BALMAIN BETWEEN ST TROPEZ AND MARRAKECH
Wednesday evening, Olivier Rousteing raised, on the edge of the sumptuous ballroom of the InterContinental in Paris, a singular ode to femininity. His collection, stripped of the armors that once made the glory of the “Balmain army,” allowed itself to be caressed by the sea breeze. As in the days when Yves Saint Laurent, in the ochre gardens of Marrakech, transfigured the desert into a palace of colors, Rousteing too seemed to seek the impulse of a fashion that breathes, that pours out, that surrenders. Continue reading
FENDI EMBRACES MARIA CHIURI’S MONOTONY
Fendi has made its choice sorry, the Lord has spoken and it is Maria Grazia Chiuri who takes over the artistic direction of the Roman house. This appointment comes in the midst of a chaotic reshuffle: Kim Jones’s departure, once expected to embody the creative breath of both haute couture and ready-to-wear, has left a void that Fendi is now scrambling to fill. Silvia Venturini Fendi, meanwhile, has been asked to step back, relegated to the more symbolic role of honorary president but given her last collection, this hardly comes as a surprise.
The thorny question remains: is Maria Grazia Chiuri truly the embodiment of Fendi’s future? Her years at Dior left a mixed legacy. Celebrated for her feminist slogans, criticized for a style often deemed repetitive, the Italian designer has hardly achieved unanimity. Before that, at Valentino, she worked in tandem with Pierpaolo Piccioli… and some still wonder whether she was ever truly the soul of the duo. Continue reading
MADONNA, GOD BOY, AND JOCOMBE IN PLS
Big bows and old lace that’s about as faithful a summary as you can get of Nicolas Guesquière’s latest show for Vuitton. The staging is as stable as a Windows 98 system on life support, swinging between awkward hybrids and copy-pastes from Milan Fashion Week. You can tell the inspiration made a pit stop at Malpensa before taking off.
But the real ambition? To push the brand deep into the bowels of the Louvre, with heavy-handed red carpets. The result: Madonna storms in with her “god boy,” the only young man who looks like he’s carrying his bag to kindergarten, while an army of extras straight out of a Netflix catalog pretends to be “iconic.” You spot a former B-movie wizard, an influencer in wildlife-documentary mode, and even a guy swearing he dubbed a dolphin in a Spanish production. It was all about laying the groundwork for the brand’s triumphant entry into the Louvre, in “express museum-ification” mode.
The couture cherry on top: the First Lady, self-proclaimed eternal muse, walks as if the red carpet were an extension of the Élysée steps. Her peck on “little Nicolas” wasn’t an affectionate gesture but a sort of bureaucratic stamp: “Seen and approved by the Republic.” At this level, we’re no longer talking fashion, but textile diplomacy.
DGENA DM SACRA NOVA
This collection was born from a secret oath between the splendor of yesterday and the vigor of today (says the designer). From the magnificence of the French court, she borrowed grandeur, brocades, solemn braids, and radiant crosses; but instead of letting them slumber in the dust of palaces, she set them against the wild momentum of our century, so that they might clash and fertilize one another in a dazzling embrace.
Each garment is a burning cuirass: it protects, it adorns, it proclaims. It is a silent language that crosses the centuries, a grammar of drapings and symbols that speaks to restless souls. She has shaped these armors with regenerated fabrics, proud cuts, signs carved like prayers, questioning humankind about its time, its identity, its spiritual quest, at the heart of a storm-stricken world.
Three breaths preside over this edifice: the quest for the invisible, the defense of one’s own, the impulse of combat. Three immemorial forces, engraved in the human soul since dawn, which she has translated into silhouettes, into icons, into attitudes standing like statues of flesh amidst the crash of the present. Continue reading
ERMANNO SCERVINO SPRING 2026
Once again, Ermanno Scervino has given free rein to his taste for the exceptional. Guided by his passion for precious fabrics and couture-like craftsmanship, the designer has created a collection conceived as a declaration of love to women — women who are at once free, modern, and eternally elegant.
BOTTEGA VENETA 2026
I don’t like the “new Versace” by Dario Vitale, the latest so-called fashion prodigy. What I saw Friday evening at the Ambrosian Pinacoteca was not a tribute to the house’s rococo glamour, but a pale attempt to make Versace… ordinary.
