Big Miss but Africa Archives Coming! Naomi Campbell's African Odyssey by Prince Gyasi
/
Graydon Carter's Air Mail News Wows with Tom Ford Interview by Briget Foley
/
AOC just read Air Mail, the subscription-based digital magazine company launched by former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter.
Reading the first article, Briget Foley’s new interview of Tom Ford stopped us cold.
In a media landscape where talk and promises are so cheap that we are in a state of mental rebellion before reading the first word, the Tom Ford interview is stellar, capturing our minds like a really good TED Talk.
No BS promises and definitely not clickbait. It’s personal and humanizing, filled with haunting quotes from Ford.
Read MoreLVMH Concedes Likely Defeat in Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills Vote to Override City Approval
/
When we first wrote in 2020 about the LVMH plans for a Cheval Blanc Hotel in Beverly Hills, it seemed to be on cruise control, a fait accompli. Now the fight is all but over and LVMH conceded probable defeat on Friday.
Labor union Unite Here Local 11 and a local residents group garnered enough signatures to put two referenda on the ballot in Beverly Hills that would ask voters to overturn the City Council’s approval of the Cheval Blanc hotel and the development agreement for the project in September 2022. They got signatures from 10% of Beverly Hills voters which triggered a vote to override the City Council’s approval.
"Although some votes remain to be counted, it now appears that Measures B and C have fallen short by a narrow margin, overturning the results of a comprehensive, years-long review and approval process," said Jessica Miller, a LVMH spokesperson. "We are proud to have worked with so many residents, civic leaders and business owners who supported this once-in-a-generation investment that would have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in city funding and a beautiful gateway project for the Golden Triangle. If the final vote count confirms the voters' rejection of our project, we will respect the outcome, and will not bring the hotel project back in any form."
Read MoreSerena Williams 'Will Perform' Sports Wellness Brand Lands 3000 Walmart Stores
/
Late in 2022, Serena Williams launched her wellness brand ‘Will Perform’, with an initial focus on recovery essentials for pain relief and sore muscles. The clean, cruelty-free, topical pain relief and daily muscle-care solutions are designed to reimagine recovery from demanding exercise routines.
Today Serena and her tribe are headed to 3000 individually-selected Walmart stores with an offering of three key products also available at Walmart’s online platform. These products include the “Will Relieve Lidocaine Pain Relief Roll-On“, and the “Will Relieve Lidocaine Pain Relief Spray“, both priced at $13, along with the “Will Rest Nightly Muscle Recovery Lotion“, which is also priced at $13.
“Recovery has played an integral role in my performance and professional success. It’s a practice that can benefit anyone with an active lifestyle. That belief is what inspired us to develop a line of products that targets your muscles and can be incorporated into your daily self-care routine,” Williams said in a written statement.
Read MoreLouis Vuitton's 'Pacific Chill', the New 'Detox Scent' Taps Miranda Kerr for Launch
/
Louis Vuitton chose a wellness event in Malibu, California to launch its newest fragrance Pacific Chill. Friend of the house model, mother and businesswoman Miranda Kerr is the face of Pacific Chill.
Kerr’s own company Kora Organics is a leading global certified organic skincare brand, a perfect alignment for ‘Pacific Chill’, described by Vuitton’s maître parfumeur Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud as a ‘detox’ fragrance.
Credit the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge as the source of inspiration behind the new fragrance. About a year ago Cavallier-Belletrud was in LA for several days and enjoyed the hotel’s 14 Carrot Gold juice, made of carrot, orange and ginger every morning.
During a creative meeting with Alex Israel on that trip, Pacific Chill was born. Enveloped in a blue-green hued vessel, a 100-ml. bottle of Pacific Chill retails for $300.
Read More"If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys & Queen Charlotte's Women of Color Orchestra
/
Last Monday, May 8th, Alicia Keys celebrated the 20th anniversary of “If I Ain’t Got You”, and she did it in the style of “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”, debuting on Netflix.
