Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 Campaign with Blackpink and Ronan Saoirse by Meisel

As much as AOC loves Louis Vuitton [IG], their ad campaigns can be ho-hum. The Spring 2025 campaign, shot by Steven Meisel [IG] with Louis Vuitton ambassadors Blackpink’s Lisa and actor Ronan Saoirse, is indeed worthy of fashion’s largest, omnipotent luxury brand.

Few luxury houses are associated with an illustrious name like The Fondation Louis Vuitton, the prominent art museum and cultural center located in Paris in the Bois de Boulogne.

Placing two gifted women artists like Lisa and Ronan, who are also Nicolas Ghesquière muses, in the presence of French conceptual artist Laurent Grasso’s artwork for a campaign shot by one of the world’s most celebrated fashion photographers Steven Meisel is a truly definitive statement for the Louis Vuitton Spring 2025 campaign.

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Gucci Spring 2025 Campaign with Yara Shahidi and George MacKay by Xavier Dolan

Gucci Spring 2025 Campaign with Yara Shahidi and George MacKay by Xavier Dolan

Gucci Spring 2025 Campaign with Yara Shahidi and George MacKay by Xavier Dolan

The campaign pairs actors Yara Shahidi and George MacKay exploring the new collection as a tender ode to humanity. The video and images by Canadian filmmaker and actor Xavier Dolan [IG], capture the filtered light of possibility that greets a new day, or the preciousness of afternoon sun settling almost mystically over a room.

In its place is a slow-living interlude of reflections between two people emerges, humans so connected that words are not required. And if we are alone in the moment, we realize that we are not . . . alone. There is energy all around us, our plants are flowering and we can curl up on the daybed or sofa to drift in this moment of lightness.

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Bella Hadid Walks Out of an '80s Enjoli Commercial Straight into Miss Sixty

Bella Hadid Walks Out of an '80s Enjoli Commercial Straight into Miss Sixty

Bella Hadid Walks Out of an '80s Enjoli Commercial Straight into Miss Sixty

Bella Hadid looks like Miss Texas in the new Miss Sixty [IG] commercial lensed by Carlijn Jacobs [IG] and styled by Ib Kamara.

Bella Hadid: Miss Texas

Was it on anyone’s bingo card that Bella Hadid would be named the National Cutting Horse Association's (NCHA) 2024 Limited Age Event (LAE) Rookie of the Year . . . after "entering the cutting community a little over a year ago."

Somehow Bella Hadid has managed to create a whole new life in Texas with her love Adan Banuelos.

I’ve read stories about Bella sleeping in the van, getting up at 5am and making breakfast — not for the Miss Sixty crew — but for her beloved cowboys. I can just see her — with the 2 hr. time difference — flipping pancakes with one hand as the sun rises, while on the phone with New York, dealing with the crisis of Orabella sold-out products all over America.

I swear that woman walked into the Miss Sixty photoshoot, straight out of an old-school Enjoli commercial. And I just love it. ~ Anne

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Material Good's Fine Jewelry Luxury Experience and Holiday 2024/25 Campaign

Material Good's Fine Jewelry Luxury Experience and Holiday 2024/25 Campaign

Models Amanda Murphy and Fatou Jobe are styled by Alex Harrington in high-end jeweler ‘Material Good’ Holiday 2024/25 campaign. Photographers Tanya [IG] + Zhenya [IG] Posternak captured the campaign with creative direction by Jasmine Holm and Marcus Hollands. / Hair by Joey George; makeup by Fatou Jobe

Luxury Transcends an Object

Co-founders Rob Ronen and Michael Herman opened Material Good [IG] in 2015, armed with extensive experience in luxury watch and fine jewelry sales. Anchored in Soho New York, the marketing and sales goal of Material Good seeks to refresh — not reinvent — the luxury buying experience with a deeply personal connection to clients.

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Zara's China Drop Headed for Successful Weekly 5 Hr Show on Douyin

Zara's China Drop Headed for Successful Weekly 5 Hr Show on Douyin

Zara's China Drop Headed for Very Successful Weekly 5 Hr Show on Douyin

As Zara engages in a ferocious battle with low-price competitors Shein and Temu and is delivering heroic results, it wasn’t enough for the money guys on Wall Street. After a tiny miss against the projections of analysts, Zara lost 5% of its value in hours in early December. And it could have worse, with 5% a recovery number against an earlier 7-7.8% selloff.

