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    • Meghan Markle is almost at the end of her 16-day royal tour with Prince Harry. Together, they've been to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, back to Australia, and now they're in New Zealand. Hard to keep up, right? What's even slightly more difficult is tracking all of Meghan's outfit changes- I mean, she's worn over 30 different looks. But as fans of the royals, this is a challenge we accept. We even tracked all of their cutest moments because...why not? We knew she would debut some new ensembles and designers on this trip, like Karen Gee and Safiyaa, to honor the countries she was visiting. The Duchess of Sussex has also re-worn many of the pieces she's packed, like her black Outland Denim jeans and Aquazzura navy pumps. This was a smart move on her part-the key to traveling light is making one piece work for multiple outfits. But since she is a royal, her travel essentials didn't lack designer goods or royal jewels (she's worn Princess Diana's aquamarine ring and butterfly accessories more than once). According to The Daily Mail, Meghan's royal tour wardrobe is predicted to hit $127,991. We decided to investigate just how much Meghan spent on her travel looks, below, tracking everything from the dresses she wore to her fascinators. To date, she has spent over $50,o00 and that's not even including custom outfit designs and all the jewelry she has worn on the trip. With several days left on tour, it seems the Duchess will definitely hit that $100k or more mark of spending. Thankfully, the royal family a.k.a. Prince Charles is footing the bill.

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      This Is the Total Cost of Everything Meghan Markle Has Worn on Her First Royal Tour Marie Claire Logo Marie Claire
    • This Photo Of A Crow — Or Is It A Cat? — Is Going Viral On Twitter INSIDER Logo INSIDER
    • There comes a time during every red carpet and star-studded party when a celeb makes an entrance exposing a little (read: a lot) of leg in a thigh-high slit, or sheer ensemble. Those moments only ever make me want to beef up my #legday routine (you know, after I wonder what they’re using to keep that revealing outfit in place). I regret to inform you that looking at photos of these chiseled legs won’t actually tone yours, but there’s no shame in trying. At the very least, it may inspire your next workout.

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      Angelina Jolie, Kate Middleton, And 29 Other Celebs Who Dared To Bare Leg On The Red Carpet Women's Health Logo Women's Health
    • Meghan Markle isn't the only duchess working this week. Kate Middleton has stepped out to make an appearance today with Prince William at Basildon Sporting Village in Essex to visit Coach Core. For the occasion, the Duchess of Cambridge was business casual in black jeans, a grey blazer, and black booties.
      Kate Middleton Steps Out in a Gray Blazer and Black Jeans ELLE Logo ELLE
    • This Is The 'Best Illusion Of The Year' Contest Winner — And Here's How It Works INSIDER Logo INSIDER
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  • Photos

    10 Things About Living in England as an American that Surprised Me

    Aside from sharing English as a predominant language, England and the US have more cultural differences than author Jennifer Still expected before she packed her bags and moved across the pond. Here are 10 things about living in England as an American Still wasn’t prepared for.

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  • What Meghan Markle’s $12,000 Tattoo Necklace Is Really Saying to the World

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  • Can You Find the Star Hidden Among the Jack-o-Lanterns?

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  • There's One Red Flag You Should Watch Out for at a Hair Salon

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  • Missing Cat Living as Stray Recognizes Owner After 6 Years Apart

    Missing Cat Living as Stray Recognizes Owner After 6 Years Apart

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  • The Surprising Day Princess Diana Called the ‘Worst in Her Life’

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  • Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle arrived for one of the final stops of her royal tour in New Zealand, rewearing an old favorite Antonia Beradi dress from her earliest public date with prince Harry.

    Meghan Markle Rewore the Dress From Her First Ever Public Event With Prince Harry

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  • TOPSHOT - US actress Meghan Markle (C) walks down the aisle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 during her wedding to Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. (Photo by Danny Lawson / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read DANNY LAWSON/AFP/Getty Images)

    This Was Harry and Meghan's Favorite Moment at Their Wedding

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    Say What? You Can Get Paid $100 an Hour to Play With Puppies

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  • As the royal tour continues, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have made their way to New Zealand. Not only did Meghan give an empowering speech about feminism at the reception, but she also changed into a gorgeous Gabriela Hearst dress, which she paired with her favorite Aquazzura Casablanca pumps:

    Meghan Markle Just Reinvented the Little Black Dress

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  • As a 'puptern,' you can get $100 an hour to play with puppies — here's how to apply

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  • Every Single Time Queen Sofía of Spain's Style Deserved a Crown of Its Own

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    Every Single Time Queen Sofía of Spain's Style Deserved a Crown of Its Own

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  • These micro-apartments pack in genius space-saving ideas, storage hacks and gorgeous design. Click through our gallery to see how to make the most of your small apartment without compromising on style...

