Here is the couture man the most destitute of Fashion Week and the most pathetic, armed with merely a month of study at Esmod. He is a one-man amateur lexicographer, crafting a couture born from a phlegmatic spit, slowly making its morbid descent to the ground and muttering back: “I am the black hole of the universe.” Hammering away at common sense with his needle, he stands at the very antipodes of today’s trends.

He leaves Balmain after fourteen years of reign without a throne fourteen years of sequins, selfies, and gold-shouldered jackets. Olivier Rousteing, the man who turned a couture house into an Instagram and TikTok franchise, takes his final bow. This tormented soul who imagines all the world’s misery was meant for him a lonely child first, then burned later, after the theft of a collection that, truth be told, was never going to fly that high. And when he is alone with himself, staring at the blank page, he strikes his own forehead to summon the genesis of creation yet nothing comes.

Now fashion sighs not with emotion, but with disbelief: how could a designer who couldn’t sew lead such a prestigious atelier? Balmain, once synonymous with perfect cuts and architectural tailoring, had become a temple of the “digital pout”, where the needle was replaced by a filter.

Of course, one must credit him with a certain talent: that of self-performance. Rousteing managed to make himself the most profitable product of the house. The Balmain Army that battalion of models and influencers as dazzling as a sequin curtain paraded more often on social media than on catwalks. Continue reading →

This is a(Chronicle of a Small Earthquake in the Kingdom of Fashion). In the golden heavens of haute couture, where reigns the Almighty Lord of Luxury, a strange sound was heard: “Versace sold to Prada for $1.4 billion!”

The angels of marketing lost their wings. Even the tailors of “j’aDior”, overcome with emotion, pricked their fingers on their pins. For you see, the rival Capri Holdings thought to be dozing off atop its Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo had just landed a major blow, an uppercut in Italian silk.

At the head of this little rebellion stood a certain “John Idol” a name predestined, if not divine. The man may not have multiplied margins as others multiply loaves, yet he has kept the faith:

“We performed better in the second quarter,” he declared, like a preacher in a Roman collar. “Our revenues fell by only 2.5%  praise profitability!”

Granted, the prophet of ready-to-wear has yet to turn the water of losses into champagne: a $34 million deficit still means a lot of bubbles to chase. But optimism remains the essential accessory in this world even more than handbags. Continue reading →

On Monday night, the gods of fashion gathered at New York’s Museum of Natural History where usually it’s the dinosaurs that steal the spotlight. This time, it was Ralph Lauren roaring: he took home the CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Ralph beat out Wes Gordon (Carolina Herrera), Rachel Scott (Diotima), Daniella Kallmeyer (Kallmeyer), and Tory Burch who’s probably starting to wonder if the jury has a personal vendetta against her.

Naomi Watts handed him the award, proving once again that she can do it all: cry in a horror movie and smile sincerely while giving a trophy to a man whose polos have taken over the planet since 1995. Continue reading →

SHEIN is this ogre a clown? This smuggled Jonah lands on the asphalt of Châtelet, by the unexpected hiccup of a Great Trabucaire Collector, pounding out the drumbeat of slander and fashion. In short, at the BHV, fast fashion is turning into religion, and Paris lights a polyester candle. Because on November 5 at exactly 1 p.m., while some in the neighborhood will be lunching on lukewarm quinoa thinking about the end of the world, others will hurry to the BHV to witness an event of historic significance: the opening of the very first physical store in the world of the Chinese brand.

Here, then, is the temple of “made-in-anywhere” settling into the beating heart of the capital, under the respectable vaults of the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville and across from another bazaar that of the queen mayor spends. Paris, city of couture, capital of fashion, cradle of Dior, Chanel, and Saint Laurent, now welcomes its enemy. Thanks to the “Pascal Marrants” and “flying rices” for doing nothing to prevent this brand known as “the hops”  from selling a €2.99 sweater that reeks of kerosene. Continue reading →

Gen Z and Alpha… the ones who replaced the Britney Spears poster with a bottle of niacinamide serum and who no longer wear makeup to please, but to protest. Lipstick has become a political manifesto, and every hydrating mask a statement of intent. Welcome to the wonderful world of “purpose-driven beauty,” where we save the planet one sponsored story at a time.

