The primal forces of Fire and Earth fuel the Spring 2026 Brunello Cucinelli Collection campaign. In the words of the designer, “creative passion meets timeless authenticity, and nature becomes a living expression of style.”
Models Abeny Nhial, Louise Robert and Niyo Malik are styled by Michaela Buratti with Daniel Archer [IG] taking photography honors./ Hair by Werner Amort; makeup by Fabiana Clavario
Brunello Cucinelli 2025 Results
Brunello Cucinelli closed out 2025 as a banner year, with sales up 10.1 percent to more than 1.4 billion euros. Adjusted at constant exchange rates, sales rose 11.5 percent, beating the forecast of 10 percent, reported by AOC last year.
13.7 Percent Increase in Asia
Sales in Asia rose 13.7 percent to 392.6 million euros, accounting for 27.9 percent of total turnover.
“China confirms its excellent health for us, with significant double-digit growth continuing quarter after quarter and a relevant contribution to the overall result of the entire Asian continent,” Cucinelli continued.
Aisle 9 Celine Cleanup: Hedi Slimane Did Not Take 4-5 Years to Deliver His Vision
In a recent discussion about why Jonathan Anderson should be given the same 4-5 years to deliver results at Dior, that Hedi Slimane took at Celine, AOC just sighed as we got out the mop and bucket and headed for Aisle 9. “No way,” Anne mumbled as she gave the bucket a good kick in exasperation.
“Hedi Slimane brought almost immediate results to the Celine brand. Why doesn’t Suzie Q check her facts the way we do. We pay $180 a year to read her nonsense. She should stick to recommending lip gloss.”
Committed to facts and knowing that we all make mistakes — including AOC — Anne ran SQ’s “it took a long time at Celine” assertion through AI to confirm our position.
WWD has confirmed with Maison Alaïa that its Belgian creative director and designer Pieter Mulier has resigned his post at Alaīa Paris. Alaïa said Mulier would conclude his tenure as creative director after Alaïa’s summer-fall 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week in March.
While his next position remains unconfirmed, it’s widely expected that the designer will join Versace, now owned by Prada group. WWD posits a potential announcement from Prada Group next week.
Parent company Compagnie Financière Richemont expressed gratitude to Mulier, adding an important compliment to this breaking news. Their statement praised the designer for his contributions to a corporate culture “that values creative exploration, transcending any one individual, and lives through the hands, eyes, and sensibilities of the maison’s teams.”
Suzie Q’s use of the word ‘mess’ to describe Jonathan Anderson’s challenges at Dior, created by former creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, ran counter to everything I knew about her tenure at the #2 brand at LVMH.
AOC has been really confused by the persistent statements that it could take 4-5 years for Anderson’s Dior vision to codify — including by the designer himself.
Today, we stay focused on that topic. Also Anne clarifies what might be a misunderstanding of what these writers are actually saying, and what she is hearing.
We have our first Aisle 9 Cleanups in the queue [1] Hedi Slimane’s timeline creating success at Celine and [2] why it might take as long as five years to “get Dior back on track”.
AI never comes close to writing Anne’s posts. But I do run my core thinking through AI in case it responds “that’s bullpucky”.
Rereading Suzie Q’s posts. I stopped to read a third commentary on the Saks bankruptcy and whether an international VIP should step in to score big for his own stockholders.
Honestly, Suzie Q needs to stay away from financial topics completely. She’s in way over her head.
And her assertion on the MGC mess she left at Dior not only got an AI bullpucky. It came out in all caps. [Okay, I made up the part about the caps.] But it shredded Suzie Q’s assertion with a meat cleaver gone mad. You’ll see.
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.
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 $5,000. Yikes.
Today, we stay positive. The only people in their right mind who would give Jonathan Anderson this range of self-expression is LVMH. Let’s hope it’s successful; and he should be humble about the opportunity afforded him by The Family. ~ Anne
Players is a 2025 project by Carine Roitfeld and her son Vladimir Roitfeld, focusing on the intersection of sports and style. The premium, large-format magazine features athletes and fashion icons in curated editorial content.
AOC noticed this morning the “First Annual Players of the Year” where the Players IG highlights “the best dressed talent across sports, fashion, and entertainment” with one pick in a category.
Players wrote about Best Designer Debut and Best Dressed Man:
A$AP Rocky just became Chanel’s new house ambassador, right as Matthieu Blazy’s debut turns the industry on its head.
British designer Sarah Burton is totally honest, speaking with William Middleton for W Magazine [link] two days before her second showing as Givenchy’s creative director.
The interview is part of a Givenchy fashion story ‘Strength and Sensibility’ featuring Burton’s hand-picked, super-femme model and actor Kaia Gerber. Camilla Nickerson styles the fashion shoot lensed by Craig McDean [IG].
Kaia signed on in November to play her mother Cindy Crawford opposite Homer Gere, son of Richard Gere. The new TV show ‘The Shards’ arrives 30 years after Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere's divorce and will play on the FX platform.
“When we think of how to empower a woman, she’s often put in a suit or something constructed, something male,” Burton says. “Instead, I was looking at female iconography and how it can be used to make a woman feel incredibly powerful. I wanted to look at sexuality and sensuality, revealing bits of the body in certain ways.”
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.
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.
Fendi’s new Chairman and CEO Ramon Ros concisely summarized the expanding role of the LVMH Creative Directors at select maisons:
I’m thrilled to welcome Maria Grazia into the team. The role of a creative director is no longer to simply design beautiful clothes but to curate a culture and hold a mirror to the world we live in. Her talent and vision will be instrumental in fortifying Fendi’s heritage, shaping the future talent in the house and deepening our commitment to Italian craftsmanship.”
The Chiuri appointment means more to many of us than LVMH understands. Losing her would have been a low blow, and I am grateful for their continued confidence in her talents as a perfect fit for Fendi.
Examining the 3rd quarter results, few media reports note that the 2025 comps are up against the Paris 2024 Olympics. The projected 4% decrease, not the 2% decrease reported today by LVMH, affirms the reality that flying into strong headwinds, the fashion and leather sector delivered news to applaud, not critique as an extension of a “long-running decline” now entering its 4th quarter.
The “Long-running Decline” Label Belongs to Gucci
For the full year 2024, Gucci revenue fell 23% on a comparable basis. In the first half of 2025, revenue was down 25% on a comparable basis.
There is great confidence in the business leadership and financial acumen being shown by new Kering CEO Luca de Meo leading the parent company Kering and the Gucci turnaround, in particular.
AOC’s issue all year is that the business reporting on LVMH has bordered on reckless and just plain wrong at times. As a result the LVMH stock price has taken needless hits in valuation that could put a smaller, less-well run business in deep financial distress.
The woman of the hour the day after Matthieu Blazy blew the doors off the House of Chanel with his monumental October 6, 2025 Chanel Spring 2026 debut is Awar Odhiang.
Not only did Odhiang become the third Black model in history to close a Chanel show. Blazy’s goodwill closer circled the catwalk like she owned the place and wanted a uniquely-memorable sendoff for the top dog of Paris Fashion Week.
The ancestors were rockin’ and yes — Coco had Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel by her side and even Karl Lagerfeld had a front row seat in the divine universe and was god-blessing Blazy over and over and over again. Lagerfeld always championed exceptional talent.
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.
