Charaf Tajer‘spre-Spring 2024 Casablanca Campaign makes a sophisticated play for a monied, athletic elegance and varsity chic-inspired cafe-society crowd.
The romantic mood of the movie ‘Casablanca’ itself ebbs quietly through the campaign, signposts for a WWII cafe society crowd that embraced classic notions of honor, loyalty, friendship and duty in a 2024 global political climate that’s testing all those values — and turning them inside out.
Count Maggie Maurer in as a member of the Resistance, joined by Valentin Caron. Corentin Leroux [IG] photographs the campaign, with art direction by Rashid Barbiker and styling by Francesca Parise./Hair by Ryan Mitchell; makeup by David Koppelaar
Photographer Elizaveta Porodina [IG] ignites the Giorgio Armani Holiday 2023/4 campaign with a 21st century, restrained, jazz-age glamour.
Porodina’s high-level skills in clinical psychology and humanism enhance her understanding of branding in a way other photographers do not intuit.
With one broad stroke of her Jungian-inspired, creative vision, Porodina now makes Armani model Beauise Ferwerda a multi-dimensional Armani woman with a shadow-self.
After spreading its British wings to international cities with its ‘Burberry Streets’ sightings, Burberry’s Daniel Lee again heads home, assembling a motley British-related and credentialed crew for the brand’s Spring 2024 campaign.
Tyrone Lebon again is the photographer for Burberry, rowing in total synchronocity with Daniel Lee.
One sports figure in the campaign is professional boxer Somali-British Ramla Ali, who is also a Dior ambassador. She’s rather dear to AOC’s heart.
The founder of Sisters Club, Ali scored a vindicating win over Julissa Guzman, in early November. The luxury brands boxer suffered a ‘shocking’ defeat to Guzman in June 2023, which is why we use the word ‘vindicating’.
Louis Vuitton delivers smile-worthy holiday cheer in its first episode of a multi-segmented campaign lensed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch [IG] with video by Lope Serrano.
The Maison’s Mascot Vivienne and her friend Teddy arrive to explore all the Maison’s creations. As regulars, they might become treasured ornaments as the years go by — and we are eager to keep track of them.
These darling little creatures pop up everywhere in a distinct statement that whimsy is part of the holiday season and we are quietly encouraged to get “out of ourselves” and into the world of humanity.
Karlie Kloss is the proud owner of i-D Magazine, a decade after being featured on i-D’s Spring 2013 cover.
Fast forward to November 2023, where Karlie’s new media company Bedford Media is flying solo in acquiring i-D Magazine.
Karlie will lead the British magazine as CEO, with i-D top editor Alastair McKimm [IG] expanding his role to the title of chief creative officer and global editor-in-chief.
Moschino’s new creative director Davide Renne arrived at the Italian house on November 1, 2023. Renne’s candle had no time to burn brightly in his new assignment, as the designer passed into a another dimension today, November 10, 2023.
We do not know the cause of death, which has been described as a “sudden illness” that claimed his body and earthly existence just 10 days after his arrival at Moschino.
Renne’s resume was defined largely by two decades at Gucci, eventually as Head Designer of Womenswear, working with Alessandro Michele.
Supermodel, businesswoman, mom Candice Swanepoel leads us into 2024 with a new Tropic of CSustainable Lace collection of black and white, made-to-be seen innerwear that renders lace lovers as sensual creatures who are also kind to Mother Earth.
All of Candice’s fabrics are sustainable, with this lace fabric coming out of Portugal and making its way into existing C collection styles. Note the ‘movie poster’ image with the photoshoot credentials and specific information about the fabric. Tropic of C has never veered off course in leading with sustainability.
In its Fall 2023 presentation in Rome, fine jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels chose the ‘Grand Tour’ experience as the cultural inspiration for the designs of the luxury jeweler’s newest masterpieces.
Global Impact of The Grand Tour
Traditionally, the European aristocrats were at the forefront of experiencing the Grand Tour and reveled in the opportunity to delve into the cultural riches of science, art, architecture, and history.
Yet, as the colonial expansion in South America and India gathered momentum, individuals of wealth from these regions also sought to emulate the grandeur and sophistication of the Grand Tour.
Oyadeas! I simply adore Creative Director Daniel Lee’sBurberry Holiday [IG] 2023 campaign. ADORE IT!! It’s charming, genuine, not camp but quiet luxury gone a tiny bit wild.