We’re told these young people are “changing the game.” They want authenticity, transparency, meaning. Yes meaning, but delivered within 24 hours, with free returns. They no longer just buy things; they “create movements.” Movements of the wrist, mostly while shaking their ring light for yet another “my morning skincare routine” video.

They’re not consumers anymore they’re people doing the same thing at the same time in front of a phone. Old-fashioned sleepovers are making a comeback, except now they’re “face mask workshops,” “group selfies,” “collective reels” beauty sessions where no one looks at each other, but everyone films themselves. Continue reading →

When the Chinese Communist Party Champions… Consumption. It’s an announcement that would make Karl Marx smile if he ever saw the price of a J’aDior handbag. On Tuesday, the Chinese government unveiled the broad outlines of its 15th Five-Year Plan, with one clear ambition: to boost household consumption. Yes, you read that correctly the Chinese Communist Party wants its citizens to shop more.

Presented at the close of the fourth plenum of the 20th Party Congress, this strategic plan aims to rebalance the country’s economy, still too reliant on exports and public investment, by giving more weight to domestic demand. A logic that smells distinctly of Keynesianism… with a mandarin twist.

This 15th plan does not mark an ideological revolution it continues a trend that began several years ago. But what’s new is the scale of the rhetoric around “common prosperity” and the rise of a consumer middle class, expected to become the engine of China’s future growth.

The authorities want to support purchasing power, improve social protection, and stimulate demand for high value-added goods and services. And among those goods, of course… is luxury. Continue reading →

We thought we had exhausted every form of charming ugliness the Funko Pops, or those Chucky dolls displayed like trophies of our sentimental age. And then, one morning, from a few workshops somewhere in East Asia, appeared the “Labubu”: little plush demons conceived by a certain Kasing Lung a poet with a scalpel, a taciturn genius who seems to have grown up inside a Grimm fairy tale censored by Freud.

The Labubu has the look of a modern chimera: a rabbit on amphetamines, a Gremlin who once attended a rainbow-pony boarding school, a Scandinavian troll deprived of sleep and therapy… Their carnivorous grin, hallucinated eyes, insomniac-elf ears, and tiny mutant-baby body inspire ambiguity: should we kiss them, burn them, or have them read Rimbaud?

Each new appearance of a Labubu sparks scenes of consumerist delirium worthy of the first days of a Hermès sale. Teenagers camp outside the temples of Pop Mart, servers collapse under the weight of desire, and prices soar like start-up shares before the crash. A rare Labubu can fetch sums that would make a Silicon Valley courtier proud, and rumor has it that some collectors would sell a kidney or a mother-in-law without remorse to acquire this plush Grail. Continue reading →

Under Louis XIV, the stocking (or long “sock,” but made of silk!) was not a mere accessory: it was a symbol of nobility and refinement, on par with the wig, the lace jabot, or the red heels. The stockings were made of fine silk, often imported from Italy or from Lyon, the great capital of French silk-making. They were sometimes knitted by hand, sometimes by machine, since the knitting machine (invented by William Lee at the end of the 16th century) had already begun to spread.

They reached above the knee sometimes almost to mid-thigh and were held up by garters decorated with ribbons and bows. The most fashionable even had their stockings embroidered: small patterns, gold threads, lace… Nothing was too beautiful when it came to showing off one’s legs.

The handsome calf! It was a true weapon of seduction. Courtiers, ever attentive to their figures, cultivated that shapely curve as eagerly as ladies cared for their complexions. An elegant gentleman was said to have “a well-turned calf,” and some even padded their stockings with cotton to enhance the shape if their legs were too thin. Continue reading →

The creation, production, and distribution of perfumes follow an industrial model radically different from that of fashion or leather goods. It requires global logistical infrastructures, laboratories, a massive distribution network, and marketing capabilities suited to the luxury mass market. L’Oréal, the world leader in beauty, has mastered this model to perfection, whereas Kering—historically focused on fashion does not possess such executional strength. Selling or licensing to L’Oréal means relying on a more competent player to accelerate the growth of its brands.

By selling Creed and granting its beauty licenses for €4 billion, Kering immediately recovers substantial liquidity. These funds allow it to reinvest in its fashion houses—particularly Gucci and Balenciaga, which have faced recent challenges—and to finance their creative and commercial repositioning. In other words, rather than waiting for gradual revenues from fragrance, Kering prefers to reallocate capital toward its strategic priorities. Continue reading →

The Giorgio Armani Group has a new Chief Executive Officer: Giuseppe Marsocci. He succeeds Giorgio Armani, who also served as Chairman of the group he founded fifty years ago.

