It's a gown. It's a skirt. It's $148 and strangely controversial.I'm talking about the 2-in-1 maxi dress from Lululemon, which, in all fairness, you might not have ever noticed.The garment is extremely understated and more ideal for a walk on the beach than a workout class. There's a good chance you've scrolled past it while shopping for new leggings on the brand's website.Fashion fans, however, can't seem to talk about anything other than the stretchy shift right now. The Lululemon dress worn as a dress (left) and folded into a skirt (right). Lululemon Lululemon sells everyday clothes. You just might not have noticed.At its core, Lululemon is an athletic brand. Its Align leggings brought the company fame, and its sweat-repelling pieces have become massive in different sports communities.Even its everyday staples, like the belt bags teens carry instead of purses and the ABC joggers professional men wear to the office, can be used for sport.So, Lululemon's maxi dress might seem like an anomaly. It's designed simply to be worn as part of a cute outfit, not an active ensemble."I still can't comprehend how this dress is from Lululemon," one TikToker captioned her video about the garment.It's really not an outlier, though. Lululemon has been selling maxi dresses and other casual staples for years. They're just sleeper hits. @gracegerhardt this dress deserves all the hype it’s getting @lululemon @lululemon Studio #lululemon #lululemonhaul #thneeddress #lululemondress #lululemonaddict ♬ original sound - billslyric This specific strapless dress can be worn as a skirt when its top is folded over the hips. It's sold in four colors — light ivory, black, lava cake, and raceway green — and sizes between XXXS and XL.Many of the sizes are now sold out across colorways, and it's unclear if the brand will restock.Representatives for Lululemon didn't respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.Cute, but costlyAs is the nature of the internet, the very existence of the simple dress has been debated. Over the past two weeks, dozens of videos tagged #lululemondress have been posted to TikTok. Many have raved about its soft texture, saying the dress contours your body and fits like a dream. Its versatility is also a big draw. @gatgies just ordered this in another color, i’m obsessed! @lululemon #maxidress #maxiskirt #2in1 #convertible #lululemon #springdress #summerdress ♬ water (instrumental) - no/vox & karaokey Others, however, said its design is way too basic and overpriced, retailing for $148.Though the dresses are made from a mix of fabrics, including silk and Lenzing Modal, they also contain nylon and Lycra elastane, which some shoppers dislike for being unsustainable and plastic."It's not that it's ugly, it's just not $150 type of cute," one TikToker wrote."Ok but if you saw it at Walmart, would you buy it??" another TikTok user said.Some people are so bothered by the dress that they've even compared it to a "thneed," the fictional, trendy garment mentioned in "The Lorax." The comparison has made the dress even more viral, with shoppers debating if Lululemon's garment fits the bill.I'm here to tell you that comparison is not accurate at all.After all, Lululemon's dress does not look like a stretched-out sweater, like a thneed does, and it can't be worn as a sock, hat, or sweatshirt, like a thneed can.Now, is the dress worth $148 of your hard-earned money, or the time and effort it will take to find one in your size right now? That's for you to decide.