The track was produced with the Queen Charlotte's Global Orchestra, a 74-piece ensemble made up entirely of women of colour.
The orchestra features renowned musicians from all over the world, including Ofentse Pitse, who’s the first Black female conductor of South Africa. Among the musicians are Rimon from Netherlands, Amel Bent from France, Alicia Away from Germany, Cherrie from Sweden, and Delara from Norway. The musical arrangement was made by Bobbie-Jane Gardner.
Alicia Keyes was dressed by Dior, wearing a SS23 ensemble pairing a crinoline skirt in plumetis tulle with delicate lace encrustations with a matching bra top. via Dior IG.
Read MorePrada Reopens in East Hampton, NY As Summer Luxury Rentals Market Cools
/
With the opening of Prada’s East Hampton newly-redesigned store at 2 Newtown Lane, the summer 2023 luxury brands offering is nearly set.
Prada opened the 1600 square foot store in July 2022 with green and white cabana stripes and not today’s blue and white. The Italian luxury brand will drop product exclusive to the Hamptons, where this is their only store.
In the world of post-COVID summer rentals, the overheated market appears to have cooled. The number of rentals has expanded as demand has fallen.
Read MoreModern Nazi Fighter Amy Spitalnick Is New CEO of Jewish Council for Public Affairs
/
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs [JCPA] has named Amy Spitalnick as its new CEO. The appointment could not come soon enough, after the organization’s decision to pursue a more liberal approach to break away from the consensus-driven Jewish Federations of America.
In addition to being called a “modern-day Nazi fighter”, Spitalnick has earned the title of “democracy defender.”
Spitalnick sued the Charlottesville 2017 neo-Nazis “Unite the Right” rally organizers and won a successful multimillion-dollar lawsuit, as the executive director of Integrity First for America [IFA].
“There needs to be an organization that wholeheartedly recognizes how deeply intertwined Jewish safety is with other communities’ safety and how bound up that all is in a broader fight for democracy at this moment, and builds the sorts of coalitions within and across communities that are essential to moving the needle,” she said.
Read MoreROXY x Kate Bosworth Swim 2023 Collection | "Blue Crush" Is Finally Reality for Women Surfers
/
In 2002, the movie “Blue Crush” depicted women competing at Hawaii’s Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. In reality, very few women surfed the seven-mile mecca. Surfer Keala Kennelly was one for-real woman surfer, who joined the “Blue Crush” movie with an understanding that if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.
Actor Kate Bosworth was also in “Blue Crush” played Annemarie Chadwick, a native of Oahu’s North Shore, training to compete in Hawaii’s Pipe Masters, a surfing competition where “you don’t just get worked—you die.”
That descriptor comes from Vogue, who also got clever in writing about Bosworth’s new “Blue Crush” style collab with ROXIE, the women’s surf brand that is credited for designing the first women’s board shorts in 1990.
“Blue Crush” was a movie about the future — 20 years into the future — and that future is now.
An Equity Drive for Women Surfers That Took Half a Century
Surfing has long been associated with hyper-masculinity; now changes are finally underway decades later in gender equity policies within its ranks.
Read MoreMoët & Chandon and Don C Fuse Sports and Luxury with 'Just Don' NBA Drop
/
The LVMH brands collaboration with the NBA takes another bow this morning as Moët & Chandon taps streetwear designer Don C for a capsule dropping today, May 8, 2023.
Moët & Chandon is the official Champagne of the NBA and the brand has a rich modern history working with the sports francise and the culture that surrounds it.
Chicago’s own Don C [IG] understands that “the fusion of sports and luxury is here now, and it's here to stay." The drop consists of a custom-designed Moët & Chandon champagne bottle and a hoodie.
Read MoreHumanrace Samba Colors by Pharrell Debuts at VB 'Something in the Water' Festival
/
AOC shares exciting news about the ongoing collaboration between Pharrell Williams and adidas — Humanrace Samba Colors by Pharrell, a collection of luxury footwear in a depth of colorways that embody the diversity and energy of Humanrace’s DNA.
