Brunello Cucinelli is luxury fashion’s philosopher king, a practioner of slow fashion, quiet luxury, stealth wealth — multiple words that describe the Spring 2024 collection that emerged from the medieval Italian town of Solomeo from humanism’s bright north star.
The most important words may be Italian humanist luxury values. Cucinelli is driven by humanism, which is not a top priority among brands.
Welcome to Rhode’s new Peptide Lip Tint, adding color to the Peptide Lip Tint at a price of $16. The four colors are gorgeous: [l-r] Toast [rose taupe], Raspberry Jelly [crushed berry], Espresso [rich brown], Ribbon [sheer pink].
Precious Lee joins Hailey in the campaign photography, and her preference is Raspberry Jelly.
September 28 at 9AM PST is the debut hour for yet another sure to sell-out Rhode launch. From everything AOC knows about Rhode, Hailey Bieber is just killing it, and her marketing is 5-stars. Praise, praise, praise. ~ Anne
Canadian-Ukrainian fashion model goddess Daria Werbowy has been sorely missed since she left fashion modeling in 2016.
Daria is set to return to fashion world — on her terms and ONLY on her terms. Phoebe Philo’s eponymous new label, due to launch in September but not with a runway show, delivers a long-anticipated re-pairing of artist and muse.
Apparently, Daria Werbowy is also part of the Gucci relaunch. In these new images, the model and muse is seen in the chunky gold Gucci Marina Chain jewelry, magnifying an archival motif inspired by the maritime world.
It’s expected that Daria Werbowy will be the face of a larger fashion campaign, beyond this jewelry release photographed in Los Angeles at Chateau Marmont by David Sims [IG], with styling by Alastair McKimm.
Anne of Carversville doesn’t have current Daria Werbowy archives, but we’re spending a lot of time reassembling her best work in our very successful project of refreshing archives pre-2020. Note that these redone archives aren’t in chronological order.
Models Amelia Gray, Nyalit Lual and Yoni Tjin turn up the heat for D La Republicca’s [IG] D Style Fall 2023 Fashion issue. The fashion story 113° Fahrenheit is lensed by Johnny Dufort [IG]. / Hair by Holli Smith; makeup by Yadim
Stylist Lotta Volkova chooses from Ann Demeulemeester, Celine, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dsquared2, Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hodakova, Maison Alaia, Maison Valentino, Max Mara, Miu Miu, Prada, YSL and more.
Introducing the Chloé [IG] Autumn-Winter 2023 campaign, referencing the Gabriela Hearst-designed collection inspired by the 17th-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi.
Models Devyn Garcia and Raquel Zimmermann pose in the season’s Renaissance-inspired silhouettes, travelling with photographer Zoe Ghertner [IG] to the white lunar beaches of Sarakiniko in Milos, Greece.
Camilla Nickerson works as stylist on the campaign, with art direction by Peter Miles.
Etro reveals its Fall Winter 2023 Men and Women’s Advertising Campaign shot 1700 miles north of Italy in Inverness, Scotland. Etro’s Creative Director Marco De Vincenzo creates a dreamlike vision that is softly romantic and soothing — but also environmentally-aware in a humanist sense.
Featuring Argentina-Belgium model Nathaniël Ortiz and Israeli Sun Mizrahi, they are at one with nature and specifically water. The mood is one of great serenity and we can hear the soft ripples of the water — but there is also a disruptive undercurrent in both the images and the film.
Stellar photographer Zhong Lin [IG] is known for creating images that are both dreamy and simultaneously unsettling. Her January 2022 fashion story for Vogue Taiwan called ‘Heat Wave’ remains one of AOC’s most read and shared stories.
For the Fall 2023 collection Marco De Vincenzo worked diligently to mine and better understand the irreplaceable Etro archives. He is digging deep until he’s satisfied that he understands the very roots of the Etro vision.
In today’s world, such a search becomes a Radical Vision and the Fall Campaign is called ‘Radical Etro’.
What a superb new ValentinoFall/Winter 2023 Black Tie campaign! It soars sky high in creativity and self-assurance with Kaia Gerber playing a role that defines the very concept of je ne sais quoi.
Kaia’s acting lessons are having huge impact on her self-expression in the last year.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s vision of luxury for rebellious rule-breaking, smarty-pants fashion lovers with unbridled confidence and positive spirit is unmatched.
Gerber is boss as she struts around Huntington, Long Island’s Oheka Castle. Even the fact that the film is shot in New York and not Europe is a rebellious gesture that succeeds.
