September/October 2021

Mathilde
Henning

Mathilde
Henning

Mathilde
Henning



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After a year of primarily
virtual debuts, the Fall 2021
Haute Couture shows came
back in full force in Paris this
week, delivering on a promise
of and desire for grandeur,
excitement and fantasy.

The presentations themselves
gave us plenty to talk about.
There was an impressive
Balenciaga debut. There was a
rain delay that only
heightened the anticipation
for a historic Pyer Moss show.
There was a meeting of the
minds at Jean Paul Gaultier.

There were skydivers in Iris
van Herpen gowns. And the
clothes are clearly resonating:
A handful of looks from these
just-unveiled couture lines
have already walked the red
carpet at the Cannes Film
Festival.

Take a look through our
favorite moments from the
Fall 2021 Haute Couture
runways (so far).

CHANEL FALL 2021
HAUTE COUTURE

DIOR FALL 2021
HAUTE COUTURE

HOW TO REINVENT YOUR LOOK IN 8
By
WEEKS Sonya Leusink Sladen

Recently I stumbled upon an old article I'd written for Use it to guide and challenge your
the Nelson Mail. I found the words, "If you don't know ideas about how to dress well. You
what your style is, then invest some time in figuring it do not need to religiously stick to
out before spending any more money on clothes. Study one week per step, but don't rush
magazines, follow your favourite style icon, watch them. Spend time on each and
people whose style you admire and become more allow yourself to sleep on what you
critical of fashion directions. When you know your style, learn each step of the way.
then you can afford to invest in it."

Little has changed in my philosophy. I still find myself
encouraging women to look for a style they can call
their own. But where does one start?
Here I have provided an 8-week personal style
development programme to fast-track you to fabulous
personal style.

WEEK 1 – THE WEEK 3 – IDENTIFY A
BRAINSTORM STYLE ICON OR TWO

EFFECT Think about a person, past or
present, whose style you really love.
To kickstart the process begin collecting Be it a celebrity or fashion icon,
images that appeal to your sense of style. gather images of them and their
Rip pages from magazines, download photos style. Go to the public library and see
from the internet and establish a Pinterest if you can find books about them,
board dedicated to your personal style. biographies or memoirs.
During this initial week of effort, don't filter Read about them, and connect to
or over think your decisions. Be intuitive. Be internet or social media sites that are
greedy. The more you can collect the better. dedicated to their style.
And don't stop at the end of the week either.
Use this process of gathering ideas and You might be surprised at what you
inspiration as an ongoing tool to refine and can find online to begin to build a
evolve your personal style. constant source of inspiration. I
follow a couple of Instagram
WEEK 2 – PEOPLE accounts dedicated solely to Audrey
WATCH Hepburn, whose girlish gamine style
greatly appeals to me.
Dedicate some time this week to people
watching. Summer in the top of the south is WEEK 4 –
brilliant for this. With the influx of visitors CONSIDER YOUR
you are bound to find a huge diversity of
style and fashion sense. LIFESTYLE
Public places such as markets, airports and
busy cafes are great for this. Grab a cup of This week, using the insight you've already
coffee and some dark glasses, and find a gathered, consider how you might channel
comfy inconspicuous perch to watch the your personal style ideas into your lifestyle.
world go by. Look for people whose style you There is after all, no point in a wardrobe full
like, and even style faux pas you want to of glamorous red-carpet evening gowns and
avoid. Note or mentally store this stage costumes a la your style icon Rihanna,
information as a basis for developing your when you are a mother of three boys who
taste. works as a landscape gardener part-time.
How to do this without compromising your
personal aesthetic? Consider your
workplace, how you spend your time off-
duty and what you do to socialise. Ask
yourself how your icon might dress in these
situations, ie what would Rihanna wear if she
worked at an accountancy firm?

Think back to your people watching WEEK 6 – OVERHAUL
experience and brainstorming exercise to YOUR WARDROBE
find style ideas for the different situations
you find yourself in and consider how they This week I want you to focus on emptying
might translate into components of your your wardrobe and cleaning it. Get ready to
wardrobe. only return those clothing items you love,
wear and resonate with your newly
Refine your brainstorming ideas of week one emerging personal style. Study each
by applying them to the key areas of your garment with care. Try them on if you must,
lifestyle where you wish to look and feel but trust your gut instinct in its response to
stylish. the question, is this something I really love?

