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If ever there were a season when it would have been easy for Hermès to trot out its heritage full gallop, it would be this one, when everyone from Michael Kors to Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing are feeling horsey, and turning out bourgeois tailoring, blanket coats and capes. But the house has always set its own pace apart from the whims of seasonal trends. So instead, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski decided to pare the women’s wear back to a graphic essence. In keeping with the Hermès 2020 theme, “Innovation in the Making,” she presented a “manifest of purity,” as she called it, on a set of striped vertical bars reminiscent of horse jump poles. Working in Piet Mondrian’s strict vocabulary of primary colors, she created a baseline for an Hermès wardrobe, including more options in non-leather or using minimal-leather (with the growing animal-loving luxury class in mind, perhaps?). Some looks came in both, well positioning the brand for changing values around consumption, and offering more accessible...

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FASHION HOLOGRAMS: Guests treaded carefully upon arriving at the Lourdes presentation on Wednesday: the floor at the entrance of the Dragons Elysées restaurant was a pane of atop an aquarium. That wasn’t the only quirky detail that evening. Instead of racks of clothing or even a photo installation, designer Andreas Aresti decided to show his debut women’s wear collection on holographic screens. While his name might not ring a bell, Aresti is behind some of the buzziest fashion brands around: he started at 17 years old at Gypsy Sport, then went on to design for Tim Coppens, Kanye West and Stefano Pilati for the launch of Random Identities. The designer is now working on the relaunch of Hood By Air alongside Shayne Olivier. “My aesthetic is an accumulation of all of these experiences,” said Aresti, who is now 26 years old. Named after his mother, Lourdes is a brand offering clothes that are easy to wear: multi-pocket jeans, silk dresses, leather pieces and a skirt created out of an upsid...

Copenhagen-based label Heliot Emil chose to stage its fall 2020 presentation as a virtual experience – scheduled like a fashion show, but held online only. “We’re trying to build this idea that everyone should be able to see this world we’re creating,” designer Julius Juul explained over the phone. The models were seen walking into a concrete and steel-clad room in front of a 360° camera, and via computer or smartphone, observers could move around, viewing the space from different angles, thanks to gyroscope censors. The co-ed lineup channeled a utilitarian esthetic in a palette of black, gray and touches of white, with metallic hardware and carabiners punctuating stark silhouettes, from chunky puffer jackets to asymmetric body-con dresses and boxy tailoring.  WWD Critique: Online fashion shows are having a bit of a moment, but the severe esthetics and staging – and difficulties logging on – did not encourage engagement with the virtual experience. Follow WWD on Twitter or become ...

As the designer prepares to start a tenure at another fashion house – after stints at Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory, he has just been named creative director of Azzaro — Olivier Theyskens has decided to focus on the essence of his aesthetic for his namesake label. “I’ve always enjoyed designing for other fashion houses because it allows me to open creative boxes that I wouldn’t have necessarily thought to open for myself,” he said backstage. “But I have my own point of view. For this collection, I wanted to start from scratch and revisit what initially guides me in my choices of materials and silhouettes. What you see here is almost like basics for me.” Rather than T-shirts and jeans, “basics” in Theyskens speak translates into see-through lace tops, flowing suits and billowing silk dresses. The collection was a re-hash of the designer’s key obsessions: Black hook-and-eye details dotted most of the garments, from a beige linen structured jacket to nightwear-inspired minidresses, and so...

It was the Haider Ackermann runway, but let’s face it, it was the Timothee Chalamet show. The room started buzzing as soon as the front row seat card was discovered for Monsieur Chalamet. And when he arrived, the mop-haired wonder boy did not disappoint, wriggling out of his backpack like any other scrappy kid on the Paris Metro on a Saturday morning, but keeping his shades on Hollywood-style as he posed in blue velvet jeans, a matinee idol’s white tee and lug-soled high tops. On the runway, there were plenty of looks with Chalamet potential from his go-to for gender-pushing style since the “Call Me By Your Name” days, including a great-looking citron-bright suit with white satin lapel, a long, lean pinstripe coat, and more streetwise kimono jackets and leather pants emblazoned with fragments of Japanese text. It was a collection about tribes standing tall and being present, the designer said backstage of his collection, which also featured some Dorothy Parker bon mots here and there. ...

