What To Expect From The V&A’s Blockbuster Chanel Exhibition

Gabrielle Coco Chanel’s contribution to fashion will be recognised in a landmark V&A exhibition in 2023. Based on Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto, a retrospective of the designer’s six-decade career curated by Paris’s Palais Galliera, the London institution will put its own twist on the display catalogue, with rarely seen pieces from the V&A’s own archive.

To state the obvious, this is going to be major for Chanelophiles and anyone who has even the faintest interest in fashion history. This is the woman who reshaped what it was like to get dressed in the early 20th century through her ground-breaking silhouettes that prioritised freedom over tradition. Her Chanel 2.55 – the most famous bag by the house even to this day – was the first mainstream shoulder bag, and loaded with practical details, from a middle compartment intended for storing lipsticks to a discreet zip-lined inner made to conceal love letters. Even the chain strap was inspired by the tiny weights Chanel used to give her bouclé jackets an immaculate finish.

All these details, plus many more intricacies at the heart of Chanel, will be reflected in a 10-section showcase spanning the opening of Coco’s first Parisian boutique in 1910 to the presentation of her final Chanel collection in 1971. More than 200 looks will go on display in South Kensington alongside jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, from one of the earliest surviving Chanel designs from 1916 to costumes for the Ballet Russes’ 1924 production of Le Train Bleu and pieces worn by Hollywood legends Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich. Individual sections of the exhibition, meanwhile, will be dedicated to Chanel No 5 and its impact; the house’s closure during the Second World War; the timeless Chanel suit, with more than 50 examples on show; and a study of the brand’s pioneering costume jewellery. Coco Chanel’s love of British culture – as evidenced by her adoption of tweed – will also be explored in depth.

Stay tuned for information on Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, which will run from 16 September 2023 to 25 February 2024.

Jeremy Scott Steps Down As Creative Director At Moschino After A Decade

After a decade steering Moschino, it’s been announced that Jeremy Scott will be exiting the role of creative director at the Aeffe-owned Italian brand. “These past 10 years at Moschino have been a wonderful celebration of creativity and imagination. I am so proud of the legacy I am leaving behind,” Scott said in a statement. “I would like to thank Massimo Ferretti for the honour of leading this iconic house. I would also like to thank all my fans around the world who celebrated me, my collections, and my vision, for without you none of this would be possible.”

Scott presented his first collection for the cheeky Franco Moschino-founded label during the autumn/winter 2014 season. “Scott’s embrace of consumer culture in the name of Moschino was bright, brash, and ingenious,” wrote Tim Blanks in Vogue Runway’s review of the collection, which mixed McDonald’s logos, cow prints, and even Spongebob Squarepants. Scott’s penchant for mixing high and low aesthetics resonated with many of the decade’s most iconic pop stars. Everyone from Lady Gaga to Cardi B to Lizzo found a kindred spirit in his irreverent take on culture and fashion. Who else but Scott could dress Katy Perry as a literal chandelier (and a hamburger for the after-party) to attend the “Notes on Camp”-themed Met Gala in 2019?

In 10 years, Scott’s Moschino runways riffed on the subject of Barbie (a full decade before Barbie-core took over), paper dolls (a playful dig at the superficiality of the fashion business), cardboard (in an apparent critique of overconsumption), and money. The autumn/winter 2019 Price Is Right show will go down in runway history as one the funniest shows ever. He once even staged a show on a New York City subway at the MTA Transit Museum – complete with “Showtime” dancers.

His ability to remix the zeitgeist through Franco Moschino’s vision made the brand a viral success many times over – though not without the occasional misstep. A capsule collection released for spring/summer 2017 called “Just Say MoschiNO” was pill-themed, and many took offense to bags shaped like prescription pill bottles, given the opioid crisis sweeping the nation.

During most of his tenure at Moschino, Scott was also producing his eponymous label, which suddenly stopped appearing on the fashion show schedule in 2019. Vogue Business’s Christina Binkley brought up its absence from the New York calendar in a recent interview with the designer. Scott hinted that his Moschino schedule kept him too busy. “I want to be sure I have a nice life – I mean, quality time with people,” he told Binkley. The brand’s hiatus may not be an indefinite one. “I own the company, so I can decide,” Scott said.