WEEK 5 – IDENTIFY At this stage, try to be as tough and
SOME STYLE WORDS uncompromising as you can, but don't throw
anything away just yet. Carefully wash, iron
By now you will probably be beginning to get and neatly fold garments you are unsure
a clearer sense of your likes and dislikes. You about, and put them into temporary storage.
might even find you are already dressing I find it easier to edit my wardrobe knowing
differently as a consequence. This is great, that I'm not getting rid of things entirely (and
keep it up. But don't stop now. This week, if the stored items remain untouched for 12
see if you can define your personal style in a months or more they can be more safely
few words. These might be 'classic and discharged).
understated, with a contemporary twist', or
'bohemian with a sporty edge'. Your new wardrobe should now only contain
clothes that fit with your style words and are
But don't feel constrained by a small number things that your style icon would wear. It
of words, or a generalised definition. might be quite sparse in some cases, but
that's okay (in this respect you might need to
Yours might be as eclectic and specific as set aside some temporary basics, so that you
'earthy, mystic bohemian, like a character in actually have something to wear. Do so with
Game of Thrones when I dress up, but the mind to replace them when you can
earthy and understated with a classic afford to). The point of the exercise is to
contemporary twist involving jeans and reduce your wardrobe down to only the very
sneakers when I am off-duty'. best pieces that reflect how you want your
style to be.
The more specific you can be to your
personal style, the better. Hold these words
in your head when making key decisions
about what to buy or wear.

WEEK 7 – ESTABLISH A WARDROBE WEEK 8 – STRATEGISE YOUR
FOUNDATION SHOP

This week I would like you to establish a if you've made it this far, congratulations!
foundation wardrobe or wardrobe core. You will be well on your way to having
Many style writers recommend foundation developed an amazing style that's you to a
pieces that every woman should have in her tee. This next step is to translate what you
wardrobe. These might include things such know into building the perfect wardrobe. In a
as classic jeans, black or neutral smart nutshell, shopping strategy is about
trousers, a little black dress, a white shirt, a prioritising your future spend. It's about
quality cashmere or merino cardigan and a asking the question, what do you need
trench coat. versus what would you like (but could live
without)?
Each woman's wardrobe foundation will be
slightly different, depending on her personal Principles for shopping according to your
style and unique set of "style words". So personal style include prioritising quality
while the above list might perfectly suit a over quantity, ensuring every purchase is
woman whose style is 'classic and something you really love and sensible.
understated with a contemporary twist' it Avoid buying anything just because it's on
might not be a very useful foundation for sale. Think long term, by investing in
someone whose style is 'rock chic with a timeless essentials that work perfectly with
streetwise edge'. your personal style and lifestyle. Use layby to
invest in expensive life-long garments, and
The best way to think about your foundation be resourceful in finding other "less serious"
wardrobe is to consider what minimum pieces that appeal to you and your newly
number of pieces you would need to own to defined fashion sense.
cover all of your bases. Imagine packing a
small suitcase to go away for the weekend to
attend a work function, an evening social
occasion and some fun downtime with your
family. What would you need? What would
you take? These elements can form your
core. They need to work well together,
generally be of a neutral colour palette and
be timeless. They need to be of the highest
quality you can afford and considered an
investment.

Set them apart in your wardrobe, or note
down pieces you think you might need to
buy, if your core does not cover all of your
bases.

After a year of staying indoors, it’s time to
celebrate fashion and the latest trends. Taking
inspiration from almost every decade, there are
so many new ways to style your favorite colors
and pieces.

Express your personality, with a sleek bucket hat,
or a neutral swimsuit. It’s time to revisit the
classic 2000's pastel shades and 50s-inspired
headscarves. Now is the time in 2021 to get
inspired for your next shopping spree at your
favorite luxury fashion online store.

Unlike previous years when we'd have enjoyed a
a family break around Easter, or looked forward
to enjoying lots of dinners with big groups of
friends inside. The fashion worlds 2021 calendar
has been looking somewhat normal.