From velvet maid’s uniforms and bright floral tea dresses to tulle, lace and satin evening gowns — plus sequined tweed or check tailoring that channeled an Eighties air hostess vibe — Alessandra Rich’s “Belle de Nuit” collection offered a lively pastiche of vintage-inspired silhouettes for the Insta-generation ladies who lunch. Touches of leather and exaggerated gold accessories accentuated her signature kitsch esthetic. WWD Critique: While Rich’s girly-girl collection offered some cute twists on traditional bourgeois dressing — like the more check skirt suits and dresses — parts might have been best left in a bygone era. Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook .</p from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/2wTj6C0

Andrey Artyomov chose to play on Russian clichés for his second collection since the repositioning of WOS, formerly known as Walk Of Shame. Prints of beech trees in the snow — “the postcard picture for Russia,” he said — covered a long puffer coat, a silk shirt and a pair of cotton trousers, while fun sequined mini dresses evoked figure skating uniforms:. (In the look book, the silhouettes were shot as if the model had just fallen down on the ice.) A swirling, abstract 17th-century print, which looked a bit like rounded puzzle pieces, was sprawled over silk shirts and Eighties leggings. The curved outline guided the cuts for most of the designer’s looks: A pink satin bra had an asymmetrically curved neckline and its matching skirt featured a rounded cutout shape. This sinewy motif was also present in WOS’s first jewelry collection, gnarled swirls of golden metal snaking around wrists and dangling from earlobes. The collection was filled with interesting textures — such as a brown jacke...

Ralph & Russo may have made its mark with couture — both on the Hollywood red carpet, and a certain ex-Duchess (she’s back to Meghan Markle now), who catapulted the young luxury brand into the global headlines when she chose to wear it for her official royal engagement portrait in 2018. But designers Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo also have a budding ready-to-wear business. For their sixth collection, they looked to channel a global explorer, Ralph said backstage of the amalgam of references, from kimonos to Highland tweeds, pointing out that for the first time, the collection is offering unisex styles and sizing up to 22. “We have had a lot of interest from males wanting to buy from the brand,” she said, “This is a nice step into that category.” On the runway, the result was a cheerful mix of tailoring (an embroidered cheetah patterned pantsuit); outerwear (a punchy pink-and-red Buffalo check cape); day dresses (in exploded houndstooth or burnout velvet camo), and cozy knits (Fair...

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While some American retailers were skipping town amid the coronavirus scare in France came word on Saturday that Kanye West was parachuting in with a double-hitter . A happy few were invited to Sunday Service – where West gathers a choir to sing gospel versions of his songs – slated for a 9 a.m. start. Shortly after, invitations dropped for a Yeezy Season 8 show on Monday night. West has experimented with a variety of formats to unveil his Yeezy collections, from stadium-sized fashion performances to Instagram-driven campaigns. He will cap off a day with a full slate of shows from the likes of Stella McCartney, Giambattista Valli, Y/Project and Alexander McQueen. Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook . from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/3cl5UpK

THROWBACK: Can you believe that “Spring Breakers” came out in 2012? “Time flies,” Ashley Benson, who starred in the Harmony Korine film alongside Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and James Franco, remarked at the Balmain show in Paris on Friday. Benson, who rose to fame playing Hanna in TV series “Pretty Little Liars,” is still in contact with some of her co-stars. “I was actually texting Vanessa this morning,” she said. “She wanted us to go to a dance class together, but I was like — sorry, I’m in Paris! She’s filming in New York right now, so I’m looking forward to hanging out with her when I get back.” The American actress, who is based between Los Angeles and New York, was last spotted in Milan, cuddling Orlando Bloom’s puppy with girlfriend Cara Delevingne. “I come to Europe to see her a lot,” she said. “She kind of lives everywhere — but that’s fine because I love to travel.” Benson will be shooting two films starting next month. “I’m focusing more on independent films but I might b...

