Chinese tennis star Zhang Qinwen takes two covers for the October 2025 Power Issue of ELLE China [IG]. Gao Ding styles the 22 year-old, who has nursed an elbow injury for the last two months.
Photographer Nick Yang [IG] captures the IMG Tennis star in the fashion story ‘Driven to Win’. ‘Big Heart Queen Wen’ has lived in Barcelona, home to her coach Pere Riba since 2019. / Hair by Liu Xyeliang; makeup by Yooyo Keong Ming
Harper’s Bazaar US [IG] their October 2025 Obsessions issue, with top model, 23-years-old Mona Tougaard wearing Michael Rider’s candy-apple-red bomber jacket from his Celine debut [above] and baggy men’s cargo shorts [below] from Jonathan Anderson’s Dior men’s debut.
CarlosNazario styles the shoot, adding sumptuous fall coats from Altuzarra, Phoebe Philo, Valentino and more. Luis Alberto Rodriguez [IG] Studio photographs the story with creative direction from Bazaar’s Laura Genninger. / Hair by Jimmy Paul; makeup by Sam Visser
Brazilian beauty Sheila Bawar teams up with Katie Grand and Rafael Pavarotti [IG] on a sensory powerpunch of a cover story for Perfect Magazine [IG] Issue 9 September 2025. What a feast for the eyes!
Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino is expected to exit the helm of the brand in hours to days, report multiple business media Sunday evening in US. Cantino, a veteran of both Prada and Louis Vuitton, has been Gucci CEO for about nine months.
Francesca Bellettini, currently Kering’s deputy CEO for brand development, is expected to succeed Cantino.
Monday is new Kering CEO Luca de Meo’s first day at work. If the action proceeds as reported, the new Kering CEO will have demonstrated to financial markets that he is indeed now in charge at Kering.
The Dries Van Noten Fall/Winter 2025 Campaign showcasing the first collection under new creative director Julian Klausner is shot by in-demand photographer Carlijn Jacobs [IG]. The location of the ‘Behind the Curtain’ Campaign is Opéra Garnier, located in The Palais Garnier and commissioned by Napolean III for the Paris Opera and built from 1861 to 1875.
Watching the fashion show video, it was obvious that the new Dries Van Noten collection embraced old Dries, but Klausner had also injected a new vibe into the collection that could only be his own.
As I noted on Tuesday in a deep dive into the Prada Galleria bag campaign, the ancient history of rituals goes far deeper than the pursuit of shiny hair while admiring ourselves in the mirror. Like Prada, the Dries Van Noten brand has credentials when the focus is rituals.
Having watched us trivialize the concept of duality into nothingness, I sincerely hope we don’t put the word ‘ritual’ through the same meat grinder.
The Trump administration has ordered the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks and other cultural institutions in an effort to end advocacy of corrosive ideologies in America.
At Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Trump officials told park employees to take down a sign that criticizes the post-Civil War “Lost Cause” ideology, saying that it romanticized the Confederacy and denied slavery’s central role in the conflict.
The National Portrait Gallery of Art in Washington houses the original version of “The Scourged Back,” also known as “Whipped Peter.” It’s also scheduled for removal.
AOC shares the life of Peter Gordon, aka ‘Whipped Peter’. His story and photos jolted northerners who had no idea that slavery could be so cruel.
Hollywood actor Kirsten Dunst covers the September 2025 issue of Town & Country [IG], interviewed by Mickey Rapkin in ‘Cool Girl Colossus’. Dunst is styled by Deborah Afshani in images by Tina Tyrell [IG].
Late Emerging Criticism of Economic and Racial Realities in ‘Marie Antoinette’
While there was no serious race-related pushback against the film initially, over time Coppola’s preoccupation with a “privileged white woman’s problems” has become a source of criticism. Even agreeing that Marie Antoinette can be viewed universally, critics and students both insist that Coppola’s world of women is white and preferably rich.
In her Town & Country interview, Dunst reveals that she just finished reading a script for director Sofia Coppola’s latest film project.
Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola have collaborated on four feature films: The Virgin Suicides [1999], Marie Antoinette [2006], The Bling Ring [2013], and The Beguiled [2017]. Dunst starred in the first three films and had a cameo in the fourth.
Prada ambassador Scarlett Johansson fronts her third Prada Galleria [IG] bag campaign, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Prada regular Ferdinando Verderi provided creative direction for a handbag Prada calls a “totem of change.”
It’s the first time the two creatives Johansson and Lanthimos have worked together.
A totem of change: It’s indisputable that the Prada Galleria campaign is focused on rituals, which have evolved among humans for thousands of years and are closely aligned with religion and spirituality. When you call a handbag a “totem of change”, this creative team is placing the Galleria on a significant pedestal.
The Prada campaign lovingly mocks rituals with Johannson embracing a very long — and seemingly absurd to-do list given her by an ‘other’ self — in the execution of her particular ceremony.
From the standpoint of human psychology, Carl Jung called Johansson’s other self, the “shadow self”, and we see her operating in the film.
Vogue Australia September 2025 [IG] finds Abbey Lee [Kershaw] at home in her Williamsburg, Brooklyn loft preparing for her eighth cover for the magazine. She shares the loft with her partner Milo.
Writer Alison Veness visits Abbey Lee weeks before the debut of the new Netflix series ‘Black Rabbit’ starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman on September 18.