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    Genius Micro-Apartments That Fit Everything In

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  • Trick or treat! Check out some of the cutest costumes celebrities’ kids have dressed up as from over the years — including Jimmy Fallon’s baby chicken, Beyonce’s beautiful bumblebee, and Katherine Heigl’s little peacocks.

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    Celeb Kids' Cutest Halloween Costumes

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  • The Stanley Hotel's stately Georgian architecture and world-renowned whiskey bar have lured travelers to Estes Park since opening in 1909. But the hotel reached new levels of fame after inspiring Stephen King to create the fictional Overlook Hotel from The Shining. That eerie association aside, many other ghost sightings and mysterious piano music have been connected to the hotel. The Stanley Hotel leans into its reputation quite cleverly, offering nightly ghost tours and psychic consultations from the in-house Madame Vera.

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    31 Haunted Hotels Around the World You Should Definitely Stay At

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    Brightly Colored Coats Because Winter Is Gray Enough As It Is

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  • 17 Habits You Had No Idea Can Help You Stay Young

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    17 Habits You Had No Idea Can Help You Stay Young

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  • Soup is winter's answer to salad. Need more soup? Don't worry, we've got 50 amazing soups to get you through the rest of the season.

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    47 Skinny Soups To Help You Survive Winter

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  • Nail Clubbing on a Female Patient

    Six unusual signs that may indicate heart disease

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  • Texas Dad Befriends His Son's Bully After Discovering He's Homeless: 'I Know How Far a Little Bit of Help Can Go'

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  • Check out some of the classic styles that fell out of fashion for a brief while but have returned in all their vintage glory and are once again in vogue. From full circle skirts that fall below the knee to wiggle dresses that were de rigueur in the 1940s and '50s, these fashion trends have proven to withstand the test of time. Here are some of our absolute favorites.

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    20 Vintage Fashion Trends That Have Made a Major Comeback

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  • Walk around your home and yard with something on which to take notes. And look for anything that might be a problem during a winter storm, especially when it comes to structural issues. Loose siding or shingles that could blow away. Also, openings where wind-swept rain could enter, toys or appliances that need to be stored or covered to protect them from strong winds. Take your time and make sure to examine the walls, windows, roof and foundation. Note anything that needs to be replaced or fixed and get it done within the week.

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    12 Things to Prepare for a Winter Storm

    Are you expecting some bad winter weather in the coming weeks? Have you been hit by surprise storms in the past and want to be prepared for the next winter storm? It's important to make sure that your house is ready ahead of time for winter's worst. Here are the best ways to prepare your home.

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    Most Popular Baby Names for Boys the Year You Were Born

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  • Old Gagra Resort Community

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    12 Truly Stunning Abandoned Hotels Around the World

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    39 Wine Products Every Wine Lover Needs (Or Already Has)

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  • Here’s the Right Way to Hang a Roll of Toilet Paper

    Here’s the Right Way to Hang a Roll of Toilet Paper

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  • The best way to cook oatmeal isn’t what's written on the container—it's this

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  • Vanessa Lachey warns parents about dangerous virus that hospitalized son

    Vanessa Lachey warns parents about dangerous virus that hospitalized son

    Actress and mother of three, Vanessa Lachey, sits down with Fox News’ Dr. Manny Alvarez to talk about the other dangerous seasonal virus many parents may not know about, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Lachey’s youngest child, 1-year-old Phoenix, developed the disease last winter and was hospitalized for 6 days from it.

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  • Dog Battling Terminal Cancer Becomes K-9 Officer for a Day, as per Bucket List

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  • We're in to the second half of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's whirlwind 16-day tour of the Oceania region. After Tuesday's welcome and state dinner in Fiji, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued their visit to the island nation on Wednesday. In the morning, Harry laid a wreath on at the Fiji War Memorial, then the royal couple visited the University of the South Pacific. While there Harry and Meghan both said a few words before heading off for solo engagements. Harry traveled to the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park, while Meghan enjoyed tea at the British High Commissioner’s Residence and visited the Suva market.