In a press release, Massimo Ferretti, Chairman of Aeffe S.p.A, which owns both Moschino and Jeremy Scott’s label, said: “I am fortunate to have had the opportunity of working with the creative force that is Jeremy Scott. I would like to thank him for his 10 years of commitment to Franco Moschino’s legacy and for ushering in a distinct and joyful vision that will forever be a part of Moschino history.”

Pamela Anderson Just Shared The Runway With Supermodel Naomi Campbell

While the Oscars might’ve been the last major event of awards season, the stars were back out at Boss’ ‘see now, buy now’ spring/summer 2023 show in Miami yesterday. Naturally, the runway was awash with the likes of Naomi Campbell, DJ Khaled, Khaby Lame and Precious Lee, to name but a few. Pamela Anderson, who recently made waves with her Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, was also on the lineup.

Spotted at the waterside Herald Plaza venue in Miami, the 55-year-old Baywatch star opened the show in a classic tonal beige ensemble. Her look was comprised of a linen single-breasted blazer and tailored trouser set, worn with an organza shirt, a sheer knitted V-neck top and a pair of patent leather pumps.

Only a few days after announcing on his Instagram account that he was retiring, Law Roach also walked the runway of the waterfront show. This sparked an online debate over what exactly this meant. “I’m not saying I’m retiring from fashion. I love fashion. I love the businesses, and I love being creative,” he clarified with Vogue Runway’s Luke Leitch at the show. “What I’m retiring from is the celebrity styling part of it: The being in service and at service of other people. That’s what I’m retiring from, yeah.”

Anderson has been experiencing a number of exciting high profile fashion moments lately – from her knockout, ultra-sleek red carpet looks, to appearing on the front row at Paris Fashion Week and Versace in Los Angeles last week.

Shawn Mendes Just Created A Collection Of ’90´s Classics For Tommy Hilfiger

American designer Tommy Hilfiger and singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes have joined forces to create a collection inspired by classic preppy hero pieces. In particular they looked towards the early ’90s, with a focus on retro silhouettes and fit, and have modernised these Tommy Hilfiger icons with sustainable fabrics and innovations.

“Modern prep is timeless, and cyclical,” Tommy Hilfiger explains to British Vogue. “So it comes back around. We’re proud that it’s at the core of our brand, but we always look to refresh it and reinvent it, to make it new and exciting. And for us, it’s important to work with cultural pioneers who can bring a distinct perspective to all of these pieces. Otherwise classics can be very boring. We have to figure out ways to make them exciting and fresh. We’ve always worked with icons in pop culture and Shawn is the indisputable icon of this genre and of today.”

The ’90s was the mood for the collection, with Mendes looking back at original archive pieces. “My mom was obsessed with Tommy Hilfiger, and I’ve just always worn it,” he says on a Zoom call from a rainy Los Angeles. “So I think it was written in fate that we ended up working together. I was born in ’98 and so the Tommy energy in the ’90s is what I see if I go back and look at photos of my parents. The archive taught me about the shapes, the feeling, the colours and just the energy that was coming off the clothes at that time. It also felt very aligned with how I feel about fashion right now.” It is the relaxed, throw-on feeling of clothes in this era that really appeals to Mendes: “I think that’s why the ’90s is so exciting because it feels bold and carefree.”

They took inspiration from the ’90s, but looked to modernise these classics too, and one way they did this was through fit. “I think shape is really important and the shapes are not exactly the way they were in the ’90s,” explains Hilfiger. “They were inspired by the ’90s. But I also think detail is important. And I think that if you look at the interior of some of these pieces, you’ll see that the detail is there and it’s very well thought out and there for a reason.” Specific design details in this collaboration include interior waistbands and linings in the jackets with contrasts, and small embroideries, buttons and buttonholes that give the items personality. “Inside the small Tommy flag are my initials, and it’s very, very cool and surreal,” says Mendes of his own favourite detail.

