CHANEL PARIS A PERLE

The brand with the two ‘C’ calls on us to dream, and in these troubled times, that might even be our ultimate means of escape. It’s just a shame that the escape in question takes place in ‘Loubou-slot’ heels in a setting that evokes a baroque nightmare that Marie-Antoinette on LSD would not disavow.

Here we are, plunging headfirst into the world of the tale that is not Monte Cristo. Mind you, not the one in which princesses find Prince Charming. No, here we’re talking about the one where the heroine gets lost in a forest haunted by expensive coins, populated by bimbos frozen in enigmatic poses around a black bow, and a giant ribbon that seems to be shouting: ‘Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to shake’ – a real BDSM story.

As Matthieu Blazy prepares to take over the reins of the company, the Studio is playing last of the class in terms of applied design, with an ultra-mastered collection. Too controlled, perhaps. By controlling everything, you end up with a wardrobe that makes you want to have fun at a gala dinner with Philippine, the Queen of the Suburbs.

The impeccable silhouettes flirt with the grandiose and the absurd, pearls so big they could almost be used as seats on the terrace of the Dior café. And because you can never have too many useless gadgets, Chanel has created a mini-bag version of the pearl, capable of holding just one credit card. Continue reading

VUITTON RAILWAY STATION NOVEL

Louis Vuitton presents its major autumn-winter show, and watch out, hold on to your suitcases: this season, Nicolas Ghesquière takes us on a stylistic journey on a station platform, where surrealism meets the bar car.

Just imagine the SNCF announcement: ‘Attention departure, train bound for Fashion Week, serving all the stops for good taste, WTF and sartorial audacity’. On the platform, a colourful crowd crowds: a yoga teacher in an asymmetric leotard, a private detective in a fluorescent trench coat, a chic camper in a designer bivouac blanket and, yes, that model over there plays the ukulele like Marilyn Monroe in ‘Some Like It Hot’. This is the magic of Vuitton: a melting pot of characters who could just as easily have stepped off the Trans-Siberian Railway as out of an Agatha Christie film. Continue reading

BALENCIAGA INSTINCT STANDARD

Demna in pointy high heels with a denim pencil skirt and a tight white shirt accented by a corset that laced up the back. A maze of tall black curtains sheltering tightly packed rows of chairs, blacker than Donald Trump’s brain.Aside from the low-tech, fluffy shoes and a few skimpy spandex “bathrobes,” this collection saw Demna treading water with his familiar sartorial archetypes across streetwear, tailoring, and special-occasion wear, albeit with more controlled volumes.

The designer called his collection “Standard,” so the Standard-branded T-shirts were crudely cut into the kind of barely-there gym tops bodybuilders wear.

On the other side, a hoodie was extended into a flared monastic dress, a silhouette echoed in a series of wool and faux fur coats with face-framing collars and futuristic vibes. A white double-face cashmere coat with an integrated scarf collar evokes the understated luxury that Demna usually rebels against.

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HERMES ELEGANCE LEATHER AND CAVALCADE

Under the glittering spotlights of the Garde Républicaine, Nadège gives us a shiver of leather, like a mirror of time, a faithful reflection that flamboyant vintage would not disavow, and like a trend that wraps itself on a breath of silk on the black skin of time. The spring to come dances under the weight of the wind’s skin, riding jackets and wise trousers, coats like sails ready to open, sculpted suits and daring coats for a woman in lambskin plunged into a bath of sexuality.

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SCHIAPARELLI WORLD WILD WEST

Hold on to your Stetson, Schiaparelli’s cowboy sheriff-in-chief Daniel Roseberry is determined to stay in the saddle. Having already pulled off the chic western trick last year, the Texan designer is back with a rawer version of the genre: hammered leather like rodeo chaps, shearling jackets worthy of a trapper escaped from a Scorsese film, and XXL buckle belts worn…

But the big revolution this season isn’t the overdose of accessories, but the switch from gold to copper at seven thousand euros a kilo. Yes, this noble and under-appreciated material which, in burnished chic mode, gives a satin dress the charm of an old copper pot and transforms a pair of pearl pyjamas into an involuntary homage to the drainpipe of an old bathtub belonging to the Duchess of Châtelet. A daring choice or a shortage of gilding in the workshops? It’s a mystery.