When How&How was commissioned to rebrand e-commerce platform Big Cartel, one thing was made crystal clear – the logo had to stay the same. “The idea of changing the logo was categorically vetoed in the original scope,” co-founder Cat How explains. “It’s a designer’s nightmare,” How&How creative director Chris Clayton says. “It makes you question the client’s appetite for change. And how will a new brand system fit with the old logo? But I think we also see it a massive challenge.” That’s because the team has learned – through many rebrands with different clients – that the logo probably is up for grabs. “In the past we would take it as gospel,” Cat How says. “Now we nod our heads, and smile. Because in our experience, it’s never really going to be it.” The previous Big Cartel logo The main reason clients warn designers off changing the logo is that they believe it has brand equity which they don’t want to lose. But, as Rog How explains, this is often overstated. “For a very mature brand that everyone knows, where they do genuinely have that equity, change has to be more incremental. You’d probably struggle to get Tiffany to change their turquoise. “But most of the companies we work with are either in a scrappy scale-up phase, or they’ve hit a bit of a plateau and need to unlock that next bit of growth.” There can also be personal issues in the mix – logos designed by the founder, or a family member, which come with emotional baggage. “We once had to tell a client that their logo – which had been designed by his wife – was really ugly and didn’t suit the brand at all.” In this scenario, the agency commissioned research to point out where the current logo was falling short. The point is that any brand asset – a logo, typeface, brand colours – needs to work within the broader whole. “The logo always seems like the biggest deal, but in all honesty it is just one part of the bigger brand system,” Clayton explains. https://d3faj0w6aqatyx.cloudfront.net/uploads/2025/05/BC-Reel-how-agency.mp4 Any good brand positioning work will interrogate who that company is and what it stands for. It all begins with that strategic work, and most of the time, an old logo won’t work as part of a new strategy. “The logo has to represent the character of the company and if you have refined the positioning, it will usually have a knock-on effect on the logo,” Rog How explains. For its work for Big Cartel, the strategy was designed to give the company, which has been around since 2005,  a “new lease of life.” The new positioning was built around the idea “Goodbye caution” to highlight the platform as “the go-to for entrepreneurs taking the leap.” The How&How team presented the client with various routes, some of which included the old logo, some of which didn’t. The idea was to start a conversation about whether the new direction needed a new logo too. The designers were convinced it did, but they needed the client to get there themselves. “When you show people the brand evolution with the old logo, and then a new logo, nine times out of ten they agree that the new one is way better,” Rog How says. “They can see it’s been considered as part of the whole system.” How&How’s new identity for Big Cartel The new visual direction is deliberately scrappy, from its use of illustration to risograph textures and a punchy tone of voice. “The new logo needed to preserve the independent spirit that made the original so meaningful to the team,” Clayton says. “Our goal was to evolve it – not replace it – capturing the same attitude and scrappy energy that of the new brand.” Once they showed the client the hand-drawn new logo in the context of the rest of the design work, it was a no-brainer. “It was impossible to argue with,” Clayton says. “The brand felt so distinctive but all the elements lived in perfect harmony with each other.” In fact, when How&How sent the client their case study and press materials one main request came back – they wanted to make more of the logo redesign. https://d3faj0w6aqatyx.cloudfront.net/uploads/2025/05/BigCartel-7-Website-how-agency.mp4 The key to all of this, Cat How says, is trust. If you build the right relationship with a client, you gain the permission to push and challenge them, however adamantly they rule out certain things at the start. “It’s a very gradual dance,” she explains. “I think clients, and it’s not their fault, come to us thinking they know what they want. It’s our responsibility to show them what they could have, and what they don’t know they need yet. “It’s not about getting smaller and self-referencing – it’s about showing them how to take a creative leap based on emotion, and strategy, and language. How&How’s new identity for Big Cartel How&How’s new identity for Big Cartel

Warning: contains spoilers for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 episode 9 “Execution”.  The wages of sin is death? You got that right, Wharton. In “Execution”, the wages of the commanders’ sins were a glittering firework of a death thanks to Joseph Lawrence – economist, loving father, freedom fighter and part-time James Bond.  Talk about laying low the arrogance of the terrible (“Guess you decided to join the winners,” crowed Nick, just before they were all blasted into bitesize BBQ chunks). Amid calls for cigars, Lawrence and his Mayday bomb laid the whole plane approximately 30,000 feet lower than planned, ensuring that his epitaph would read more than: Designed Gilead, Good at Sarcasm. Lawrence’s poignant sacrifice was the best part of this penultimate episode. Nobody could ever think that noose would really tighten around June’s neck this close to the end, making that scaffold scene much more perfunctory than its histrionic tone suggested. Ann Dowd’s Aunt Lydia already has a job lined up in sequel series The Testaments, which effectively took the rope from around her neck too even before Mayday struck. Moira, Janine… They were all bound to get out of it somehow – a sentiment that’s has been this show’s curse for seasons now.  