without sacrificing the human element that makes fashion so personal to the masses. The concept is backed by Christie’s Ventures and Karlie Kloss, having raised $6.4 million earlier this year. With a background in both fashion and technology, Mugrabi sits in a unique position to chart the path forward for the two to coexist without alienating what came before.

Digital director | Balenciaga

As a deluge of brands experiment with digital identities, mixed reality and gaming, it can be hard to stand out. And yet Balenciaga has carved its own path, trialling first-of-their-kind projects that push the uses and expectations of new technologies. This is thanks, in part, to the work of Gary Pinagot, who, as the digital director of Balenciaga, has led global digital and innovation efforts at the house since May 2022.

In November 2023, he developed a project to give Balenciaga pieces their own exclusive soundtrack, meaning that only those wearing the garment could access the songs and hear the music. This project created a compelling reason for consumers to desire and interact with digital product identities — no small feat — and paved the way for a future in which digital product passports add value and inspire loyalty. Pinagot also worked to develop an app for the Apple Vision Pro that was the first to stream fashion shows, timed to the global release of the mixed reality device, and led a project that brought digital Balenciaga to video game Need for Speed, spanning custom branded car designs and corresponding physical merchandise.

Co-founder | Relove and Caimera

Kirti Poonia’s journey as an entrepreneur began in 2015 with Okhai, a social enterprise that empowered women in rural areas of Gujarat, India, to enter the marketplace with artisanal products. Today, Okhai collaborates with 30,000 women from various craft clusters, and Poonia sits on its board. She followed this success by partnering with her husband, Prateek Gupte, to launch Relove, a resale technology that allows brands to establish peer-to-peer resale marketplaces on their websites. When it launched in November 2021, resale was still a relatively nascent concept in India, with the cultural norm being passing down pre-owned goods within families rather than selling them. Relove now powers resale for over 60 fashion brands.

While building Relove, the pair identified a gap in the market for high-quality fashion photography, which led to the birth of Caimera, a photoshoot tool that creates hyper-real images. Within the first six months of operation, Caimera attracted 45 international clients, including industry giants like Steve Madden, H&M and UAE-based Landmark Group. By using AI to create lifestyle photography in any location or with any body type, Poonia aims to lower the environmental footprint of fashion marketing. She is also investing in education by teaching and employing a team of prompt engineers, creating job opportunities and a new job role in fashion: ‘AI fashion prompter’.

SVP of strategy | Adore Me

Ranjan Roy’s role as SVP of strategy at intimates brand Adore Me doesn’t require a particularly tech-savvy lens. However, it hasn’t stopped him from being an early adopter of practical, useful technologies behind the scenes, pulling in part from his experience at a news personalisation startup and from working at the Financial Times .

Roy joined in 2019, and has led projects spanning sustainability, content and marketing; early on, his work helped attract the attention of Victoria’s Secret, which acquired the company in 2023. Roy has been a particularly savvy adopter of machine learning and generative AI to save time and money, including upskilling employees to enable them to quickly iterate on SEO-informed web copy and more. The brand has created its own large language models for text-based tasks including copywriting, image creation and customer service, among others. Most recently, it brought generative AI into the hands of customers with a tool that allows people to create designs for printing on bras and panties using their own text-based prompts. While this is fun and engaging for customers — they create five designs on average, and many are using generative art for the first time through the Adore Me platform — it also cuts down on waste and informs research on customer desires.

Chief business officer | Brandible

Caitlin Shell thinks fashion should be fun. So fun, in fact, she’s spent her career bridging the worlds of fashion and gaming, one of the industry’s most promising playgrounds for new audiences.

Shell cut her teeth at Covet Fashion, the OG mobile fashion game, where she helped onboard hundreds of brands, enabling gamers to dress their avatars in swimwear and evening gowns from For Love & Lemons and Badgley Mischka. Then, she spent time at metaverse gaming platform Drest, bringing Gucci and Cartier into its world.

Today, Shell is the chief business officer of Brandible Games, which earlier this year launched FashionVerse in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger’s Hilfiger Ventures. The game leans into AI, designing 3D garments that are tailored to a wide range of sizes, shapes, heights, ethnicities and physical abilities. Players compete to style the best outfits and compile mood boards, with pieces available to collect along the way. “I really believe that video games will be another retail platform in the future,” Tommy Hilfiger told Vogue Business at launch. Shell is a key part of that future.