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    Meghan Markle Just Rocked A Pom-Pom Maxi Dress

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  • Any design scheme can benefit from a hue that's versatile enough to work well with neutrals and more playful, vibrant shades. Gray is that kind of color. Whether you're going for a sophisticated aesthetic or a more laid-back vibe, here are some of our favorite living room designs featuring shades of gray.

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    Must-See Gray Living Room Designs That Are Far from Boring

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    My Partner and I Come from Different Cultures — Here Are the Main Barriers We Face

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  • Cox Farms in Centreville, VirginiaFrom mid-September through the first week of November, this colorful pumpkin patch is the place to be in the Washington D.C., area for hayrides, slides, farm animals and tunnels. There’s also a tractor museum, and don’t miss the famous hand-cut fries, kettle corn and barbecue. Plan your visitStudt’s Pumpkin Patch in Grand Junction, ColoradoStarting October 1, this family-run farm kicks off its fall festivities with a pumpkin drop from a 100-foot crane, a giant corn maze and at night, fire pits with s’mores.Plan your visit

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    15 of the Best Pumpkin Patches in the Country

    Fact: Fall is the greatest season of them all. The food is delicious, the weather is mild and the gourds are everywhere. Here, 15 of the best places around the country to find the perfect pumpkin. (And while you’re there, why not get lost in a corn maze or hop on a hayride, too?) RELATED: 26 Amazing Pumpkin Recipes to Make All Fall Long

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    18 Open-Weave Sweaters You'll Never Want To Take Off

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    I Just Turned 50 — Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Wish I'd Learned a Decade Ago

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  • How to Make Scrambled Eggs Like a Chef

    How to Make Scrambled Eggs Like a Chef

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  • Biting your nails or picking your skin could be a sign of a serious problem

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  • California Couple in Viral Yosemite Proposal Pic Say They Didn't Recognize Themselves at First

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  • Meghan Markle's Bold and Beautiful Red Dress Looks Like a Stunning Tribute to Tonga's Flag

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    Meghan Markle's Bold and Beautiful Red Dress Looks Like a Stunning Tribute to Tonga's Flag

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  • Require a SignatureWhen your shopping cart is full, your payment information is entered, and it's time to choose your shipping details, take a moment to check off 'signature required.' This is an option with all the major services, like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and USPS. If you're in a bind and won't be home to sign for your package, see if your delivery service will let you redirect the package to a trusted neighbor's address—UPS MyChoice does this, for instance. You can often request a delivery confirmation, too.These are the best, inexpensive ways to theft-proof your home.

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    10 Clever Ways to Foil Porch Pirates

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  • 9 Signs that Your Partner Has an Unhealthy Relationship with Their Parents

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  • Visit This Food-Loving Small Town in California Before Everyone Else Does

    When I tell people that I’m taking a trip to Los Alamos, they respond in one of two ways: Either they have never heard of it or they assume I mean Los Alamos, New Mexico (infamous for its national laboratory and the Manhattan Project).

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    Puffers Are Great And All, But We're Falling Hard For Plaid Coats This Winter

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    Crazy Legends and Superstitions People Believe in Every State

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  • Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

    Reese's peanut butter cups are getting a makeover — and fans aren't happy

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  • Oprah's sleep doctor says to avoid this 1 thing before bed

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  • Canadian Mom Reunited With Her Son Who Went Missing Decades Ago as a Toddler

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  • If you have even a tiny bit of hoarder in you, you likely find it really hard to part with the piles and piles of clothes, shoes, and accessories hiding in your closet. Some reasons are legit and are bound up in the fears and insecurities about what it means to give up something that you used to identify so strongly with. Other reasons are just crazy, because, no — despite Justin Bobby (all hail the return of The Hills) making them look oh so good, baggy hipster beanies are never coming back in style. Of course, for those of you for whom some of these items are still integral to your wardrobe, we salute you (after all, there's nothing more stylish than a woman who loves and owns her style). But for the rest of you, we're about to make things really, really easy. We ID'd 12 items that almost all of us probably own, but most haven't (or shouldn't have) worn in ages, and will not want to wear again — donate these space wasters, reclaim your closet, and rest happy knowing that you couldn't accidentally dress like an extra on Laguna Beach, even if you tried. At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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    12 Things You Can Confidently Toss From Your Closet

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  • Sometimes forgoing color for a classic palette can really pay off, and these black and white kitchens from top designers are proof. From charming farmhouse looks to sleek, modern designs, this collection of gorgeous black and white kitchens is sure to inspire your own cooking space.

