CHAMPAGNE FOR CHRISTMAS

Artémis Domaines, the wine company of billionaire François Pinault, has acquired the champagne house Jacquesson, it announced Tuesday in a statement. The billionaire’s company, which already owns Château Latour wine and Henriot champagne among others, becomes “the sole shareholder” of the Jacquesson house, in which it had been a minority shareholder since February 2022, the statement said.

Jacquesson, founded in Dizy, Champagne, was previously owned by the Chiquet family, which acquired it in 1974. The estate covers 40 hectares and produces 300,000 bottles per year. Jean Garandeau, general manager of the Jacquesson house since September 2022, retains his steering. Jean-Hervé Chiquet, the former owner, will continue to sit on the board of directors of the house.

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FASHION IN PARIS AND NETFLIX

According to the provisional calendar released Friday by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, all 81 events at Paris Men’s Week in Fall 2023 will be physical. Between Jan. 17 and Jan. 22, 48 shows and 33 presentations will unveil the men’s wear collections.

Saint Laurent will return to Paris on January 17 with its men’s collection show at 9 p.m. Anthony Vaccarello has shown his menswear designs in Marrakech, Jersey City, New Jersey, Venice, Italy, and Malibu.

It had been more than a year since Maison Margiela has shown a men’s collection, the first and only Artisanal collection to date by John Galliano. Its show will take place on Jan. 22 at 8 p.m.

The fashion week cornerstones are settling back into familiar positions with Rick Owens and Louis Vuitton on Jan 19 at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Dior Homme the next day at 2:30 p.m., and Hermès on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Emily Bode will join Emily in Paris in January. The six-year-old brand announced on Wednesday that it would return to the official Paris menswear calendar this season with a show scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 21. Normal for the new president confusing couture and Netflix series, he thinks that the creator of the dumbest series in the world deserves an advertisement to change the image of France by stupid French fashion people. I am willing to bet that there will be Nodelato shoes in the serie. Continue reading

CHRISTENSEN IS SO SLOW

Tuesday night, Helena Christensen joined Dodiee founder Elisa Dahan at the label’s pop-up store in New York’s SoHo for a low-key cocktail party, not secret.

Christensen said she loves Dodiee because it enhances women’s curves. Choosing a body-hugging black knit dress with an open back for the cocktail party was not without irony.

The fact that I ended up wearing something black is funny. I am a very colorful person.

I usually never wear black. People are surprised when I do. Lavender is my favorite color. Hot pink? Yes! Also, the neon lime green is a very bold color to use in a collection and using it in curvaceous designs is a very bold, cool way to show off a woman’s body,” she said of the Dodiee line. Like what, you can be, and go to a party in Soho and not have anything to say! That’s The Way It Is…

PUCCI PACKAGE SKI

Over a three-day experience here, Emilio Pucci’s artistic director, who unveiled the Pucci x Fusalp collection, explained, in an interview at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, that she had known since Day One that she wanted to do a skiwear collection, despite the fact that it’s totally connected to the brand’s lifestyle philosophy. Continue reading

GUCCI RENAME SEASONS

On Tuesday, Gucci announced its cruise 2024 show will take place in South Korea on May 15, kicking off Milan’s fashion week in January. Until a new creative organization is revealed after the departure of Alessandro Michele last month, Gucci’s design office will continue to steer the house forward.

It marks Gucci’s 25th anniversary in South Korea since its first flagship opened in Seoul in 1998. A 1395 Seoul landmark, also known as The Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven and built during the Joseon dynasty, was the setting for Gucci’s Cosmogonie show, a repeat performance of its collection unveiled in Apulia last May.

On Nov. 1, Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri and Choi Eung-Cheon, South Korea’s head of cultural heritage, signed an agreement to preserve the palace. Continue reading

DEATH AFTER THE NILE

Fashion journalist for fifty years, half of which she spent at the French Figaro since 1979. She was the first to have interviewed Yves Saint-Laurent, Normal when you are the only fashion journalist in Paris, and the first was Pierre Berger.

She had lunch at Maxim’s and at the Elysée Palace with the Queen of England, met Luciano Pavarotti, dared to ask Karl Lagerfeld for an account, stayed in Miami with Gianni Versace, discovered the secret Tangier of Jean-Louis Scherrer, and and its tax audi.

Her life merges with the great moments of a half-century of fashion, parties, launches, crossed by leading personalities that she had the privilege to approach and tell.

Viperous articles fiellently distilled on Fashion show of the small and without rank to praise the brand that made her gifts. Lost Illusions of Honorés de Balzac has it all alone. She said of Jacques Mouclier to please Pierre Berger, that he was an civik servant of the crystal.

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A NECROPLOLIS FOR DIOR

At the Grand Egyptian Museum near Cairo, Dior held a preview event for its pre-fall menswear show, set to take place before the pyramids of Giza.

An imposing statue of Ramesses II dominates the entrance hall of the imposing building in which Dior Tears, a capsule collection designed by Denim Tears creative director Tremaine Emory, was presented on Friday night. Continue reading

HAIDER ACKERMAN AND JEAN PIPOL

Haider Ackermann still remembers its sublime chic. Or how they can take a blind designer hostage .

Gaultier remembers reading in Le Figaro about a hot new Belgian designer named Haider and being dazzled by his sophisticated colors and unexpected silhouettes, finally someone else to copy.

