Conspiculous Luxury Consumption in China Challenges Growing Income Inequality
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Tokischa Covers ELLE Mexico June 2024, While Launching Own Music Label SOL
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Dominican artist Tokischa, [born Altagracia Peralta] covers the June 2024 issue of ELLE Mexico, wearing Ferragamo on her two covers.
Maha Haider serves as creative director on the fashion shoot, with more Tokischa luxury fashion from Chanel, Coperni, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and Y/Project lensed by Riccardo Apostolico [IG]. / Makeup by Magdalena Major
Last week Billboard announced that Tokischa will launch her own label called SOL, with her manager [and SOL co-founder] Angelica Piche within Warner Music Latina and supported by Atlantic Records.
Read MoreMona Tougaard in Beyond Noise Launch Issue 'Art of Alaïa' by Larissa Hofmann
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Top model Mona Tougaard poses in the inaugural issue of Beyond Noise [IG], styled by co-founder Sarah Richardson and creative director Pieter Mulier in The Art of Alaïa. Photographer Larissa Hofmann [IG] is behind the lens, capturing Tougaard in the elevated print project, scheduled to start shipping in the USA and EU/UK on May 31, 2024.
The biannual magazine Beyond Noise is a project of stylist Sarah Richardson and her photographer husband Richard Bush. Investor Stefan Ericsson also was key to launching the project.
Beyond Noise targets America as its core market, then the U.K., Europe and the rest of the world. Richardson calls America an ‘optimistic country’ [ask me in November, Sarah] but one in need of a women’s voice beyond American Vogue.
Read MoreRosie Huntington-Whiteley Takes Paris in Harper's Bazaar Australia June/July 2024 Issue
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Supermodel, businesswoman, mom to Jack and Isabella, and darling to Jason Statham — Rosie Huntington-Whiteley covers the June/July 2024 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Australia/New Zealand. In the spirit of the Olympics, Rosie is fronting ‘The Paris Issue’.
Teanne Vickers styles the former Victoria’s Secret Angel in images by Darren McDonald.
Rosie Joins The Equity Studio
AOC shared on May 15, the announcement that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has joined The Equity Studio, as a full partner with Anna Sweeting.
This is a move similar to Kim Kardashian’s formation of SKKY Partners in summer 2022, joining forces with longtime Carlyle Group consumer head Jay Sammons. Fashion industry powerhouse Dame Angela Ahrendts of Burberry and Apple fame is now with SKKY Partners.
Read MoreKim Kardashian, 2023 GQ Mogul of the Year on What She Learned from Her Father
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AOC sharing Kim Kardashian’s December 2023 cover story for GQ’s Men of the Year Issue — just in time for Father’s Day.
KK wears the crown of Tycoon of the Year, and appropriately so.
Photographer Jack Bridgland [IG] captures the many sides of Kim Kardashian for this GQ mogul spread, with an interview by Sean Manning.
AOC shares the Kardashian expectation that she wil take the California Bar exam late in 2024 or early 2025. In every article written about Kim, the topic of her self-discipline and very organized mind is the headliner.
The woman is amazing.
Read MoreCharlize Theron: Scalding in 'Mad Beautiful', UN Hope-Generator in Congo, Ubuntu Values Woman for Dior
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Actor Charlize Theron was scalding, an absolutely over-the-top fire goddess in W Magazine’s May 2015 cover story ‘Mad Beautiful’, styled by Edward Enninful in images by Mert & Marcus.
Whatever fashion empress Theron was playing in the 2015 W Magazine fashion story, photographers Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott rendered Anne breathless, inspired and ready to follow the activist actor anywhere.
Charlize Theron is AOC’s ideal woman: smart, sensual and born with great heart and commitment to activism. She is driven by South African ‘ubuntu ‘principles that place her as a member of the interconnected global community.
The actor’s UN work brought her to the Congo in 2010 to meet with 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Denis Mukwege, founder of Congo’s Panzi Hospital for Raped Women and a close advisor to nearby ‘City of Joy’. Since that time AOC has followed Charlize Theron far and wide — and now into a vastly expanded ambassadorship with Dior.