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    Here's How to Craft a Classic Black and White Kitchen

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  • The Real Reason Why It’s So Hard to Break Up with Someone

    The Real Reason Why It’s So Hard to Break Up with Someone

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  • August 25, 2017 marks the 101st birthday of the National Park Service, which safeguards the 59 designated national parks of the United States. This is the perfect occasion to plan a trip to admire the vibrant colors that light up mountains, glaciers, and lakes in the autumn. Read on for our selection of national parks with gorgeous fall foliage!

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    U.S. national parks with stunning fall foliage

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  • Put On Your Dancing Shoes With These 17 Glittery Pairs

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    Put On Your Dancing Shoes With These 17 Glittery Pairs

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    Why You Probably Shouldn’t Buy Batteries from the Dollar Store

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  • How a Japanese store snack became America’s hottest sandwich

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  • Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley opens up to Women's Health about her exact workout and diet regimen that helps her stay fit and healthy at age 53.

    This is what Elizabeth Hurley, 53, starts her day with

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  •  This year, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is returning to New York City after two years abroad. Although the date and venue of the upcoming show have yet to be revealed, it typically airs in November or early December, ahead of the holiday season. So far, 43 models have publicly confirmed that they will be walking in this year's show, including veterans of the runway like Sui He and Barbara Fialho. Below, meet the 18 models who will be walking in the show for the first time.

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    Meet the 18 models who will be walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for the first time this year

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  • 11 Things You Should Never Do at a Costume Store

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  • Check the RadiatorsIf you have furniture blocking the radiators, you're blocking heat from getting into the room. Move the couch away from the radiator and the room should warm up faster. Hide an ugly radiator with these 12 clever cover ideas.

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    15 Unexpected Ways to Keep Your House Warm This Winter

    As the temperature starts to take a dip, there are some simple things you can do to cut back on heating bills. Beyond replacing old windows and increasing insulation, here are 15 unexpected ways you can keep your house warm this winter.

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  • Fun family themes

    Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family

    Halloween can be fraught with endless searching to find the perfect costume for your tiny monster (pun fully intended.) Checking every store, every Pinterest board, every mommy blog, finally finding the exact one your child wants (located three towns over, of course) only to have them change their mind the night before when they discover all their friends are being unicorns. Let's just skip all that, shall we? Having a family costume makes...

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  • In this small town in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains, the leaves begin changing in August, earlier than almost anywhere else in the country. From Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in Tennessee, you’ll peep a panorama of brightly colored trees stretching as far as the eye can see.

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    The 8 Most Beautiful Fall Towns in America

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  • Design Satin Trench

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    19 Unconventional Spin-Offs of the Iconic Tan Trench

    Ah, the iconic neutral hued trench. It’s a staple—an outerwear classic that transcends seasonality, seamlessly transitioning from month to month as the rest of our wardrobes changes. Even more incredible: Despite its timelessness, the trench coat always manages to look modern, fresh and totally on trend. MORE: Cutting-Edge Ways to Style a Muted Autumn Wardrobe Tan trenches are so versatile we could practically live in them. But sometimes, we crave something different. Sometimes, we want to inject a little flair into an otherwise routine outerwear selection. Sometimes, we wish our go-to trench came in a variety of colors, textures and silhouettes—rather than just the one. Whenever this desire arises in us, we turn to our favorite designers and retailers—crossing our fingers that they’ve offered unconventional spins on tried-and-true outerwear basics. And this season, they definitely have. So if you’re looking to add some flavor to the standard trench template, there are plenty of revamped spin-offs to shop. MORE: How to Take Your Favorite Jumpsuit from Season to Season Now, we’re certainly not advocating for abandoning the flagship neutral toned trench altogether. (We’d never!) But these reimagined descendents of the classic design offer the same wearability, with just a touch of unconventionality. From luxe satin fabrics in of-the-moment colorways to patent designs and embossed textures, these trench coats give the quintessential staple a contemporary makeover. This is e-commerce content. If you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story we may receive a small commission of the sale.