Where have the sculptural dresses gone, the Roman sequin armors, along with the sexy thunder that turned every runway into a red carpet? Instead, we were served jeans, sweaters, and vaguely retro vests à la Raf Simons, to put it mildly. A show that looked more like a trendy thrift shop than the world of the “Medusa of Milo.”
SPORTMAX THE CITY MOOD MEETS MONTANA HERITAGE
Sportmax opened its show on Friday morning, following in the footsteps of Max Mara, while remaining faithful to a luminous palette of beiges and diaphanous tones. The runway began with a series of reimagined trench coats, playing with lightness and deconstruction. The first looks, sometimes sleeveless, with multiplied collars and lapels, immediately set the direction of the collection: generous volumes, layered silhouettes, and a confident attitude. Continue reading
FENDI: WHEN CLOTHING MOCKS THE RUNWAY
On Wednesday in Milan, Silvia Venturini Fendi unveiled a motley collection for Fendi, bursting with flowers and references to the 1990s. The exercise is clever: taking what, until yesterday, was considered “cheap” elastic cords, adjustable straps, flimsy windbreaker zippers and elevating it to the status of a new chic ornament on Calais lace “made in China.” Luxury has always loved recycling the banal since the man from Toledo, provided it’s wrapped in a carefully crafted narrative and staged with theatrical flair. It was as if we were laying the first stone of a memorial dedicated to the victims of stoning.
This is anti-fashion, a kind of “Haute Ready-to-Wear Couture” for shapeless school smocks worn three days in a row, destined, with Micron’s blessing, to become the uniform of Catholic institutions. As for trousers, we’re talking about sweatpants desperately trying to slip into the category of wardrobe “essentials.” Continue reading
ICEBERG: RAGS OF THE APOCALYPSE
Summer not the heatwave one, but the world’s summer that clings to old Britpop rags. Shabby tracksuits and drooping polos with fishtail parkas dragging through the mud like the Gallaghers, priests of nothing and celebrants of noise…
Iceberg, or the runway with its puppets on the podium, parading with arms crossed, hard but empty stares, and shoes in hand against doll-like stilettos replaced by flat, soulless sandals… all this to play “90s youth.” A fake rebellion, collars buttoned up to the throat, for bourgeois ladies as spotless as a sink, with knobby knees discreetly hidden—because the Bible doesn’t make the monk.
And the music—Champagne Supernova—closing the show, nostalgia for the zombies. Of course, it has to be, since the English love their mud as much as their noise. But James Long, the rag maestro, sly as an iceberg, sniffed out Milan and the polite chill of luxury, diving deep and dripping money from every seam and button…
That is the world we applaud, we buy, we forget, and will endlessly reproduce again in 25 years.
THE DEMNA ERA OPENS IN MILAN
On Monday, Gucci officially inaugurated its new creative chapter: the Demna era. In an entrance true to his flair for surprise, the designer unveiled his first numbered silhouette “Look 37” accompanied by a lookbook shot by American photographer Catherine Opie. The following day, Milan pulsed to the rhythm of The Tiger, a short film directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, offering a cinematic dive into this new Gucci universe. Continue reading
WHEN DESIGNERS DARE TO DREAM
What are American designers dreaming of for Spring-Summer 2026? In a world clouded by uncertainty, fashion has chosen to breathe in lightness. Clients crave a sense of ease embodied in the billowing harem pants at Michael Kors, the sensual knit dresses at Proenza Schouler, and the whisper of soft pink blouses at Rachel Comey. Between bold statements and subtle trends, here’s the ultimate best of from New York Fashion Week.
DEMNA’S NEW VISION FOR GUCCI
To convey the full “Gucci spirit,” Demna imagined a series of characters gathered under the name “La Famiglia,” each with their own personality and distinctive attitude. In collaboration with Francesca Bellettini, the newly appointed president and CEO, the designer chose to unveil a look book photographed by Catherine Opie on Monday, ahead of the short film The Tiger, directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, which will be presented Tuesday evening in Milan. Continue reading
THE FAKE MARTYR OF MAGA CIVILIZATION
What a vile farce, what a grandiose comedy this televised mass for that Maga YouTuber, this liturgy of a stuffed corpse in global broadcast! They shower him with incense, they weep like hysterical church ladies before the coffin of a cardboard prophet, a racist antisemite disguised as a universal martyr! We are force-fed with violins and rancid speeches, as if the sanctified carrion could wash away our collective sins!