This February, a collection of 500 digital dresses sold for an approximate total of $1.2 million in 12 seconds. That’s the power of artist Claire Silver, whose work brings digital fashion, NFTs and generative artificial intelligence to the mainstream.

The collection aimed to showcase the quality that text-to-image AI can enable, ranging from metallic embroidery to late Victorian and Edwardian fashion — a nod to the new ‘Industrial Revolution’ brought by AI. Silver believes that taste — not manual skills — will be the new hallmarks of artists, with their prompts being the artist’s fingerprint. Her work is now in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and has been featured at Sotheby’s London and Christie’s New York, among others.

This winter, Silver will debut an experience that aims to further bring AI-generated art and fashion into the mainstream, with an immersive travelling installation that will visit 10 global cities with 3D printed sculptures, conceptual robotics, haptic virtual reality, holograms and more, enabling visitors to co-create works that they can acquire as NFTs. At a time when consumers and creatives are quite distrusting of both AI-created works and NFTs, Silver’s work offers a different, more joyful perspective.

Global digital innovation director | Louis Vuitton

As the most valuable luxury brand in the world, Louis Vuitton’s products and projects are closely followed, often indicating the direction of travel to the wider industry. So when it comes to NFTs, phygital goods and artificial intelligence, Louis Vuitton’s strategy leaves a mark. That’s the responsibility of Agnès Vissoud, who founded Louis Vuitton’s digital innovation department in 2017 and serves as its global director.

Vissoud has been influential in shaping the future of the industry, having helped develop the Aura Blockchain Consortium (of which Louis Vuitton parent company, LVMH, is a founding member), which is establishing a blockchain-based standard for digital product passports for the entire luxury industry. She also led the development of Louis Vuitton Via, the brand’s major NFT project that bucked Web3 trends in favour of a long-term loyalty play. Notably, the project is still ongoing during a crypto downturn, having successfully token-gated runway products through high-value NFTs. Going forward, Vissoud’s work will continue influencing the industry through new uses of AI and immersive technologies.

EVP of omnichannel | Hugo Boss

Hugo Boss has been undergoing a major transition, hoping to bring attention to the brand and generate a new, younger audience where there wasn’t one — a tall order for the brand, which is now split into two after going through a refresh.

The work of Jan Philipp Wintjes has been a big part of that mission since he joined from PVH Europe in 2021. Now the EVP of omnichannel, Wintjes leads strategy for all Web3, metaverse and tech efforts, which have helped Hugo Boss gain relevance and revenue from the next generation. Wintjes’s strategy is not timid. Most notably, the company recently introduced a membership programme called Hugo Boss XP, that combines traditional loyalty features like levels and points with innovative blockchain elements and Web3 features. It focuses on the Hugo Boss customer app — used across both brands — and tokens can be used to unlock exclusive products, experiences and offers from both Boss and Hugo; in the future, customers may be able to trade tokens.

Wintjes’s strategy links the digital and physical in other ways, too, including a ‘planet’ of interconnected experiences in Roblox and a gamified, virtual, shoppable version of its luxury villa in Bali.

Founder | RM Group

In May 2021, Alibaba debuted one of the first metahumans in China, called Ayayi. With her pearlescent hair and perfect Cupid’s bow, Ayayi has since worked with luxury houses, including Louis Vuitton, Prada and Tiffany, not to mention beauty companies like Guerlain and Shiseido. The virtual influencer even debuted a phygital collection in December 2024 that included hoodies and wing-like avatars in augmented reality shoots.

Nicky Yu Xiao is the brains behind the creation of Ayayi and the founding partner of tech company RM Group, established in September 2020. Xiao, whose background is in film and TV production, is also behind the hugely successful Robbi, an IP that has collaborated with world-renowned brands, including Porsche and Descente and has fronted a global campaign for fragrance house Creed. Tapping China’s wave of large language models and artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC), RM Group has since moved into an AI-first strategy and launched an AIGC marketing assistant with the aim of reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

SVP of global visual experience | Coach

Coach wants to introduce Gen Z consumers to its new idea of “expressive luxury”, centring around self-expression and individuality in place of accessibility. To do that, it’s experimenting with formats and forums that break new ground while still aligning with the broader look and feel of the American heritage brand.