Read MoreBottega Veneta Summer Solstice 2024 Campaign by Louise and Maria Thornfeldt
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Bottega Veneta's [IG] Summer Solstice 2024 campaign and new capsule collection highlight resortwear essentials that embody the brand's commitment to quality and craftsmanship, offering luxury pieces ideal for summer adventures.
The campaign features models Anok Yai, Badhiel Lony Nyang, Haroon Sherzad, Isaiah Zacarias, Pasquale Nappi, and Penelope Ternes. The visuals were photographed by Louise and Maria Thornfeldt [IG] with creative direction by Bottega’s design visionary Matthieu Blazy. / Hair by Duffy; makeup by Hiromi Ueda
Read More'The Shrouds' Actor Diane Kruger Covers ELLE Spain June 2024 by Xavi Gordo
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Actor Diane Kruger is private poolside, covering the June 2024 Summer Style issue of ELLE Spain [IG]. Barbara Garralda styles Kruger in relaxed, polished black and white sporty pieces lensed by Xavi Gordo [IG]. Bulgari jewelry exclusively. / Makeup by Ivan Gomez; hair by Laura Carrillo
Kruger is in Cannes, where her new movie ‘The Shrouds’ is in competition and she shares the screen for a second time [back to back] with Vincent Cassel. The film debuts Monday night June 20.
The plot of ‘The Shrouds’ is fascinating and controversial. Karsh, played by Vincent Cassel in a storyline experienced by director Cronenberg with the death of his wife, is inconsolable in the same situation.
He invents a technology that enables the living to monitor their loved ones in their graves.
Read MoreJourdan Dunn at Castle of Mey for Bazaar UK June 2024 Cover Story by Richard Phibbs
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Supermodel Jourdan Dunn made major fashion waves in February 2015, when she became the first woman of color since Naomi Campbell in August 2002 to cover British Vogue.
This week Jourdan Dunn owns a worldwide, fashion first; and it’s her own crown-worthy moment in the spotlight. Harper’s Bazaar UK [IG] travels to the ancient Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland for its June 2024 cover story.
Dunn reflected about her global-first photography shoot with Richard Phibbs [IG], when she met Lydia Slater in Bloomsbury for the followup Bazaar interview, which is part of today’s fashion story ‘Queen of the Castle’.
“All seals, and water, and sands – it was a wonderful escape. I understand the attraction, to be so far away from everybody. My gran loved the Queen Mother – they shared the same birthday – so this would probably have been her proudest thing.”
An Emotional Interview That Inspires . . .
AOC is deliberately underscoring this earnest statement from Dunn, about her gran’s likely response to the supermodel’s honor as muse of the fashion shoot.
Read MoreRosie Huntington-Whiteley Joins The Equity Studio As Partner with Anna Sweeting
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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has closed the book on her involvement with Rosie Inc. and has now joined The Equity Studio, a new firm providing funding and strategic advice to beauty, wellness and lifestyle companies.
Led by investor Anna Sweeting, Huntington-Whiteley has partner status. The Equity Studio will invest in growth-stage consumer companies in the early to mid stages of development in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.
Huntington-Whiteley launched Rose Inc. with biotech darling turned incubator Amyris, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023.
Read MoreLiu Wen Covers Vogue China June 2024, Margaret Zhang's Finale. What's Next?
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Luxury brands and thoughtful fashion writers like AOC are studying this last issue of Vogue China under the signature and vision of departed EIC Margaret Zhang.
The June 2024 issue features supermodel Liu Wen on three covers. The towering-influence Chinese model is styled by Vivienne Sun, with creative direction by Matt Mcdonald and images by Hong Kong based Wing Shya [IG].
What Vogue China watchers are analyzing is how ‘New China Style’ — and AOC adds the ‘thoughtful expression of Chinese government values’ — is expressed by luxury fashion and media going forward.