Roe Ethridge [IG] shoots this precious masterpiece, with creative direction by Carina Frey and Stefanie Barth.
The logo fully communicates Burberry without ruining the larger-image, buy-me item. He’s leaving before you can be annoyed with him — sort of like an apparition. He’s like “Chill, Anne, I’m leaving.”
Actually the Burberry knight reminds me of the Tribute of Light show outside my high-floor, lower Manhattan window after Sept. 11 in New York. Tribute always came to visit us and even stayed the night. But then he was gone when I woke up, off to bring a bit of hope and serenity elsewhere in our complicated world.
For a couple years we tried to trap him for at least a cup of morning French Roast, but Tribute always outsmarted us, slipping out the window at dawn.
Billie Eilish is back at Gucci and let’s applaud that move. Without question Billie is a bridge between the respective visions of the two creative directors — Alessandro Michele and now Sabato De Sarno.
For Gucci, Billie Eilish has teamed up on a greenish version of their iconic Horsebit 1955 bag. The new version is crafted from Demetra, a 75% plant-based, animal-free material that has been produced in Italy since 2021.
Gucci launched sneakers made of Demetra two years ago. The bags also use recycled ECONYL nylon made from regenerated ghost nets, carpets, and pre-consumer waste. Prada and Burberry were leaders in the development of ECONYL with products coming to market in 2019. Demetra is tanned in accordance with Gucci’s century-old standard practices.
One of the key tenets of the slow living movement is mindfulness. It encourages individuals to fully engage with each experience and prioritize being present and connected to those around us.
In the past, Americans and Europeans just do not see a high-quality life in the same way. Slow living is just another word for laziness in the minds of many Americans.
However, in our post-COVID world, accompanied by growing climate violence, there are signals that American attitudes may be changing.
Even financial markets and consulting companies like McKinsey are watching Italian brands in particular, drilling down to two brands very important at Anne of Carversville: Brunello Cucinella and Loro Piana.
When Mr. Cucinelli, also known as the King of Cashmere, makes a speech about humanism and the ‘heart’ of a humanistic enterprise, by definition he is speaking in harmony with the slow living movement.
Clearly the archival map print has achieved major status at Dior, as it rolls forward into fall with a major campaign.
Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri is simply the best of the luxury brand story tellers. On Monday, the creative director was profiled in WWD with that rare breakdown of financial information for a LVMH brand. I knew Dior has done very well, but not that Chiuri has tripled the Dior business in less than seven years. That’s extraordinary.
Tonight, October 24, WWD will present Chiuri with its John B. Fairchild Honor at an awards ceremony in New York City.
Can you imagine how much impact the ‘Plan de Paris’ print will have with the Paris 2024 Olympics? It’s so exciting to see a female creative director have such huge financial impact on one of the world’s premier luxury brands. Bravo Maria Grazia Chiuri!! You are an inspiration for us all. Thank you! ~ Anne
Jennifer Lopez has appeared before with Intimissimi lingerie. Now the brand’s global ambassador serves as a co-designer of the new collection, inviting us all to experience ‘la dolce vita’.
Anne of Carversville has always stood for the nurturing benefits of beautiful lingerie and we’re thrilled with the new Jennifer Lopez “This is Me…Now” collection.
Both Italy and France have long celebrated the sex appeal of older women, unlike America where we’ve been washed up at age 35. There’s a good reason why Anne so loves Italy and France and why she’s worked so hard professionally to change America’s perception of aging and sensual women.
Punk glamour has emerged as a strong trend in fall forward fashion. Among high-end luxury brands, we can call it ‘the Schiaparelli effect”.
For fall 2023 Moschino [IG] presses the style envelope with true grit glamour that teeters on the edge of elegance. Model Sherry Shi supports that style message in Moschino’s fall 2023 ad campaign.
Relax everyone. This Moschino woman just loves being a provocateur. And Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele knows how to style the look, so that it becomes French bourgeois to the max.
LVMH announced plans today to create a 21,500 square feet dedicated space for LVMH-associated craftsmanship in Paris' eighth arrondissement. Conceived as a holistic hub of LVMH craftsmanship, the home for aspiring artisans will serve as a physical home for LVMH’s Institut des Métiers d’Excellence, the vocational training program founded in 2014.
