After further sleuthing, we learned that Alo has been in the market for capital with a $10 B valuation since 2023, which sounds way high. The concept is impressive and very sound before the arrival of Petruzzo, who will be a big help in raising capital and instituting sound financial management systems and international marketing rules.
As much as AOC LOVES this concept, there are flags on the field in China.
Jing Daily reports that Alo will probably face challenges in the China market, as it prepares to open stores in Shanghai and Beijing. JD writes that “years of rampant counterfeiting” have already shaped how Chinese customers view the brand. Those perceptions will impact what customers are willing to pay for product.
There are tariff-related risks, as well. With most of its manufacturing done in China, major risks introduced by President Trump’s deeply personal and punishing approach to tariffs adds extra volatility to Alo’s expansion plans.
Models Kris Krystal, Ploy Chobsawang, Rachel Agbonze and more are styled by Lotta Volkova in the Miu Miu [IG] Prelude Collection 2016 campaign. Danish photographer Julie Greve [IG] shoots the campaign, confirming her self-descriptor as an artist whose work explores ideas of coming of age and female identity.
On the topic of Miu Miu’s brainiac young women, AOC spent time today getting out of the minds of America’s young women, with questions about young women worldwide.
Data indicates a ‘great relationship recession’ is underway globally, with singlehood rising in 26 out of 30 surveyed developed nations. Follow link top of page to read the details.
Louis Vuitton [IG] creative director Nicolas Ghesquière releases the first phase of LV’s Spring/Summer 2026 Campaign. Actor Jennifer Connelly’s ambassador role with Louis Vuitton is more than a decade old, making her the longest-serving muse to the designer.
Cass Bird [IG], shot the campaign with refuge in mind. Ghesquière said he channeled that theme for the collection’s runway show last fall. "The atmosphere I was wishing to share was the serenity you feel when you are in the comfort of your home.”
We realized today [finally] that these images are a direct volley to Miu Miu. But Miu Miu has Prada.
Jonathan Anderson believes he can successfully do Miu Miu and Prada together in one floor in the store. They are one Dior for the designer. And in many cases, he believes he can do Miu Miu and Prada AND Miu Miu for Men and Prada for Men in one giant statement because everyone is cross-dressing and he believes he is a visionary genius in understanding this reality.
The designer may be right — but it’s an incredible roll of the dice with no pre-testing. Meanwhile, many are citing pricing challenges on the line and steep reductions from the show prices. That jean jacket is an excellent example. It’s $5,000. Yikes.
Today, we stay positive. The only people in their right mind who would give Jonathan Anderson this range of self-expression is LVMH. Let’s hope it’s successful; and he should be humble about the opportunity afforded him by The Family. ~ Anne
Two divinely-talented, beautiful and sexy women — that would be Hailey Bieber and Maty Fall — launch a Victoria’s Secret Valentine’s Day [IG] campaign for love: self-love and the family, friends and lover[s] who feel your glow. Photographer Adrienne Raquel [IG] captures the retro mood and music, with Hailey and Maty styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Executive creative direction by Adam Selman./ Hair by Bryce Scarlett; makeup by Mary Philipps
The December 7, 2025 issue of HTSI Magazine [IG] features an all-Burberry story with actor Sope Dirisu, athlete Jack Draper, and models Alva Claire, Assa Baradji and Filip Bryndza.
Clare Richardson styles the shoot lensed by Dan Martensen [IG]. / Hair by Kota Suizu; makeup by Niamh Quinn
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons extend their chill approach to the holidays, with this December 2025 drop lensed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch [IG].
Models include Arvid Kaldo, Bakary Cisse, Ma Kaidong, Noor Khan, Pierrick Grégoire, Rejoice Chuol and Ruyu Chen with styling by Olivier Rizzo and creative direction by Ferdinando Verderi.