Expressing China’s 21st century modern identity through the lens of traditions thousands of years old is key for the next EIC of Vogue China.
Issues Around Gender Identity, Masculinity and Feminism in China
Generally speaking, ‘male identity’ has been under the microscope in China, even more than ‘female identity’ and feminism itself. There is a statistical problem with China’s birth rate created with its old one-child, government policy.
Additionally, the Chinese government has not hesitated for one moment to demand changes and shut down media that projects images of men through the LGBTQAI+ lens. Many readers may not know that the Chinese government banned effiminate men on TV in September 2021.
Whether luxury brands acknowledge this topic or not, it’s on their minds, given the importance of the Chinese market in future growth plans.
Read MoreZendaya Unfurled in 'Her Own Way' by Josh Olins for Vogue Australia May 2024
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Zendaya adds another Vogue cover fashion story to her May 2024, ‘Challengers’ movie tour, fashion story portfolio. Sydney, Australia was the first stop on the 27-year-old’s publicity tour and Hannah-Rose Yee sat down with the actor on behalf of Vogue Australia.
Photographer Josh Olins [IG] takes incredibly-poignant and deeply-personal images of the actor, styled by Law Roach. The one below is one of the most intimate, unrehearsed and unique images in my AOC memory.
It has intimacy, vulnerability, a bit of exhaustion or letting-go in the moment. There is no tension in her shoulders, signifying to me great trust and comfort with the photographer. The image has an old masters, British museum quality to it.
Read MoreKendall Jenner Covers Vogue US June-July 2024, Talks Her True Feelings
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The highest paid model in the world for the last six years is supermodel Kendall Jenner, and she is celebrating her 10-year anniversary in the fashion business on the cover of Vogue Magazine’s June/July 2024 issue. Jenner is interviewed by Rob Haskell in ‘Kendall Jenner Is in Her Feelings’ following her New Year’s trip to Barbados.
Kendall is styled by Tabitha Simmons with images by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott [IG], who shot the fashion story at the One&Only Mandarina on Mexico’s Pacific Coast./ Hair by Jimmy Paul; makeup by Mary Phillips
There is absolutely no joy expressed in Jenner’s decade of building a successful career that put her on top of the Forbes 2023 list, with estimated annual earnings related to fashion and style projects at $40 million.
The Power of Negative Thinking
Jenner’s biggest goal over these 10 years has been to prove people wrong about her — which AOC agrees doesn’t sound like much fun for such a successful person. We all know that haters online are not kind to women in the spotlight. But Kendall also agrees that she is not a positive person generally.
Read More'Rebel Rebel' Channels Tina Modotti for Vogue Greece May 2024, Lensed by Thanassis Krikis
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Model Africa Garcia is styled by Nicholas Georgiou in ‘Rebel Rebel’, lensed by Thanassis Krikis [IG] for Vogue Greece [IG] May 2024. / Hair by Christos Kallaniotis; makeup by Athina Karakitsou
Garcia’s summer wardrobe is inspired by the Italian-American photographer, model, actor, and activist Tina Modotti, whose retrospective at Jeu de Paume in Paris is closing Sunday, May 12.
The photographer’s young life took a dramatic turn in 1920, when Tina Modotti met Edward Weston.
The couple moved to Mexico City in 1922 and opened a portrait studio. They lived in the energized intellectual life of Mexico City in the interwar years, surrounded by a circle of friends that included Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein and Russian revolutionary and Soviet politician Leon Trotsky, as well as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Read MoreBrunello Cucinelli SS 2024 Campaign Is Gentle Luxury While House Sales & Profits Soar
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Lachlan Bailey [IG] and Brunello Cucinelli [IG] make perfect sense together. We find Bailey behind the lens for Brunello Cucinelli’s May 2024 drop.
