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Leave it to Vera Wang to electrify the Fall'14 bridal season with a veritable rainbow of high-impact pink gowns. "It was very ironic, I thought, to show pink for winter, and I wanted to explore ultimate femininity—but with an edge," offered the designer of her blush, rosebud, and coral wares. Wang, who in the past has shown bridal looks in bloodred and black, was influenced by the "glamour of old Dior," but she modernized that concept via strictly draped bodices, thoughtful beading, and blossoming origami flower embellishments, which sat on the skirts of full tulle options or mermaid silhouettes.
Carolina Herrera also turned out a nontraditional collection—though hers broke the mold in length, not hue. "I got married the second time in a short dress," said Herrera. "I've been going to a lot of weddings lately, and I see the brides wearing long gowns for the ceremony, and suddenly they change into a short one. So I thought, why not short?" she said of her knee- and tea-length frocks. Don't mistake short for simple, though—sequins, elaborate floral appliqués, lace, feathers, pearls, and moonstone all made an appearance in the range, as did pockets, which gave the dresses a fresh, youthful feel. Don't fret, traditional brides; most of the gowns are available for order in full-length styles as well.
Short cocktail dresses turned up at Marchesa, too. Inspired by The Secret Garden, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig's Fall outing was positively enchanting, and included scads of chantilly, point d'esprit, handmade floral appliqués, and pearl-studded tulle. The pair also offered longer gowns with trumpet skirts and delicate lace sleeves, which were terrific options for those wanting a classic look.
Though Ferragamo may conjure images of Florence, it's the brand's deep Hollywood ties that have inspired its pop-up shop inside the brand-new Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti used Ferragamo's title sponsorship of the new arts space as an opportunity to create a special line of accessories, specific to L.A. and the near 100-year history the brand has had in Tinseltown. Though the Salvatore Ferragamo company started in Italy, Mr. Ferragamo emigrated to America in 1914 and later opened his very own boot shop in Hollywood that catered to acting legends.
Playing on some of the house's most famous designs, the capsule collection includes the invisible wedge, hybrid silk sandals, and woven calfskin heels, all reimagined with modern touches of Lucite, hand weaving, and exotic combinations of textures and skins. "The iconic heritage remains true in this collection and speaks to every woman that desires the perfect combination of craftsmanship, modern design, and quality," Giornetti told Style.com, calling the product offering "the true essence of Ferragamo."
L.A.-based designer Clare Vivier has become the go-to girl for simple, well-crafted leather goods. You can't walk five blocks in New York City without spotting one of her signature foldover clutches. So it makes sense that, after years of selling her accessories in specialty NYC boutiques like Otte, Aritzia, and Steven Alan, Vivier (who is currently rebranding her line as Clare V.) is bowing her first Manhattan outpost. Ahead of tomorrow's unveiling, Vivier gave Cbamd.com an exclusive first look at the store, which, set on Elizabeth Street in Nolita, opens to the public on Friday.
Vivier, who also opened an L.A. flagship this summer, described the new store as "inspired by French apothecary architecture mixed with an L.A. vibe." Shadow boxes line the walls, and lighting designer Gabriel Abraham built a custom centerpiece fixture to illuminate the space. "We're also doing a nine-foot collage mural by New York-based artist Simone Shubuck," Vivier said. "Simone is an old friend of mine, and the art will be a mixture of personal pieces from my life and the brand, some original pieces from Simone, vintage photography that fits our aesthetic, and artwork from my son."
In addition to the full range of Vivier's staples (foldover clutches, soft leather duffels, roomy travel bags, candy-colored wallets, etc.), the boutique will stock a selection of third-party brands, like Maya Brenner jewelry, Reinhard Plank hats, and Nasomatto fragrances.
Lulu Kennedy has David Lynch on her mind. "I am probably David Lynch's biggest fan, and 'Mysteries of Love' on the Blue Velvet soundtrack really got me thinking about love. In fact, love is an ongoing theme for me," she said. Hearts, polka dots, and roses then—symbols of love for the Lulu & Co. designer—flow throughout her Spring '14 lineup, which debuts exclusively here. The "Co." bit in this collection comes from the Scottish queen of quirk Louise Gray, whom Lulu calls the "ultimate vibrant cool girl, with a cult following and ferocious ideas." That ferocity appears in a dress with clumps of sequins and heavy embroidery in the shapes of hearts and arrows. For a lilac dress with mint green metallic foil details, Grey blows up a photo of a rose, tears it up by hand, then rearranges the pieces as a collage. The effect is abstract, fragmented, and almost tribal.
Come mid-2014, Christopher Bailey will be doubling his workload. Today, Burberry announced that Bailey will replace Angela Ahrendts as CEO in addition to maintaining his role as creative director, which he's held for the past six years. Ahrendts has been tapped by Apple and will step into the newly created position of senior vice president. This isn't the first time the tech giant had looked to the fashion biz for new talent: Last July, Apple hired former Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to work on special projects. Maybe Karl Lagerfeld was onto something with his informatics-inspired Spring '14 Fendi collection—in any event, we have a feeling tech is about to get crazy chic.
Long before there was the red sole, there was the "comma" shoe—also known as Roger Vivier's Virgule. Launched in 1963, the shoe, famous for its curved heel, is the stuff of fashion lore. Last week, a major Vivier retrospective opened at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, Virgule etc.…In the footsteps of Roger Vivier, and yup, the shoe earned top billing out of the immense body of work from the man who considered himself an architect and an inventor first, and a shoemaker by happenstance. Vivier and his Virgule's world tour stops in London tomorrow at Selfridges Shoe Galleries—the largest shoe department in the world and an undisputed mecca for shoe lovers. It is here where the house will open its first shop in an event hosted by Inès de la Fressange, current creative consultant for Vivier, and designer Bruno Frisoni. It is all part of an international expansion of the brand, which has already seen shops opened this year in Japan and China.