Whatever the case, Roseberry is making a radical departure from its ultra-corseted Haute Couture collection of January. A change that, according to him, has nothing to do with feminist awareness. No, no, he bristles at the idea that the corset was designed to appeal to men. We can therefore imagine that he designed it above all to enable women to better store their floating ribs on the side. A pure act of ergonomic design. No ?

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OFF-WHITE 2025 RESISTANCE

The title of Off-White’s fall show? “State of Resistance”. A bold name for a brand long celebrated for championing the Black community under the visionary leadership of the late, great Virgil Abloh. But times have changed since Abloh’s passing in 2021, and these days, designers are a little more hesitant to turn the runway into a soapbox.

Not Ibrahim Kamara, though. He’s here to remind us that community spirit and inclusive vision are still stitched into Off-White’s DNA. In today’s world, that might seem radical. Controversial, even. But really, isn’t it just about remembering how to exist alongside other humans without losing your style?

Kamara’s vision? Imagine Mars-style leather suits with varsity-style letters spelling out OO (Off-White? Or just Ooooh?). Biker jackets morphed into aerodynamic overcoats, while parkas and matching shorts featured just enough utility details to make you feel prepared for… whatever life throws at you.

There were also nods to tradition classic uniforms reimagined with ribbed panels and bold graphics inspired by the star and eagle from Ghana’s national emblem.

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AT THE OPERA OF FABRICS

Under the golden dome of an ancient temple, Where dreams are adorned with divine fabrics, A ballet of shadows and lights awakens, The curtain rises on a hymn to textiles.

With a white thread, the past whispers to the lapels, A masculine coat, austere and sculptural, Opens in cadence on the velvet of a dream, A dress undressed, draped in mystery.

The colors rise like fiery notes, Burnt orange, deep purple, eternal black, The silhouettes soar, chiseled and free, Capelines hemmed with a thread of desire. Jackets curl up in protective cocoons, While belts embrace the waist, Closing with one gesture the promise of the evening, Opening with another on a shiver of audacity.

And there, in the dance of skirts and pleats, The pants become accomplices of souls,

Sharpened legs, undone buttons, Freedom runs under the caressing fabric.The wind clings to ethereal blouses, the silks whisper forgotten stories, the tips stretch, the seams sing, a fabric opera, an ode to the ephemeral.

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IFM GENIUSES WITHOUT GENIUS

The great textile circus, where the important thing is no longer to dress up, but to dress down, starts with the IFM or the Art of Making Genius Without Genius. Fashion schools used to train dressmakers. Today, they produce ‘mastered’ students, well qualified, not unintelligent of course, but without intelligence. And at the head of this great standardisation is the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode), the Funny Man and the Man from Toledo. They have transformed this factory of standardised designers after absorbing the prestigious schools of French haute couture.

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VERSACE VENETIAN PLUS

When Donatella Versace transforms your bedding into haute couture: is fashion reaching its peak or its point of no return? But for Bob the man who, blessed by the gods of kitsch, looked at a curtain rod and said to himself: “Hey, what if I made a dress for Scarlett Honiara. Result: a legendary parody of “Gone with the Wind” concept à la Jaques Mumuse. But if Mackie dared to hijack Donatella Versace’s living room decor then forget the concept of “dressing room”, welcome to the era of “bedroom chic”!

Festival of baroque! Prints so bold that we wonder if the wallpaper of a Venetian hotel from the 80s was not used as a moodboard. On leggings, sculpted skaters, “because we do not skate with love”, blouses with “leg of lamb by Agneli” sleeves.