AOC is delighted to see these Gucci Cruise 2026 images, lensed by Dudi Hasson [IG]. Suzanne Koller styles Gucci Cruise 2026 models Anasofia Negrutsa, Ine Michelmann, Pati Bogusz, and Yoni Tijn.
Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus delights fans with the Nike x Jacquemus Après Ski Collection [IG], modeled here by Bibi Breslin and Joe Baker, with styling by Katie Burnett./ Hair by Louis Ghewy; makeup by Eva Louis
The 18-piece Nike x Jacquemus Après Ski apparel collection is designed to offer “uncompromising winter sport performance and style, snowboarders and all athletes, who lean into the mountain lifestyle,” writes Nike.
Hallelujah! AOC bumped into Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2026 Men’s Pre-Collection video and it’s so joyful. Pharrell brings his humanity into everything he does.
Styled by Matthew Henson, the campaign is fronted by English footballer playing for Real Madrid CF, Friend of the House Jude Bellingham and English actor and producer Callum Turner, a House ambassador.
Photographed and filmed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch [IG] the footballer and actor are seen in scenes from aristocratic life — with no aloofness.
The international model lineup in Vogue’s Chanel story includes Abény Nhial, Achol Ayor, Aditsa Berzenia, Awar Odhiang, Bhoomi Yadav, Charlotte Boggia, Dru Campbell, Feng Jiao Long, Luiza Perote and Zaya Guarani, styled by Amanda Harlech in images by Rafael Pavarotti [IG]. / Hair by Karim Belghiran; makeup by Ammy Drammeh
Blazy is an empath; hands down. AOC has written about his leadership style, mixed with his creative curiosity, and prior overt gestures to get the recognition for the women in his Bottega Veneta atelier that they deserved.
Jonathan Anderson is supposed to be the boy wonder creative designer we’re all trying to swoon over, but increasingly it seems like Blazy’s the one to watch.
The CasablancaParis Ski Campaign Winter 2025-26 is easy on the eyes, with models Fares Ben M’barka and Nadine Kirilova fronting designer Charaf Tajer’s classic — even patriotic — retro color palette. There’s only one color scheme with equal appeal on both sides of the Atlantic, and that’s red-white-blue.
Casablanca teamed up with Faction Skis [IG] in their first-ever ski capsule, created with Tajer and Steve Grimes, Casablanca’s brand and art director. Photographer Per Appelgren [IG] captured the luxury brand campaign created with its Gen Z audience in mind.
Banana Republic [IG] released its Fall 2025 Campaign ‘San Francisco, 1978’, with a series of images that mean more if we look under the hood of human events that year, including the brand’s founding.
Banana Republic ‘San Francisco 1978’ models Andreea Diaconu, David Corenswet [actor playing Superman], Giacomo Cavalli, and Paula Soares are lensed by Sonia Szostak [IG] with creative direction by Michael Scanlon. / Hair by Michal Bielecki; makeup by Dan Duran
Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down in 1978
AOC queried whether 1978 in San Francisco-Mill Valley was a good year. The response was ‘not really’. Surely millions of Californians living in Banana Republic country would disagree. So we ran down why the response to our question was so glum.
Louis Vuitton [IG] Women Creative Director Nicolas Ghesquière returned to Avignon, France and the historic Palais des Papes, residence of popes in the 14th century and scene of the 2026 Cruise fashion show, for the 2026 Cruise Campaign shot by Jamie Hawkesworth [IG].
In their own words, LVW calls the campaign “a radiant clash of centuries” as the majesty of the Middle Ages converges with the dazzling defiance of glam rock.
AOC is certain that Pope Leo is just beaming with all this free PR from Louis Vuitton, especially given his obvious intention to become deeply-embedded in popular culture and with a strong American influence.
Anne is down for anything that shows our better and beautiful face to the world than the Trump Administration’s attempts to destroy the soul of the American experiment.
