Is smoking back in fashion?

Branded matchboxes and cigarettes on silver trays were handed out to guests at this year’s Vanity Fair Oscars Party and Kylie Jenner lights up a smoke on the front cover of the magazine’s latest issue – reigniting debate about the glamorisation of smoking.

Former Marie Claire Australia founding editor Jackie Frank said the trend wais less about taking up smoking and more about image.

“They might have one cigarette in a social setting that makes them feel glamorous — so it’s almost being used as a prop,” Frank said.

“But what they don’t realise is they’re going to get addicted.”

Frank said nostalgia and a push to be “anti-mainstream” were driving the trend, especially among gen Z.

At the same time, cheaper black market tobacco is making smoking more popular. Authorities estimate more than half of the cigarettes sold in Australia are illegal.

Health experts warn the shift is likely to put smoking rates on the rise for the first time in decades.