Balenciaga: The Verdict

As Demna Gvasalia's first pre collection for Balenciaga is unveiled, Vogue's fashion news editor, Julia Hobbs, delivers the Vogue verdict.

"Balenciaga is like Demna's extra-curricular activity," Vetements CEOGuram Gvasalia told Suzy Menkes in no uncertain terms at last weekend's Vogue Festival. Extra-curicular perhaps, but the historic Spanish house is where the designer's avant-garde concepts need to get serious.

While the white-hot Vetements clique don't like saying all that much about what they're up to, at Balenciaga Demna Gvasalia has to contend with the reality that his hyper-real Eastern bloc aesthetic, which plunders the dirtier corners of counter-culture, is now a luxury proposition. And one that needs to sell.

The phenomenal success of Vetements's stealth, street-styled approach has frustrated critics with its anti-commercial game plan, which includes a restricted supply chain, starving stores of their cult wares in order to make them all the more sought after. This strategy won't work for Balenciaga. Demna Gvasalia's debut designs for the historically sophisticated house will drop as a pre-fall collection in July, and hang in the windows of flagship boutiques around the world. His shoppers will be older and well monied, a gear up from the fresh-faced art-school students sinking their entire student loan into a one-off sweatshirt and competing for inclusion on the brand's Instagram feed. Prices are bound to be higher than Vetements's already jaw-dropping figures, as grown-ups who want to be a part of this new cool are willing to spend more, and Instagram less.

So, what will they buy? The codes of building a Gvasaliaga wardrobe (as for a Vetements wardrobe) are simple but effective. Full-look neon, full-look graphic Balenciaga checks, full-look florals, and full-leg boots. This is fashion with no half measures. The curvaceous Balenciaga silhouette comes through with a cocooning shearling stole (emblazoned with the epically large Balenciaga typeface), and the swaddling aviator jacket - both of which usher a frivolously dressed-up mood on to the street. While at Vetements the design collective appropriate and skew well-known logos (DHL, Champion…), at Balenciaga it's all about brash in-house wording. Fans will be sporting their allegiance upfront.

The first new-era Balenciaga collection is also overflowing with satisfyingly edgy styling cues that people, who can't spend upwards of £700 on a jersey hoodie, will still be able to take on to "get the look" - gold and silver sculptural jewellery layered over a skate sweater, for instance.

These more conservative items will reassure the powers behind the brand that it's not all about those expensive jersey sweaters

This first drop is also about showing the straighter side of Gvasalia's woman, though. For the pre-fall look book, Stella Tennant is photographed through a dark tunnel of garment bags for that very Vetements back-of-house mood, there are swimming-cap style beanie hats and bondage chains - but there are also pointy party heels, peplums, glistening jewellery and stoles, tuxedo jackets, nipped-in skirt suiting, and polite heritage checks that point to Balenciaga's upscale heritage.

The die-hard fans clamouring to get a first piece of the Gvasaliaga action probably aren't too fussed about heritage, but these more conservative items will reassure the powers behind the brand that it's not all about those expensive jersey sweaters.

A Vogue Café Pops Up At Westfield

A Vogue Cafe is opening its doors in the heart of The Village, Westfield London from June 27 to September 25. To toast British Vogue's landmark 100th birthday, the pop-up café will serve a specially created Vogue 100 champagne cocktail and a Vogue 100 punch, as well as a traditional English afternoon tea.

"2016 is an exceptional year for Vogue, and continuing the centenary celebrations theVogue Café will be a perfect stop-off for shoppers in The Village at Westfield," said Alexandra Shulman, Editor-in-Chief.

The redesigned space showcases a range of legendary British Vogue covers from the last century, while a menu of macarons, sandwiches and sweet treats will provide the perfect refuel for shopping sprees.

"The pop-up café will allow our shoppers and diners to celebrate the centenary in a really unique way," Myf Ryan, Westfield UK and Europe's chief marketing officer said.

H&M Confirms Kenzo Collabortation

H&M has announced that its next designer collaboration will be with Kenzo. The collaboration is slated to launch in store on November 3 this year.

"We can't wait to share with everyone the world of  KENZO x H&M, with all of its creativity, fun and love of fashion," said Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative advisor at H&M, which revealed the collaboration would entail menswear, womenswear and a selection of accessories.

Kenzo, which has Humberto Leon and Carol Lim at the helm, follows in the footsteps of some of the industry's most prestigious fashion houses, includingIsabel Marant, Alexander Wang, Matthew Williamson, Marni, Karl Lagerfeldand, most recently, Balmain.

"With this collaboration with H&M we want to think big, push the boundaries and bring the new energy of KENZO to everyone around the world," said Lim and Leon, who also design for Opening Ceremony which they founded in 2002, this morning.

Rihanna Collaborates With Dior

Rihanna has collaborated with Dior on a new sunglassess collection, simply entitled, Rihanna. The singer, who is already a brand ambassador for the French fashion house, has already been spotted sporting a pair from the futuristic-inspired collection which she promptly shared on her Instagram account this week.