The American pontiff is becoming a giant brain cluster f*** in the world of progressives. And don’t think LVMH, with Pharrell Williams, organizing the concert last December 2024 for the reopening of the badly-burned Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris went unnoticed by Pope Leo.
That’s before Pharrell co-produced a 3 hr. concert at the Vatican in September with 300,000 holy spirits waving their iPhones like fireflies honoring our deep need for grace in this world.
And John Legend played and sang ‘Glory’ from ‘Selma’, leaving the Americans to lose our damn minds when Legend then hit ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’.
Styled by Aleksandra Woroniecka, the campaign welcomes returning Loro Piana photographer Annemarieke Van Drimmelen [IG], who shot the campaign at the Grand Chalet, vacation home of the renowned painter Balthus.
Built in 1754 in the heart of the Swiss Alps, in a place called Rossinière, the former hotel is a Swiss heritage site and one of the largest wooden structures in Europe.
Today, it is the home and studio of Balthus’ daughter Harumi Klossowska de Rola and her family. More than a mere residence, it is where heritage, art, and savoir-vivre are in constant conversation between generations.
AOC’s response to quiet Chanel news was OMG! But of course Matthieu Blazy [IG] will use Louise & Maria Thornfeldt at Chanel [IG]. And these fabulous details photographs truly bring Blazy’s Chanel debut collection to life.
These are some of the best photos AOC has seen in revealing textures and details up close and personal. And the show backdrop is stellar, even cosmic.
The textures, the weaves and embellishments. The jewelry and attitude of modernity. It’s also about Matthieu Blazy’s relationship with women — which is quite extraordinary from what I’ve read.
Mulberry [IG] has engaged British actor Cynthia Erivo to front its ‘The Mulberry Spirit’ Fall 2025 campaign, lensed by Tim Walker [IG] and styled by Kate Phelan.
Anne has experienced meteor showers all over her brain in the last week, after writing about Anok Yai’s Perfect Magazine #9 fashion story. I called her “a high priest for humanity” and meant it. You cannot imagine the psychological, spiritual, emotional roller coaster ride I’ve been on for the last week.
It’s another story — except that my Anok Yai-induced psycho drama dropped me off last week in the care of Cynthia Erivo and the November 2025 debut of ‘Wicked: For Good’. The trailer is stellar. It’s right up there with Pharrell’s Vatican City Concert 2025, discussed last night when I learned that Deva Cassell’s movie ‘Zero.A.D’ — where she plays the Virgin Mary — had been moved to 2026.
Louis Vuitton [IG] ambassadors Emma Stone and Hoyeon present the luxury house’s new leather goods campaign, shot by photographer Ethan James Green [IG]. Framed against fashionable sketches of Boulevard Haussmann architecture, the fresh and clean campaign offers no distractions from the Capucines and Side Trunk handbags.
Grace Elizabeth fronts a winter campaign for Eres [IG] swimwear, a French brand also making lingerie, founded in 1968 and acquired by Chanel in 1996. Israeli photographer Dudi Hasson [IG] captures the campaign with hair by Pawel Solis.
The world’s top models wearing H&M’s off-duty casual femininity from designer Eliana Masgalos between shows includes Alex Consani,Awar Odhiang, Diane Chu, Jacqui Hooper, Maty Fall, Mariacarla Boscono, Mona Tougaard, Paloma Elsesser, Sora Choi and Vittoria Ceretti. Some models had their dollie sidekicks riding shotgun.
This campaign is part of H&M’s larger strategy around their participation in global fashion events. The brand becomes a global fashion voice — not by competing with their own runway show — but by becoming part of everyone’s show in a very democratic way.
Frankly, this strategy appeals to the models, who continue to seek greater direct influence in fashion week action and events. Translated, they want to have roles beyond being a mannequin. The best example of this desire — and ability — was model Awar Odhiang’s spontaneous ‘hostess with the mostess’ takeover of the closing of Matthieu Blazy’s fabulous Chanel debut.