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  • Accidental Halloween Hangings

    Halloween Myths and Facts

    Photograph by Twenty20 Why do we dress up for Halloween? How did carved pumpkins become so important? And why does a random night in October matter so much, anyway? These are all questions you've probably asked yourself from time to time. Well, fear not! We've tackled those mysteries for you. The myths and facts that surround Halloween and the way in which we currently celebrate the holiday are rooted deeply in the past. We thought it was time...

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  • Italian restaurant guide Gambero Rosso has released their picks of the best Italian restaurants around the world.

    Italian food guide names best Italian restaurants outside Italy

    Italian restaurant guide Gambero Rosso has released their picks of the best, most authentic Italian restaurants outside Italy, from Paris to Toronto, Hong Kong and Sydney. More than 500 restaurants from 35 countries are included in the online selection of the top Italian restaurants in the world, with a few special mentions. LuMi in Sydney, Australia, for instance, was named Restaurant of the Year for its Japanese-influenced Italian fine dining ...

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  • Bob Harper Shares "One of the Best Weight-Loss Tips in the World," and It's Totally Doable

    Bob Harper shares ‘one of the best weight-loss tips in the world’ — and it’s doable

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  • Animals can get into the scary spirit, too.

    Spooky animal x-rays are exactly as cool as you'd imagine

    They’re spooky-scary. As part of an animal’s routine check up, the veterinarians at the Oregon Zoo send each “patient” through an x-ray machine. The zoo also recently tweeted out a compilation of their spookiest x-ray pictures as an early Halloween celebration. We talked to a veterinarian at the zoo, Richard Sim, about some of the wild anatomy in each image. “They have a lot of strength in their hands,” says Sim. “Often when gripping a branch,...

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  •  The royal family has lots of  rules and protocol about  how to dress up for formal occasions. But when it comes to dressing up in costume, there's more room to have a little fun. While some royal costumes have caused enormous scandals (such as  Prince Harry's infamous Nazi costume), others, such as "Cinderella" dresses or masks of each other's faces, are more innocuous. Here are 10 times royals dressed up in costume.

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    10 Photos of the Royal Family Dressing Up in Costume

    The royal family has lots of rules and protocol about how to dress up for formal occasions. But when it comes to dressing up in costume, there's more room to have a little fun. Here are a few of the times that royals wore costumes or masks.

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  • A family heirloom or a garage sale find, shiny and new or missing a leg—kitchen tables are as unique as their owners. Each one, and the things that top it, is the perfect descriptor of you and your family. So, what does your kitchen table say about you? Does your kitchen need a facelift? Try these expert-recommended organizational tips.

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    What Your Kitchen Table Says About You

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    Outrageous Dating Etiquette Rules Your Parents Followed

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  • Venice Faces Worst Floods in 10 Years, Stranding Tourists and Threatening Travel Destination

    Venice Faces Worst Floods in 10 Years, Stranding Tourists and Threatening Travel Destination

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  • Earlier this year, Amazon rolled out yet another benefit for Prime members: Prime Wardrobe, which allows shoppers to try anywhere from three to eight items — clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry among them — without paying a cent up front. Keep (and pay for) only what you like, send back what you don't. Sounds appealing, right? I thought so, but it turns out the service isn't without its drawbacks. Here's what I found out during my first time using Prime Wardrobe.

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    I Tried Amazon Prime Wardrobe and Here's What Happened

    We tried on the Amazon Prime Wardrobe service on for size and found it might not be a good fit for everybody. While it does have convenience on its side in many ways, when it comes to selection, size, and even price, the try-before-you-buy perk from Amazon Prime didn't always deliver.

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    The History Behind 40 of the Most Haunted Places in America

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    Here's what you do with leftover bacon grease

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  • New mom sobs as her surrogate gives birth: 'How could I do this to somebody?'

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  • Super-black feathers on these guys are like looking into a dark cave.