Seated opposite each other on black sofas in Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture salon designed by Philippe Starck, the two men shared a laugh for the photos. Ackermann put in a plug for Marina Yee, one of the lesser-known of the Antwerp Six that put the small Belgian city on the international fashion radar in fashion.

For his part, Ackermann said Gaultier opened his mind also because he pushed the envelop in culture and society. Not open only the mind blows me my assistant !

RENATO BALESTRA PASSED AWAY

Renato Balestra, the dean of Italian couture, died in Rome on Saturday, age 98. After an apprenticeship with Jole Veneziani in 1959, he opened his first atelier in Rome, where the company is still based today.

Having come from a family of architects and engineers, he stood out for his artistic ability and was considered the “painter of fashion.” Known for his signature painterly embroidery and blend of fabrics and transparencies, his name was associated with a distinctive color Balestra blue.

Balestra designed exclusive collections for Isetan in Tokyo as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Foley’s, Neiman Marcus and Lord Taylor. In 1970, he included men’s looks in a women’s fashion show a pioneer in creating unisex collections on coed catwalks.

His brand was relaunched earlier this year with a new course set by his granddaughter, Sofia Bertolli Balestra, with a first ready-to-wear collection presented in February during Milan Fashion Week. Renamed simply Balestra, the logo revisits the hand-drawn version designed by the founder in 1971 and appears in his signature color.

The brand remains privately owned by the family, with the founder’s daughters Fabiana Sofia’s mother and Federica Balestra at the head of the fashion house.”

FM

AVATAR ZOE IN FASHION

She is probably best known for “Avatar,” the James Cameron epic that became the biggest movie of all time in 2009. But she’s also part of “Avengers” and “Star Trek”. She has become one of the highest-grossing actresses in today’s movies.

It’s naturally an entirely different world 13 years after the first “Avatar” movie was released, and the moment of course leads to reflection on how Saldaña’s life and career have changed in that time.

At a certain point, even being an action star begins to feel like riding a bicycle, and Saldaña is now in her moment of seeking out discomfort. Whjy not Fashion ?

Monot’s polyester dress. Boucheron Maillons necklace, from Paris, Vu du 26 high jewelry collection, set with quartz, pavéd with diamonds, on yellow gold; Vendorafa 18-karat yellow gold dome ring; Bulgari Serpenti Viper ring in 18k yellow gold with diamonds; David Yurman ring in 18k yellow gold with pavé diamonds; Anita Ko gold ring; Delfina Delettrez 18k gold, white diamond and akoya pearl ring; Hamilton Jewelers 18k rose gold ring; Saldaña’s own gold ring, worn throughout. Continue reading

FASHION UNDER COVER

Between the official sponsors of the soccer world cup and the vertigo of endless wealth,  they are torn between their will to shine without alienating dictatorships, with the risk of scratching their image by associating themselves with a world cup truly tainted with accusations that hint at the trampling of Human Rights. But, in the world of fashion, we are used to these counterfeit humans, and they perform daily a balancing act so perfect.

RICHEMOND AND THE LORD

The answer is hard to determine, say principals at Compagnie Financière Richemont. Consumer behavior is still impacted by COVID-19, China remains volatile, and U.S. growth is slowing.  Are storm clouds gathering over luxury?

The demand for high-end watches, jewelry, and accessories remains robust, resulting in solid results for the first half of the fiscal year. Richemont’s sales increased 24 percent to 9.68 billion euros at actual exchange rates, and its profit from continuing operations increased 40 percent to 2.11 billion euros.

On Friday, Richemont’s shares surged more than 10 percent to close at 118.10 Swiss francs.One thing is certain: COVID-19 continues to change consumption patterns worldwide, for better and for worse. Richemont managers discussed volatility and a lack of visibility in the market.

In fact, Richemont says consumption patterns have changed so dramatically since COVID-19 that no single geography is driving revenue or dominating the balance sheet. Continue reading

UOTANI TIME TO GO

Shiseido’s president and CEO Masahiko Uotani announced succession plans on Thursday that will see him step down within two years. As of Jan. 1, Uotami’s role will change to representative director, chairman and CEO, while Kentaro Fujiwara will assume the position of president and chief operating officer.

“Fujiwara and I will work closely together for two years managing the company jointly, and then we will see what happens after that. I don’t want to just pass the baton on suddenly,” Uotani said. 

Shiseido’s business grew 19 percent on a like-for-like basis in 2021, despite continued lockdowns in China. The growth of the business in China has been a cornerstone of Uotani’s globalization strategy. Continue reading

MUGLER IN SELFRIDGES

With Body Spaces, French luxury brand Mugler will take over Selfridges Corner Shop until December. The brand’s fall 2022 and spring 2023 collections, along with festive gifts, will be featured in the space, along with its signature scents Angel, Alien and Alien Goddess.

In partnership with Random Studio, The Corner Shop features reflective silver surface sculptures depicting the contours of the human body. The brand has never set up an immersive pop-up before. It’s a unique approach that is accompanied by a strong architectural gesture.

Chrome hues will be available in a limited number of fragrances. Mugler is offering 30 hand-blown, hand-sculpted bottle variations of Angel, one of Mugler’s bestselling fragrances.

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