Alexandre Boquel, Head of Development for LVMH’s Métiers d’Excellence, asserts that through this new Parisian venture, LVMH plans to hire 22,000 specialized craftspeople by the end of 2025, including 8,000 in France.
Chantal Gaemperle, LVMH's Executive Vice President of Human Resources/Synergies, conveyed to WWD: “The pandemic has fueled people’s need to find meaning and make something that they can understand and touch. There’s a desire to have a concrete impact and be together.”
Italian quiet luxury brand Loro Piana held a dinner party in Malibu on October 10th. The purpose was a cozy celebration for its third ‘Cocooning Collection’, appropriately held at a private beachside villa along the Pacific Coast Highway.
The evening was rich in Loro Piana’s preference for neutral colors. In concert with the natural beachside environment, neutrals permeated every visualization from the guests’ attire to the interior design and even table settings.
The fine-tuning evolution around the LVMH brand Loro Piana [called Loro by insiders] is led by chief executive Damien Bertrand, who took the veins of the deeply respected luxury house about two years ago. He is passionate about his assignment.
“We have the best fibres in the world, and this is the work of the Loro Piana family for six generations. These are fibres, and people tend to forget, that come from animals; like humans, if they are eating well, being treated well and sleeping well, the quality of the fibres is better. If you are looking at what we have done at Loro Piana, there is no one else that does it.”
Ferrari has released its Fall 2023 campaign by Creative Director Rocco Iannone. German photographer born in Seoul Heji Shin[IG] turns her focus to models/influencer Anthi Fakidari, Chloe Oh, and Jean Carlo Leon, in images styled by Jacob K. / Hair by Franco Gobbi; makeup by Arianna Cattarin
The luxury car sector is nearly twice as large as the luxury personal goods category, according to Anita Balchandani, senior partner at management consultancy McKinsey, who leads on fashion and luxury in EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa.] She is among the marketing experts who believes that Ferrari can become a luxury lifestyle brand.
“My motors have a soul,” said Enzo Ferrari famously.
If customers support the ‘spirit’ of their Ferrari supercars, and with a quiet laugh, consider them treasured members of the family, this is a quiet luxury power to be harnessed — even if we’re looking at a Formula One racing car.
Since Camille Miceli took the reins of LVMH-owned Emilio Pucci, she has steered the iconic brand into audacious territory. This Beyonce-worthy catsuit worn on her Renaissance tour atop in LA September 2, is at the top of her IG tour favs.
Scrolling all the way back to spring, the Pucci catsuit looks to be in the top 5 on the whole tour.
Photographer Axle Jozeph [IG] captures “Age of Aquarius”, a GRAZIA International [IG] high jewelry story featuring Tiffany and Co’s “Blue Book 2023: Out of the Blue” collection. The precious pieces celebrate Jean Schlumberger’s fascination with fantastical creatures of the deep blue sea.
Tiffany and Co’s “Blue Book 2023: Out of the Blue” Collection
Tiffany & Co hosted a fashion show styled by Carine Roitfeld at its landmark Fifth Avenue location at the September launch of New York Fashion Week showcased the Blue Book 2023 collection worn with Givenchy ready-to-wear and Haute couture from Fall 2023 collections.
The full fall 2023 presentation of the collection designed by Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany & Co.'s chief artistic officer of jewelry and high jewelry, officially launches in October in Shanghai. In addition to the existing themes of Shell, Coral, Pisces, Star Urchin, and Starfish, a new theme of Sea Anemone is explored.
As an American — and long before I launched Anne of Carversville in 2007 — Ralph Lauren represented the American dream to me. Lauren has successfully woven America’s stories into the very fabric of his brand, creating a unique narrative like no other American designer.
Today, an older, wiser, and a more empathetic Ralph Lauren stands at the crossroads of American democracy. In the same moment, I am pouring over the details of American history on a daily basis and grabbing every creative opportunity to talk about them.
When you put Polo Ralph Lauren together with Richard Phibbs [IG] as photographer, Anne’s day is derailed as I decide what to write. Poor Phibbs. He always inspires deep thinking at AOC.
AOC totally supports taking some liberties with campaign visuals, but I also sense an obligation for AOC to share facts of history along the way. Ralph Lauren has mastered this art of visual inclusivity and Richard Phibbs has some of the keenest instincts I know about when taking this path of “how history could have been if only there were more of us and fewer of them.”