The Vivier house has deep roots in Britain. In 1953, its namesake designer created the royal shoes for HM Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation. After that, he shoed the Duchess of Windsor—not to mention his laundry list of iconic non-British patrons, like Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Jeanne Moreau, and Brigitte Bardot. Today, the house's fan base is made up of the "elegant" types—Cate Blanchett, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman—but that doesn't mean the label can't have a rebellious edge. For tomorrow's Selfridges launch, the Virgule will be reissued in a punk-tinged tartan; the updated classic debuts exclusively above. Later that night at Le Baron, a party hosted by pop progeny Atlanta Cadenet-Taylor will introduce a new generation of fans to Vivier's work, though one wonders if his shoes have ever danced to strains of EDM. In any event, it shows that the house isn't just living on past glory—it's looking ahead.
Is it just us, or has Vince—the contemporary range known for its bunny-soft cashmere wares—worked up some serious mojo? The beloved basics brand began to gain steam in January, when it appointed Doo-Ri Chung as its creative director. In May, the label hired Karin Gregersen, formerly of Chloé, to direct the label's sales, marketing, product development, and creative initiatives as its new president. And now, it seems things are in full swing. Just last night, Vince hosted the launch of its new 3,000-square-foot flagship on Mercer Street, and the fete attracted all the right girls-about-town. Alexandra Richards, Harley Viera Newton, and Leigh Lezark turned up to check out the space and dance to tunes from the Dolls' deejay Mia Moretti and violinist Margot.
With its exposed white brick, 22-foot-high ceilings, skylight, and pale hardwood floors, the boutique boasts a welcoming layout. "It's very modern and very clean, but it's also warm, comfortable, and inviting," said Vince CEO Jill Granoff. For the first time, Vince's men's and women's collections are presented on separate sprawling floors, but it was the shoe display case—which was filled with enticing pointed, pony-hair mules, riding boots, and high-tops—that seemed to get the most attention. The kicks will have to move over soon, though: Gregersen told Style.com that the label will be launching handbags next year. "We're building more of a global lifestyle brand," said Gregersen. "We're continuing to work on our existing products and launching new extensions." Granoff chimed in to note that dresses and outerwear for all occasions are a new focus, and that they're working to further develop the menswear offering.
Indeed, the slick Soho flagship makes a smart addition to the label's three other Manhattan (and twenty U.S.) outposts. But more retail spaces are nigh—Vince is looking to take the international market by storm and is opening its first stand-alone store in Tokyo next week.
Vince's flagship is located at 89 Mercer Street in New York.
—Katharine K. Zarrella
Easy there, rumor mill. After a series of reports—all seeming to stem from an Asian site called Luxury Society, but picked up by outlets ranging from The Cut to StyleCaster that Nicolas Ghesquière had been confirmed as Marc Jacobs' successor at Louis Vuitton, a source at the French house told Cbamd.com that it's not so. The representative stated that Vuitton has no comment as to whether it's considering Ghesquière for the creative director gig, and could not confirm when the identity of the new designer will be released. That being said, whispers about talks between Ghesquière and LVMH have been circulating for some time…and look at how last year's rumor that Alexander Wang might get appointed to Balenciaga turned out. All we can say for now is: Stay tuned.
The models in Honest By.'s campaign for its collaboration with Mats Rombaut are—save some derby shoes—stark naked. "It all has to do with the Honest By. name—we're only selling shoes in this collection. So we had to be honest about that," offered the brand's founder, Bruno Pieters.
Fair enough—after all, Pieters—who took a hiatus from fashion after retiring his eponymous label in 2011—launched Honest By. last January on a platform of sustainability and transparency. "The idea when I came back to fashion was to use it as a tool for change," said Pieters. "Fashion is something that can inspire people, consciously or unconsciously, and that's the goal with Honest By." The sustainable aspect is a given—all the wares Honest By. offers are eco-conscious. And transparency comes into play with the price breakdown. Pieters clearly explains to his customers how much it costs to produce each garment or accessory.
In addition to a mainline designed by Pieters, Honest By. commissions wares from emerging talents—like Nicolas Andreas Taralis and Heaven Tanudiredja—in an effort to help introduce them onto the international scene. His latest project features on-the-rise Belgian-born, Paris-based sustainable footwear designer Mats Rombaut.
Tomorrow China's leading luxury retailer, Lane Crawford, will open the doors to its brand-new Yabu Pushelberg-designed Shanghai flagship. A veritable designer mecca, the outpost is LC's largest property and stands to stock five hundred international fashion, jewelry, beauty, and lifestyle brands.
A buying team of eighty-five experts curated the store's comprehensive brand selection, which includes everything from Saint Laurent to Sacai to J.Crew. Lane Crawford is notable for introducing the latter into the Chinese market for the first time. Additionally, the three-floor store boasts a series of pop ups, and three homegrown labels—Helen Lee, Ms. Min, and Chictopia—will be carried in the flagship's Hub section, which aims to promote and nurture emerging industry talents. Lane Crawford is also set to implement its first e-tail meets in-store facet in Shanghai: Customers will be able to pick up and return Internet orders at a special concierge center, marking an innovative fusion between the online and the on-ground.
Lane Crawford plays a long-standing and important role in China's luxury goods landscape, with multiple branches already operating in other cities such as Hong Kong and Beijing. But Shanghai holds a special place in its heart. "Since the company opened its first store here in 1872, the city has been an important part of our heritage," said company president Andrew Keith. "We are thrilled to be back."