Men’s fashion, with flashy shirts and gold accessories worthy of a nostalgic rapper from the 90s. We even had the right to sequined t-shirts and jeans, for those who want to sparkle for no good reason. To perfect this ode to maximalism, heated benches and rococo blankets were made available yes, we are close to the thermal experience and for my bimbo demi-mondaine neighbor “finally Hot”.

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WHITE GALAXY A SUPERNOVA (OR ALMOST)

After conquering fashion with XXL-sized shoulder pads and futuristic looks, Roustintin has decided to invade space, and not just olfactory space. The house is launching Blanc Galaxie, the latest addition to its Les Éternels fragrance collection. And mind you, it’s not just a fragrance, it’s a powerful symbol of hope and confidence, as if a spritz of bergamot can change a life.

The creator describes Blanc Galaxie as a blank canvas to fully express who you are to yourself and to the world. And that’s all there is to it. No need for therapy, just invest $260 in a bottle to finally understand who you are. The long result of many hours of psychotherapy for itself.

It’s true that we’ve always dreamed of smelling an eclipse. A daring olfactory concept, which could give other brands ideas (‘Éclipse Totale’ – the fragrance for difficult Monday mornings?).

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BURBERRY HYBRIDE IN BRITAIN

The flashes of colour, wispy fabrics and animal prints of past seasons give way to an army of sophisticated trench coats, revisited officer’s coats, raincoats with fur-trimmed hoods and imposing scarves with tapered fringes. The palette is organic: deep browns, mossy greens and intense burgundies intertwine in a stylistic narrative with earthy, racy accents.

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HERMÉS THE RETURN

This Valentine’s Day, I decided to rediscover the Hermès boutique, a place I hadn’t set foot in since an incident that left a bitter taste in my mouth. A few years ago, someone from the brand’s communications department left me insulting messages on my answering machine, a deep disappointment for me, especially as my grudge, tenacious like that of all Scorpios, is not easily erased. I know it’s not an enviable quality, but there it is. Having left the god Vidar of Norse mythology behind, I parked my bike at the corner of Le Faubourg.

As soon as I entered, the experience was quite different, I was taken care of immediately. The first thing that struck me was the elegance of the place, where Art Deco meets controlled modernity. The architectural lines, rigorous and balanced, recall the golden age of design while leaving room for a contemporary fluidity. Under the subtly subdued lighting, leather, precious wood and touches of lacquer meet each other with refined sobriety.

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AMI READ IN PARIS

While some brands open a flagship to make a bold statement, Ami Paris’ newest store is all about blending into its surroundings. “I liked the idea of being a neighborhood shop, something deeply rooted in the area’s history,” said creative director and founder Alexandre Mattiussi ahead of the opening. “It’s next to a café, beside a restaurant, in a real neighborhood with schools, pharmacies, and bakeries.”

For Mattiussi, the store isn’t meant to be a destination but rather a natural stop during a stroll through the Marais. “I love the idea that on a Saturday, people might grab a quick coffee at Le Progrès and then drop by Ami,” he said. “Suddenly, we become part of someone’s everyday life.”

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HERMÈS A VISION OF LUXURY

Hermès: Still Winning, Still Expensive, Still Unbothered. While its luxury rivals are breaking a sweat, Hermès International is gracefully trotting ahead like a well-groomed show horse. Sales soared 18% in the fourth quarter, hitting a casual 4 billion euros because apparently, the ultra-rich are still panic-buying Birkins like it’s a stock market crash.

Meanwhile, competitors like LVMH and Kering had a rougher time. LVMH eked out a 1% growth, while Kering saw a 12% sales drop, possibly because even wealthy shoppers decided they should maybe stop impulse-buying another Gucci bag for their dog.

Analysts had expected Hermès to deliver a solid 11% growth, but the brand casually exceeded expectations—like that one kid in class who claims they didn’t study but still aces the test. Naturally, investors threw a little celebration, sending Hermès shares up 2.1%.

