He was the eccentricity although there was no snobbery in him. He created his accessories by recycling everything he had on hand; already an ecological visionary. Judy Blame was a sweet, punk London nutter of his own kind. Judy… for Judy Garland and Blame came to cling to his name, laughing about it, he said, because it’s better to laugh than to cry. Here is a wink from Kim John, who has drawn heavily on this legacy for her collection. And, because of the designer’s passion for sewing, the show was a parade of dandies wearing moiré silks cut with large cocards, precious wools both knitted and used for bulky coats, and Opera gloves that complemented every look. The first thing you could see was the jewelry (characteristic elements of Judy Blame’s look). Continue reading
Category Archives: Uncategorized
VIKTOR AND ROLF IS BACK
Five years after shuttering their ready-to-wear business, Viktor & Rolf are returning to men’s wear with a new collection that combines their signature dandy style with a more conscious approach to design.
The label, which belongs to Italian entrepreneur Renzo Rosso’s OTB SpA group, has entered into a worldwide licensing partnership with Tokyo-based Shiffon Co. Ltd. for the production and distribution of the new Mister Mister line, which will be presented to buyers from Jan. 15 to 22 during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
In addition, Viktor & and loungewear for women and men that is 100 percent compostable billed as the first of its kind. The line is due to be presented at the Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris from Jan. 18 to 20.
ONE BILLION BEAUTY DEAL OVER
Shiseido has acquired Drunk Elephant for $845 million. The deal underscores the Japanese buyer’s ambitions to globalize its beauty offerings, but also indicates that purchase prices for beauty brands may be calming down.
Industry sources had originally speculated that Drunk Elephant, a popular indie skin-care brand that was said to have about $100 million in net sales for 2018, could be sold for $1 billion or even more. The auction process was said to have attracted a slew of big-name bidders, including Colgate, L’Oréal and the Estée Lauder Cos.
Source said it was never clear where the $1 billion idea came from, but that with the Shiseido sale, Drunk Elephant has achieved one of the highest sales multiples for a beauty brand. Continue reading
SORBIER KNIGHT OF THE ARTS
Friends of the walks in poetry, here is the secret garden of Franck Sorbier … It is the first magic note played on the silver rope of a heart in summer, the caress of the eyes of the whole Fashion Week, a message which delivers the ineffable and exhilarating secrets of the week. 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
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
GIVENCHY RESORT 2020
TOKYO STREET STYLE
LVMH BUYS RODEO DRIVE
Louis Vuitton, is ramping up activity in the hospitality sector, eyeing three recently purchased properties on and around Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills for the opening of a Cheval Blanc hotel.
In March 2018, LVMH bought a 6,200-square-foot empty retail space at 456 North Rodeo Drive for $110 million. Then, in September, the luxury powerhouse headed by billionaire Bernard Arnault purchased 468 North Rodeo Drive, the massive 22,250-square-foot, multistory building at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard that was previously occupied by Brooks Brothers, for $245 million from the trust of the family of Margaret J. Anderson, who built the pink stucco Beverly Hills Hotel. In November, LVMH scooped up the 26,523-square-foot Paley Center for Media museum behind the store, at 465 North Beverly Drive, from New York private real estate investment firm Jenel Management for $80 million. Continue reading
NOT JUST A PRETTY FACEBOOK
Wednesday afternoon, a number of Facebook and Instagram users were having trouble accessing their accounts. According to DownDetector.com, tens of thousands of users haven’t been able to access their social media accounts since roughly noon Eastern Standard Time.
For Facebook, DownDetector.com states that out of reported problems, 34 percent can’t log in to their accounts, 33 percent can’t access their newsfeed and 32 percent are experiencing a total blackout. In its live outage map, it shows that the Facebook outage is being primarily experienced in the U.S. and Western Europe. Continue reading
CHANEL SNOWBALL IN HELL
Karl Lagerfeld’s last show for Chanel opened with a moment of silence, and the vast Grand Palais was as hushed as the mountain village depicted in the set, rows of wooden chalets, their chimneys smoking, set among pine trees and mounds of fake snow.
