1 THE ARTIST IS PRESENT
Artistic collaborations have proven to be a key tenet of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior tenure. This season, she enlisted artist Penny Slinger, who creates evocative, haunting works in black and white, often tackling the subject of feminism through a surrealist lens. For Dior, she wrapped up the heart of the House—30 Avenue Montaigne, where Monsieur Dior himself (and every artistic director of the House ever since) worked alongside the ateliers—in a dark scenography that riffed on the alchemy of fire, air, water and earth. Into the dreamlike space came models draped in light, flowing dresses. The fluid pieces evoked the tunics of ancient Greece—garments that only fully came to life on the body. That spirit mirrored the essence of haute couture, which is all about the woman wearing one-of-a-kind creations tailored specifically and perfectly to her body. In these soft, sensuous designs, Chiuri’s women resembled caryatids, the sculpted female forms that held up old Grecian temples. Compared to the exuberant confections of other couture houses, Chiuri’s works might seem subdued, but like those ancient pillars and Slinger’s fantastic beings, they exude a quiet kind of power.
2 PRINTS CHARMING
After the candy-hued sunset pastels of its Alex Israel collaboration, Louis Vuitton sees pop-bright colours for its latest artist partnership. The brand roped in Los Angeles-based artist Jonas Wood, best known for his paintings of dense contemporary interiors, lush floras and verdant scenescapes. For Louis Vuitton, Wood conceptualised an 11-piece capsule of textile products that plays on the house monogram as well his signature motifs such as the basketball, flowers and a pot drawn by his wife, Shio Kusaka. The artist also reinterpreted the house logo with a graffiti bent, while his silk carrés give a nod to the works of Henri Matisse and David Hockney.
"Couture signatures such as guipure and bows are translated into ready-to-wear "
3 COUTURE CHARM
Bringing the haute couture dream closer to earth, Givenchy has released Givenchy Atelier—a capsule of timeless pieces that pays tribute to the House’s couture heritage and the skills of its petites mains. It translates the codes established by Clare Waight Keller in her couture collections— impeccable construction, sculptural volumes, incredible delicacy and lightness—into a ready-to-wear capsule focused on separates, a concept pioneered by Hubert de Givenchy himself in his couture heyday. Waight Keller employed a restrained palette of black and white, which she made rich and luscious with the use of exquisite embellishments, embroidery and materials such as guipure, georgette, velvet and lace. She also brought back the bow backpack from her January couture show that proved a viral hit.
"An exuberantly printed look from the Loewe x William de Morgan holiday capsule collection"
EXCESS ALL AREAS
William de Morgan was a 19 th -century ceramicist famed for his tile and stained glass designs done in the vividly decorative style of the Arts and Crafts movement. Ever the esoteric champion of craft and a lover of expressive design himself, Jonathan Anderson has revived the work of de Morgan at Loewe with a holiday capsule collection of ready-to-wear, accessories and charms splashed with his fantastical creatures and floral arabesques. The clothes sported elongated, sweeping silhouettes—a nod to 19 th -century fashion—but they felt light and joyful instead of heavy. Anderson also packed the collection with whimsy, found in the form of accessories such as creature charms, woolly dragon tails and horned beanies. In a playful touch, large bright dodos are woven onto knitted caftans or painted onto leather bags and jackets.
Clockwise from top: Postal bag, $3,800; tassel charm, $690; dragon charm, $550; Bunny bag, $2,350, Loewe x William de Morgan
"Schiaparelli haute couture fall/winter 2019"
5 THE BIG BANG
With Thom Browne on his resume and the challenge of taking on a name as beloved as Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry’s debut at the iconic French couture house was a hotly watched affair. He did not disappoint. Roseberry managed to capture the spirit of Schiaparelli without being overtly literal or referential—qualities that had sometimes trapped his predecessors in aesthetics that leaned towards period. He translated her love for fantasy and surrealism with a light-handed touch, resulting in acrylic nails as embellishment, ladybugs as print and bustiers as peplums. His daywear married sharp tailoring with extravagant flourishes while his evening wear made use of brilliant jolts of colour and print. For the finale section he termed “dreamtime”, clouds of silk and taff eta billowed skyward like they were taking off on a flight of fancy.