For fall, Andrew Gn said his inspiration had been two-pronged. The first was the 1976 George Cukor film “The Blue Bird,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Jane Fonda, (“it was a flop when it came out but I love the costumes,” he admitted backstage). The second was fairy tales and mythologies. Cuts were uncomplicated. Of course, in Gn’s fairy tale lineup, forget pedestrian silver linings. The designer worked the season’s motifs with a rich hand, embellishing tweed with velvet appliqués outlined in beading, revisiting prints in acid tones or going for a metallic floral brocade. Dragons and griffins climbed up the front of capes. There were maximalist oversize chandelier earrings and bejewelled elements. Stars burst on the back. Even the simplest V-neck kimono dress is edged in gold lamé. As a man of multiple cultures and a collector at heart, Gn appreciates how stories circulate. So, too, would details like Byzantine jewels, paisley prints, or embroidery travel across continents...

“I wanted to fight with the 19th century,” Yohji Yamamoto said backstage of his latest collection, an exploration of historical  corsets, bustles, and petticoats contemporized to near abstraction like only Yohji-san can do. In nearly all black (quelle surprise!), the designer presented some truly fabulous takes on romantic tailoring using off-center lacing on the back or single sleeve of a coat, ruffles and pleats spilling from collars, cuffs and pockets of a jacket, and black tulle trailing from the back of a pleated corset dress gone rogue. It was all part of a gentle dance between masculine and feminine. Other looks played with volume, with pulley systems shaping layered petticoats. Bustles and panniers peeked out from beneath coats, including puffer versions tagged with graffiti in a punk gesture. The pace of the show was pleasingly slow, so looks could be admired from all sides, which they deserved to be. It was an ode to the classics, including his own from the Eighties, he s...

Do you have a perverse obsession with designer handbags? Junya Watanabe seems to for fall, dangling quilted numbers and Instagrammable top-handled cuties from elaborate S&M harnesses encasing some of the coolest coats and blazers seen this Paris season. These glossy bags — up to four at a time — encircled hips like flotation devices, or banged against the legs, heightening the punk allure of this energetic, slyly humorous show. The models resembled Courtney Love or Debbie Harry back in the day after a sweaty thrash of a set — blonde hair jutting in a finger-in-socket kind of way; lipstick smeared. (Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” ruled the soundtrack and she was depicted on the invitation.) Watanabe’s leggy display, with snakeskin miniskirts and outré cheetah-print leggings, was not exactly in sync with the polished, demure mood of many other designers this season, but when is he ever? The designer continues to find new ways to interpret biker jackets — fusing three together for a wacky...

Always out for a new challenge, Christian Wijnants tackled draping this season — with chunky knitwear, of all things. Being a knits specialist, he managed to go full throttle, and sent out a series of bold ensembles in a fat English rib stitch — including one in bright orange. And they flowed, believe it or not: a sleeveless dress carried panels that floated outward while long sleeved sweaters were built with extra flaps that folded this way and that. Trousers made of the stuff were extra roomy with low crotches.  It made for a comfy, Sunday lounge at the museum for arty types. “You can do all sorts of architectural things and that’s what I love to do — architecture, but a little bit fluid still,” he said backstage after the show. There was also crochet work, thick and stiffer this time, almost shell-like or reptilian, as Wijnants pointed out, which he used for oversize sweaters that he threw over slim skirts. In contrast with those bulkier numbers, Wijnants also applied his drapin...

Reprising themes from his couture show in a more democratic register, Alexandre Vauthier offered channeled his distinctive dressed-up esthetic as well as options for everyday dressing, including T-shirts featured cartoon versions of looks from his January runway. Vivid leopard motifs adorned crystal mesh dresses and silk twill jumpsuits, while suiting was embellished with a flame pattern of crystals. Dramatic draped silk or two-tone velvet gowns were offered in a pretty shade of mint green. For day, gold-buttoned jackets and outerwear were paired with harem pants. WWD Critique:Alexandre Vauthier’s power dresser was spoiled for choice with this broad collection, which offered plenty of the glitz his customers expect as well as some appealing options for everyday dressing — including the first flats in his growing footwear offer. Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook .</p from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/3cg1Dnv

Jenny Packham contrasted two photographic universes for fall — a stylized register inspired by Helmut Newton and the brooding, romantic world of Deborah Turbeville. In the former, a red sequined gown with a sweetheart neckline and puff shoulders was a toned-down version of a dress created for Dita Von Teese for New Year’s Eve. Alongside a graphic gold and navy striped V-necked number and a dramatic dress in black velvet, it was among the highlights. The latter inspiration bore fruit via pastel designs like a pink full-skirted gown in glittering tulle with a draped off-the-shoulder bodice and a pretty lilac cape dress with diagonal sequin embellishments. WWD Critique: Jenny Packham’s embellished princess dresses took on a new wash of color and touches of drama in this elegant lineup. Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook .</p from WWDWWD https://ift.tt/39b8hth