Last weekend at Pharrell’s ‘Something in the Water’ Festival in Virginia Beach, music lovers with an Atlantic Ocean view got their first look at five new Humanrace Samba colorways: Yellow, Orange, Pink, Lilac, and Red. A Humanrace green colorway is also available exclusively to friends and family of the brand.
Pharrell elevates the Samba with all-around high-end leather upper and leather shoelaces sourced from ECCO Leather, a world leader in innovative and premium leather.
ECCO Leather’s water-saving tanning technology saves 20 liters of water per hide. The result is environmentally more sustainable production but higher color saturation. Humanrace always uses non-toxic vegetable dyes, and AOC assumes that is the case here. Read the Humanrace sustainability pledges.
Read MoreMaison Valentino Vintage Partners With 7 Global Vintage Stores in Exchange Voucher Program
/
Valentino Vintage, an initiative by the luxury fashion house Valentino [IG], has expanded its presence by partnering with vintage stores in seven cities around the world, including London, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Seoul, and New York. This innovative program allows customers to exchange their pre-loved Valentino garments for vouchers that can be used to purchase new items from the brand, extending the life cycle of luxury fashion.
Each participating vintage store was carefully selected based on its unique identity and cultural relevance within its respective city. For instance, London's Rellik, which opened in 1999, was chosen for its collection of vintage 1960s garments. The updated program now features a variety of Valentino's famous archival apparel in these partner stores.
Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, BFC 2022 Designer of the Year
The goal of ‘democratizing fashion’ in the luxury market is sincere at Valentino from all we know. AOC focused on Valentino’s brand values and how they fit in with the HENRYS: [High-Earners-Not–Rich-Yet] in a recent April 2023 post.
Read MoreWinnie Harlow Is Primordial Earth Goddess by Daniella Midenge for Women's Health
/
Sharing these fabulous images of Winnie Harlow lensed by Daniella Midenge [IG] at California’s Joshua Tree National Park, Winnie is just the most beautiful, articulate, focused and inspiring warrior-woman, love goddess on our precious Earth.
It’s a challenge to do her justice with words, although Jeannine Amber does a great job of explaining Winnie’s impact on the general population in her Women’s Health April 2023 interview Winnie Harlow Wants To Be More Than Just Your Role Model. Amber and Winnie go deep into how she maintains her extraordinal physique and warm spirit.
Between Daniella’s unique persona as a photographer/model and Winnie in all her glory, we’re damn lucky this duo and their team didn’t cause a major earthquake in the desert.
I hope Winnie won’t be cross with me for saying this, but when I saw her images, I thought they were primordial. We know that humans lived in Joshua well over 15,000 years ago — a group of hunter-gathers known as the Pinto Culture. The park's oldest rocks, Pinto Gneiss among them, are 1.7 billion years old.
Read MoreExtinction Rebellion Activists Protest at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
/
Extinction Rebellion France attacked the Fondation Louis Vuitton as a “a cultural and philanthropic and most of all fiscal tool" of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group.
Defending their protest, the organization pointed to the failure of major corporations to take action on climate change, writing:
"That's why we demand that corporations take their responsibilities and act in the fight against global warming, and that the government put in place the Citizen Convention for Climate which proposed among other things the impact of greenhouse gas emissions of companies, reinforcing their obligations in the face of environmental demands and condition their financing to green criteria.”
The organization pointed out that current emission levels of companies listed on the CAC40 index would lead to a 3.5 degree Celsius increase in temperatures by 2100.
Read MoreTom Ford Co. Names CEO Guillaume Jesel and Creative Director Peter Hawkings
/
The Tom Ford brand recently announced significant changes in its executive leadership. Guillaume Jesel has been appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the brand, while Peter Hawkings has been named the Creative Director. These appointments come after the Estée Lauder Companies completed their acquisition of Tom Ford for $2.8 billion.
Guillaume Jesel brings nearly a decade of successful brand leadership experience from his time at Tom Ford Beauty. Under his tenure, the brand spearheaded iconic innovation and strategically expanded its global reach, firmly establishing Tom Ford Beauty as a powerhouse in luxury beauty.