The difference between modelling and acting, Abbey Lee says, is like night and day. “I mean, modelling is financially fulfilling, and you get to travel around the world, but at the end of the day a model has one very simple task. As an actor, it’s about your voice, your mind, your emotions, your physicality and your intelligence.”
Models Gwen Weijers, Matilde de Nard, and Melinda Kiss are styled by Samuel Francois in ‘Baroque Beauties’, a Dior fashion story lensed by Elina Kechicheva [IG] for Dior Magazine No. 51./ Hair by Alexandry Costa; makeup by William Bartel
Rising model Libby Taverner first walked the Fall 2025 spring runways as a Prada exclusive. By the time she headed to Paris last March, Taverber added Alaïa, Chanel, Chloé, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, McQueen, Saint Laurent, Stella Mc Cartney, Valentino and several more brands to her ‘new girl’ list.
Libby Taverner steps now into a prime position in Volume One of d la Repubblica’s D Magazine Fall 2025 Fashion issues. This is one of the tightest layers-of-color edits in a long time, executed by Marie-Amélie Sauvé. The word ‘cohesive’ is an understatement.
Edward Enninful [IG] embarks on a big week in his latest — and greatest — fashion industry, personal metamorphosis with his inaugural Moncler Genius collection, titled Moncler x EE72. Edward has worked with Moncler in the past, but not in his official capacity as designer.
Moncler and Enninful bring this Moncler x EE72 vision to life with a window display at Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York Flagship, timed with the start of New York Fashion Week. The presentation spans seven windows at 5th Avenue and 50th Street.
Tonight September 12 Edward will officially launch his new quarterly 72 Magazine.
Sydney Sweeney is the ‘woman of the hour’ today and not because of her gorgeous photoshoot by Elizaveta Porodina [IG] in the September 2025 issue of WSJ Magazine [IG].
She’s not the ‘woman of the hour’ because of a led-by-the-right to bait-the-left manufactured controversy over her recent American Eagle ads.
We don’t know yet if Charlie Kirk’s killer, now-in-custody Tyler Robinson, 22, took him out over the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle manufactured-by-the-right controversy. His laundry list of hate will be revealed in the coming days.
The reason Sydney Sweeney is loud and proud today is because her November 2025 release ‘Christy’ movie trailer dropped hours ago, and it’s a blockbuster.
Supermodel and Chanel ambassador Liu Wen is styled by Audrey Hu in key pieces from her patron’s feminine fall 2025 collection. Photographer Nadine Ijewere [IG] captures the luxury fashion story for W Magazine China’s [IG] September 2025./ Makeup by Valentina Li; hair by Minghu Zhang
Paloma Elsesser continues to inspire, today with her September 2025 cover story for Vogue Germany [IG]. One of fashion’s strongest voices wears Louis Vuitton on the cover, styled by Harry Lambert in images by Julia Noni [IG]./ Hair by Pierre Saint Sever; makeup by Patrick Glatthaar
Elsesser is joined by model Rayan Mazuel in select images of a larger cast not published.
Vogue Germany features director Maria Hunstig highlights one of Elsesser’s poems personalized on a dress by Macy Grimshaw. Paloma’s words are posted.
Model Mila van Eeten wears the latest pieces from Aquazzura, Chloe, David Koma, Dolce & Gabbana, Khaite, Magda Butrym, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Tom Ford and more, photographed by Jorin Koers [IG] for Mytheresa [IG] Hair by Alessandro Rebecchi; makeup by Carlos Saidel
The New LuxExperience Platform
Last week the Munich-based, German e-tailer Mytheresa said that about 700 employees might be impacted as the profitable e-tailer integrates Yoox-Net-a-Porter [YNAP] into the new company LuxExperience.
The acquisition positions the new luxury brands internet platform to become the largest player in luxury e-commerce. Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont, YNAP’s previous owner, is footing the bill by recapitalising YNAP with €555 million in exchange for a 33 percent stake in Mytheresa, and an additional €100 million six-year revolving credit facility.
ELLE US [IG] shares ‘Sculpture Garden’, a bold, modern fashion story with models Caren Jepkemei, Christina Wang and Ning Jinyi. Dimphy den Otter styles the trio lensed by Sarah van Rij [IG] & David van der Leeuw [IG] at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, California.
The spectacular views from Zabriskie Point are some of the most photographed in Death Valley National Park./ Hair by Tiago Goya; makeup by Homa Safar
Superdupers Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner cover the October 2025 issue of American Vogue [IG].
KenGi heads for Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the fashion story styled by Tabitha Simmons at Diamond Cross Ranch [IG]. Photographer Lachlan Bailey [IG] shoots his first American Vogue cover story at Diamond Cross Ranch.
Chloe Malle, named the new Head of Editorial Content at Vogue US, is on the interview. The dialogue is heavier than spun sugar on a stick at the state fair — almost folksy — but definitely apolitical, no comentary about the world writ large. Just two longtime, down-home friends having a scat style, verbal bubblebath. And Chloe Malle writes it all down in short, crisp sentences.
Supermodel Kendall Jenner takes flight in a ravishing new L’Oréal Paris x Mugler campaign set in the City of Lights. Jenner became a L’Oréal ambassador in July 2023.
Photographer Txema Yeste [IG] has the plum assignment of photographing Jenner in the L’Oréal Paris x Mugler print campaign. Diego Armando Mendoza [IG] is credited with digital. / Hair by Stephane Lancien; makeup by Mary Phillips