Jeffries analysts told WSJ that the results were impressive and the miss was fractional, but investors are demanding results. Seriously! Meanwhile Shein is taking a beating these days and it could again delay their IPO [initial public offering].

Zara’s Footprint in China

As to Zara in China, the company has downsized from 570 stores in 2019 to just 192 as of Jan. 31, 2024. Zara argues that the post-pandemic sales channels have changed in significant ways — largely driven by technology and China’s passion for live shopping shows.

Notably, Zara’s five-hour long, weekly live-broadcasts on Douyin, TikTok's Chinese sister site, have helped boost Zara's sales since they launched in November, according to retail analytics firm EDITED.

"Zara's livestream approach built significant brand awareness in China," EDITED analyst Krista Corrigan advises.

Zara sold out of most sizes in 50% more products in China in the first three months of this year than in the same period of 2023, according to EDITED. Based on these statistics, Zara was correct in shrinking its store footprint to move in more tech-friendly directions, driven by young Zara shoppers.

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Moncler Grenoble Winter 2024 Campaign by Mario Sorrenti with Lucas Pinheiro Braathen

Moncler Grenoble Winter 2024 Campaign by Mario Sorrenti with Lucas Pinheiro Braathen

Models Yasmin Wijnaldum and He Cong, as well as actor Clément Chabernaud, join new Moncler ambassador World Cup champion slalom skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in the brand’s winter 2024/25 campaign. Photographer Mario Sorrenti [IG] shot the campaign after the impressive fall 2024 fashion show held last February in Saint Moritz at the Clavadatsch lodge and its forest.

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A Breathtaking Dior Holiday 2024 Underwater World of Extreme Beauty & Design

A Breathtaking Dior Holiday 2024 Underwater World of Extreme Beauty & Design

A Breathtaking Dior Holiday 2024 Underwater World of Extreme Beauty & Design

Nature’s grandeur is reimagined in luminous gold for the Dior Cabinet de Curiosités—where magnificent sea creatures reign in brilliant splendor. These breathtaking Holiday 2024 selections from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior Cruise 2025 collection, staged in Scotland, remind us of the depth and breath of the Dior luxury brand experience.

Alice Kirkpatrick [IG] is responsible for the exquisite set design, with images by Agnes Lloyd-Platt [IG].

For all those who criticize Maria Grazia Chiuri and Dior generally for not being clever enough — or bold enough — AOC points out that she has much more in common with Valentino’s Alessandro Michele with this presentation than with Gucci’s streamlined fashion pablum — that new quiet luxury design direction they’re touting.

Dior Marries Nature, Marine Life and Gold

This underwater theme is actually prevalent in Dior’s new Gold House in Bangkok and it’s projected onto a Dior facade in Tokyo. This architectural design trend requires a separate post focus on Dior’s emerging design presence as a marriage of nature and golden opulence, the key word.

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Jacquemus Holiday 2024 with Alex Consani by Lisa Jahovic

Jacquemus Holiday 2024 with Alex Consani by Lisa Jahovic

With a new store in Soho New York and a four-floors flagship on London’s New Bond Street, Simon Porte Jacquemus himself might take one look at rising model Alex Consani’s images from the Jacquemus Holiday 2024 Campaign [IG] and say “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

Photographer/director/set designer Lisa Jahovic’s [IG] modern, lifestyle-in-motion images for the always-witty Jacquemus brand support the founder’s desire that we all enjoy a ‘Winter Retreat’./ Hair by Kei Terada; makeup by Lauren Parsons

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Emma Corrin Fronts Miu Miu Holiday 2024 Campaign Promoting Arcadie Bag

Emma Corrin Fronts Miu Miu Holiday 2024 Campaign Promoting Arcadie Bag

The Miu Miu Holiday 2024 [IG] campaign with actor Emma Corrin is inspired by antiquarian festive portrait postcards in images styled by Lotta Volkova with a focus on Miu Miu’s Arcadie bag. Edward Quarmby provided creative direction on the campaign photographed by Lengua.

