FASHION




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The Light That Never Went Out 

There is a spotlight still mounted in the rafters of 528 N. 2nd Street. It has been there since 1914. It has outlasted segregation, fire, the highway that cut Jackson Ward in two, and decades of silence. On the nights when the Hippodrome Theater fills up, that light...

Virginia’s New Marijuana Law: Everything You Need to Know

After years of legislative battles, vetoes, compromise negotiations, and numerous articles, Virginia finally has a roadmap for legal recreational marijuana sales. The state budget signed into law earlier this week establishes a regulated cannabis marketplace beginning...

Review | ‘As You Like It’ is Just How I Like It

If you’ve been reading these reviews for a while, you’ll notice I love me some context. Especially surrounding William Shakespeare’s plays. One of my favorite things about the existence of Richmond Shakespeare is that they’ve forced me to go back to the English Lit...

Fourth of July 2026 in Richmond: Fireworks, Festivals, and More

The best Fourth of July celebration in Richmond probably isn't the one with the biggest fireworks. It's the one where someone forgot the hot dog buns, the cooler is running low on ice, kids are chasing each other through sprinklers, and somebody insists they know a...

IllumiNATION Tells America’s Story on a Monumental Scale

Editor’s Note: RVA Magazine is partnering with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on coverage related to America’s 250th anniversary, including Richmond SailFest and IllumiNation. It's hard to impress people with just a building. Yet standing in front of the...

Blöthar: “GWAR Didn’t Change. The World Freakin Changed.”

Richmond metal band GWAR says the Secret Service contacted the group following a recent performance at the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C., that featured the mock execution of a Donald Trump effigy. Video of the performance, which showed band members...

Field Trip Bikes and the Long Ride of Richmond’s Cycling Culture

I recently bought my first bicycle in more than a decade. Like most people, I started my search online, comparing models, reading reviews, and trying to figure out what kind of rider I actually wanted to be. Eventually I visited several local bike shops before...

VICTIM15 From RVA to MIA: Introducing EXPRESS YO’SELF RVA

In all of my years studying historical costume and working in Fashion, interestingly enough, I have just realized that great designers are not just creators of clothes—they are creators of movements! They inspire movement in our latent potential of being, and movement in our collective progression towards higher levels of showing up in the world...

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EXPRESS YO’SELF RVA 2023

Are Richmond Beards Still a Thing? 

“He that hath no beard is less than a man.” William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing  Are beards still popular in RVA?  Historically, facial hair goes in and out of fashion and some say we reached peak beard several years ago. Its death has been announced many times since.  Celebrities are mostly clean-shaven these days, hipsters came and...

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Are Richmond Beards Still a Thing? by Terry Hurley, photo by Jay Wennington

Richmond to Louisville: How a Community Exposed One Man’s Secret

Drew Spruill was the owner of Yesterday's Heroes vintage clothing store in Richmond’s Fan district. The store abruptly closed in 2018 after sexual assault allegations towards Spruill. Spruill left the Richmond area although no criminal charges were ever filed against him. Five years later a community in Louisville made the connection that an...

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Drew Spruill of Yesterday's Heroes story 2023

In the Heat of the Night Vol. 13: Bye Bye Summer

It's sad to say but summer is coming to a close for this year. Over the 3 months, our team has documenting a city that never really sleeps, painting a portrait of the post-sunset scene. This is our last week of this series and Jody Adams, our resident photographer, hit up the outdoor stage at Brambly Park. From there, it was off to Babes, where...

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In The Heat Of The Night Vol. 13 by Jody Adams

In the Heat of the Night Vol. 10: Sizzlin’ Summer BBQ

In the River City, when the summer sun dips below the horizon, the nightlife ignites, pulsing with a rhythm all its own, a rocking vibe that captures the city’s true spirit. Our on-the-ground lensman, Jody Adams, has been out there, guitar pick in one hand, camera in the other, hitting everything from The Camel's fiery live shows to City Beach's...

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In The Heat Of The Night Vol. 10 by Jody Adams

In The Heat Of The Night Vol. 9: The Dog Days Of Summer

As we nosedive into the sultry sizzle of summer, the city's asphalt starts to offer a small breath of relief but, let me tell you, Richmond's nightlife doesn't know the meaning of chill. This week, our shutterbug in residence, Jody Adams, was beating the pavement, venturing everywhere from the ear-bleedingly loud metal shows deep in the Ipanema's...

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Mahlina Shoats Is A Survivor

I was at a concert when Jonathan Facka called me. Of course, I did not hear my phone ring, so he immediately followed up with a text message. "I wanna pitch you something," was all that he would let on. The next morning, completely oblivious to whatever he was going to ask of me, I called him and listened to him give me the footnotes to a...

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Mahlina Shoats 2023 by Daniel Jones @danieljonesfoto

Jon Cope on the Clash of Old Richmond Attitudes and The New Influence

It was a breezy night, and I was happy to be wearing the sale-rack blazer from Macy’s. I walked back out to the middle of 2nd Street to see if the Apollo roach I flicked was still there. It was gone or I couldn’t see it. My editor asked me to write about RVA Fashion Week and here I am thinking how in the hell was I going to write an article about...

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Jon Cope interview by Ryan Kent 2023