The cast includes Cate Underwood, Lucky Blue Smith, Nour Rizk and Ryan Porter with styling by Michela Buratti. / Hair by Werner Amort; makeup by Pedro Pianto
While much luxury retail has stumbled in the first quarter of 2024, Brunello Cucinelli posted a 16.5 revenue percent increase through March 31. Based on current orders, the gentle luxury house is projecting revenue growth of 10 percent in 2024.
Read More'Love Lies Bleeding' Actor Kristen Stewart by Zoey Grossman for Porter Edit May 6, 2024
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‘Twilight Saga’ franchise star Kristen Stewart is styled by Bojana Kozarevic in a fashion story ‘Laid Bare’, a collection of sultry separates from Acne Studios, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten, JW Anderson, Saint Laurent, Tom Ford and more. Stewart covers Porter Edit’s May 6 issue, lensed by Zoey Grossman [IG]./ Hair by Adir Abergel; makeup by Jillian Dempsey
Billie JD Porter interviews Stewart, fresh off her press tour for ‘Love Lies Bleeding’, where she plays “Lou – a seemingly nihilistic gym manager, whose world is turned upside down when she falls hard and fast for a female bodybuilder.”
The actor has spoken multiple times about the challenges of bankrolling ‘The Chronology of Water’, the film she is about to direct and one she has struggled to finance until now.
Stewart jazzes up the descriptors, saying the movie "is about incest and periods and a woman violently repossessing her voice and body, and it is, at times, hard to watch ... but it’s gonna be a f---ing thrill ride."
Read MoreErin Wasson Poses in Aussie Brand Spell's 'Bohème 2024' Campaign
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Marseille-based model Erin Wasson poses for Aussie brand Spell’s Bohème 2024 campaign. Photographer Jamie Green [IG] writes that Wasson rolled out of a cab 90 minutes from Marseille, saying “You’ve got me for 8 hours, babe.”
If you don’t know Spell, they have one store in Byron Bay and a global internet business. Sustainability has been at the heart of Spell for over a decade, and they lead with fibers that are circular, regenerative and renewable.
In spite of the brand’s ‘California Girl’ in Australia positioning, Spell uses words atypical for PR campaigns. On the topic of sustainability, Spell says they are ‘braver, clearer and frankly – gutsier’.
Nice . . . especially the gutsy part. Fashion needs more gutsy people. Less facade; more guts . . . PLEASE. And thanks, Spell for being a Certified B Corporation.
Read More2023 Was Spectacular for Khaite and Founder Catherine Holstein. Here's Her New York Story
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2023 was a banner year for Khaite with the brand opening a store in Soho, New York, and a second one in Seoul. Khaite popped into Water Mill, New York — at Holstein’s summer home — to show the pre-Fall collection. [See image above.]
In an amazing sequence Holstein sold another stake in her company to growth equity firm Stripes, after being launched in 2016 by brand incubator Assembled Brands. In 2023, as part of its Stripes presentation, Khaite announced plans to open 10 additional brick and mortar stores in the next five years.
In a well-written 2006 New York Times headline, ‘To Barneys, and Step on It’, Eric Wilson detailed the life-changing events for the 22-year-old Parson’s student Catherine Holstein, who had designed six sailor dresses.
Distilled to its essence, Holstein and Khaite is a wonderful New York story, filled with true grit determination and also the power of connections. Lots of them. AOC delights in sharing the details.
Read MoreVogue Portugal May 2024 Covers Announce an Exploration of Nature & Motherhood
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Mother-Nature, Gaia, Terra Mater, the “cult of the feminine” is center stage in the May 2024 issue of Vogue Portugal, writes Sofia Lucas.
The editorial issue overview opens with a quote from Aristotle:
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous” - Aristotle
As educated women, we do not bow down to Aristotle, for clear and concise reasons.
There’s no record that Aristotle, the great philosopher and foundational contributor to Western civilization, saw significant value in women. He argued quite the opposite, and AOC contends that Aristotle was a creator of the misogyny and not merely reflecting his time in history.
Read MoreSydney Sweeney's Jimmy Choo 'Road to Joy' Campaign by Oliver Hadlee Pearch
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