People can’t decide whether Balenciaga’s new $925 bath towel skirt is an example of clever marketing or just a ploy to wipe wallets. The unparalleled high fashion house, piloted by long-time creative director Demna Gvasalia, regularly releases peculiar designs, made to look beaten down and wrecked, with purposeful outlandish price tags – see its $1,850 fully destroyed sneakers or $1,800 trash bag tote. But this particular pick from the brand’s Spring 2024 collection sparked widespread debate online as soon it became available for pre-order on 14 November. A $927 terry-cloth towel, fashioned to be a wrap skirt, comes after the Georgian designer faced backlash for a controversial 2022 holiday ad featuring children holding teddy bears in leather bondage. Following the extensive criticism, Demna said he planned on tapping into his “roots in fashion as well as to the roots of Balenciaga, which is making quality clothes – not making image or buzz”. He told Vogue his plan in February a few weeks ahead of his fall 2023 debut. But while the designer intended to find motivation from Balenciaga founder Cristóbal moving forward, this quirky bathroom garment prompted further conversation about the brand’s continued desire to offer “absurd” luxury items. One riled up fashion enthusiast took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make a larger generalisation. “This is absurd, These brands will sell anything and everything at such ridiculously high prices,” they wrote. “Balenciaga is so unserious,” another critic commented, while someone else said: “I’ll say it again... Balenciaga is conducting an experiment. It’s a behavioral science study. You can’t convince me otherwise.” Amid the flock of immediate criticism, brand supporters pointed out the platform and intended buyers Balenciaga targets. “In economics we’d say they are discovering the true demand curve. They are checking their customer base to see how elastic they are. If it’s a fairly inelastic demand curve of which it’s very likely to be. They won’t lose anything by being selling s*** like this, in actual fact…” one person wrote. “I need customers like theirs,” another fan proclaimed. One candid reviewer wrote: “What kind of madness is this? At least I’m not their target market.” Other X users added remarks about how they could make their own towel skirt with their fluffy fabric at home. “I already got a towel skirt, it cost $10 and it’s from Walmart,” one individual commented. Playing off the high-end fashion brand’s current visibility, Ikea, the Swedish homewares and furniture brand, dropped a similar advertisement, highlighting its $10 VINARN bath towel. In promotional photos, a model could be seen with the towel wrapped around his waist, layered over a pair of construction pants. On top, the man donned a common Balenciaga identifier with a black hoodie and wrap-around moto sunglasses. Read More Women’s scarves and crocheted ties - what is Robert Peston wearing now? McDonald’s and Crocs collaborate on new Grimace shoes Jacob Elordi reveals why he always carries a purse Women’s scarves and crocheted ties - what is Robert Peston wearing now? McDonald’s and Crocs collaborate on new Grimace shoes Jacob Elordi reveals why he always carries a purse

Matty Healy made the announcement whilst performing in the US.

In early June, Montrealers will line sidewalks, toot horns and pound drums as swarms of cyclists wend their way through the iconic spaces of that bicycle-mad city

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said Chelsea target Michael Olise has signed a new four-year deal with the Premier League club. The PA news agency understands Chelsea had agreed to pay the France Under-21 winger’s £35million release clause, but it appears he has now committed his future to the Eagles. Parish tweeted on Thursday: “I’m absolutely delighted to announce @m.olise has decided to commit his future to Crystal Palace and this afternoon signed a new four-year deal with the club.” Olise has been linked with a big money move to Palace's London rivals, a club that the French youth international had spent a prolonged spell at during the early days of his career before moving onto Manchester City and then Reading, where he finally broke into the first team. This will be considered a blow to the Blues who were looking to add Olise to their summer spending spree bringing in the likes or Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, to name but a few, for lucrative fees. However, the Palace losing club legend Wilfred Zaha to Turkish giants Galatasaray this window the Eagles have been forced to consolidate their attacking options. The news has been greeted with delirium amongst football fans, many of whom have taken to Twitter/X to poke fun at Chelsea. Safe to say that Chelsea fans weren't exactly ecstatic at the news either. Given this boost Palace will look to build upon their opening weekend win over Sheffield United but face tough opposition in the form of Arsenal. Chelsea on the other hand will be hoping they. can pick up three points away at West Ham having drawn with Liverpool last Sunday. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique clubbed centuries as Pakistan chased down the highest target in World Cup history to beat Sri Lanka by six...