BY ZOE SUEN

HOW A YOUNG
DESIGNER IS

RETHINKING THE
PLAYBOOK FOR

EMERGING BRANDS

Andreas Aresti, the 26-year-old New Appealing to a younger shopper comes easily for Aresti, who is also
York-based creative behind new currently working with Hood By Air's Shayne Oliver. His CV reads like a
womenswear label Lourdes, had who’s who of fashion’s most influential menswear designers, having
always wanted to launch his own worked with Tim Coppens, Nicola Formichetti, Kanye Westand Stefano
brand. But he wouldn’t call himself a Pilati on the launch of Random Identities. But his roles, despite often
designer. intersecting with design, have centred on marketing, content creation,
“I never really was one,” Aresti told consulting and styling.
BoF. “I never went to college for
fashion. If you asked me to sketch Lourdes is the accumulation of this unique pedigree. “There’s some
something, I couldn’t draw a circle.” Stefano in there, there’s some Kanye, but it’s super personal,” he said. “I’m
Instead, he prefers to find fabric or trying to marry the experiences I’ve had with what people want.”
an existing garment, “turn it upside Canducci helped build this consumer focus into Lourdes’ business model
down, inside out and cut out holes by investing in the brand through Network, a joint venture between his
to find new shapes.” It’s easy to see company and Italian manufacturer Rilievi, which embroiders collections
this approach in Lourdes’ debut, for the likes of Prada and Bottega Veneta. By linking arms with Rilievi,
which is replete with reworked System Preferences joins the likes of Tomorrow, New Guards Group and
versions of fashion mementos: a Dover Street Market in adopting an all-service platform model tolaunch
favourite tank top was converted and grow independent labels Lourdes is Network’s first investment.
into a skirt (around $211), while a
signature little black dress (around
$742) was jerry-rigged out of an old
jacket from his mother, whom the
brand is named after. But Aresti’s
design process isn’t the only thing
sets his brand apart.
Aresti unveiled Lourdes with
business partner Alfredo Canducci
during Paris Fashion Week.
According to Canducci, a Tomorrow
Ltd. alumnus and founder of
incubator System Preferences, the
launch marked one of the most
successful sales campaigns of his
career. Selfridges, Ssense and LNCC
are among the retailers who will
help bring the debut collection to
his target audience, who Aresti
describes as “someone that streams
Netflix like me, orders food on Caviar
like me, but also understands the
value of tradition.”

The structure allows Aresti to "It’s almost
operate more flexibly and with more impossible for a
resources at hand, whether by designer to be
producing smaller volumes for drops independent now."
and bespoke items for celebrities;
closely integrating customer

feedback; or ensuring price points
correspond with market demand. It Given his social ties to stateside designers like Telfar Clemens and
also means that Lourdes will release Shayne Oliver, Aresti saw firsthand the difficulties creatives faced when
only two collections per year and starting a brand outside Europe, where the bulk of incubator platforms
deliver product to retailers and and major support systems for young brands are based. “It doesn’t feel
consumers at the end of May, like there’s true support [in New York],” he said. “New York is part of me,
months before other brands’ but there are no buyers in the city.” Lourdes’ business model is intended
collections hit stores — options that to help bridge the gap between its community and commerce.
an independent, emerging label In the same vein as his predecessors Virgil Abloh and Clemens, Aresti
would rarely consider. wants to make the brand a vessel for community and cultural
This makes sense given Aresti’s goal exchange. Both designers have grown their communities by fusing
which he articulates as being able to distinctive design with ingenious branding to create something people
“manoeuvre and transition into a identified with and wanted to be a part of.
direct-to-consumer brand.” This is no
small feat given that the DTC IIn light of these ambitions, calling Lourdes just a fashion brand feels
marketplace is increasingly reductive. “Because we offer product, we’re considered a brand,” he said,
dominated by luxury groups and “but I’m not defined by any clothing I’ve ever made — fashion is just a
well-funded start-ups. Lourdes’ vehicle to get me there.” As a child of immigrants (his mother is
relationship with Network will allow Peruvian and his father Greek-Cypriot), Aresti aims to hire and empower
it to cut down on losses stemming young, disenfranchised creatives to give them a seat at the table.
from selling products to retailers at
wholesale — a model that start-ups Moving forward, the key for Aresti and Canducci will be to maintain a
like Everlane have long championed, consistent presence across marketing and retail channels while
but one that hasn’t yet taken off thinking beyond direct-to-consumer and apps like Tiktok to welcome
among independent designers. the next platform, format or trend.
“It’s almost impossible for a designer “There will always be newness, I don’t think that part of fashion will ever
to be independent now because of go away,” Aresti said. “However, I think that everything else around that
production demands, cost of can, and should change.”
marketing, everything is too
expensive,” said Canducci. “[This]
partnership allows us to activate
different channels, manage logistics,
customer service, e-commerce all
together.”