Every arrest, every blocked escape route, every cage, we’ve been able to calmly wait through instead of holding our breath in terror that this could be the moment we lose someone important. We never do because The Handmaid’s Tale is too protective of its main characters – a crazy thing to type considering what this story has put them all through. What were the words to the Taylor Swift song that soundtracked this week’s opening scenes? “I rose up from the dead. I do it all the time.” That could have been this show’s theme song. It’s certainly June’s. Finally, though, finally, we’ve lost somebody. Two somebodies. Joseph Lawrence and Nick Blaine aren’t coming back for the sequel, and the work done in this final season to explain their inner workings paid off handsomely.  Unlike June, I shed no tears for Nick, who made his choice and now has to live – or rather not live – with it. After his Jezebels betrayal and the “Forget it, Rita, it’s Chinatown” moment that followed, we understood that Nick was no heroic double agent, but a lost kid who’d sold out his ideals for survival. Well, look how well that ended up. June may have silently howled as he climbed those steps into the jet, but I was mentally ushering him up them with a cheery ‘byeee’.  Lawrence, however, hurt. There hasn’t been enough screentime developing his redemption-through-love-of-a-child arc this season, but what little we’ve seen has been effective. Joseph thawing over little Angela – whose future he must have been picturing when he chose to follow Wharton and co. onto that plane – has been a beautiful final path for a complex character. The grouchy, wry loner melting under the full-beam affection of a child is a storytelling classic for a reason, and here it gave us that wonderful goodbye scene with his copy of The Little Princess. Even Naomi seemed human for a millisecond as she took on board Lawrence’s plea to ignore one of Gilead’s ugly edicts and to teach their kidnapped child to read.  By the time that Lawrence, blindsided by the early arrival of the other commanders, made his brave choice and paused momentarily to put his hand on his chest in a goodbye gesture to June, I was feeling well fed. After years of asking where this brilliant, evil mind stood morally, Lawrence’s ending put him firmly on the “one of us” side.  The doubly widowed Serena’s place there is fixed too, according to June. Like Lawrence, Serena gave up the commanders to right her past wrongs, but more importantly, she did it for this episode’s theme of love. That’s what June exhorted Wharton to choose instead of revenge. That’s the plea June made to Serena about the world they both wanted for their children. Those were the words June, Janine and Moira exchanged as their leader was led away yet again in cuffs. (7 minutes 45 seconds, by the way – the amount of time between June and the Handmaids running triumphantly towards their freedom at the end of last episode, and them cowering at gunpoint under a bridge in this. This show is an abusive relationship.)  Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Setting up love as Gilead’s opposite is an unbeatable argument, as June found in her appeals to Serena, Wharton and last episode, to Aunt Lydia. What really sold those appeals though, and particularly to those audiences, was June’s Christianity. Making her character a theist has been a masterstroke on the part of this story’s creators, because it broadens the argument base. June, who can quote scripture with the best of them, can’t be dismissed as ignorant and godless. Her belief negates any accusation from the religious right that this show’s messages are anti-faith. They’re not. They’re anti-oppression, pro-love, and, in the right circumstances, all for taking out the bastards who grind us down. The Handmaid’s Tale concludes with “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Tuesday May 27 on Hulu. Season six airs on Channel 4 in the UK. 

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.Welcome to The Logoff: The Supreme Court today ruled the Trump administration could strip deportation protections from nearly 350,000 Venezuelans living in the US — a victory for President Donald Trump that comes at the expense of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.What’s the context? Since 2021, many Venezuelan immigrants have had Temporary Protected Status, a program that allows migrants to stay and work in the US when their home countries experience disasters or civil strife. Venezuela is in an ongoing humanitarian crisis thanks to an authoritarian regime’s economic mismanagement and foreign sanctions. But upon taking office, the Trump administration attempted to revoke that status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans. A federal judge froze the administration’s effort in March while lawsuits proceeded.What’s the latest? The Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s freeze, ruling that deportations could begin — even while the cases are still in front of the courts.What’s next? The administration is now free to begin deporting Venezuelans who had been covered by the status, though the court’s order still allows individual