One of the biggest fights over abortion rights this year is in Virginia, where all of the state House and Senate seats are up for reelection

The US Military Academy at West Point is being sued for its race-based admissions policies by the same group that won a landmark case against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Supreme Court over affirmative action earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

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High street fashion retailer H&M has joined other companies in charging shoppers who return items purchased online. Customers must now pay £1.99 to return parcels either in store or online, with the cost of the return being deducted from their refund. Rival high street stores including Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo and Next already charge for online returns, with retail experts predicting that even more are likely to follow suit. During the pandemic, when online shopping inevitably soared in popularity, customers became increasingly more reliant on returning items when they did not fit. However, this also led to a rise in people buying items in bulk and returning almost all those items, some of them worn. While most online and high street retailers do not formally announce the move to charge for returns, many have introduced the change under the radar, with H&M implementing the return fee this summer. Business analysts have told the BBC that other retailers are likely to do the same. "It’s interesting that companies seem to be doing it by stealth, but it’s a sensible thing to be doing," retail expert Jonathan De Mello told the outlet. "It makes economic sense, as it discourages shoppers from bulk buying online products and then returning the majority of them. That’s been a real problem for companies." While H&M shoppers might be disappointed in the extra returns fee, added De Mello, most might understand why a company would need to make this decision, especially when it comes to the environment. Many shoppers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of deliveries and returns, from courier vans to wasted packaging. Retail expert and analyst Natalie Berg wrote on Twitter/X that retailers have “created a monster” with free returns. “​​H&M charging for returns. Retailers have created a monster with free returns. It makes financial and environmental sense to put an end to this ‘buy to try’ mentality.” But Berg pointed out that customers who have signed up to H&M membership would be exempt from the extra fee for returning items. “This is actually a really delicate way to tier your customers,” Berg said of the membership scheme. “Slowly climb down from costly promises by limiting those benefits to loyalty members. Retailers have become too generous over the past decade. Save that generosity for your most valuable customers.” Read More Inside London’s first Vogue World: Thong leotards and Anna Wintour’s VIP assembly line Voguewashing London Fashion Week won’t pay the wages of Britain’s young fashion designers Bridesmaid who “didn’t love” her dress spends 35 years wearing it around the world Meghan Markle praised for mixing high-fashion with affordable pieces Vogue World wowed but won’t pay the wages of young fashion designers Ukrainian designers prove beauty can come from darkness at London Fashion Week

A Ukrainian fashion designer said she will continue to “work no matter what”, after showing her latest collection at London Fashion Week (LFW). Nadya Dzyak was one of three designers showing their latest collections in a showcase dubbed ‘Ukrainian Fashion Week’. This is the second season Ukrainian Fashion Week has taken place in London, as the traditional Kyiv-based event has been cancelled due to the ongoing Russian invasion. The show took place on the final day of LFW. It began with a voiceover saying: “Creating collections is our resistance to war”, going on to highlight that the fashion is a manifestation of “our strength and resilience”. “No matter what, we work. We’ll work because it’s our life and it’s our fight, to create new pieces,” Dzyak told the PA news agency backstage after the show. She said it was particularly meaningful participating in London Fashion Week, calling the city “the main centre of the world of fashion”. She said: “You cannot imagine how it’s important for us – it’s very strong, it gives power, it gives a lot of emotions.” Dzyak founded her eponymous brand in 2008, and her spring/summer 2024 collection was full of bright colours with sheer dresses laden with ruffles and frills. She said she was inspired by Ukrainian artist Polina Raiko, who was part of the naïve or folk art movement and died in 2004. Raiko’s museum house in Oleshky was flooded after the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam earlier this year. “I was inspired by her drawings on the walls from this building,” Dzyak said, likening her design process to “painting with ruffles”. She continued: “This collection is about hope, about kindness, about optimism, about belief in lightness and victory. You can see very bright colours – for me, it’s something very beautiful.” The designer brought her bright colours to unconventional denim looks, which were dyed on the porch of her parents’ house. “My father helped me hand-dye clothes and dry them in the sun. There was something archaic, almost ritualistic in this process,” Dzyak said in a statement. “It made me reflect again on how we will carry the metaphysics of our heritage into the future, everyday life, traditions, parental love.” Also showing her latest collection was Elena Reva, who founded Elenareva in Kyiv in 2012. Her aesthetic was much more pared-back, with a muted colour palette on romantic gowns and structured tailoring. She was inspired by ancient Trypillian culture, which had a powerful cult dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Reva told the PA news agency backstage that the jewellery in the collection was designed to give “power and energy, because we need the power now”. She added: “It’s a very difficult situation in our country – it’s terrible. [But] we have to continue our jobs. We have to live… But it’s terrible when the rockets come in.” Her collection mixed masculine tailoring with feminine silhouettes, and created silver pendants of artifacts like amphora – made to look like items unearthed by modern archaeologists. Kseniaschnaider – the Kyiv-based brand founded in 2011 by married couple Ksenia and Anton Schnaider – was also on the runway. Denim dominated the collection in different forms, from patchwork jeans to distressed jackets. One of the models wore a denim interpretation of Cossack styles. All of the garments were made in Ukraine, with the brand adopting sustainable materials – such as aged-look denim dyed with a recycled finish made by cork stoppers. Kseniaschnaider launched the second drop of its collaboration with Adidas Originals during the show, including football tops in geometric patterns and a midi-length dress in Ukraine’s yellow, white and blue colours. At the end of the show, Dzyak, Reva and Schnaider walked down the runway with Ukrainian flags draped around their shoulders. Dzyak wants the world to know that Ukrainian designers are “very talented, very strong, very brave and very optimistic”. Reva added that it’s crucial for the world to see Ukrainian fashion, saying: “We have to tell about our culture, it’s very important. “We have a very strong community in Ukraine, and we have a very interesting story. And that’s why we have to continue.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Beginner’s guide to buying second-hand furniture Do I need to treat my garden furniture before storing it for winter? Prince William heads to New York for UN General Assembly climate week event