There’s so much going on in this film, and yet it does not feel overdone. We don’t lose our way because a confident clarity rules this audacious, beautiful, inspiring Fall 2023 Valentino Black Tie campaign.
On September 5, American ‘it girl’ Sofia Richie Grainge [IG] became an ambassador for jeweler David Yurman [IG], fronting the David Yurman Sculpted Cable Collection.
Photographer Glen Luchford [IG] shot Richie Grainge in the David Yurman Fall 2023 campaign at the Kellogg Doolittle House in Joshua Tree, California.
Anok Yai and Vittoria Ceretti stroll together arm-in-arm in Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park for the Michael Kors Collection Fall ’23 campaign. Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin capture the two, very successful, fashion industry models styled in the theme of ‘Urban Bohemia.’
Gloria Steinem’s Ms. Magazine turned 50 last year, and Gloria herself is nearing 90. Michael Kors was inspired by not only Steinem in designing his Fall 2023 collection. The Kors moodboards this season were peppered with 1970s activist, determined women including Ali McGraw, Cher, Jane Fonda, Lena Horne, Tina Turner and more. Disciplined and laser-focused on change, these women also embraced Greenwich Village style — especially because of its proximity to New York University.
Models Camille Chifflot, João Araujo and Luoyi come together in a new campaign for the debut of Versace’s [IG] Greca Goddess Top Handle Bag.
Defined by Italian leather artistry and a structural design, the architectural curves of the bag’s body are mirrored by an arched top handle crafted in tubular leather with angular cut ends. The signature Greca sits to the bag’s front above a metallic Versace logo plaque, both in the color of deep gold.
The model trio suits up in all-black, tailored sophistication for serious-minded achievers with an eye on the C-suite. The Greca Goddess bag was first introduced in Fall 2022.
In-transition luxury house Gucci presents its Fall Winter 2023 campaign featuring Vittoria Ceretti, Aboubakar Konte and Brando Erba, lensed by photographer David Sims [IG].
Alastair McKimm styles the cast with hair by Paul Hanlon and makeup by Thomas De Kluyver. “Brakhage” by Stereolab is the music in the campaign video.
I noted a few months ago that we didn’t even post the new Gucci Valigeria campaign video, thinking it was just a stop along the way of Gucci’s reinvention. But that mistake was AOC’s.
The video is exactly in sync with the Fall 2023 campaign.
Many luxury brands — Louis Vuitton immediately comes to mind, but also Dior — are redefining luxury in more humanist terms. This branding does not prevent exclusive salons for best customers. But our common humanity — or ubuntu — is part of the luxury brand story.
Look at the new RIMOWA campaign, as a good example.
RIMOWA, the first German maison in the LVMH luxury group, defines itself as a global lifestyle brand with a mission to create the essential tools for a lifetime of travel.
Just out is a new RIMOWA campaign featuring Blackpink’s Rosé, champion Formula 1 pilot Sir Lewis Hamilton and French soccer player Kylian Mbappé. Agency Anomaly London created the campaign.
Stockholm-based fashion brand Acne Studios [IG] sees double in its Fall Winter 2023 denim campaign. Put Kylie Jenner [IG] and her 399M IG followers in the campaign mix; hire Dutch photographer and director Carlijn Jacobs [IG], schedule the meet up in Los Angeles and let the good times roll.
Jacobs explains the double-trouble pleasure of having Karlie in the campaign. “The campaign sought to showcase Kylie as a woman who is in control, has love for herself and is unafraid to embrace her desires,” Jacobs said in a statement. “I aimed to celebrate her individuality by doubling her. She loves herself and is not afraid to show it.”
Reading the Acne Studios’ new sustainability report, which includes very specific information on its denim made in Italy, the report says that in FW22, 70% of the 5-pocket denim had 70% low-impact. I just wish that if these fantastic finishes are in the 70%, that someone would tell us in the product info.
Balmain’s [IG] Fall/Winter 2023 campaign borders on momentous. All five models are women of color — for a global luxury brand selling to all women. The five models Akuol Deng Atem, Anyier Anei, Naomi Apajok, Nyaduola Gabriel and Nyakong Chan are all women from war-torn South Sudan.
The creative fusion of Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing [IG] and star photographer Rafael Pavarotti [IG] is sublime. Apparently this is their first outing together.
Multiple people have commented on the visual, intellectual and downright spiritual synergy between Rousteing and Pavarotti, and Anne agrees. ‘Spiritual’ synchronocity is me alone, but several people I respect are wowed here by the collaboration of the two mega talents.