"The process was pretty seamless," said Rihanna of the collaboration, revealing that La Forge from Star Trek was her design inspiration, reports WWD. "I spent a day at Dior with their eyewear design team. I started by looking through all the archives to see what they've done in the past, then got acquainted with all the new materials. I literally sat there and drew and drew until I was happy with the design, and the team illustrated it for me right then and there. We picked materials and colors that same day, and after that it was a matter of weeks before I saw the first prototype."

"We are very pleased to partner for the second time with Rihanna," said Dior's CEO Sidney Toledano, referring to the Secret Garden IV campaign for the house which she starred in last year. "She is an artist, an entertainer, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and a style icon for today's generation."

It's not the first time that she has dipped her toes in to the world of design. She unveiled her Rihanna Fenty collection at New York Fashion Week in February, which was quickly followed up with a meeting-of-the-minds between herself and Manolo Blahnik. Her latest foray into design with Dior is the first time that the house has created a collection with a brand ambassador. It has, meanwhile, yet to confirm the identity of its new creative director.

WGSN To Honour Alexandra Shulman

Alexandra Shulman, Vogue editor-in-chief, will receive the Outstanding Achievement Hall of Fame accolade at the annual WGSN Futures Awards on Thursday, May 26. The event, which is run by global trend-forecasting agency WGSN, celebrates the fashion industry's most innovative talents.

Shulman was chosen "for her inspirational story and contribution to fashion publishing", said Lauretta Roberts, WGSN's director of brand & propositions, adding that the organisation "would like to recognise Alexandra as a magazine legend and for her success in creating the future of a world-renowned brand that continues to grow and inspire."

"Alexandra's editorship is the longest in British Vogue's history, and has seen her steer and maintain its status as the definitive monthly fashion bible," Roberts continued. "Retaining a strong print presence by diversifying in to an award-winning website and beautifully designed apps."

Previously known as the Global Fashion Awards, past recipients of the Hall of Fame award include the iconic Iris Apfel, and designers Erdem and Christopher Bailey.

Former McQueen CEO Appointed At Versace

Jonathon Akeroyd, former CEO at Alexander McQueen, has been appointed as CEO at Gianni Versace SpA, replacing Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who has worked at Versace since 2009.

Akeroyd's departure from McQueen - where he worked for 12 years - was revealed earlier this month when it was announced that Emmanuel Gintzburger, formerly worldwide retail and wholesale director at Yves Saint Laurent, would be filling his shoes at the British fashion house.

"We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Akeroyd as our new CEO," Donatella Versace, vice president and artistic director, asserting that Akeroyd "brings a proven track record in building global brands, steering growth and driving strategic development. Jonathan Akeroyd's industry expertise and vision will be key to advancing the next phase of Versace's development."

"It is an honour to be joining such a dynamic and innovative organisation," said Akeroyd of his appointment. "Versace is an iconic lifestyle brand recognised globally as a premier name in luxury. I look forward to implementing a long-term business strategy that supports the visionary and creative direction of Donatella Versace and her team."

Akeroyd's new position is said to be effective immediately, although he is slated to start in mid-June. Whether or not he will relocate to Milan to take up the role is not yet known, nor is Ferraris's next move.

Isabel Marant And Caroline De Maigret

It turns out that while skinny jeans, a silk blouse, a beaten-up leather jacket and tasselled pixie boots certainly help, the secret to true Parisian chic is a confident state of mind.

"The Parisian woman is a feminist which informs her style," Caroline de Maigret told the Vogue Festival in association with Harrods this evening, during her conversation with Isabel Marant and Lisa Armstrong who were on hand to uncover exactly what makes Parisian women so cool. "When people look at you, you want them to see more than your clothes. Isabel's woman eats, drinks, dances - she has life, and more to do than looking at herself in the mirror."

Marant - herself a bastienne of 21st century Parisian style and responsible for many of the cult fashion items that have become synonymous with the French capital's look in the last decade - agreed.

"Fashion often shows women as objectified and on the contrary, I like to promote a confident woman," she said, adding that she tries to get inside her customer's head to considers what she needs. "For me, style is more about behaviour and the respect you show and have for other people."

The certain je ne sais quoi also extends to a laissez faire attitude concerning almost every area of life. According to Marant and De Maigret if you want to eat cake, you should, just maybe walk somewhere instead of taking a taxi tomorrow; you should be okay with the cycle of life and accept that if you have a big nose or grey hair, that's okay; you should be understated at all times as it's deemed vulgar to show off wealth; and you should never ruin an evening out by wearing something that you feel uncomfortable in. In other words, "It's not about having guilt, it's about just enjoying pleasure," summarised De Maigret.

Interestingly, the pair revealed that neither has a style icon. "I hate the idea of having an icon - I find it too restrictive, that's the beauty of a woman, it's more about character," said Marant, while De Maigret concurred saying, "I look up to activists and people who make me feel small."

When it comes to being sartorially seductive, however, the pair had more words of wisdom.

"I think it's way more sexy to play with the mind, to show off a bare neck, a cutout on the back, a T-shirt that is too big and falls off the shoulder - more than just a cleavage," said de Maigret. "It's more sexy to play with the imagination," again, bringing it back to the beauty within. "I'm inspired by the beauty of what human beings are able to achieve," said Marant. "It's a big part of my job and the most joyful part. It gives me a lot of inspiration."