On the rarest of occasions, AOC wakes up to a significant new reality in fashion world, a radical process that turns everything upside down. Going foward, we will share the news by playing probably the most important marketing video ever to date ‘The Crazy Ones’.
Today, April 24, 2023 Anne of Carversville shares ‘The Crazy Ones’ worthy: COACHTOPIA.
A defining component of Coachtopia, Joon Silverstein, SVP, global marketing, creative and sustainability explained to Vogue Business, is that it is built as a “community” and has invited a “beta community” of Gen Z environmentally-conscious, individuals to collaborate and give feedback on Coachtopia concepts and products.
Emerging artists will be key players in future product drops and design collaborations.
Coach flipped its traditional production process on its head. Rather than a vision and a sketch, designers started with scraps on a cutting room floor. The handbags are made almost entirely from materials that were destined for landfill, with excess leather fragments arranged into vibrant floral patterns and zipper tracks repurposed into embellishments. The waste-forward products are a bid to transform the supply chain and move toward a circular industry, Coach says to all press inquiries.
On Thursday rumors that Zendaya had made a major luxury brand move were confirmed, with Louis Vuitton announcing her as its newest house ambassador.
Master photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott captured Zendaya as the face of its Capucines bag, shot in color-saturated, cinematic images of blue sky and a quiet Mediterranean backdrop at the restored 1929 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin house, designed by Irsh architect Eileen Gray./ Hair by Raoul Alejandre; makeup by Antoinette Hill
The Golden Globe–winning actor’s career is in fifth gear, with two highly-anticipated films this year. ‘Challengers’, a Luca Guadagnino–directed tennis drama [‘Call Me by Your Name’] will release in August on August 11, 2023. Zendaya stars with ‘The Crown’s’ Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist ‘West Side Story’ in a tennis tournament in which her husband faces off against her former lover.
Lorette Colé Duprat is an eponymous Paris based jewellery and accessory brand, dropping this L C D Gold SS-2023 capsule. Models include Cassady Clover, Joseph Adeosun and more, styled by Ai Kamoshita for images by Charlotte Wales [IG]./ Hair by Shiori Takahashil makeup by Porsche Poon
Emily Ratajkowski expands the Marc Jacobs Monogram Spring 2023 campaign, photographed by Harley Weir [IG].
Sexy woman that she is, Ratajowski looks equally great in the oversized trousers and jackets. While AOC won’t drill down here on her recent profile in the Los Angeles Times, EmRata is beyond fierce. And direct in her opinions — not only about her own past actions and relationships — but about women and feminism.
Summer wouldn’t be whispering future visions of sun and fun in our ear without LOEWE’s Creative Director Jonathan Anderson annual pilgrimage to nirvana with its Paula’s Ibiza 2023 Collection. The 2023 cast is particularly interesting with its strong connections to Ibiza’s music heritage.
American supermodel, arch feminist, author and activist Emily Ratajkowsteps into the light for the second time today on AOC [see Marc Jacobs] for the Ibiza spirit shoot styled by Benjamin Bruno. Gray Sorrenti [IG] is again behind the lens making the annual pilgrimage.
It was an American Stuart Rudnick, born and raised in Philadelphia, United States, who transitioned from being a Special Attorney with the United States Department of Justice to selling herbs on the streets of Ibiza, who became the right arm of Paula’s founder Armin Heinemann, a German architect by trade.
Here’s an engaging and inspiring interview with Heinemannon apartamento, and Paula Ibiza images from an out-of-publication book. LOEWE — people would pay $250 for this book! Republish it for a global cause! The world needs it.
In a new Spring 2023 campaign, Gucci celebrates the enduring style of its iconic Bamboo 1947 handbag. Supermodel Liu Wen is centerstage in images and video lensed by David Sims, with creative direction from Ezra Petronio & Lana Petrusevych./ Hair by Paul Hanlon; makeup by Thomas De Kluyver
The Gucci Bamboo 1947 handbag, originally known by its product number 0633, has a rich history that dates back to post-war Italy. In 1947, Europe was still recovering from the aftermath of World War II, and resources were scarce. Leather, a primary material used in fashion at the time, was in short supply, forcing designers to find alternative materials for their creations.
Designer Tom Ford was among the 150 newcomers to the annual Forbes list of the world’s richest people released last week. The 61-year-old with a deep understanding of human sexuality — and women’s sexuality in particular — entered the list with LeBron James. That’s kind of cool.
