DIOR LAST DAY AV MONTAIGNE
A giant Jack and the Beanstalk faux redwood in charcoal creeping up four floors up through the stairway, fabulous black and white paintings and a string quartet in white Grecian robes playing Vivaldi. Ironically, the show was staged just days before the house begins a massive reconstruction of its historic headquarters on Avenue Montaigne. Continue reading
JOSSE LA FEMME DES SABLES
MINZOO BRAND SHANGHAI
The MINZOO brand is dedicated to creating a stylish IP with ethnic characteristics and bringing it to the international market. Apply intangible cultural heritage to modern daily life design, digg up new design power, make Chinese national culture fashionable, meet fashion and related industry insiders to find and inspire while at the same time promote the national special handicraft culture to the international market. Continue reading
PYER MOSS 250 $
Following its debut in pink, the Reebok Experiment 3 by Pyer Moss will be returning in a white colorway. Pyer Moss was founded in 2013 by Kerby Jean-Raymond. Jean-Raymond describes the brand as an “art project” or “a timely social experiment” at times. Pyer Moss aims to use its voice and platform to challenge social narratives and evoke dialogue.
Pyer Moss continues to redefine itself every season with collections and runways that combine storytelling, activism, debate, theatre and social commentary; all while using collaboration with artists and brands as a medium to further the dialogue around seasonal themes. Continue reading
TUNIS FASHION WEEK 2020
PARIS GOOD FASHION
Following the launch of the sustainable initiative Paris Good Fashion in January, founder Isabelle Lefort received a flood of reactions to the project, which was sparked by the city of Paris and supported by the Institut Français de la mode, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and the Galeries Lafayette.
Six months later, Kering, Chanel, Richemont and SMCP are also now on board, as well as both the French couture and ready-to-wear federations, textile trade show Première Vision and even fashion model Arizona Muse.
"It revealed there has clearly been a global awakening, but now everyone needs to sit round a table to discuss and exchange ideas for concrete actions’s Continue reading
LANVIN PARIS MENSWEAR 2020
KENZO GOOD BYE, LES LIM
Carol Lim and Humberto Leon were bidding a poignant farewell after nearly a decade as creative directors. The moving retrospective, which opened and closed the show, was choreographed by Léo Lerus. Some 5,000 guests attended, including members of the public, fashion students and Kenzo staff.
Fluttery strips of fabric, like little waves, lined the front and back of a navy dress, while halter tops with puff sleeves had a liquid sheen. One hoodie came with a toile de jouy like design and a big sailing ship, while sailor collars or fishing net panels adorned jackets.
This farewell should have come as no surprise to those familiar with Lim and Leon, whose shows have long included live bands, dance troupes and traditional Japanese theater, in a nod to the house’s founder, Kenzo Takada. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has so far been mum on its succession plan in order not to taint Leon and Lim’s final show.
But according to sources, Kenzo is zeroing in on a contract with Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista, who last year wrapped an eight-year tenure as creative director of Lacoste. Continue reading
BALMAIN MIAMI FLASHY
This show was an Olivier Rousteing spectacular, with the designer joining the city’s annual Fête de la Musique in Paris on the longest night of the year, and inviting a 2,000-strong (Ego forces) crowd to watch his men’s runway outing and outdoor concert. Continue reading
FIRST DAY PFW BY OFF WHITE
Off-White opened the second day of Paris Fashion Week with a controversial show. The subject of the debate wasn’t the clothes but the end of the presentation. Rewind.
The set was a huge stage mounted inside the Carreau du Temple made of plywood: people were sitting all around a big flower bed with musk and white carnations.
But the finale shook up the entire audience. The models came out in groups stomping on the flowers and devastating the bucolic atmosphere. We could naively interpret this as bad boys that violate the “keep off the grass” sign. Continue reading
SIR LAUREN KBE
On Wednesday, Lauren was given an honorary KBE, or Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for services to fashion during a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Because he’s an American citizen, the title is an honorary one and Lauren won’t be able to use “Sir” ahead of his name unless he becomes a British citizen.
Other honorary American KBEs include Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Bob Hope, Alan Greenspan, Ted Kennedy and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Lauren is the first American fashion designer to receive the accolade.
This isn’t the first time the Brits or the royal family have feted Lauren: In 2016, the British Fashion Council honored the designer with its Outstanding Achievement award at the Fashion Awards in London. Continue reading
TAKAHIROMIYASHITA PARIS 2020
BARTOLOMEO AT BOTTEGA’S
Kering has named Bartolomeo Rongone as chief executive officer of Bottega Veneta, succeeding Claus-Dietrich. Rongone’s appointment will be effective beginning Sept. 1, making him the third former Saint Laurent executive to take on a ceo role at Kering.
Rongone was previously chief operating officer of Saint Laurent in charge of ready-to-wear, leather goods and shoes, as well as global retail operations and client engagement. He joins Bottega Veneta at a time of rapid change for the brand, which last year hired Daniel Lee as creative director.
The Italian executive, 48, will report to François-Henri Pinault, chairman and ceo of Kering. Continue reading
PERFUME AWARDS WINNERS
Accademia del Profumo, the Italian association of cosmetics companies promoting the history of perfume, culture and art, named its annual award winners here on Tuesday.
Giorgio Armani’s Sì Passione and Dior Sauvage Eau de Parfum were named best fragrances of the year in the women’s and men’s categories, respectively, as a result of the votes of consumers. Continue reading
CARVEN NAMES DAPHNE COUSINEAU
Carven was acquired by Icicle Group in October 2018 with the aim to relaunch and redeploy the Carven brand, activities and collections in France, China and the international market. This major hire, conducted with the assistance of an Executive Search Firm, is a first step which demonstrates the will of the Icicle Group to give Carven the leadership it deserves to ensure its development in addition to the strength and synergies the Icicle Group will provide to the French Fashion House.