immigrants to challenge their deportations or the loss of work permits. Trump also aims to revoke Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of other immigrants later this year.What does this mean for the immigrants? Venezuela is still in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, and deportations would mean a return to a country where work is scarce but suffering is not: More than 20 million people lack adequate access to food and medical care, according to Human Rights Watch.What does this mean for the balance of power? Federal judges have repeatedly checked Trump’s power by freezing his actions while they work their way through the judicial system. Trump and his officials have raged against such freezes, saying they give individual judges too much power over the president. Today, the court sided with the White House, weakening another check on this administration’s power.RelatedThe ugly truth about Trump’s big, beautiful billAnd with that, it’s time to log off…Apropos of nothing in particular, here’s a wonderful old Washington Post story about how Haitian immigrants brought a North Carolina town back from the brink of economic collapse. If you’re in the mood for something totally free of politics, Vox’s Unexplainable podcast has an episode whose title I can’t resist: “The man who walked butterflies on a leash.” (You can listen here on Apple, here on Spotify.) Thanks so much for reading, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.You’ve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you — join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Last week, pre-painted miniature figures of Baldur’s Gate 3 spread across the internet as fans were taken aback by the sheer ugliness on display. With even official Larian developers surprised at the extremely low quality of the figures, the miniatures’ creators at WizKids have formally apologised.  The new pre-painted minis set “D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3” cost fans $49.99/£49.99 for figurines of the main party (and Withers). While the figure sculpts were okay, the paint jobs were extremely ugly and looked like they were painted by toddlers.  WizKids apologises for awful Baldur’s Gate minis  In a new statement, WizKids has formally apologised for releasing their pre-painted minis in their current state. Anyone who purchased the minis are now eligible for a full refund while also keeping the figures.  Fans who purchased the miniatures via WizKids directly can reach out to the company for their awful figures. However, if the figures were purchased via a third-party retailer, you’ll have to go through them instead.  These are just plain awful. “Unfortunately, we missed the mark on this goal with the D&D Icons of the Realms: Baldur’s Gate 3 Character Boxed Set,” the company said in a recent statement. “If you purchased this set through our online stores, we will be offering a full refund to those who are unsatisfied with their set.” “Please accept our sincerest apologies for the frustration and disappointment these quality issues caused our customers,” the company continued. “We, too, feel the same as the final product did not meet our expectations or that of our Wizards of the Coast partner. Our teams are working to find the best solutions to resolve this for all involved and to work with you, our customers, to fix this. We appreciate your patience as we focus on getting back to those affected and helping them with their refunds in a timely manner.” Considering the sheer amount of quality found in Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 game, that air of quality should be expected to continue with the game’s merchandise. As Hasbro claims to be “raising the bar” with future releases relating to the series, the truly atrocious miniature figures are a minor stain on that promise.  For more Baldur’s Gate 3 coverage, read about the game’s upcoming custom campaign mod backed by hundreds of fans.  Baldur’s Gate 3 Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Adventure, RPG, Strategy 10 VideoGamer Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Red Dead Redemption is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, May 18, 2025. Below, we look back at the western in the context of its cinematic inspirations.Stories about the American West, just like stories about knights or ninjas or other iconic figures, are not a monolith. There are stories fantastical and grounded, silly and serious, traditional and rebellious. Red Dead Redemption is a spaghetti Western in the same lineage as so many of Sergio Leone's movies, like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Even among other open-world games and the other games in its own series, Red Dead Redemption is a singular experience. It delivers on the fantasy of playing a legendary gunslinger in a grimy American West. And there will never be another game quite like it.A Look Back at the Red Dead TrilogyThe Red Dead games are a trilogy, though we rarely think of the first entry, Red Dead Revolver. All three games in the series are wildly different takes on the Western; even though the most recent two have consistent characters and a chronology to them, they could hardly be more different in presentation, tone, and style.