And so, the uncultured American masses, flabby-bellied, stuffed with slogans and images, hypnotized by the media liturgy, applaud, cross themselves, click like, share, and the next day return to their supermarket errands, their debts, their petty miseries! That’s the real miracle: turning the vile into the sublime, infamy into heroism!
Malraux once said: the 21st century will be religious… but who could have imagined it would come in this grotesque form, this morbid fair, this circus of sanctified corpses and politicians in vestments? The border between politics and religion? It’s already shattered! The rulers kneel, the priests bless, the cameras broadcast: everything dissolves into the same stinking stew of hypocrisy! Continue reading
DILARA FINFIKOLU 2026
Enough! Let us put an end to this travesty of style’s History, dressed up only to amuse the fashionable gallery. Gothic was not born in some backroom of Central Saint Martins between two Instagram selfies and a sponsored “rebellious” performance. No: it was conceived, forged, and imposed on fashion by Jean-Luc Amsler. Full stop.
And now we’re supposed to swallow the idea that Dilara Findikoglu with a name fit for a roadside inn is the high priestess of darkness? What a farce! Here is a designer who proclaims herself subversive, yet only extends her hand to the market like a carnival barker. Her so-called “punk” is nothing but a runway special effect, her “feminism” a Turkish sales tag, and her “gothic” a kind of watered-down carnival for gullible spectators.
Her grand show “Cage of Innocence”? A cage indeed: one where imagination is locked up and reduced to a Versailles-style amusement park backdrop. Marie-Antoinette had her Hamlet of the Queen, Findikoglu will have her Disneyland of lace-clad anguish. Add a little pink, a little white, just enough to reassure investors and clients and voilà, “radicality” becomes Instagrammable! Continue reading
KIDSUPER SPRING 2026
It takes nerve to christen a brand. Some choose discretion, elegance, a subtle reference. KidSuper, on the other hand, went for the gaudy glare of a “SUPER” promise. But what is truly super here, other than an inflation of ego and a caricature of half-digested creativity?
This is a shrill advertisement for a world that confuses genius with tomfoolery. From the name alone, everything is clear: a fashion that struts around under the pretense of boldness. “Kid” stands for regression, “Super” for excess. One can almost hear a child dressing up as a superhero with scraps of garish fabric. Continue reading
KERING INVENTS CEO SPEED-DATING
Kering seems to have found the miracle cure for all its problems: changing (yet again) the CEO at Gucci. After nine months in the role, Stefano Cantino—barely the length of a maternity leave or two fashion seasons—has already been shown the door. Apparently, in luxury, instability is the new must-have accessory.
The new star in sight? Francesca Bellettini is being touted as “one of the most accomplished executives,” a former Goldman Sachs alum—in other words, the perfect candidate to wear impeccable suits while juggling Excel spreadsheets. Her arrival is being sold as a “crucial moment” by Luca de Meo, Kering’s new boss, who hasn’t even had time to set down his office plant before launching into a full-scale clean-up. Continue reading
RH – THE ECLIPSE OF REFINEMENT
So here we are, presented with yet another temple of luxury, erected like a manifesto of ostentatious grandeur, with its seven levels piled up like the vanities of a world already overfed. A design gallery, two culinary spaces, an interior studio… it reads like a catalog of desires packaged in marble and glass. Paris, once again summoned as a postcard backdrop, finds itself ordered to host this transatlantic hybrid: half American dream bunker, half French palace of illusions.
And already, the specialized media wave their censers: “success,” “innovation,” “international clientele”… As if the philosopher’s stone of high-end retail had just been discovered. But what revelation is there, other than the repetition of the same equation? Money, staging, a hint of lifestyle, and the illusion of endless refinement. One almost regrets that the Lord Himself did not do this with La Samaritaine. Continue reading
HOW THE ZIPPER WAS INVENTED
The zipper, commonly called a zip, is today an everyday object, found on jeans, bags, coats, or even shoes. It is so widespread that we almost forget it was the result of a patient invention, the fruit of several attempts before becoming established.
The first experiments date back to the 19th century. In 1851, the concept emerged for the first time when Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine, filed a patent for an “automatic clothing closure device.” But his idea went nowhere: the time was not yet ripe, and his system was considered too complex.
A few decades later, in 1891, an American engineer, Whitcomb Judson, imagined a “sliding fastener” system, mainly intended for shoes. He presented it at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. But this prototype, unreliable and difficult to use, failed to achieve commercial success.