The campaign has a personal feeling as it includes people close and true to Mendes, including his younger sister Aaliyah Mendes and his close friend Jon Vinyl. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever gotten to do, actually, truly,” Mendes says about being on set with his sister. “My heart, like seeing her on set and watching her kind of own it. And she just looked incredible. The campaign feels like a sense of home, especially after the last couple of years where I’ve been searching for a sense of stability and a foundation. For Tommy to be accepting of the idea of having my friends and family in the videos was really amazing and I can’t thank Tommy enough for that.” Like any older brother, he was inevitably told he needed to give her some space on set, as Mendes explains: “I remember I showed up on set and I was shaking, because I was so nervous for my sister. I was like ‘How are you feeling? Is everything okay?’ And she goes, ‘You need to leave. You’re stressing me.’”

Mendes is an advocate for sustainability and so it is always going to be an important part of any project he signs up to. “I think like there’s very, very few brands and very, very few people who have been as influential for as long as Tommy Hilfiger has, and to have him take a stand and really deep dive into processes and figure out how to do things as sustainably as possible is just incredible.” One technique that really impressed Mendes was the use of Recycrom, which is pigment powders made from clothing and manufacturing waste.

The 28-piece collection also found ways to be more circular and to create new fibres out of recycled textiles, instead of relying on virgin resources. The collection uses Circulose, a fibre that is made from recycled textile waste. Stand-out items include a stars and stripes rugby shirt which is made from a recycled and organic cotton blend and a varsity jacket which has sleeves made from Econyl, regenerated nylon that is made from plastic waste including fishing nets.

The campaign unites Mendes’s family, as well as advocates for sustainability and next-generation creatives. It includes his sister Aaliyah Mendes, artist, singer-songwriter and close friend Jon Vinyl, record producer Mike Sabath, multidimensional artist Ahmad Cissé, author and model Maye Musk, designer Czarina Kwong, champion for change Deprise Lons, and models Yvesmark Chery and Anita Jane Pathammavong. The Shawn Mendes X Tommy Hilfiger collection launches on Wednesday 15 March.

Gigi, Naomi and Kendall Led The Supermodel Bonanza At Versace

As Donatella Versace took her brand’s autumn/winter 2023 show to Los Angeles, A-listers and international editors flocked to the West Coast to witness the most seductive of fashions in the flesh. While there were numerous stars on the FROW – like Cher, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X, Paris Hilton and Anne Hathaway, to name a few – the runway was, naturally, awash with supermodels, both legendary and new-era.

Gigi Hadid, who’s made headlines recently as the host of Netflix’s Next in Fashion second season, opened the show at the Pacific Design Centre in West Hollywood wearing a black razor-sharp skirt suit, black leather gloves, stilettos and a black holdall bag (she later wore a breathtaking low-slung gown with sheer corset panels).

Elsewhere, Naomi Campbell turned heads as she sashayed in a halter dress, while Emily Ratajkowski delivered optimum femme fatale in a waist-cinching midi slip and leather gloves. To finish it all off, Kendall Jenner closed the show wearing a crystal-embellished minidress with a voluminous capelet and bejewelled neckline.

Other mega model moments included Adut Akech, Liu Wen, Mariacarla Boscono, Anok Yai, Imaan Hammam, Irina Shayk and Vittoria Ceretti. It’s safe to say that, wherever it may take place in the world, there wouldn’t be a Versace show without a swarm of It-girls commanding the runway.

Chanel’s Floral-Themed A/W´23 Show

Chanel’s autumn/winter 2023 show was inspired by the camellia flower this season, symbolising both strength and softness. See British Vogue fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen’s key takeaways from the ground in Paris.

It was a tribute to the camellia

Chanel’s emblematic camellia flower was given superstar status in Virginie Viard’s show this season. Inside the structure on Place Joffre, where the maison’s shows are held while the Grand Palais undergoes refurbishment, two circular runways surrounded enormous camellia sculptures. As the show started, a film directed by Inez & Vinoodh, starring the actress Nana Komatsu on a merry-go-round, was projected onto the flowers. If those ideas vaguely reflected a theme of circularity, Viard’s collection expressed it in eclecticism: the idea that the Chanel aesthetic is so strong that you can apply it to any silhouette, garment, texture or technique… et voilà, it says Chanel.