Lagerfeld loved snow he would rush out to take photos whenever it dusted Paris and his finale looks were white “snowball” sweater dresses with fluffy skirts, the first modeled by Penélope Cruz, who strolled out smiling and twirling a flower.
Chanel tucked a sketch into the press kits on each seat in Lagerfeld’s inimitable hand. It shows him standing with Gabrielle Chanel, and his handwritten caption read “The beat goes on…”
Claudia Schiffer, Janelle Monáe, Kristen Stewart, Stella Tennant, Ellie Bamber, Brandi Quinones and Naomi Campbell were among the bold-faced names to attend the show, along with international press and VIP clients
GUILLAUME HENRY AT PATOU
Sidney Toledano, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Fashion Group, is spearheading the project and has already selected and signed on a designer to lead it: Guillaume Henry.
Last March, Henry exited Nina Ricci and he is said to be passionate about the legacy of Patou, a French designer who brought modernity and buzz to fashion in the Twenties —and innovated in business with fragrances, logos and sport clothes.
LVMH is now in the throes of building teams around Henry with a view to launching the first collection of ready-to-wear and accessories in the second half of 2019.
It is understood the group views Patou as something of a niche, rarified name and not its next megabrand. Consequently, LVMH will likely start with a single boutique, most likely in Paris, along with e-commerce and select wholesale partners.
The relaunch suggests the world’s largest luxury group is anticipating an easing of the streetwear craze, and a swing of the fashion pendulum back to sophisticated chic. Continue reading
YOHJI DIGITAL WORLD
International fans of the Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto now have a one-stop digital shop for all his goods in the form of “Yohji Yamamoto The Shop”.
While the designer made his products for sale online in a Japanese-language website in July, non-Japanese speakers were left out. On Thursday, the house debuted a global store bringing together products under the designer’s multiple lines.
That includes, Yohji Yamomoto Produce, which reproduces his signature hits; entry-level and web-only brand, S’YTE; the genderless Ground Y line; luxury accessories from discord Yohji Yamamoto; to casual wear offerings Yohji Yamamoto + NOIR, and Y’s. It will also sell LIMI feu, designed by his daughter Limi Yamamoto. Continue reading
SHISEIDO A DIRECTOR OF FRAGRANCE
Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido has recently appointed Isabelle Gex as President of Global Fragrances, a newly created post. She will start in her new role on 11th June.
Before joining Shiseido, Isabelle Gex founded and directed Stratlux, a French company specialised in mentoring start-ups in the fields of luxury, fashion and the arts. Between 2001 and 2017, she worked for the LVMH group, her latest role being Senior Executive Advisor on mergers and acquisitions. She also formerly worked as International Marketing Director Perfumes and Cosmetics at Chanel.
At Shiseido, Isabelle Gex will be in charge of the fragrance licences for Dolce & Gabbana, Narciso Rodriguez, Issey Miyake, Elie Saab, Zadig & Voltaire, Alaïa and Serge Lutens, the only brand which will continue to operate independently. Gex will report to Franck Marilly, the EMEA region’s CEO for Shiseido, and to Masahiko Uotani, the Shiseido group’s CEO, and will also be tasked with seeking external growth opportunities via brand and licence acquisition. She will oversee the Japanese group’s centre of excellence for fragrances, which is located in Paris. Continue reading
DIOR PARIS FASHION WEEK 2018
FIRST COVER FOR FIRST LADY
In Austria, Brigitte Macron showed once again that she is unafraid to experiment with fashion. Walking through Salzburg with Eveline Steinberger-Kern, wife of the Austrian president, Macron debuted a new red dress by Louis Vuitton, her go-to design house.
Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as France’s youngest ever President at the age of 39 in May, and credits his wife- and former teacher- Brigitte Trogneux (who has taken on his surname since they became France’s first couple) as one of his closest advisors.