With his extensive experience and deep understanding of both the industry and the company, Giuseppe Marsocci was the most natural choice to carry forward the founder’s vision. His discretion, loyalty, team spirit, and the relationship of trust he has built with Mr. Armani over the years convinced the Armani Foundation to unanimously propose his appointment.

Born in Turin on December 20, 1963, Mr. Marsocci will report to the Board of Directors chaired by Mr. Dell’Orco, while Silvana Armani will be appointed Vice Chair.

With over thirty-five years of international experience in the fashion and luxury industryincluding twenty-three within the Armani Group Giuseppe Marsocci has served since 2019 as Deputy Managing Director and Global Commercial Director.

FM

Thom Browne celebrates the tenth birthday of Hector, his handbag hound, and proves that canine fashion rhymes perfectly with “supermarket jewel.” Ten years already since a dachshund wrapped in luxury leather started turning heads and emptying wallets proof that we’re always betrayed by our “Dogs.” Back in 2016, it was a joke, a canine wink at vanity. In 2026, it’s become a symbol of loyalty that of the customers who keep barking with delight at every new version. A capital “I” for “Iconic” luxury and when I see dogs greeting each other by sniffing each other’s rear ends, one has to wonder if the designer wasn’t an expert on the matter.

But let’s not be cynical: Hector now has his own mythology. This season, the pooch reigns proudly among interchangeable bermuda shorts because you have to keep reinventing the idea of the “new bag” when you keep selling the same thing. And since Thom Browne never does things halfway, the faithful companion even shows up embroidered into tweed intarsia and Mogador silk. You can almost picture the dog yawning in boredom amid so much seriousness.

The collection revisits American preppy style it’s trendy again that same mix of model student and neurotic banker, updated with a touch of nostalgia. Browne adds corsets (because why not?), and it takes a certain boldness to turn summer memories into structured grey corsetry. But after all, when you’ve made a dachshund into an icon, nothing’s impossible anymore. Continue reading →

Her name was Gabriella Hanoka, but the fashion world would come to know her as Gaby Aghion. Born in Alexandria on a March morning in 1921, in the golden light of cosmopolitan Egypt, she already carried within her that blend of Eastern grace and French audacity that would one day revolutionize couture.

In 1952, in a Paris still marked by postwar austerity, Gaby founded a house that would become legendary: Chloé the first name of a friend, Chloé Huisman a symbol of youth and freedom. She did not simply create a brand; she created a concept: luxury ready-to-wear, a visionary idea at a time when fashion swore only by haute couture.

With six designs drawn by her own hand and entrusted to a talented seamstress, Gaby walked the boutiques of Paris, knocking on doors with the quiet determination of someone who knows she carries a revolution within her. Soon, the elegant women of Saint-Germain and the free spirits of Montparnasse recognized themselves in her creations fluid, feminine, modern. Her connections in Parisian high society did the rest; the name Chloé slowly found its place in the firmament of fashion. And soon after, she would discover Karl Lagerfeld. Continue reading →

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There are beings whose clothing becomes the reflection of their soul, and Diane Keaton was one of them. Each fabric she wore seemed to gather a fragment of her thought; each accessory, a tremor of her free spirit. It was a style all her own a wide-brimmed hat worn like a diadem of defiance, glasses that filtered the world’s light, vests or turtlenecks embracing the discreet grace of a woman’s neck, ties or scarves chosen not to seduce but to signify independence. Pleated trousers, as ample as a breath, harmonized with jackets sometimes tweed, sometimes velvet and in that blend of daring and restraint, she found her truth.

They called it the “Annie Hall style.” They were mistaken. It was not a role but a revelation the “Diane Keaton style.” From her very first appearance in Woody Allen’s film, this language of clothing became an eternal signature and consecrated her as an icon. An Oscar was bestowed upon her, as one crowns a muse for her brilliance, yet even then, the tribute fell short of what she embodied: the freedom to be oneself.