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Jump ToNo matter who it is, from Goro to General Grievous, you just can’t trust a guy with more than two arms. The creep factor is part of it, but I think you just learn fast that while two of those arms are fine, the most devastating attack always comes, from the other two arms you didn’t even know were there. Suggested ReadingNintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go Higher Share SubtitlesOffEnglishSuggested ReadingNintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go Higher Share SubtitlesOffEnglishNintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go HigherRead More: That goes double for the Lampmaster boss, who’s one of the more persistent pains in the ass you’ll meet in your travels through the Paintress’ domain in Clair Obscur, and they’re all arms. That doesn’t mean they’re invincible, but it does mean you’re gonna be putting in a little overtime taking this ugly son of a bitch down. Let’s hit the lights. Screenshot: Sandfall Interactive / Justin Clark / KotakuYou’re gonna be playing around with Free Aim a lot during the course of this fight; That’s really the main gimmick with this guy. That won’t be a huge problem later on, for reasons we’ll get into, but at the outset, it means blowing a lot of AP on things that aren’t the major skills you need to do the real damage. So, anything you can slap onto your characters to keep them flush with AP is gonna be your best friend. Thankfully, aside from an obvious resistance to Light, they don’t have any other major restrictions. So, getting some good Burn Pictos/Lumina going is gonna be pretty effective here, same for letting Sciel load up some Foretell. Screenshot: Sandfall Interactive / Justin Clark / KotakuSo, the second you get control, you’re gonna want to spend the AP to Free Aim and shatter the lamps floating around Lampmaster’s head before they fire a couple of hard-hitting projectiles at you. Feel free to take out all four, but if you’ve got the reflexes, you can keep one lamp alive just to parry that shot for massive damage. Aside from that, Lampmaster’s got a fairly basic move set of combos and jump attacks. The big issue is that there’s so many goddamn arms that it’s hard to figure out where the hit’s coming from. The easy tip is that only one of the arms is holding the sword, but even that can be hard to see at this stage thanks to the dark background. Still, if you can get a visual grasp on it, that’s what you’re keying off of.The only other move of note is an energy blast where the lights in their hands turn purple and they hit you with a wave of Dark energy. The dodge timing on that is that it’s hitting after the second gathering of purple energy. Go with the visual cue on that.Aside from those, they have no weaknesses and is only resistant to Light. You’re mostly just laying into this guy with any and everything you’ve got. Stack up a ton of Burns and Overdrives, that lifebar will go down fast. Screenshot: Sandfall Interactive / Justin Clark / KotakuAnd just when everything seems to be going so well, you find out this asshole has a second phase. Here, their sword combo is now four hits and has some genuinely weird delays and timing that makes it hard to dodge. Best we can tell you there is that their sword will shake a little before the first hit swings down; and the big delay is between the second and third hits. The good news is it’s easier to see them against the new backdrop, and no individual hit in the combo is dangerous on its own, just try your damndest not to eat all four strikes. They also get a second four-hit combo that’s easier to dodge, but the final hit has them flying backwards to charge at you. There’s a subtle audio cue when the charge is coming, and it’s easily parried. Take advantage of that. The real new shit in their arsenal includes a move where they summon a sword made of light after a strange ritual with the lamps. The dodge timing on the sword of light’s not terrible, just wait for them to spin around after drawing the sword. But here’s a better idea: Stop them from pulling that shit in the first place. Just before he busts out the new sword, you’ll get a message about them performing a strange ritual with their lamps. The lamps in their hand will glow red in a particular order. Your job is to shoot those four lamps in Free Aim in that exact order. Get it right, and Sword of Light never happens, and you do a nice chunk of damage to Lampmaster in the process. They also have a Ball of Light attack that telegraphs itself from a mile away, but you’ll need to jump the attack. Screenshot: Sandfall Interactive / Justin Clark / KotakuAs before, keep up the steady Burning for passive damage, and unload with everything you have, they’ll go down, but recognizing the dodge on these attacks is crucial. When they’re done for, you’ll get the At Death’s Door Picto along with a Shape of Life, some Chroma Catalysts, and some permanent emotional damage once a certain someone shows up and...well, you’ll see. Bring Kleenex. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.