With our creative, fashion minds wrapped around one word for the last three years — ‘surreal’ — Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe for a decade, finally agreed with AOC that it’s time to bust out of the creative prison of everything is either ‘surreal’ or not ‘surreal’. Our binary thinking approach is beginning to bite us in our fashionable ‘derrières’.
Anderson seeks to draw attention to timely, complicated questions in fashion design — and they are not binary.
Talents Tang Wei and Taylor Russell are styled by Benjamin Bruno in Jonathan Anderson’s Fall 2023 Loewe Campaign, lensed by David Sims [IG]./ Makeup by Wong Chi Yee and Lucia Pieroni; hair by Lo Chu Sum & Duffy
“How do you go out of a surrealist aspect to something which is more about how we see clothing now? I think it’s kind of like a type of reduction,” he said. “Wanting to refine, and refine.”
Anderson is playing with our own minds in a very digital world.
In his Fall 2023 presentation, Anderson employed much eye-trickery. As Vogue noted, what appeared to be ordinary cardigans were, in fact, adhesive printed paper. Those cardigans were stuck on the models’ skins, but online viewers couldn’t tell the difference. We only knew what they appeared to be.
Saint Laurent drops a blockbuster Fall Winter 2023 campaign with an abundance of talent riches.
Out now is an ensemble cast of Anson Boon, Dominic Fike, Hailey Bieber, Kate Moss, Mica Argañaraz, Moncef Farfar, Shalom Harlow, Steve Lacy, and Zoë Kravitz.
Paul Sinclaire styles the cast, while Gray Sorrenti [IG] shoots one of the top black and white portfolio books of the season.
The new Fall/Winter 2023 Church’s X Miu Miu collaboration, breaking tomorrow August 29 online at MiuMiu and in MiuMiu stores from September 6, projects perfect execution and attention to detail.
‘Quirky’ but Whip Smart in the Global Men’s Club
Miu Miu has always thrived as being a bit ‘quirky’, a trait embedded in its arty, independent, young women DNA.
The multicultural, spirited Miu Miu girl chooses the unexpected, sartorial twist, like wearing Church’s brogues and double monk strap shoes with her sheerish, color-explosion Miu Miu separates.
The campaign has a distinctive point about Miu Miu charm and self-identity. She may well be studying at the London School of Economics, not only Central Saint Martins. Her glasses, brogues and gentleman’s club ‘heritage’ chair reinforce her brainiac status. She is daring and purposesful, even when appearing light-hearted or a bit silly. Do not underestimate this young Miu Miu woman.
The new VS campaign is excellent and has some real VS icons featured. Bringing back past VS models is a terrific idea for a brand trying to find safe ground to stand on. Shop the new collection at the VS website.
If I read the VS copy carefully, I’m sure we are all icons somewhere in it, so let’s just cut the AOC analysis short here and say “good job, VS.”
The Icon by Victoria’s Secret Collection models includes VS greats Gisele Bündchen, Naomi Campbell, Adriana Lima, and Candice Swanepoel.
The Icon cast campaigns expands to include Adut Akech, Emily Ratajkowski, Hailey Bieber, Paloma Elsesser and Sui He. I’m pleased to say that every woman listed here has archives on AOC.
Oyadeas!
Oh dear goddess Oya. I tried . . . I tried . . . I tried so hard to step carefully, but I just fell down the “we’re all icons” rabbit hole, and I did not see it coming.
Gisele Bundchen returns as the face of Brazilian brand Arezzo’s winter 2024 campaign called ‘Dream On’. The uber-supermodel finds herself again in an aquarium, but this one is without water.
In this delicious new Arezzo campaign, lensed by Lufre [IG], Gisele reminds us that barriers are sometimes transparent — bigger in our minds than they are in reality. And while we reference an aquarium, there are no breathing bubbles in the water. No one will drown.
In stepping into a prism of new light in our ever-changing, modern world, it’s often our very selves who put the dead weights around our ankles, when we can drift upwards into the light, if only we permit ourselves to fly.
Chanel shares an inspired new eyeshadow collection Les 4 Ombres Byzance with design and color roots in the rich history of Byzantine jewelry, and several pieces in the archived collection of Gabrielle Chanel herself.
Chanel muse Vittoria Ceretti is the face of the campaign, with an image style that is a perfect expression for the creative mind of photographer Elizaveta Porodina [IG].