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The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 Campaign Lensed by Jamie Hawkesworth

The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 Campaign Lensed by Jamie Hawkesworth

The Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 Campaign is a modernist vision inspired by artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière’s choice of Barcelona, as the site for the actual runway show on May 23.

Specifically, the site was the Hypostyle Room of Antoni Gaudi’s Park Güell, a roofed hall whose mosaic ceilings are a Gaudi signature. There was little actual Gaudi inspo in the clothes on the Barcelona runway and featured now in the new Louis Vuitton campaign shot by Jamie Hawkesworth [IG], with creative direction by Charles Levai and Kevin Tekinel.

Campaign models Cara Schadel, Larissa Moraes, Libby Bennett, Mona Tougaard and Thea Almqvist pose against yet another face of the Mediterranean, writing in photos a love letter to a beloved Barcelona.

The campaign is styled by Florent Buonomano and Marie-Amélie Sauvé. / Hair by Duffy; makeup by Hiromi Ueda

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Bankable Burberry Lensed by Menelik Puryear for Vogue Arabia November 2024

Bankable Burberry Lensed by Menelik Puryear for Vogue Arabia November 2024

Bankable Burberry Lensed by Menelik Puryear for Vogue Arabia November 2024

Vogue Arabia’s [IG] November 2024 issue lends a hand to Burberry [IG] designer Daniel Lee in this ‘classic’ photo shoot with plenty of plaid.

Models Jimai Hoth and Renda G are styled by Natalie Westernoff in images by Menelik Puryear [IG]. / Hair by Chloe Frieda; makeup by Chantal Amari

Burberry’s Urgent ‘Course Correct’

Business press describes the situation at Burberry as ‘urgent’ and so does Burberry’s new CEO Joshua Schulman. The new leader says the brand is undergoing an urgent ‘course correct’, as revenue plummets 22% in the latest six months ending in September 2024 financial reporting to investors.

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Edie Campbell for CH Carolina Herrera INITIALS INSIGNIA SOFT SS-2025 Campaign

Edie Campbell for CH Carolina Herrera INITIALS INSIGNIA SOFT SS-2025 Campaign

Edie Campbell for CH Carolina Herrera INITIALS INSIGNIA SOFT SS-2025 Campaign

It’s easy to forget that this visual feast for hungry eyes is a focus on the CH Carolina Herrera brand's signature bags — specifically the newINITIALS INSIGNIA SOFT — presented in an array of jewel tones, metallics, and refined neutrals.

Carolina Herrera and the Business of Relationships

Because AOC just wrote about the enduring relationship between Carolina Herrera ‘Good Girl’ fragrance and supermodel-activist Karlie Kloss, the first thought with Edie is an affirmative ‘yes’. She belongs in this tribe, too. Today both women move in highly-monied circles but take their activist roots and credentials wherever they go.

In 2020 we might have thought that elitism was gone for good — a silly proposition given the nature of human history. A key brand concept going forward is a ‘humble’ elitism and both Edie and Karlie have it.

With riches come responsibilities and both women have accepted what should be expected of them as people of privilege — given their prolific talents, excellent values and access to capital. I mentioned this very concept yesterday regarding the new Louis Vuitton Cruise 2025 campaign.

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Gucci Gift 2024 Campaign Chapter 2: To the Mountains with Kendall Jenner and Jannick Sinner

Gucci Gift 2024 Campaign Chapter 2: To the Mountains with Kendall Jenner and Jannick Sinner

AOC loves the Gucci Gift 2024 Campaign Chapter 2: To the Mountains, November 2024 release.

The campaign taps Gucci Global Brand Ambassador pro tennis athlete Jannick Sinner and Gucci ambassador Kendall Jenner, along with models Addison Soens, Devyn Garcia, Kirsty Hume, Nile Winchester and Violet Hume.

In addition to Creative Director Sabato De Sarno, we have styling by Francesca Burns, Marcell Rev on art photography procurement, Riccardo Zanola as Artistic Director and rising-fast, one-to-watch photographer Anthony Seklaoui [IG] behind the lens.