A lot of that comes down to the work of Giovanni Zaccariello, Coach’s SVP of global visual experience. Zaccariello has been at Coach for more than 13 years, and his role has since expanded to include both digital and physical experiences, spanning metaverse and gaming appearances, digital products and mixed reality devices, alongside fashion shows and immersive store merchandising. Zaccariello’s work is unique in that it blends the brand’s wider marketing messages into new formats with bold curiosity. Last spring, an augmented reality mirror in a SoHo shop window managed to stop busy New Yorkers in their tracks so that they could try on digital Tabby bags while proving to Coach that there was untapped interest in these types of experiences — it brought 50 per cent more people into the store.

More recently, Zaccariello’s team developed a simultaneous metaverse roll-out that spanned two worlds in Roblox and one in Zepeto, illustrating a notable appetite for testing and learning in a very public setting. The work is paying off: millennials and Gen Zs make up half of the brand’s total new customers each quarter.

Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected] .

This Twisty Thriller Delivers a Time-Bending Mystery Worthy of Your Attention

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What makes a good thriller ? The answer is in how unpredictable it is. But that unpredictability does not necessarily come from its twists and turns, but the uniqueness of everything that leads to a glorious experience. The twisted Spanish thriller , Mirage , does exactly that. Directed by Oriol Paulo , who wrote the film with Lara Sendim , the mind-bending movie about time travel and a woman’s emotional quest is one such unique thriller film that is entertaining, engaging, and very enjoyable.

Titled Durante la Tormenta ( During the Storm ) in Spanish, Mirage tells the story of Vera, a mother who manages to save a young boy on a stormy night. But, in the process, Vera discovers that her daughter is missing. Her simple good deed causes a chain of disturbing and unexpected events that fragment the space-time continuum, altering her reality and that of everyone around her. The sci-fi mystery thriller stars Goya-nominee Adriana Ugarte ( Julieta ) as Vera, with Julio Bohigas as Nico, Chino Darín ( The Queen of Spain ) as Inspector Leira, Alvaro Morte ( Money Heist ) as David, alongside Javier Gutiérrez ( The Occupant ) and Nora Navas ( Pain and Glory ), in supporting roles. If you are looking for a mind-bending sci-fi film that leaves you in shock and awe but without an unbearable cliffhanger, then Mirage is the one to watch.

Space, Time, and a Woman’s Life Unravel in 'Mirage'

The film opens in 1989, during the fall of the Berlin Wall and a three-day-long thunderstorm. A young boy, Nico, records himself in his house, when he hears some distress next door. When Nico arrives at his neighbor's, he finds her dead and runs out for help, only to get run over by a car. In 2014, a young couple, Vera and David, move into the same house with their daughter, Gloria, where Vera finds a recording of Nico on an old TV set in the basement, and learns about the little boy’s death. When a similar storm hits again, Vera finds herself interacting with Nico through the television and warns him not to go to his neighbor, in an attempt to save him. The next morning, Vera wakes up to a whole new world, where she is not married to David or even has a daughter. And thus begins a series of unfortunate and bizarre events that rips Vera’s realities apart, threatening her existence and everything that she loves. On one hand, she is a desperate mother , trying to find her missing daughter and get her family back, and on the other, her experiences seem not only unfathomable to her but to everyone she seeks help from. In her relentless efforts to make sense of her situation, she ends up seeking the help of Inspector Leira (Chino Darin), which further complicates the fabric of her reality. From here on, the plot splits into three separate timelines, where Vera finds herself in a new reality every time. In each timeline, she always seems to be missing one major aspect of her life, fragmenting her life more and more .

As the plot indicates, Mirage is a suspenseful and twisty time travel tale . Though that is what the film delivers on the surface, the core of the story goes beyond saving a child and becomes an intricate narrative about human emotion, where time travel is but a means of delivering the concept. The film is distinguished by Paulo’s signature storytelling style, using a complex, well-paced plot, with lots of twists, just like a great sci-fi thriller should be. It all culminates into a remarkable climax that gives closure to the audience in a way that is uncommon for most time-travel or multi-verse films.