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Less than 10 days before Balmain’s spring/summer 2024 collection is scheduled to hit the runway for Paris Fashion Week, over 50 of the brand’s debut pieces were allegedly “hijacked” and stolen. On Saturday, 16 September, Olivier Rousteing, the Parisian fashion house’s 12-year creative director, took to Instagram to announce the garment crime. The 37-year-old explained how he’d arrived at the office by nine in the morning, anticipating the arrival of the last few designs for their upcoming show. However, he received a call from the driver meant to transport the pieces from an airport in Paris to the Balmain headquarters. The individual confessed that his vehicle had been overtaken, resulting in the theft of more than 50 looks. “Our delivery was hijacked. The camion got stolen. Thank god, the driver is safe,” Rousteing wrote. “So many people worked so hard to make this collection happen. We are redoing everything but this is so so disrespectful.” “This is so unfair. We will work more, days and nights. Our suppliers will work days and nights as well, but this is so disrespectful,” he continued. “I wanted to share this with you to remind you, don’t take anything for guaranteed and please be safe. This is the world we are living in.” The details surrounding the incident, such as the airport location and hijacking time, were not released. Executives flocked to social media, discussing the unheard-of tragedy with their followers. Bernard Garby, luxury client manager at Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Esquire, discussed the news on TikTok and described it as “a real fashion drama”. “What happened is something I’ve never heard ever before,” the fashion expert, known to deliver industry recaps every morning, said. Bernard carefully described the unfortunate impact this incident leaves on the brand with a collection debut scheduled for 27 September. “It’s basically a pure robbery,” the famed user proclaimed. “I have never ever heard of anything like that before... They have less than 10 days... How stressful!” Additionally, Bernard made a point to connect this alleged robbery with that of Kim Kardashian on 3 October 2016, when the reality TV star was tied to her hotel bathtub while five men stole her jewellery from the room. Speaking to David Letterman in 2020, Kardashian recounted the traumatising experience. “He grabbed me and I was wearing a robe and I wasn’t wearing anything under it,” she recalled. “He grabbed me and pulled me towards him but I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. So I was like, ‘OKay, this is the time I’m going to get raped. Just deal, it’s gonna happen.’” @bernardgarby Today's Fashion News: Daniel Lee's Spring / Summer 2024 collection for Burberry and fashion drama at Balmain! #fashionnews #TikTokFashion #fashion #fashiontiktok #fashiontok #burberry #balmain #bernardgarby ♬ original sound - BERNARD “Just prepare yourself.’ So I did... But then he tied me up with handcuffs and zip ties and duct tape,” she noted. Bernard ridiculed Paris in his video, telling the city to “fix your situation down there”. He added: “It’s just not a good image. I am meant to be going to Paris for the Paris Fashion Week as well and I can tell you because of this news around Paris, Paris is really ruining its reputation. And it’s not looking good. I don’t feel safe going to Paris anymore. So you need to fix it.” The Independent has contacted Balmain and Bernard for a comment. Read More London Fashion Week 2023: All the highlights from day two London Fashion Week: Jourdan Dunn walks in emotional Richard Quinn show British Vogue appoints Chioma Nnadi as Edward Enninful’s successor British Vogue appoints Chioma Nnadi as Edward Enninful’s successor Naomi Campbell recalls racism she faced early on in modelling career V&A’s Coco Chanel exhibit doesn’t shy away from designer’s Nazi ties – review

Precursors to the story about the girl with the green ribbon were written by Washington Irving, Alexandre Dumas, and more famous authors.