He did this to himself.Media Empire Fights BackElon Musk's social media company X-formerly-Twitter sued several major advertising brands last year, accusing them of conspiring to "collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising."It's an easily debunked claim that flatly ignores the extremely hostile environment the mercurial CEO has created on the platform, with hate speech and disinformation running rampant.Now, advertisers singled out by Musk are ready to hit back and are asking a judge to dismiss Musk's lawsuit. As Business Insider reports, the companies accused the richest man in the world in a joint motion of trying to "win back the business X lost in the free market when it disrupted its own business and alienated many of its customers."Irresponsible MediaAdvertisers started running for the hills after Musk took over the platform in late 2022, bringing with him a groundswell of hate speech, misinformation, and racist rhetoric. The exodus, which has continued for years, left a major hole in the company's financials that were already in freefall following Musk's acquisition.Instead of acknowledging the sheer amount of damage he has done, Musk is accusing advertisers of colluding against him in the lawsuit, which he filed in August of last year.The prolonged legal fight turned ugly when the Global Alliance of Responsible Media (GARM), a World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) initiative, dissolved after Musk filed the complaint.The initiative was set up in 2019 to protect advertisers from exactly the kind of hurtful content that has flourished on X-formerly-Twitter, including child sex-abuse material, and displays of violence.But now, GARM members and non-GARM members alike have joined forces to reject Musk's accusations of a conspiracy, pointing out that they each had individually determined X was far too toxic to advertise on.The group also refuted the findings of a Republican-led investigation by the House Judiciary Committee that claimed its members colluded against the conservative-leaning media.In their latest finding, the WFA pointed out that advertisers' decision to stay clear of Musk's toxic platform fell under their First Amendment rights."Antitrust law protects competition," the filing reads. "It does not protect X from competition."Share This Article

A cat with seasonal allergies tries to scratch his ear.getty Minnesota resident Mary Tan travels frequently with her outgoing “adventure cat,” Franklin, a rescued orange tabby. But a couple of years ago when she was traveling solo and her sister was pet sitting for her, she received a phone call that changed daily life. “My sister called me and said, ‘I think Franklin has ear mites.’ And I’m like, ‘What? There's no way,'” she said. “I was freaking out.” As soon as Tan got home, she rushed her cat to the veterinarian, who determined Franklin didn’t have ear mites: he had severe allergies. The “black crud” in the cat’s ears turned out to be bacteria and yeast. Tan, a longtime animal foster, adopter and founder of Whisker Media, learned through testing that Franklin is allergic to just about everything outdoors — particularly pollen and grass. Though he’s an indoor cat, he does take leashed walks in the neighborhood with Tan and travels to tradeshows as a brand ambassador and to a nursing home to offer comfort to residents. After about six months of trial-and-error treatments with different medications and dosages, Franklin’s veterinarian referred him to a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. He’s much better, but he doesn’t take leashed walks in the springtime when pollen levels are high, and his condition will need to be carefully managed for the rest of his life.Franklin Delano Tan, who is named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt “because you have to negotiate ... More with him,” suffers from severe seasonal allergies that affect his skin and ears, according to Mary Tan.Mary Tan Tan is committed to doing whatever it takes to help her cat with his severe seasonal allergies because it was “distressing” to see him so uncomfortable and itchy, often scratching his ears until they turned red. “I had to do something. My pets are my children,” she said. “I’ve never encountered anything like this.” A Veterinarian’s Perspective On Seasonal Allergies In Cats Cats can have mild to severe symptoms from season allergies — just like humans, according to Gary Richter, DVM, owner of Holistic Veterinary Care and Rehabilitation Center in Oakland, California and author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide. “With cats, it's either skin or it can also be respiratory,” he said. “Just like with people, cats can be very sensitive in their respiratory tracts. So coughing, wheezing, even asthma, things of that nature.” Cats can react to the common allergens that affect humans, such as pollen, mold and dust, he noted. When allergies affect feline skin, symptoms include scratching at their face and ears, scabs on their skin and fur loss. “Cats being cats, they do a lot of grooming,” he said. “So sometimes what will happen is cats will start overgrooming and licking off fur. It can manifest in any number of ways."Cats fastidiously groom themselves, but they can overdo it when they are itchy from seasonal ... More allergies.getty Prevention Tips For Seasonal Allergies Dr. Richter’s top tip for helping cats with seasonal allergies — and to boost their overall health and longevity — is to keep them indoors. “Statistically speaking, cats live dramatically longer if they’re indoors than if they’re going outside,” he said. “It’s safer for the cat, it’s safer for the environment because cats are sort of relentless predators, so they’re always hunting things like birds and other small animals. It’s not impossible for a cat to have seasonal allergies indoors, but clearly their exposure is going to be dramatically lower if they’re not outside in the grass.” Indoor cats can also benefit from homes that run the air conditioner instead of opening windows. Dr. Richter recommends regularly changing or cleaning the filters in the air conditioner and possibly investing in a HEPA air purifier to help decrease exposure to dust and pollen. Additionally, he feels good nutrition can bolster a cat’s immune system. His preference is to feed pets whole foods, though he noted people concerned about bird flu in cats should avoid feeing