Peter Hawkings, on the other hand, has been working alongside Tom Ford for nearly twenty-five years. He began his career at Gucci in 1998 under Ford's guidance before joining the Tom Ford brand in 2006. As the new Creative Director, Hawkings will be responsible for upholding the brand's vision and ensuring consistency of creative direction across all fashion categories.
Read MoreWhite Men's Warrior Tucker Carlson Gets the Boot at FOX News
/
In a move that sent blaring-horns shockwaves through America’s conservative movement Monday morning, FOX News host Tucker Carlson was notified not to come to the office. Carlson’s senior executive producer Justin Wells was also terminated.
The LA Times writes that the decision to fire Carlson came straight from Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. The newspaper further reports that Murdoch is concerned over Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection [our word] and his arguing that it was a conspiracy provoked by governent agents.
Carlson, 53. was the most viewed host on Fox with only the occasional Rachel Maddow presenting a relevant rival voice from other networks, based on audience size. Media Matters wrote:
“Tucker Carlson’s departure is great news for America [and terrible news for Fox.]
The firing comes days after Fox Corp, reached a $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems last week. Multiple outlets are reporting that the very damaging comments and actions by Carlson that showed up in the discovery process contributed to Fox Corp. severing ties.
In addition, fired Fox News producer Abby Grossberg has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the network and was fired shortly after. Grossberg was moved off of “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo” and put on “Tucker Carlson Tonight’.
Read MoreDoja Cat Lands on TIME 100 The World’s Most Influential People List
/
Doja Cat stepped into that rare limelight of the new TIME 100 The World’s Most Influential People List.
Baz Luhrmann makes unusually flattering comments about Doja Cat’s talents and approach to project execution.
Read MoreWhen she started to work on “Vegas” for ‘Vegas’, Elvis was relegated to a Halloween costume—he wasn’t influential to the younger generation. But Doja and her producer Yeti Beats understood the importance of translating “Hound Dog” for a new audience. For them, it was an act of translating the roots of Black music.
Koko Da Doll of Acclaimed Sundance Doc 'Kokomo City' Shot Dead in Atlanta
/
Koko Da Doll, 35, also known by her chosen name Rasheeda Williams, a prominent member in the Atlanta Black LGBTQ community, was murdered in Atlanta on Tuesday. Gun violence has claimed the lives of at least three transgender women in recent weeks.
Williams is a principal cast member in the upcoming documentary "Kokomo City." The documentary premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January to critical acclaim and is the feature directorial debut of Grammy-nominated producer, singer, and songwriter D. Smith. "Kokomo City" chronicles the lives of four Black trans sex workers in Atlanta and New York City as they navigate the challenges of existing as trans in the Black community and the persistent threat of violence they encounter daily.
Read MoreJust In! Choupette Lagerfeld Is Coming to The Met Gala ! Is She Flying Private?
/
Deeply immersed in the pending US Supreme Court stay issued against the dreadful anti-science decision by US Federal Texas District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk against Mifepristone, AOC completely missed the news that Choupette Lagerfeld has accepted an invite to The Met Gala honoring her famously controversial daddy.
Glamour Magazine posted the news last week. Is Choupette traveling on her own jet, or will she preferably take the heat in an airplane at least carrying a crowd of fashion folks?
Will Kim Kardashian Fly Choupette to The Met Gala?
Back to Choupette . . . she could be flying Air Chanel, which would make sense. Or now that Kim Kardashian is coming to the Met Gala, it’s a fact that Choupette would look great in KK’s new plane.
And if anybody can take the heat for flying a private jet to Europe to pick up Karl Lagerfeld’s famous cat Choupette, it’s Kim Kardashian.
After all, Karl Lagerfeld shot Kim Kardashian [West then] in 2013, seven months pregnant with North. He was the first major fashion photographer to shoot her.
Read MoreGuerlain Taps Aristide Najean To Honor Le Bouquet de la Mariée Fragrance
/