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Sporty & Rich Arrives for Just in Time for Holidays at Carlyle Hotel New York City

Sporty & Rich Arrives for Just in Time for Holidays at Carlyle Hotel New York City

Sporty & Rich Arrives for Just in Time for Holidays at Carlyle Hotel New York City

In this November 2024 drop, The Carlyle New York [IG], a Rosewood Hotel, joins Oetker Collection hotels Le Bristol Paris and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France in launching a custom collaboration with this truly impressive, big-wings brand-potential business Sporty & Rich [IG], founded by Emily Oberg.

In June 2024, Sporty & Rich collaborated with select Rosewood Asaya spas including the Rosewood São Paolo.

In an interview with Glossy in August 2023, Oberg pegged S&R’s revenue at $30 million with a goal of $200 million.

We think it’s much higher, with branding and product synergies that share much in common with SKIMS.

Emily Oberg is not Kim Kardashian, for sure. But she compensates for some of the name-recognition deficit with these rock-solid, prestige hotel alliances that can open new doors and rain money with reorders and fresh collaborations for years.

One can easily argue that Emily Oberg has aligned herself with “old money” hotels — and golf courses in the future — that have many stories to share about the lives of the world’s global elites.

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Prada Galleria Bags Bloom in Abundance for Fall 2024 Campaign by Reto Schmid

Prada Galleria Bags Bloom in Abundance for Fall 2024 Campaign by Reto Schmid

Named after the brand’s historic flagship boutique, opened by Mario Prada in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in 1913, the Prada Galleria [IG] bag is a true icon among luxury bags and in Prada world itself.

Leather flowers are abundant in the Fall 2024 Prada Galleria special edition bag, as symbols of renewal and timelessness.

Photographer Reto Schmid [IG] captures the campaign with models Amanda Murphy, Ella Rattigan, Ilya Vermeulen, Laura Reyes, Lexi Boling and Ornella Umutoni. / Makeup by Yumi Lee; Hair by Evanie Frausto

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The Debut of Coco Neige with Margot Robbie Had Deep Roots in Chanel's History

The Debut of Coco Neige with Margot Robbie Had Deep Roots in Chanel's History

The 2018 Debut of Coco Neige with Margot Robbie Had Deep Roots in Chanel's History

In 2018, Margot Robbie launched Chanel’s first Coco Neige campaign, which was Chanel's first official subbrand for ski and après-ski wear. Featured in these images by the now-passed creative director Karl Lagerfeld himself, Robbie spoke very fondly about the experience of working with the head of the House of Chanel from 1983-2019.

AOC visited the the original campaign after posting the new Chanel Coco Neige 2024/5 campaign, lensed by Juergen Teller with model Loli Bahia. Asking a question of our precious AI about Coco Chanel and if she actually skied, Anne fell down a rabbit hole that has reoriented her entire thinking about Chanel.

Her interest in skiing was not only a personal pastime but also a social event that allowed her to mingle with the elite, continually fueling her creative vision in the process and also captivating new clients for her brand.

Coco had a profound and enduring level of help from her friend, financier, collaborator and lover Arthur "Boy" Capel in penetrating this elite St. Moritz society.

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Chanel's Coco Neige 2024/5 Collection Honors a Long House History with Sporting Life

Chanel's Coco Neige 2024/5 Collection Honors a Long House History with Sporting Life

Chanel's Coco Neige 2024/5 Collection Honors a Long House History with Sporting Life

Model Loli Bahia is photographed by Juergen Teller[IG] in the apartment of Gabrielle Chanel at 31, rue Cambon in Paris wearing CHANEL COCO NEIGE 2024/25 collection. / Hair by James Pecis; makeup by Lisa Butler

AOC can’t verify that weather prediction for major ski resorts in Europe. But if you are wearing Chanel Coco Neige for cocooning at a ski lodge, you probably have global options regarding where to land the plane.

Chanel ‘Coco Neige’ History

The first Coco Neige collection and campaign dropped in 2018, created by luxury visionary uber-talent Karl Lagerfeld and starring Margot Robbie. Coco Neige promoted itself as a combination of high-tech clothing and winter ready-to-wear.

Coco Neige was not Chanel’s Maiden Ski Collection

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