"BV Twist bags, from $2,010 to $3,100, Bottega Veneta"
6 DO THE TWIST
While the House used to be known for a certain kind of rigour and structure, Daniel Lee has very quickly injected a contemporary sense of ease and effortlessness into his Bottega Veneta— and that vision is resonating with customers. His sold-out, waitlisted bags, from the pillowy Padded Cassette to the squishy Pouch, are testament to that. For cruise, he adds another musthave to his repertoire of It bags: The BV Twist. The slouchy triangular clutch, meant to be worn around the wrist, sports the brand’s iconic knot motif as well as the familiar intrecciato weave, but there’s now a cracked leather treatment that is an arresting new development.
"Heels, Sergio Rossi"
7 STEP UP
Sergio Rossi is re-entering the Singapore market with a footwear collection that is unapologetically bold. There is a graphic new logo, lifted from 1969 and cut into a 3D, architectural heel that’s lacquered for a high-shine effect and paired with everything from pumps to sandals and mules. The heels may take logomania to new heights, but the uppers are equally eye-catching in hues such as Dragon Fruit and Sapphire. The shoes will be available at the Sergio Rossi pop-up at Takashimaya D.S. from 1 December.
"Silvia Venturini Fendi doing the final fittings for Fendi haute couture fall/winter 2019"
8 BEHIND THE CRAFT
BAZAAR goes backstage at Fendi’s haute couture extravaganza in Rome to chat with Silvia Venturini Fendi about Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy, looking back and moving forward.
You’ve mentioned that this project is an homage to Karl Lagerfeld—how did that manifest itself in the collection?
First of all, this space was chosen together with Karl. We could have cancelled it, but we decided it was even more important to be here and continue. The last time I met him, he gave me a book to start developing ideas about fabrics, materials, inspirations. So I started from that book, which was about art and architecture in Venice. And then I thought, with Karl, it’s never just one inspiration, it’s never so simple—so I put some of me in it. We’re a Roman house, I’m Roman, and we’re in Rome—how do we make something Roman without being too obvious? So I came here to meet with the archaeologists and they were telling me about these old Roman villas with beautiful marbles and mosaics, and I decided to apply those elements. And I thought the best way to honour Karl was not to be too nostalgic, so I avoided too many references from the archives. I selected some ideas from the archives, but in a free way, just as a starting point. The haircut was taken from one of his sketches. And we showed 54 looks, for his 54 years with Fendi.
What is your vision like now, as the sole designer for the House?
My vision is to continue respecting; to write the future but also remember the past. It’s something I’ve learned living here in Rome. My vision is, of course, going to be very personal because I’m not Karl’s clone. So the feminine point of view will probably be different. We will continue to push the boundaries, because we can. We are used to challenges and to never repeating ourselves.
"A$AP Rocky (top) and Robert Pattinson photographed by Nikolai von Bismarck for The Dior Sessions"
9 FAMILY PORTRAIT
It may seem like we are bestowed with the gift of a new Dior tome every few months, but the French house’s latest is truly a gem. The Dior Sessions, published by Rizzoli, chronicles Kim Jones’s fi rst year at Dior Men, capturing the new attitude and fresh energy he brought to the brand. It is a series of intimate portraits of the designer’s inner circle and friends of the House lensed by Nikolai von Bismarck, who also happens to be Kate Moss’s boyfriend. Photographed over 12 months across three continents, it features luminaries such as Moss, Naomi Campbell, A$AP Rocky, Robert Pattinson, David Beckham, Takashi hree Murakami and Marc Jacobs. Proceeds from the sale of the book, available at rizzoliusa.com, go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
"Bowling bags, $3,270 each, Prada"
10 BOWLED OVER
Reissues and archival deep dives have been one of the past year’s biggest trends and no other designer comes close to Micuccia Prada when it comes to a back catalogue packed with hits. After reigniting our love for sporty ’90s nylons with the relaunch of Prada Linea Rossa, Prada is bringing back another icon. Nearly two decades after she kick - started the craze for bowling bags with her sping/summer 2000 - a collection she designed with understated chic in mind. The hight - contrast trimmings add a visual pop to the bowling bag’s streamlined shape.
BY JEFFREY YAN
