Category Archives: BREAKING MODE
HERMÈS DARE THE UGLY
The Spring-Summer ready-to-wear 2017 has the smell of an old sadler. The new artistic designer Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski failed with the code of Hermès. It seems that when she conceive the collection, she completely forgot who were the clients and in due fact the clients will forget Hermès.
The ugliness of the collection reflects the ill-being of the firm. More than an ill-being, it the industrialization and the change of economic model which disrupts the culture of the company. When the culture of a firm is not respected, the group becomes a MacDonald or in Vuitton. That’s the way it is.
In my opinion, the cocktail which consists to continuously give more money to the shareholders on less quality products is a cocktail which will lead the company to an end. It cannot happen in a brand like LVMH where brands in deficit rely on profitable brands. That cannot happen in a mono brand like Hermès. Continue reading
FATIMA LOPEZ PARIS 2018
The 38th Parisian collection of ready to wear created by Fatima Lopes get its inspiration by the amazing and magical aesthetic of Birds.
Enchanted by the harmony and the elegance of the colours association, often unexpected but always graceful, the designer created aerial and colourful silhouettes which combine lightness and nobility because of the choice of the fabrics, and strong architecture of the pattern which remind the steep lines of bird’s beaks.
The colours embrace each other in an explosion of bright and fruity colours such as raspberry, grapefruit, emerald green, red and so on.
Important is as well the utilisation of more neutral ones as nude and black, bringing balance to the palette through them pureness.
Among Beach and Cocktails, the superposition of silk’s chiffon layers plays with the transparencies and engage the clothing into a game a see through which show only lightly the body shapes.
GUY LAROCHE DARC EN CIEL
LANVIN NO SHAW
The anagram of Lanvin is not lapidary but nival, the rich Chinese woman, Shaw-Lan Wang, who is in reality Taiwanese, recruits the new designer on feeling. But who would be the fashion designer of her dreams? It is a man, 100% straight, no salary expected, and supposed to have no integrity … For this first collection of Olivier Lapidus the emotion is egal at : nothing ! in the same way that you have no emotion when you go to Zara.
No observation of the world, superficial, outfashioned dresses, the common sewing and devoid of characteristics.
We leave the collection as the pigs emerge from a quagmire, stunned by displeasure. Even, Mrs. Imatoumi of the Qing dynasty, told me at the end of the show that she had never seen so much ‘duster cloth’. If you do not believe me, look at the pictures hereafter immersed in this abyss of diarrhea incubator, and you will stay without stifling or throw up, is prohibited, as a prisoner of the none creativity house Lanvin. Continue reading
DIOR AVE MARIA RAZZIA SURI
MILANO FASHION WEEK
Blue skies and daily doses of sunshine worked wonders on the mood of buyers, who praised Milan’s creativity and use of color, disco glitter and tailoring. During Milano Fashion Week, Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman said “The weather was an upper for Milan, many collections were on an up and where there was newness, our spend will be up to match,”. Blue skies and daily doses of sunshine worked wonders on the mood of buyers, who praised Milan’s creativity and use of color, disco glitter and tailoring.
Helen David of Harrods said her must-have was “Gucci everything,” while Mario Grauso of Holt Renfrew summed up many of the retailers’ feelings about the Versace show, Donatella’s tribute to Gianni on the 20-year anniversary of his death: “Donatella has dominated the entire week with her tribute collection and reunion of the most iconic models.” Sadly, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Helena Christensen, and Claudia Schiffer reunited one time only for the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace’s death. Continue reading
MISSONI 2018 MILAN
FENDI 2018 MILAN
GUCCI WALLPAPER COUTURE
The impeccably curated tableau vivant of artful, ironic juxtaposition features a too-tall putti-painted architectural panel turned on its side against romantic floral wallpaper.
Alessandro Michele arrives with the aura of a rock-‘n’-roll aesthete: Seventies haircut and beard working in concert with his Gucci street-glam regalia: aviator shades; sequined baseball jacket over jeans and dragons on his boots.
In his creative reflexion Alessandro Michele does not think Fashion anymore but prefer to express his vision than beauty: dare the ugly.
Last year Alessandro wondered what should we do in the future collection at his last year first presentation. Now we know. Gucci builds the future of the fashion house on ruins in Milan. Continue reading
ANTONIO BERARDI LONDON 2018
KIM JONES IN VERSACE
At Versace, discussions are held to recruit the designer Kim Jones, currently men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton.
Interviewed on the sidelines of the Versus show in London on Sunday, Versace chief executive officer Jonathan Akeroyd declined all comment. A Vuitton spokeswoman also declined comment, while Jones could not be reached for comment.
An extraordinary globetrotter with a passion for wildlife, Jones has no design experience in women’s wear or couture, but has had a storied fashion career, with John Galliano snapping up his graduate collection from Central Saint Martins.
His own men’s wear label, known for its sporty, streetwear edge, lasted for eight seasons and attracted the attention of Dunhill, where he was creative director from 2008 to 2011, when Vuitton came. Continue reading
HERMES, WHAT’S GROWING ON?
Hermes sales were up 8.9 percent in the second quarter, down from 13.5 percent in the previous three months. Revenues in the three months to June 30 totaled 1.36 billion euros, representing a rise of 8.3 percent at constant exchange rates.