The real turning point came in 1913, thanks to Gideon Sundback, a Swedish engineer who had emigrated to the United States. By improving Judson’s model, he developed a more practical mechanism: two strips of fabric fitted with metal teeth that interlock using a slider. Sundback filed his patent in 1917, and his invention quickly became the first functional zipper. Continue reading
NEW YORK 2026 USELESS BUT ESSENTIAL
In a particularly gloomy global context, customers are demanding lightness. And lightness, there is plenty: she blows on Michael Kors’ chic harem pants to meditate on gas prices, Proenza Schouler’s knit dresses to save on air conditioning by letting the air through, and Rachel Comey’s soft pink blouses to look like a luxury marshmallow. Between major trends and textile highlights, here is the best of New York Fashion Week 2026… revised and corrected by FM humor.
CAVIN KLEIN 2026
TRAPANI DIES AT 68
Luxury industry entrepreneur and investor Francesco Trapani has passed away in Rome at the age of 68. The son of Lia Bulgari and nephew of Gianni, Paolo and Nicola Bulgari, he had, according to the statement, “inherited a profound passion for excellence, creativity and innovation.”
Appointed chief executive officer of the Roman house in 1984, he led Bulgari for three decades, transforming the company into one of the world’s most iconic jewelry brands and an international leader in luxury. Visionary and bold, Francesco Trapani redefined the boundaries of the industry, strengthening Bulgari’s global presence and establishing it as a symbol of Italian elegance and contemporary refinement. His strategic insight and relentless drive not only shaped the future of the maison but also left a lasting mark on the entire luxury sector.
The funeral will take place on Saturday at noon at the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome.
THE RIDDLE OF THE HEADBAND
It is said that at the bottom of an old chest at the Grès house, abandoned for decades, lay a mysterious accessory. It was a deep black headband, adorned with a single translucent stone that seemed to change color depending on the light. No one claimed its origin, not even Madame Alix, and nothing in the house archives. The oldest hands said they had always seen it, lying there, as if no one had dared to move it.
Yet, every time an apprentice or a model, out of curiosity, placed it on their head, something strange happened: the way others looked at it changed. Some saw the person as more elegant, others more disturbing, almost fascinating. As if the headband projected a different aura for each person.
Little by little, the rumor grew. Was it a forgotten prototype? A talisman crafted by a secret artisan? A piece stolen from a collector? No one ever knew. Jewelry specialists recognized no known style. Gemologists couldn’t identify the stone.
So, it was given a name: the accessory without origin. And there it remained, in its case, sometimes appearing in stolen photos or fashion stories, but never officially worn on a runway. As if the world of couture had decided that such a seductive mystery should remain intact. And perhaps it’s precisely this mystery that makes it the most precious.
FM
THE US OPEN TURNED INTO A DUMP FOR BOTOXED BIMBOS
The US Open! This tournament, supposed to be the pinnacle of sport, the embodiment of merit, sweat, self-sacrifice, those hours of solitude on the court and training, that merciless discipline that makes an athlete a champion. And what are we being sold in endless glossy columns and sponsored Instagram posts? Certainly not the sporting achievement, but the pathetic parade of a “court of mirages”: Botoxed stars, supermarket bimbos, silicone clones, and interchangeable influencers whose only contribution to humanity is a plastic smile and a promo code for a pair of sneakers mass-produced by children.
The contrast is obscene. On one side, players who transform their bodies into precision instruments, who pay for each victory with blood and tears. On the other, a gallery of idle, thoughtless, worthless extras who make their navels an idol of cosmetic surgery, their only asceticism.
Sport is diverted from its essence to become the backdrop for a walking advertisement for emptiness, a podium offered to these new aristocrats of nothingness. They produce nothing, create nothing, inspire nothing, except an abysmal fatigue in the face of the degradation of the sporting spectacle.
HAUTCOEUR THE NEW FACE OF VERSACE COMMUNICATIONS
She steps into the role after Mathieu Baboulène, and will now report to Caroline Deroche Pasquier, who joined Versace last year as vice president of global communications following a celebrated tenure at Bottega Veneta.
True to her Kering roots, Hautcoeur moved to London in 2021 to take on the role of head of communications for Northern Europe at Bottega Veneta. A strategic position at the heart of a house on the rise, it allowed her to sharpen her expertise across key markets. Continue reading