All five answers to the questions below have something in common. Can you figure it out?

Lane was denied restroom access by the officers even though Dallas has Ally's Law in place for situations involving emergency bathroom needs

Rain and the threat of lightning storms could not dampen Manchester City’s open-top bus parade to celebrate their treble success on Monday evening. Thousands of fans had lined the streets to cheer on Pep Guardiola’s squad who secured the Champions League trophy with victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday night to add to the Premier League title and FA Cup. Access to the stage show site on St Peter’s Square was initially delayed due to reports of adverse weather conditions and lightning storms in the area, with the club later confirming the start of the trophy parade from Beetham Tower on Deansgate was put back until 7pm. The team took the tram to St Peter’s Square, where four buses set off down Deansgate and onto Cross Street, before heading via King Street, Brown Street and then Booth Street with the parade scheduled to finish at Nicholas Street. Defender Nathan Ake held aloft the Premier League trophy to the delight of the City fans who had braved the rain, many following down on foot towards the stage celebrations once the route was clear. Midfielder Phil Foden waved the Champions League trophy, while Guardiola smoked a cigar as he took in the scenes. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Republic of Ireland Women’s manager Vera Pauw insists she “will never win from a lie” and will have to carry allegations she body-shamed players for the rest of her life. The Dutchwoman has previously strongly refuted the claims made in a report on misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League relating to the period she was in charge of Houston Dash. Further allegations from former players emerged this week and have overshadowed the team’s preparations for the Women’s World Cup which will see them play France at Tallaght Stadium in their final game before departing. “I think it is the same story as in December. It is something from a few anonymous players and how can you defend yourself against a lie?” she told a press conference. “I will never win from a lie. That is clear now. I have to live with it and carry it with me for the rest of my life I’m afraid.” The original report claimed Pauw “shamed players for their weight” and “attempted to exert excessive control over eating habits”. “Go through the allegations and put Pep Guardiola, Louis Van Gaal or (Jose) Mourinho in that and you would laugh about it,” Pauw added. “It is all about coaching, it is not about anything else. I don’t want to go into details because it is nonsense and untrue. “There is great safety in the truth and that truth is with me. The people around me, the people who know me and the people who saw me working know that is not true. “We are going to a World Cup. We have done phenomenally with this team and I would never have been able to do that if our bond with each other had not been so strong or positive.” Ireland’s captain Katie McCabe admits she has had disagreements with Pauw but insists things have never crossed a line and they are both focused on doing the best for the team. “Vera has a style of management that we are used to over the last two years,” she said. “We’ve worked together, we’ve argued with each other as you’re never going to get on 100 per cent with your manager at times. She pushes me and I push her. I will never win from a lie. That is clear now. I have to live with it and carry it with me for the rest of my life I'm afraid. Vera Pauw “We have clashed many times but we are always professional enough to make sure we are fully focused for the team. “Both of our hearts are in the right place in terms of what is best for the Ireland women’s national team going forward. “This is such a massive time in Ireland for women’s football and it’s frustrating we can’t be here talking about our massive send-off game tomorrow and the fact we are heading to our first major tournament. “It takes the sting out of it from the team’s point of view.” The Football Association of Ireland issued a statement on Monday saying it was “fully focused on supporting Vera and the women’s team”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Three people arrested after multiple protests take place at Wimbledon Katie Boulter and boyfriend Alex De Minaur team up for Wimbledon mixed doubles Jai Hindley wins Tour de France stage five to take yellow jersey

With the United Auto Workers' historic strike officially underway, experts say the US economy is already getting bruised -- but the strike's impact isn't likely to push the nation into a recession.

One of the best offensive linemen in the league gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a big thumbs-up for one of their free-agent signings.When an NFL player is given an endorsement from a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro, people tend to listen.Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce played a...

Paramore have been working on some new material.