Now the 64 year-old has become France’s “First Lady” (although there will be no official title for her) since Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife Carla left the Elysee Palace in 2012 – and she’s showcasing a wardrobe which proves she’s making the role her own. Continue reading
HENNEQUIN SOUL PHOTOGRAPHER
Yesterday I met a human being who was dripping with talent. Although the climb was treacherous to the hill of Saint-Cloud, the view from the top was worth it all.
A true artist from head to toe, he could even be the son of Patrick Demarchelier. His presence was piercing. “I have always been fascinated by the great painters” mused John, who crafts portraits with the grace of the renaissance painters. He interprets the light and the dark, the tonality and the relationships between the colours, the compositions and the general ambience in a way that only he can.
He is the Vermeer of photography. I adore his almost cinematic compositions, the movement in his photos brings the subject matter to life, creating a tangible sense of vulnerability. Continue reading
KUMANN YOO HYE JIN SEOUL 2017
‘Kumann’ was a custom-made women’s wear studio founded in 1965 by EunHwan Oh. As her business matured, in 1979, she launched her ready-to-wear brand, ‘OH EUN HWAN Boutique’, which is one of the well-respected designer brands in Korea. Continue reading
LOUIS VUITTON ON STRIKE
Leather workers from some of Louis Vuitton’s factory in France staged a strike the first in 15 years. The employees gathered in front of their production facilities between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. local time to make a statement, one day before the brand’s annual salary negotiations were set to end.
According to a spokesman LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, less than 10 percent of the leather workers from fewer than one-third of the Vuitton ateliers countrywide took part in the demonstration.
French labor unions said the turnout stood at 30 percent of employees in Issoudun and Condé, and more than 50 percent in Asnières, according to press reports. Continue reading
AMAZON TOKYO FASHION WEEK
At Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week, more than 50 designers presented their creations at the Autumn/Winter 2017-18 collections.
Colorful embroidery, creative batik designs and fearless facial jewelry brightened the catwalks where Asian designers presented their collections.
Traditional Indonesian batik material – which applies wax-resistant dyeing to the cloth was the highlight of designer Michelle Tjokrosaputro’s collection, where it featured in vibrant jacket and skirt combinations as well as dresses.
Thai designer Linda Charoenlab added edgy motifs to colorful tartan outfits and complemented the looks with facial jewelry that dangled from models’ ears to their mouths.
LEONARD PARIS 2017
CHANEL 2017
This season, Karl Lagerfeld chose to celebrate the French spationaut Thomas Pesquet and invited his guests to take board on the International Space Station. “Fly me to the moon in other Chanel World”
Staged in Grand Palais, the Chanel version of Apollo even appeared to take off at the finale – as booster rockets lifted the 30-meter high structure off the ground, as the rocket retracted into itself.
Karl Lagerfeld stated that “It’s in the spirit of times. Chanel joining a Frenchman in outer space. Besides it’s bound to be better than what we are experiencing down here,”
The runway was amazing as Lagerfeld injected a hipster technological edge into lots of the house’s classics. From the legendary four-pocket suit reimagined in stars-at-night shiny anthracite wool to the sleek super-heroine cocktails finished with mini capes, or coal-black galactic warrior sheathes done with white ruffles – like the Catherine de Medici style much admired by Gabrielle. Continue reading
BALMAIN 2017 PARIS
IVANKA TRUMP MADE IN CHINA
Throughout his presidential campaign, one of the biggest platforms that Donald Trump ran on was, according to his website, his opposition to American companies that manufacture their products overseas. However, as his opponents quickly pointed out during election season, both Donald and Ivanka’s clothing lines are made in countries like Bangladesh and China.
Since Donald’s own eponymous apparel line essentially folded, the focus is now on his daughter Ivanka’s manufacturing practices. The New York Times reports that several products from Ivanka’s line are produced overseas. In fact, in 2016 alone, there were at least 193 shipments of imported goods for Ivanka Trump brands, according to a review the paper commissioned from trade database ImportGenius. A review of tags and financial documents from G-III Apparel Group revealed that Ivanka’s dresses and blouses are made in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Continue reading