Fifty years passed, and fashion, like a river, changed its course; but Diane remained faithful to her own shore. Designers often came to draw from it, copying her lines, imitating her light. On red carpets, she could still be seen a clear, determined silhouette dressed sometimes in a masculine suit, sometimes in a flowing dress cinched with a wide belt, as if to remind the world that elegance is first and foremost an inner vow.

Last year, she lent her grace to fashion shows Ralph Lauren’s in New York, Thom Browne’s in Paris where her presence seemed to bless contemporary creation with a benevolent gaze. At seventy-nine, she still carried within her the quiet fire of beginnings. Continue reading →

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I remember that evening somewhere in Johannesburg, I think. It was for the fifteenth anniversary of Maxhosa Africa. The light fell softly over the carpets that had been laid out before the show. There was in the air an almost domestic warmth, a blend of incense, wool, and silk… I no longer knew whether I had come for work, or simply to find a fragment of the past. Continue reading →

Last night in Paris, the planets bowed. Beneath the dome of the Grand Palais, the universe held its breath: Chanel had just entered a new era. Matthieu Blazy didn’t simply present a collection he launched a voyage to an asteroid. After months of silent gestation, the century-old house projected itself into the future with the serene force of a star aware of its own light. The Chanel galaxy was reborn — denser, more vibrant, perhaps even more human. Continue reading →

In her house of silence, in Paris, Chitose Abe opened a window in time. Spring stepped In, barefoot, holding in its hands needles of air and shreds of cotton.

The garments began to breathe. The jeans borrowed the tenderness of the wind, the t-shirts learned the grammar of clouds. A tank top, a crumpled prayer, covered itself with jet-black dreams: the night had fallen asleep upon its shoulder. Continue reading →

Upon discovering Duran Lantink’s first collection for Jean Paul Gaultier, I admittedly felt strangely bewildered. On Sunday, October 5, 2025, amid the hushed tumult of the runway show, the Dutch designer, who emerged from obscurity in 2018 thanks to Janelle Monáe and her daring pantsuits reminiscent of a woman’s nymph in the Pynk music video, had already provoked outrage. Continue reading →

They say that one day, in a house on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the dresses began to breathe. It was the breath of Chemena Kamali, new guardian of the Chloé temple, whispering to the fabrics of oblivion and rebirth. For two years, she has been summoning the spirits of lightness and sun, searching through the archives as one would search for relics in a perfumed crypt.

Under her hands, sheets of cotton twist like prayers, faded flowers regain their color, and the ghosts of Karl Lagerfeld wander among the mannequins, their silhouettes brushing against the mirrors. They say she learned her enchantments at Alberta Ferretti, where women once wore their dresses like dreams of sea and salt.

But the spring she promises is not an ordinary one: it is born not of soil, but of memory. The babydoll skirts, the tops tied like seashells, the floral prints scented with the past  all seem to drift in a golden light that even time itself has forgotten.

In a corner of fashion’s sky, the spirit of Gaby Aghion still smiles. She, the founder the one who once made freedom walk down the runway at Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp must look with tenderness upon this new generation trying to clothe the soul in cotton and remembrance. Continue reading →

It’s true that after turning Gucci into a Venetian bazaar for children of the moon, Alessandro Michele wasn’t suddenly going to embrace minimalism at Valentino. But was it really necessary to repaint Rome in the colors of Saint-Germain-des-Prés after a bad trip to San Francisco?

On Sunday, at nap time, in the Piazza Dati sacred temple of Italo–Parisian couture the neo-hippie sanctuary on LSD, Michele held his grand mass for Valentino. The setting? A dark hall with ceiling lighting that irritated Di Meo, sitting next to Marisa, who was made up like a stolen car. An inclusive fashion festival sponsored by a Pantone color.

On the runway, a procession of baroque angels dressed in crumpled taffeta, lace, and drapery vaguely reminiscent of an over-ironed opera curtain. The models seemed to recite a pagan prayer to lost beauty, repeating, so far, so good. It was pure Michele: a blend of bourgeois woman in search of sex and a chic Notting Hill flea market.

The fans cried genius, the investors simply cried. The new Valentino, apparently, wants to “reconnect the soul of the house with the youth of the world.” Translation: sell Zara-style shirts to Gen Z kids convinced that nostalgia is sustainable and production in China is artisanal. All, of course, at prices that would make a Saudi princess blush. Continue reading →