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    These bird feathers are so black your eyes can't focus on them

    It's like, how much more black could this be? What do birds and aerospace engineers have in common? Both have invented incredibly dark, “super-black” surfaces that absorb almost every last bit of light that strikes them. Of course scientists worked intentionally to devise these materials. It’s evolution that brought this amazing trait about in birds. My co-lead author Teresa Feo, our colleagues Todd A. Harvey and Rick Prum and I recently investigated the super-black feathers in some of the most outlandish animals on earth: the Birds of Paradise. These are resplendent birds native to Papua New Guinea and surrounding areas. Males are brilliantly colored, with complicated mating dances. Females, who are drab and brown in comparison, carefully inspect the ornaments and dances of males before choosing their mate. We wanted to know more about these birds’ super-black plumage and how it works. What mechanism do these feathers employ to be so effective at absorbing light? Fanciest feathers, under the microscope The Birds of Paradise have evolved many remarkable traits, but none are more mysterious than the males’ velvety black plumage. This black is so dark that your eyes cannot focus on its surface; it looks like a cave, or a fuzzy black hole in space. Using optical measurements, we found that these feather patches absorb up to 99.95 percent of directly incident light. That’s comparable to human-made very black materials such as solar panels, the lining of space telescopes, and even the “blackest black” material: Vantablack, which absorbs 99.96 percent of light. Normal feathers are flat, and look like fractals; when you zoom in using a microscope, each branch of the feather looks like a tiny, flat feather. Under a powerful scanning electron microscope, we were surprised to see that the super-black feathers look like miniature coral reefs, bottle brushes, or trees with tightly packed leaves. These tiny, specially shaped bits stick up to form a jagged, complex surface; together they act as microscopic light traps. When light rays strike these surface microstructures, they repeatedly scatter around the shapes and are absorbed, rather than being reflected back to an observer. It’s an iterative process: Each time a scattering event occurs, a portion of the light is absorbed until it’s almost completely absorbed. Human-made super-black materials such as “black silicon” also rely on what materials scientists call structural absorption. Like the super-black feathers, their microscopic “light traps” are due to a rough surface that scatters light repeatedly, but the actual surface shapes they use are different. Rather than the feathers’ bottle brush shapes, human engineers designed regularly spaced microscopic cones and pits. With almost no exposed flat surface, these structurally black materials are the opposite of a mirror. MORE ON ANIMALS: The Birds of Paradise’s super-black feathers are so good at absorbing light that even when we coated them in gold, a shiny metal, they still looked black. That’s because it’s not the inside of the feather making the color via pigment or ordered nanostructures; instead, just as with human-made black silicon, the super black comes from the physical surface structure. Evolution and human ingenuity arrived at the same solution. Advantages of super-black feathers But why do these birds have such incredibly dark black patches? What selective advantage caused this trait to evolve? It’s tempting to think that super black somehow helps with camouflage, to keep predators away. In fact, some snakes have super-black scales that mimic shadows between leaves, helping them blend into the forest floor. The snake example illustrates evolution by natural selection—“survival of the fittest.” But other factors can also influence evolution’s course, including random chance or sexual selection. As my colleague Rick Prum points out in his new book “The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World – and Us,” mate choice is a powerful force driving evolution. In Birds of Paradise, super-black feathers help male birds look more beautiful to a female’s eye. To understand how, it helps to look at Bird of Paradise mating dances. Males vigorously display their super-black patches to females, making sure that females can’t get a view from the side. This is because these feathers are highly directional, and they look darkest from straight ahead. And super-black patches always sit around or next to brilliant color patches. A super-black, anti-reflective frame makes nearby colors appear brighter, almost glow. In other words, super black is an evolved optical illusion that relies on the way animal eyes and brains adjust our perceptions based on ambient light. In the high-stakes game of choosing a mate, a single feather that isn’t quite blue enough could be enough to turn off a female Bird of Paradise. Clearly, female Birds of Paradise prefer males with super-black plumage. As females pick the most impressive males to mate with, those dazzling feather genes are passed on to future generations while the genes of less splendid males, overlooked by females, are not. Sexual selection drove evolution toward super-black plumage. Evolution is not an orderly, coherent process; evolutionary arms races can produce great innovation. Perhaps these super-black feathers with their unique microscopic structure could eventually inspire better solar panels, or new textiles; super-black butterfly wings already have. Evolution has had millions of years to tinker; we still have much to learn from its solutions. Dakota McCoy is a PhD Student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. This article was originally featured on The Conversation.

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