That compares with a 15 percent rise in revenues at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and a 25.4 percent increase at Kering, which saw net profit surge 77.6 percent thanks to another outstanding performance from its cash-cow brand Gucci.
In the medium-term, despite growing economic, geopolitical and monetary uncertainties around the world, the group confirms an ambitious goal for revenue growth at constant exchange rates. Everybody can dream. Continue reading
RALPH LAUREN NEW YORK 2018
NAMILIA TITS TILTE
Fashion Weeks are a real opportunity for new designers to make them known. Unfortunately, often we attend to presentation which will never be produced and are better suited for a conceptualized student show than one from a brand trying to sell product. It is a real debate which has been on for quite some time over the traditional fashion week runway format.
Namilia designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl seemed far from thoses concerns and have presented a collection inspired of the XVI/XVII centuries.
Therefore not only these clothes cannot be sold and technically there is a real lack of know-how. Those two designers should go back to a fashion school. Continue reading
TOM FORD SPRING SUMMER 2018 NY
PAUL KA AND PARTNERS
Change Capital Partners has sold a majority stake in French fashion brand Paule Ka to businessman Xavier Marie, and the brand will be parting ways with its chief executive officer and creative director.
Marie, founder and former ceo of furniture and home decor company Maisons du Monde, has acquired an 80 percent stake in Paule Ka, with Change Capital retaining the remaining 20 percent, a spokeswoman of the label said on Wednesday.
Catherine Vautrin, chairman and ceo of the house since February 2015, is leaving to explore new opportunities in Italy. Creative director Alithia Spurri-Zampetti will also be leaving the company after a two-year collaboration.
Paule Ka will not be presenting a spring collection during Paris Fashion Week. Instead, a capsule collection designed by its in-house studio will be shown to buyers at its showroom between Sept. Continue reading
RICHARD RENÉ AND GUY LAROCHE
Richard René will be the next Creative Director for Guy Laroche, a veteran of brands including Hermès and Jean Paul Gaultier, has taken the helm of the label Guy Laroche and is slated to show his first collection on Sept. 27 during Paris Fashion Week. He succeeds American designer Adam Andrascik, who had held the post since 2015.
René began his career in 1994 at Hermès as assistant to then-creative director Claude Brouet. Between 1997 and 2004, he worked at Jean Paul Gaultier as assistant on haute couture collections and accessories. He returned to the brand from 2007 to 2011 as designer of men’s collections and women’s pre-collections.
This follows recent changes in creative direction at Lanvin, Givenchy and Chloé — all of whom will be presenting collections by new creative directors in the fall. Continue reading
NY FASHION WEEK
Plenty of major names have skipped out of New York Fashion Week; Tommy Hilfiger is off to London for his show and the season has been shortened by one day. Nonetheless, despite, a five-brand departure.
Many designers have felt the allure of Europe; truly major global brands Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Tory Burch are still firmly committed to New York.
Proenza Schouler moved to Paris for the couture season in July. While Thom Browne took his menswear show all the way to the Beaux Arts. New York has also suffered the departure of Joseph Altuzarra who will take his spring 2018 show to the French capital. But Altuzarra’s is French nobody is perfect. Continue reading
LA REDOUTE NO DOUBT
Amazon will be in France the new digital retailers. That is why Galeries Lafayette announced on Thursday its control over the French clothing and home furnishing catalogue, La Redoute.
It is the start of a move of Department stores to face Amazon. Department stores like Galeries Lafayette are the right balance between physical stores and digital offerings.
La Redoute, which historically belonged to Kering, is a household name in France, selling a broad selection of clothing and furniture. Kering exited the business in 2014 as part of a broader strategy to focus on brands with global appeal, selling the company to La Redoute managers. Continue reading
LAURENCE XU PARIS 2017
CHANEL NEGATIVE RESULT
Unlike its main competitors, LVMH and Kering, which last year both posted record growth, in 2016 Chanel suffered a fall in sales and profits. After years of steady growth, Chanel indeed continues to slow down. As in 2015, last year the French fashion label, led since 1983 by Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld, saw its net income plummet by 34.8%, down to $874 million (€736 million), while its revenue lost 9%, reaching $5.67 billion (€4.77 billion).
According to the group, the downturn is chiefly explained by the sale of its Chanel Limited UK subsidiary, which accounts for approximately 11% of sales, to another Chanel-owned corporation. “On a like-for-like basis and at constant exchange rates, the results were on par with 2015,” wrote the group in its yearly report, noting also how, among other reasons, in the first part of the year Chanel was affected by the terrorist attacks in Europe, which “had a negative impact on tourist flows and consequently sales.” Continue reading
CHRISTIAN DIOR COUTURIER DE RÊVE
VANS AND KARL COOPERATION
Vans and Karl Lagerfeld have just signed a cooperation to design a footwear and apparel capsule set to be launched worldwide on September 7.
The two brands have fused their respective universes, the Vans’ hallmark checkerboard pattern is revisited using a cameo motif depicting Lagerfeld’s iconic profile.
There will be six interpretations of Vans footwear classics include the Sk8-Hi laceless platform and Old Skool laceless (old school, Karl knows well about it) styles outfitted in leather with the quilted letter-shaped detail atop white platform soles, and a solid black leather Classic Slip-On — also with the quilted letter K. Continue reading