Daphne Cousineau was most recently President EMEA for Balenciaga, prior to that she was Global Sales Director at Lanvin after having spent several years at Valentino in France and in Europe in Managing Director and commercial positions. Earlier in her career, she was with McKinsey company where she held various consulting positions in Montreal, London and Paris. A Canadian and French national, Daphné Cousineau is a graduate from the University of Montreal. Continue reading
MALANDRINI WINNER
I like to try to push the boundaries of an identity of a garment,” said Francesco Malandrini, winner of the Supernature: Polimoda Fashion Show 2019, held Tuesday night at the Manifattura Tabacchi in Florence on the occasion of Pitti Uomo.
As one of 22 of the school’s final year Fashion Design students selected to participate in the event, the 25-year-old’s six bold, cartoonish, graphic and arty men’s wear silhouettes based on printed foam impressed a panel of industry players.
Malandrini, who grew up in the outskirts of Florence and graduated from the fashion school the day after the show, said he saw foam as a good medium for creating volume and displaying print, but also for communicating.
“It’s meant to be a reflection on human nature and mankind, with this idea that we’re just animals among other animals. Continue reading
BALMAIN DESERT STYLE RESORT
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- Balmain Resort 2020
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- Balmain Resort 2020
A road trip through the Arizona desert was the starting point for Olivier Rousteing’s resort collection for Balmain, a desert for a desert creation which featured caftans printed with cactuses (ouch!) and burnt landscapes as well as graphic minidresses inspired by tribal paintings and tattoos from French designers. Continue reading
NEW EDITOR IN CHEF JUMPING ESQUIRE
Hearst Magazines is taking a digital swerve with its choice for the new editor in chief of Esquire. Michael Sebastian, currently digital director for the magazine, is its new editor, making for a major leap on the masthead. Sebastian has been at Esquire for only about two years, but joined Hearst in 2015 as senior editor and then director of its digital news division.
Before that, he was a reporter, with a stint covering media for AdAge and before that several years covering p.r. industry news for Lawrence Ragan Communications.
Nick Sullivan, currently Esquire’s fashion director since 2004, is getting a promotion. He will now be the magazine’s creative director. Both men are taking up their new roles immediately.
UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER LONDON
MARRAKECH AT MALIBU BY YSL
On Thursday, Marrakech came to Malibu for the Saint Laurent spring 2020 men’s show with a cinematic sunset setting, a runway in the sand and perfectly lit ocean waves crashing at the models’ feet.
Anthony Vaccarello rekindled Yves Saint Laurent’s gender-bending revolution for today’s gender-fluid generation using Mick Jagger as inspiration. The result was a collection of sexy sheer shirts, embroidered tunics and voluminous harem pants (yes, harem pants) that marked a confident step forward for Vaccarello and out of Hedi Slimane’s strictly tailored men’s wear shadow.
Rather than making a political statement with the gender-fluid styles the designer said he was trying to express what just comes naturally to young people when they get dressed today. “When I design for a woman, I think about a man and when I design for a man, I think about a woman’s wardrobe,” he explained of his process, adding that he believed it would be more interesting to show Arab-influenced dress in Los Angeles, which he has been visiting since he was a child, than in Marrakech itself, a place to which the brand is intrinsically tied and also where Dior held its cruise show just weeks ago.
But once everyone was near the water, the sound of the waves created an unusual pre-show calm. Continue reading
YVES ST LAURENT COLETTE CALL
Colette the space that housed the Paris concept store for 20 years will reopen on Saturday as Saint Laurent Rive Droite, a new retail format developed by creative director Anthony Vaccarello that will sell everything from Jean Prouvé chairs to Saint Laurent-branded condoms.
The new boutique and its sister unit on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, opening the same day, represent a departure for Saint Laurent, known for its minimal stores featuring acres of veiny marble and gleaming shelves. Continue reading
CHLOE RESORT CHINA 2020
Atop the Long Museum in Shanghai, Chloé resort 2020 dove deep into China’s cinematic treasures, in a first that brought the French label outside its home country to launch a collection.
In the lead-up to Thursday night’s runway show, creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi found herself digging through the film works of Chinese director greats: Jia Zhangke, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Zhang Yimou, Lou Ye, and Bi Gan, as well as their leading ladies Gong Li, Shu Qi, and Zhao Tao.
Ramsay-Levi played with old China codes quilted jackets with flowers, jacquard prints and even pajama styles. After seeing how it paired so well with the architecture around the city, she added Art Deco flourishes to the clothes, which had been pulled from the house’s archives.
For the brand’s devotees, there was plenty to pick from long-trailing neck scarfs, earthy colors and tailored pants in multiple material variations ranging from georgette silk to denim. Continue reading
HERMES CROCODILE DANDY
There will be color, teased Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermès International, revealing a few details about plans by the French luxury firm to launch a makeup line next year. Color is the only thing he can analyse!
For the moment, we are starting with makeup, it’s a long-term plan, we will launch in 2020, with an announcement when we are ready we still have to finish the products. Nobody launches an unfinished makeup line !
The perfumes division accounted for around 5 percent of the company’s annual sales of nearly 6 billion euros last year.
Asked about conditions for slaying crocodiles, Dumas said that the company has veterinary guidelines that are “much more demanding than local regulation so that animal well-being is respected in each farm it’s essential, part of Hermès’ projects.” Now you understand why Hermès carries on killing crocodile in top secret farm. Continue reading