Jonathan Anderson revels in the concept of sartorial discovery, even when the path there is uncertain. “Sometimes, I kind of feel vulnerable doing a collection, if you don’t know if it’s where you want to go or what you want to do,” Anderson said after presenting his fall Loewe collection on Friday morning. He acknowledged his interest in “building up new silhouettes that can work in a kind of abstract way… ‘dressing to impress.’ I think that’s kind of an exciting thing.”  Exciting indeed. Willing embrace of creative vulnerability is both rare and essential in fashion; newness can only spring from openness to the unknown. Anderson is a major risk-taker, but because his work so often projects a sense of serenity (albeit an off-beat one), one can overlook the underlying daring. For fall, he looked to Loewe’s Spanish origins, territory he said he’d deliberately avoided until now. He used the inspiration deftly, and the collection bore none of the tropes one might assume from that crea...

Hedi Slimane has carved out his Celine ethos decisively and unapologetically — he mines the bourgeois Seventies. Period. In the past he’s done it with a focus on a single look. Last season it was jeans and a jacket, and before that, culottes. For fall, he offered a veritable lexicon, at least for women, of every look you can possibly think of from the polished side of the decade. For men, his focus was tighter. Slimane’s show notes referred to the collection as “unisex”, and said, “the men’s looks can be for women and vice versa, including the bags.” (He brought back the Sulky from 1966, which looked great.) Yet while there was very clear crossover — the frilled blouse was an essential component for both — they each played to different archetypes of the era. Once again, the women depicted the chic bourgeoisie. They wore pretty bow-neck shirtdresses with fluid skirts; trim jackets over those frilled blouses and skinny flared pants, walking shorts, or skirts from mini to mid-calf and an ...

Activist investor Elliott Management is seeking to oust Jack Dorsey as Twitter CEO, reports say. The $40.2 billion hedge fund is run by Paul Singer.             from USATODAY - Tech Top Stories https://ift.tt/3chXoYy

A high-tech museum exhibit puts visitors face-to-face with Martin Luther King Jr. as he delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The virtual reality exhibit opened in Chicago on Friday. (Feb. 28)             from USATODAY - Tech Top Stories https://ift.tt/2vtKFBF

The Nina Ricci girl has arrived on dry land. For their fall collection, Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh ditched the aquatic references they had made something of a brand signature and took to the city streets, with a collection that mixed mannish tailoring with touches of boudoir slink. “This season it was very important for us to create this more grounded woman,” Herrebrugh said backstage, adding the pair based their color palette on the work of Dutch painters who moved to Paris. Shots of saffron, ultramarine and Sienna red brought to mind Old Masters, but the duo also looked to 20th-century artists like Kees van Dongen, approaching each look like an individual portrait. One woman might opt for the comfort of men’s staples: a gray wool overcoat, dress shirt and beige pants pooling over sturdy shoes. Another might succumb to the seduction of a black silk pajama set and robe. Boxy cropped jackets were layered over gauzy shirts, while snug mohair sweaters set off extra-large pleated p...

SHINE BRIGHT: When in doubt, add some shine. Ludovic de Saint Sernin accessorized his going-out look — a see-through organza shirt from his own collection — with a Swarovski crystal-embellished mini bucket bag. “I made this specially for the Woolmark Prize. I had some crystals left over from my collection so I thought, why not,” said the fashion designer, who was shortlisted for the 2019 edition of the prize. De Saint Sernin was one of the guests at the Paris Opera gala on Thursday, held in partnership with Rolex in honor of the 40th anniversary of the “friends of the Paris Opera” organization, or Association pour le Rayonnement de l’Opéra de Paris in French. The association, chaired by Dr. Leone-Noëlle Meyer, has helped finance a number of projects, including the production of new shows, international tours, renovations and the development of educational programs. Moments before the gala started, guests ascended the staircases of the Palais Garnier to get to their seats, chatting exci...

Pope Francis is urging Catholics to give up something for Lent that many may have a very hard time doing without: being a jerk on the internet.             from USATODAY - Tech Top Stories https://ift.tt/2Vua093