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MONCLER AND LVMH

Despite several competitors lamenting a lackluster performance in China, Moncler Group closed 2024 with sales exceeding 3.1 billion euros, plus a cash pile of more than 1.3 billion euros.

Moreover, the group achieved an operating profit margin of almost 30 percent, and reported double-digit growth in both its direct-to-consumer brands, Moncler and Stone Island, in the last quarter of 2024.

The deal with Bernard Arnault’s LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton inked in September, whereby LVMH purchased a 10 percent stake in Double R, the investment vehicle that is controlled by Ruffini and holds his 15.8 percent stake in Moncler, the chairman underscored it was made “at the holding level and it allows to reinforce and give stability.

MIU MIU NEW CEO

I like fashion because information leaks like old bimbos, and so Silvia Onofri has been named CEO of Miu Miu. She would succeed Benedetta Petruzzo, who joined Christian Dior Couture as CEO in October.

Silvia Onofri joins from clothing brand Napapijri, where she served as president. She was appointed to the role in February 2023, succeeding Massimo Ferrucci. After a 20-year career in fashion at luxury brands such as Bulgari and Bally. Napapijri is part of VF Corp. At Napapijri, Onofri has appointed its first global creative director, Christopher Raeburn, the British designer known for his sustainable credentials as a pioneer in recycling and upcycling fashion.

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COACH FALL 2025

On Monday afternoon, Coach made its grand return to the Park Avenue Armory, a historic brick building located at 643 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York, built in the Gothic Revival style in 1880. With a live soundtrack paying homage to David Lynch, Stuart Vevers presented a resolutely New York collection, inspired by the 90s with the style of inner-city youth.

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STACEY BENDET

alice + olivia founder Stacey Bendet pulls inspiration from her love of vintage and all things feminine to design clothing that juxtaposes the whimsical and flirty with the sexy and sophisticated. Ornamented fabrics, colorful prints and ultra-flattering fits provide today’s modern woman with options for every day and every occasion.

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ANNA SUI FALL 2025

Anna Sui turned her eye to the world of the “madcap heiress” from the 1930s, a woman who the society pages of the time would rabidly report on, charting both her successes and falls.

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FASHION MERCATO 2025

As rumor mongers and industry observers speculated Thursday about Sabato De Sarno’s potential successor at Gucci, is it Kim? Is it Hedi? Is it Maria Grazia?

Kering shares rose 5.1% to 251.90 euros as the stock market reacted to the news about the Prince of Venice. Some analysts were surprised, others less so, that Gucci decided to end its collaboration with its creative director less than three weeks before its fall 2025 show in Milan, specifying that the show would be presented by the brand’s design team.

The statement simply said that the new creative direction would be announced in due course. Sarno’s departure has fueled speculation that Hedi Slimane has reportedly bought an apartment in Milan since leaving Celine last year.

In addition to Dario Vitale, who left his position as Miu Miu’s ready-to-wear design director in late January, Versace is also said to be interested in him. Maria Grazia Chiuri is also reportedly a potential candidate to succeed De Sarno, who is returning to Giorgia Meloni’s homeland.

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JIL SANDER 2026

Serge Brunschwig has left LVMH, the intellectual and affable French executive. He made the announcement on his LinkedIn account, with a message beginning: ‘Au revoir hashtag#LVMH’.  Then #bonjour CEO of Jil Sander and OTB Group. Humour that will not have escaped the lord.

He would succeed Luca Lo Curzio, who left Jil Sander in November. Brunschwig is also expected to be appointed Chief Strategy Officer of OTB Group, parent company of Jil Sander, reporting to Ubaldo Minelli, CEO of the Italian fashion company.

The French-born Minelli spent three decades at LVMH as CEO of Fendi, where he was replaced by Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou in June 2024. At the time, LVMH spokespeople explained that he was ‘pursuing another mission within the group’. Promises are only binding on those who listen to them.

FM