Although Roberto Cavalli cancelled at the last minute the first day of Saudi Arabia’s inaugural fashion week, the show went on anyway. Eager to take part in the historic moment, big European names like Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier had agreed to headline Arab Fashion Week in Riyadh.

The fees for their presence has not been communicated.Staged at the city’s Ritz Carlton Hotel, and served as a strong, symbolic step towards a more liberal economy and female empowerment. But Riyadh is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s larger plan dubbed Vision 2030 which is meant to diversify the oil-dependent nation’s economy and nurture new industries.

Often referred to as MBS, bin Salman is known as Saudi’s “millennial prince.” The 32-year-old just completed a world tour to conjure new business for the Saudi Arabian economy. His meetings with Silicon Valley companies like Facebook and Apple, for example, made headlines worldwide.

Inside, the exclusive crowd of Saudi female VIPs and aristocrats were feeling relaxed, socializing without their abayas or niqabs, snacking on pastries and sipping Arab coffee served by veiled, local women carrying elaborate silver carafes. Continue reading →

This film is a tribute to Alberto Santos-Dumont and it celebrates his intrepid, thrill-seeking spirit and unstoppable quest to go further. A friend of Louis Cartier, this pioneering aviator was devoted to the skies. His life was dominated by his quest to push the boundaries of the possible and make his dream come true. This story of irrepressible ambition is told in 60 seconds that capture the thrill of adventure and his almost mystical pursuit of take-off.

To capture in images this fearless and free-spirited quest to escape the constraints of reality and attain the unknown, Cartier approached Seb Edwards, a British director who trained in New York and is known for his award-winning campaigns. Continue reading →

In what’s shaping up to be a major year for Maison Alaïa in the U.K., the house founded by the late Azzedine Alaïa will open a flagship on Tuesday.

This is the Paris-based Alaïa’s first flagship outside the French capital, where it currently operates two stores and sells at shops including Galeries Lafayette, 10 Corso Como and Harrods.

Located at 139 New Bond Street  near to IWC and Fendi  the 6,000-square-foot London flagship spans three floors. The space was the former home of the vintage jeweler S.J. Phillips. Continue reading →

H&M’s annual November designer collaboration is always big news and it’s and possibly even more of a headline-grabber this year as the company chose a combination of Coachella, Gigi Hadid and Instagram to unveil the name of the designer brand with which it will be working.

Just after midnight. Designer Jeremy Scott, who presided over the star-studded party, his 12th turn at the festival, should have no trouble translating his Moschino designs into less expensive and just as cheerful versions for the Swedish fast-fashion retailer.

Every year, fashion lovers and bargain hunters alike anticipate news of H&M’s latest designer collaboration the way sports fans wait for draft day. It’s hard at this point, after 16 years of the high-low mash-ups the first of which was with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 to say which collaboration has been the most spot-on. The Moschino effort may just be one of the more popular, judging from the way fans have snapped up Scott’s designs since he took over as creative director in 2013. Continue reading →

Following its failed bid for Hermès, could LVMH, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, be angling to snap up another independent competitor, Chanel?

Not so, said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, at the company’s annual general meeting in Paris on Thursday.

Asked to comment on rumors that a senior LVMH executive had met with members of the Wertheimer family, which controls Chanel, to explore an acquisition, Arnault said: “Chanel is an outstanding business, but we are not in contact with them. I don’t know who told you that, but in my opinion, it’s fake news.

Privately, Chanel is the object of regular speculations, although Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, the reclusive billionaire brothers who own the maker of 2.55 handbags and tweed jackets, have given no public indication that the brand might be for sale.” But Mr. Arnault had already said that for Hermes and Vuitton before, so who knows?