them raw poultry. Treatment Options For Cats With Seasonal AllergiesKittens and cats can develop seasonal allergies to common allergens like grass and pollen.getty Treatment options run for cats with seasonal allergies run the gamut depending on the severity of symptoms, according to Dr. Richter. On the mild end of the spectrum, he suggests trying fish oil supplements and natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants, such as quercetin and astaxanthin and herbal extracts like nettle extract. (Dr. Richter formulated a combination product called Feline Renew with omega fats and antioxidants.) Zimox, an over-the-counter enzymatic product, can help with some skin and ear infections without the potential side effects of pharmaceutical antibiotics and antifungals, he noted. “My preference as an integrative and holistic doctor is always to try and avoid the really strong immunomodulating immunosuppressive pharmaceuticals if we can get away with it,” he said. But if natural approaches don’t work, he “absolutely” recommends calling your veterinarian. Treatment for more serious allergies includes oral and injectable medications and medicated shampoos. Seeking Help For Seasonal Allergies Based on personal experience, Rachel Geller, Ed.D., founder of the nonprofit All Cats All the Time, recommends calling your veterinarian as soon as you notice any unusual symptoms in cats. Several years ago, she was concerned when her rescue cat, Sosil (a Yiddish word for “sweet"), appeared to have scabs on her face. She initially assumed the Maine Coon mix had tussled with one of her other cats. But when Sosil didn’t seem to be getting better, veterinary testing revealed she didn’t have a skin infection or cancer, but allergies.Sosil experiences severe seasonal allergies marked by itchy skin and lesions. “It’ll be raw, it’ll ... More be a little bloody, the fur will be gone,” says Dr. Rachel Geller. “You can see her skin, but the skin will be red and raw.”Dr. Rachel Geller Prescription food for cats with sensitive skin and stomachs kept symptoms at bay for a couple of years, but one dry winter, “these allergies reared their ugly head again,” according to Dr. Geller. “She will get these skin allergies and it can range from some raw lesions on her face to really bad lesions around her mouth and nose and even on her gums,” she said. “It can very easily become infected, which has happened before. Then it spreads.” During allergy flares, Sosil rubs her face on table corners to try to scratch the itchiness. So now at the first sign of any redness or rawness, Dr. Geller takes her cat straight to the animal hospital for a shot of steroids and the antibiotic injection Convenia. Sosil suffered abuse in her former home and mistrusted people when Dr. Geller adopted her six years ago, but she’s transformed into “the sweetest, wonderful cat" who is now part of the family. So Dr. Geller does whatever she can to help the 12-year-old cat — just as she would for any beloved family member. “She’s worth every penny,” she said. “I would do anything for this little baby to keep her healthy and happy. That’s what we sign up for.”

Discover the story behind the portrait of Belgium’s maverick salvager-designer, featured in the Circularity issue In the May 2025 issue of The Architectural Review, themed Circularity, the AR commissioned a Reputations profile of the little-known Belgian architect, salvager and entrepreneur Marcel Raymaekers. This maverick designer ‘never qualified as an architect’, write James Westcott, Lionel Devlieger, Arne Vande Capelle, Stijn Colon and Aude-Line Dulière in their text, but ‘that did not stop him from procuring the materials for, designing and building around 150 villas across Belgium.’ These eccentric buildings, which are often dismissed as so many ugly Belgian houses, provide an unlikely source of lessons for contemporary material reuse, the authors argue. For every Reputations story, the AR’s editors commission an illustrator to create a portrait of the subject, incorporating elements from their work, or evoking its spirit. Raymaekers’ portrait was created by Laslo Antal, a Hungarian artist and musician based in Berlin who contributed to the magazine in 2020 with a cover design for its Criticism issue, and in 2021 with a Reputations portrait of Kurt Schwitters in its Waste issue. ‘When creating the portrait of Marcel Raymaekers, my goal was to develop an idea that would integrate his architectural and design approach,’ Antal tells the AR. ‘I wanted to create an image using these concepts rather than simply collaging or drawing a building or a part of his existing architectural work.’ Beyond using the murky palette that Raymaekers frequently used in his exterior and interior designs, Antal was particularly inspired by Raymaekers’ practice of giving objects new and different meanings by repurposing them, ‘using the old in a new way,’ he explains. ‘I also found a strong personal connection to his approach of working in 3D (when planning a project) rather than drawing architectural plans on paper.’ The illustration invokes Raymaekers’ features by using protruding plastic cups for his eyes, and cardboard for his nose, eyebrows and mouth. Additionally, part of the neck was made using the same plastic cups cut in half – ‘a homage,’ Antal says, ‘to the fighter jet skylights that famously appear in his House Klechtermans of 1970.’ Read Marcel Raymaekers’ full Reputations profile, and explore the rest of the Circularity issue here. Laslo Antal’s portfolio can be found here. 2025-05-15 AR Editors Share AR May 2025CircularityBuy Now