The first time Moore met Ford, she was nominated for an Oscar and had checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel with her two-month old baby. “I wasn’t really in Tom Ford shape,” the actor told Vogue. “The first thing Tom did was pick up my little boy—who’s now 21—and said, ‘I want one of these.’”
There are many layers to Tom Ford and these layers drift through every element of his work and life.
Signing a one-year-contract last November with Estee Lauder, agreeing to stay with the brand as Lauder digests their big-leagues’ purchase, it’s very Tom Ford to get edgy on his way out the door in this Spring 2023 campaign film. It’s equally edgy to have Steven Klein behind the lens, creating this tableau of subtle, erotic tension and beauty that provokes questions.
Models for the Tom Ford Spring 2023 Campaign include Akbar Shamji, Annemary Aderibigbe, Felice Noordhoff and He Cong styled by Carine Roitfeld. K Studio acted as Creative Director./ Hair by Jawara; makeup by Yadim
Top model Edita Vilkeciviute is blessed to have a home in Ibiza, one featured in the July 2021 issue of Vogue Spain. We’re not clear if the top model swims in a natural pool on her property, but they are prevalent on the famous Spanish island in the Mediterranean.
In these images Edita poses in Mango swimwear from the 2023 spring/summer collection. The shoot takes place in San Andrés, Tenerife — part of Spain’s Canary Islands off the coast of southern Morocco and the disputed Western Sahara. Photographer Pepe Lobez [IG] captures the famous Lithuanian beauty — who is in high demand for sensual summer fashion stories and campaigns — styled by Rebeca Abad and Pili Álamo. Patricia Diaz Manzano provides the art direction.
A core way to experience the benefits of biophilia is through swimming, an activity that not only connects us with water, a vital element of nature, but also offers numerous physical and mental health benefits. Water is also key to Jungian psychology and the unconscious mind is symbolized by the vastness of the ocean and its crashing waves.
The Los Angeles Times captures the shimmering, sophisticated style tableau with model Gisselle Hidalgo and Saye, styled by Keyla Marquez. Photographer Maya Fuhr [IG} imaged the Oscar-worthy sleek drama and shares on IG news of her show ‘Compersion’.
Nuvo Magazine interviewed the Canadian artist about her lifelong obsession with latex and voyeurism in her first LA show, now closed, at Gallery Sade. We share the press release.
The inspiration behind the new collection was the highly-influential 1995 and chic collection designed by Versace house founder and Donatella’s brother Gianni Versace.
Richard Avedon’s photographs of Kristen McMenamy captured an unusually chic and elegant Versace collection. Donatella told Vogue: “I wanted to go back to the cut and shape of the clothes, to concentrate on the perfect little black dress, the perfect black suit.”
Dolce & Gabbana is not a toned-down brand, but Kylie Jenner’s softer, more natural makeup enhances the sensual message of her new DG Logo bag campaign.
Sophisticated, uber-competent women like Kylie rarely take handbags to bed.
Then again . . . a leopard print throw, black stockings with black nails and a silk bra photographed against the backdrop of an Italian tapestry may convey the well-travelled road to the riches of earning your own DG Logo bag — Karlie style — or being gifted the Italian treasure by photographers duo Mert & Marcus [IG], who photographed the campaign.
Consider the fact that Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott own a spectacular 10-bedroom Moorish villa in Ibiza. Who knows . . . there may be a DG Logo bag gifted to special guests like Kylie.
French jewelery brand Messika shares a hard-to-miss new ‘Messika Diamond Vibes 2023 Campaign’ starring ambassador Kendall Jenner and Messika’s new man Alton Mason.
The model and dancer closed out last September’s Paris runway show, sharing the spotlight with original super Naomi Campbell.
Messika believes in ‘everyday diamonds’, especially after spending extended time in America.
Founder and creative director Valerie Messika explains that she’s now heavily influenced by the “energy and confidence” she sees on America’s streets. Heading for California’s Palm Spring’s desert — in a red convertible— seems like a perfect expression of the founder’s current state of California Dreamin’.
Photographer Chris Colls [IG] returns to create the new Messika campaign, with styling by Helena Tejedor.
Saint Laurent reveals its summer 2023 campaign, shot by Juergen Teller. The photographer tends to break with his more familiar images, expressing a rare sensuality for the German photographer— and particularly in this summer campaign.
Styled by Paul Sinclaire, the ensemble includes Awar Odhiang, Camille Chifflot, Chaima Ameziane, Freja Beha Erichsen, Marilou Hanriot.
The Sun Rises Again on the Human Body
“To me, the body says what words cannot,” Martha Graham, the revered, radical American modern dancer and choreographer, said about her dance movements.