Oriol Paulo Delivers a Captivating Thriller With 'Mirage'

Spanish filmmaker Oriol Paulo can be easily called a master of mystery who has carved out his niche within contemporary Spanish cinema . From his directorial debut with 2012’s The Body to 2022’s God’s Crooked Lines , the Goya-nominated auteur has consistently given fans gripping thrillers full of twists. It’s the unpredictability of his films' narrative, characters, and even the atmosphere, that make his films unique, smart, and intricate; just like he has done with Mirage .

Like most of his other projects, the time travel thriller also offers great visual effects, shocking plot twists, and a little bit of Hitchcockian intrigue, smartly blending hard sci-fi with classic mystery elements and contemporary cinema, making it a fascinating experience. As someone who excels in the mystery genre, Paulo maintains his trademark style of a taut and slick thriller, as he does in the series The Innocent or the mystery thriller The Invisible Guest . Those who have seen his earlier works would identify with his skillful construction technique in how he sets up a web of twists right from the beginning and takes you on a rollercoaster ride to discover how it all untangles.

10 Best Mind-bending Sci-fi Films From the 2000s, According To Rotten Tomatoes

These sci-fi films from the 2000s will blow your mind.

It’s also fair to say here that the film is not without its quirks and outlandishness. The multiple strands of the story can sometimes undermine its emotional value, which is otherwise a major highlight of Paulo’s works. Mirage ’s story sees the central plot split at several points, but there’s an order in this seeming chaos and everything is well-calibrated, which you realize when you reach the film’s climax. All through, it remains a tightly wound murder mystery across timelines that absorbs you the more you watch. And once the mystery is solved, it heads towards a delightful, unexpected climax. So, even if Mirage doesn’t par with its award-winning predecessors, Paulo succeeds in delivering a twisted, mind-bending story that is both conceptually complex and emotionally tense.

'Mirage' Is a Human Sci-Fi Story With a Satisfying Ending

More apt to its original Spanish title, Durante la Tormenta ( During the Storm ), Mirage explores the butterfly effect of one person’s actions during a 72-hour storm connecting events from 25 years apart. The storm in question serves both as a motif and a metaphor in the narrative. The storm brings Vera face to face with the past where she does what any person might do, but her one well-intentioned act causes severe disruption. The incident of a wormhole opening up, fracturing the space-time continuum, can also be inferred as a turning point in Vera’s life, where she embarks on a psychological and emotional quest to find her missing child, save her marriage, and recalibrate her life path. A mother caught in despair, paranoia, and fear of losing her child while saving another is horrifying and emotional at the same time , and becomes the driving force of the film. The multiple strands of realities also serve as possibilities for Vera, where she gets to see what her life could be in various realities. Mirage ends up becoming the story of a woman and a mother who feels trapped in a world that feels unknown to her and all she wants to do is fix what is broken. It is not always the shifting realities that are exciting in the film, but the intensity and urgency of Vera’s journey that keeps the audience on the edge.

The film never moralizes the human drama and still drives a valuable message, thus taking an effective approach to the complicated concepts of quantum physics and ensuring that the audience is both intellectually engaged and emotionally invested. Instead of a fantastical, far-fetched scientific voyage, the film remains grounded and never wipes out the audience’s journey by the end . Even if Vera seems to lose everything and finds herself lost across space and time, at the end, she finally finds what she is looking for. Paulo carefully pieces elements of time travel, butterfly effect, string theory, discovery, loss, and desire, giving the film a shocking but satisfying ending, which is rare in time-travel and multiverse films. By not leaning into a predictable, hopeless ending, the film ultimately becomes a satisfying experience, where everything, despite all the turmoil, falls into the right places at the end. Mirage doesn't aim to be a hard sci-fi film about time travel with detailed technicalities of quantum theory, but it eventually remains a gripping, human story with ample tension, suspense, drama, mystery, shocks, and some scares, all culminating into a wonderful denouement.

Vera, a mother of one, interacts with the ghost of a child and saves his life. However, her actions cause a space-time continuum glitch, altering reality.

Mirage is currently available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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