T Magazine China [New York Times] February 2026 issue features actress Tong Liya, styled by Clara Jiang in clothes that honor her home and heritage in Xinjiang.
In the ancient world, travelers and merchants following the path through Liya Tong's home Ili Valley region were on a trajectory that led directly into the heart of Central Asia, where Samarkand stood as one of the most vital hubs. On our journey, we traveled a key corridor that bypassed the formidable Taklamakan Desert by traveling north of the Tianshan Mountains.
I love tossing all these new places at friends and readers — especially when a massive door has opened to Anne of Carversville. In 2026, this is a very special honor, and I am grateful for the trust put in me as a narrator of our collective human stories.
Americans Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler fame took the helm of Loewe, when Jonathan Anderson was announced as the new creative director at Dior.
Loewe has been strong out of the gate under its new creative directors.
“They are serious and enthusiastic at the same time, exuberant and yet very focused,” said Loewe CEO Pascale Lepoivre of the creative pair. Sidney Toledano, then advisor to LVMH chair and CEO Bernard Arnault, agreed: “Their greatest strength is energy and joy — they are extremely positive and full of vitality.
In China, Loewe’s Spring 2026 campaign ads are praised for the collection’s vibrant aesthetic and wearability, expressed now in imagery that China’s younger people celebrate as confident, modern, playful and optimistic.
Photographer Élio Nogueira [IG] taps visually into a story shaped by centuries and the lives of traders.
Beyond the movement of physical goods, Marrakech facilitated a massive exchange of knowledge and culture that spread widely in the region.
During the early Middle Ages [Europe’s "Dark Ages"], much of the Greek philosophical and scientific corpus was lost to the West, as a result of the Crusades. However, it was preserved and expanded upon in the Islamic world.
In an action of true humanism, scholars from the Arab world and the West or European world, were joined by Jewish scholars — often bilingual or multilingual — to restore and expand on all the critical knowledge destroyed in the Crusades.
Co-founder of the Anine Bing label in 2012 Los Angeles, the Danish businesswoman and former model covers the February-March 2026 issue of Vogue Scandinavia [IG].
Anine Bing currently splits her time between Los Angeles andParis, where her main design studio now operates. Her divorce is final and she is thrilled with her new focus, as well as her undertaking a therapeutic retreat.
Known as the Hoffman Process, the program is designed to help individuals identify and release subconscious negative behaviors, limiting beliefs, and emotional patterns rooted in childhood, often termed the "Negative Love Syndrome," to foster, emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual transformation. View her IG commentary here, dated February 14, 2025.
Irony runneth over for Bhavitha Mandava, an India-born and educated architect who moved to New York City to join NYU’s program in assistive technology. One day this gorgeous young woman with a big brain and a ‘smile to die for’ was scouted on the New York subway as an exclusive in Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2025 show.
That event was only the beginning for Mandava. When Blazy moved to Chanel shortly after, the new girl went with him. In record time, this young woman ambassador for the uber-challenging, big rewards for women winners breaking through barriers in New York City would open the Chanel Métiers d’Art 2026 Show in New York City.
Where did we find Bhavitha Mandava the night of December 2, 2025? Back in the subway.
Under Creative Director Louise Trotter [IG], Bottega Veneta continues its ascent among Chinese luxury consumers. Bottega’s Spring/Summer 2026 campaign — covered with lavish praise in China — was shot in Venice by Juergen Teller. Models include Anine Van Velzen, Bai, Libby Bennett, Liya Kebede, Saul Symon, and Sihana Shalaj. / Hair by Kei Terada; makeup by Pat McGrath
Jing Daily calls the brand ‘Kering’s Crown’. Better yet and following high praise — China calls Bottega Veneta Kering’s ‘golden child’. Venice is a deeply symbolic city for Anne — the only city where she’s slept until noon.
Trotter’s October 2025 runway debut resonated deeply in the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers, drawing over 130 million Weibo views and widespread acclaim. “Quiet luxury can be expressive” was the prime sentiment that rippled across Chinese social media platforms, where fashion critics like @Pekaboom praised Trotter’s poetic modernity, writes JD.
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.