It was kind of 1960s

“The camellia is more than a theme, it’s an eternal code of the house. I find it reassuring and familiar. I like its softness and its strength,” Viard said of her source of inspiration. The flower adorned the lapels of a leather coat that opened the show, setting the tone for a collection that cut contrasts between the hard and the soft. This continued in a coat and a skirt suit made from patent leather imbued with a certain kicky 1960s spirit. “An English vibe,” as Viard put it.

Viard went all out on Bermuda shorts

Set to a funky soundtrack – “Tuesday Maybe” by Way Out West – the collection explored a quirky silhouette centred around what Viard called “Bermuda shorts suits”. They appeared in many shapes and sizes, sometimes worn eccentrically over white lace tights, which also appeared overlaid with black lace cycling shorts. The silhouette had a childlike quality about it, amplified by the presence of rompers and mameluke details.

It made a case for handkerchief hems

Viard’s eclecticism reached a new high with the introduction of pompoms on knitwear and dresses in candy floss plume and circular patterns. It added to the childlike spirit of the collection, a feeling mirrored in asymmetrical lines that evolved into handkerchief-hemmed jackets and dresses. Viard summed up the collection’s details as “real and charming”.

The camellia was turned into accessories

Viard adapted her camellia flower into bowling ball-shaped bags with leaf motifs and black patent leather bags shaped as 3D camellias. Black leather boots were printed with a pattern that interwove the camellia and Chanel’s double C, while the toe of ladylike sling-backs were adorned with the classic white camellia.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Is Coming Back – The Internet Is Divided

The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is coming back. The lingerie brand announced during its 2022 earnings call on Friday that it’s seeking to revamp its Angel wings-filled production, which was once one of the most anticipated (and watched) in the world. “We’re going to continue to lean into the marketing spend to invest in the business… and also to support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year,” confirmed the brand’s CFO, Timothy Johnson. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson also emphasised that the show will “reinforce our commitment to championing women’s voices and their unique perspectives.”

The event – which once featured top models such as Adriana Lima, Gisele Bündchen, and Heidi Klum – was put on hiatus in November 2019 following VS’s declining sales, poor television ratings, and controversies surrounding the brand. Most notably, it was reported at the time that the company’s CEO, Les Wexner, had close ties to Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. (A spokesperson for Mr and Mrs Wexner told the Washington Post in 2019 that they had severed all ties with Epstein in 2007 and condemned Epstein’s “abhorrent behaviour in the strongest possible terms”.) In 2020, a New York Times article accused Edward Razek – the former chief marketing officer of L Brands, Victoria’s Secret’s parent company – of creating a “culture of misogyny, bullying, and harassment.” (Razek told the NYT at the time that the claims were “categorically untrue, misconstrued or taken out of context”, while L Brands did not dispute the allegations made in the report.)

Around the time of its hiatus, there were also rising questions around whether the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was still relevant or appropriate for the current fashion climate. In 2018, Razek was asked if the show needed an overhaul from its bombshells-only aesthetic – meaning if it would ever consider featuring a more diverse cast, including trans or plus-size models. He famously rejected this idea, telling Vogue’s Nicole Phelps, “I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.”

Around the same time, Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, proved that it was possible to have a show that was sexy and diverse. From its first catwalk in 2018, Savage X Fenty has cast models of all sizes as well as those who are queer, trans, non-binary, and drag queens.

Victoria’s Secret aimed to reinvent itself in 2021 too, when it launched its VS Collective campaign featuring plus-size model Paloma Elsesser, LGBTQ+ activist Valentina Sampaio, and US soccer star Megan Rapinoe. The new look and feel of the brand, which shed its signature Angels in favour of products that reflected “what women want,” felt dramatically different and intentional – though perhaps a bit too performative. A Mother’s Day campaign, released shortly after its rebrand, went on to feature a pregnant model in a silky pink robe, a deliberate move to reflect a more inclusive range of body types.

It’s unclear what the new fashion show will entail, but the reactions online to the announcement were mixed. Some were quick to call the brand’s revamp, and its aim to “champion women’s voices,” a direct Savage X Fenty ripple effect. “Ms. Fenty really made them restrategize,” wrote one Twitter user. Others were more cautiously optimistic. “I’ll reserve my outrage until we see if they actually have become inclusive or all this is just merely performative,” wrote another. “Glad it’s coming back,” wrote yet another, “but doubt it will be as glamorous.”