Graham, a muse for the spring/summer collection and Saint Laurent Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello are in sync in a mutual embrace of an unapologetic physicality — a languid elegance that is most appealing.
The Chanel 22 bag was first presented in the French luxury brand’s Spring-Summer 2022 Ready-to-Wear show. Today BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim steps into the spotlight as a Chanel ambassador, with her own Chanel 22 bag on her shoulder.
The Chanel 22 Bag campaign has rolled out in a sequence that also includes Lily-Rose Depp, Margaret Qualley and Whitney Peak, in three different settings: Los Angeles, Palm Springs and New York.
Regular Chanel contributors Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin photographed Jennie Kim in Seoul, South Korea.
To AOC, the collages also tap into new visual imagery being unleashed in the rapidly emerging field of AI and its ability to create sophisticated visual composites.
Supermodel Candice Swanepoel follows her Vogue Netherlands March 2023 cover story, joining the Carolina Herrera Eyewear family in a spring/summer 2023 campaign lensed by Dan Beleiu [IG] with styling by Alba Melendo./ Makeup by Manuela Pane, Paco Garrigues
One of the most tactically brilliant spring-summer 2023 ad campaigns we’ve seen so far is the pairing of photographer Elizaveta Porodina [IG] and actor, singer, songwriter Dove Cameron for Carolina Herrera [IG]./ Makeup by David Koppelaar; hair by Olivier Schawalder
AOC says “brilliant” because not only are we looking at the visually-compelling photography of the uber-talented Porodina. The entire campaign executed under the creative vision of Carolina Herrera’s Creative Director Wes Gordon is accompanied by an informative interview with the creatives, published in ELLE magazine.
Not a Canned Press Release
The campaign is accompanied by a discussion of the trained clinical psychologist gone rogue photographer’s style and how Dove Cameron first “fell in love” with Wes Gordom when he asked her to be his date to the 2021 CDFAs.
The ELLE story, birthed in Paris in October 2022, is even filled with information about Elizabeth’s unique camera techniques, which AOC has backed since her first entrance into the fashion photography scene.
You’re not alone if you did a doubletake over the model in Zimmermann’s new Summer 2023 Swim Collection. Indeed, the two-piece bandeaus are sexy . . . especially with gold jewelry accents.
The black and white graphic ‘sunflowers’ crochet dress is fabulous, but who is the blonde? We love the two-piece, strapless green bikini, but why does she look so familiar and yet . . . like a seaworthy, modern woman Aphrodite?
Model Cara Taylor reminds us to never judge a book by its cover. Never ever! You never know the person living inside the mind of that brunette American model from Alabama.
Whether it’s three days, three months, or never looking back, Taylor reminds us that every woman should walk where angels do not tread.
Bella Hadid greets longer days and brilliant sun as the face of Louis Vuitton 2023 sunglasses campaign, joined by Taiwanese singer, musician and actor Ouyang Nana.
Carine Roitfeld styles the campaign with Bella and Ouyang in images by Steven Meisel. / Hair by Guido Palau; makeup by Pat McGrath
The fashion trends term describing the Spring 2023 Massimo Dutti Limited Edition collection is ‘elevated basics’. Every fashion-aware person self-defines their own vision of ‘elevated basics’, but Massimo Dutti’s 2023 vision is one of sophisticated, chic simplicity and clarity.
The new campaign highlights models Ella Mccutcheon, Imaan Hammam, Tara Halliwell and Yilan Hua in images by Ezra Petronio [IG].
The vision is not a boring one, but more of a timeless, body-aware, polished, sensual approach in black and cream.
Skirts are longer for seekers of elevated basics, silhouettes are fluid. AOC asks if the long column of a dress is a modern woman’s caftan.
Note that caftans are showing up in men’s collections also, but the narrow, sleeveless column dress remains a typically female choice, except in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Louis Vuitton Men releases the Taigarama Summer 2023 Campaign with models Akito Mizutani, Choi Mabior, Limamu Mbaye and Lucas El Bali styled by Pau Avia.
Tom Johnson [IG] photographs the campaign, with art direction by Lucie Matussiere./ Hair by Christian Eberhard; makeup by Christine Corbel
Brazilian model Anna Herrera is styled by Annie Hertikova in Net-a-Porter’s Spring 2023 best-of offering from Saint Laurent CR23. Photographer Darren Gwynn [IG] captures Herera with art direction by Phil Buckingham./ Hair by Eliot McQueen; makeup by Rebecca Wordingham