THE MOST PROMINENT
LUXURY FASHION HOUSES

LED BY WOMEN




By - Madori Davis

Miuccia Prada at the Miu Miu Womenswear Spring/Summer 2020
show.

While many of the top luxury fashion houses are
led by men, some of the most renowned are
helmed by women who have helped to redefine
their respective labels for the modern era.
For example, Silvia Venturini Fendi, who has been
at her family's namesake label since 1994, is best
known for designing Fendi's iconic baguette bag,
which currently retails for up to $9,000. After the
passing of Karl Lagerfeld last year, Venturini Fendi
took over as creative director of the entire brand,
and is currently the only Fendi family member still
working for the company.
Then, there's Claire Waight Keller, who, just
months after being appointed creative director of
Givenchy in 2017, made headlines when she was
tapped to design Meghan Markle's dress for her
wedding to Prince Harry. Similarly, Sarah Burton,
who took over Alexander McQueen after the
passing of its eponymous founder in 2010, became
globally known after designing Kate Middleton's
dressfor her 2011 wedding to Prince William.
But among the relatively few women who lead
these top luxury houses, none might be as notable
as Miuccia Prada, who has been leading her
family's namesake company since 1978. She made
waves this past month after announcing that
designer Raf Simons would serve as co-creative
director going forward, a move that Business
Insider previously reported could change the
landscape of the fashion industry.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the
women who are leading top luxury fashion houses,
listed in order of the year they were appointed to
their positions, from the earliest to the most
recent.

Prada — Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada has been leading
Prada since she first took control
of the company in 1978; the label
was founded by her grandfather
in 1913 as a leather goods
company, Business Insider
previously reported.
Over the years, Prada turned her
family's namesake brand into
one of the top luxury houses in
the world. In 1989, she debuted
her first ready-to-wear
collection, before launching her
own line, Miu Miu, in 1992.
In February, she announced that
she would become the co-
creative director of Prada,
alongside designer Raf Simons.

Rodarte — Kate and Laura Mulleavy

Founded in 2005, Rodarte has
been helmed by sisters Kate and
Laura Mulleavy since its
beginning. The sisters are known
for their meticulous attention to
detail; one dress from an early
collectionfamously took over 150
hours to finish. As Sally Singer
from Vogue writes, their "clothes
are meant to be worn, not simply
photographed; they are not
costumes."
Rodarte also had collections
shown at the Costume Institute
of the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, and the Fashion
Institute of Technology Museum
in New York City.

Alexander McQueen — Sarah Burton

After the death of Alexander
McQueen in 2010, Sarah Burton
became the creative director of
his eponymous label. She
received worldwide attention
after designing Kate Middleton's
wedding dressin 2011. She also
designed Pippa Middleton's maid
of honor dress, as well as the
gown Kate wore to her wedding
reception.
In 2019, Burton received the
CFDA International Award, and
she'd previously won Designer of
the Year Award at the British
Fashion Awards in 2011. Her
impact on the British fashion
industry led to her being
awarded an Order of the British
Empire in 2012.

Chloé — Natacha Ramsay-Levi

Natacha Ramsay-Levi has been
the creative director at Chloé
since 2017. Ramsay-Levi
presented her first Chloé
collection in September 2017, and
Tim Blanks of Business of
Fashion praised it as a
"spectacular debut."
Before Chloé, Ramsay-Levi
trained under Nicolas
Ghesquière, who is now the
creative director at Louis Vuitton,
while Ghesquière was still at
Balenciaga. When Ghesquière
moved to Louis Vuitton, Ramsay-
Levi followed suit, becoming
design director at that label. She
held that position until she
moved to Chloé.

Chanel — Virginie Viard

After the death of Karl Lagerfeld
in 2019, Virgine Viard succeeded
the late designer as artistic
director of Chanel.
She started at the brand in 1987
as an embroidery intern, and
over time became known as
Lagerfeld's right-hand woman.
She is the first woman to lead
Chanel since the house's founder,
Gabrielle Chanel

Fendi — Silvia Venturini Fendi

Silvia Venturini Fendi is the
creative director at Fendi.
Previously, she was the creative
director of menswear,
accessories, and children's
wear for the label, until the
passing of former creative
director Karl Lagerfeld in 2019,
at which point she was
promoted to lead the entire
brand, as reported by CNN's
Fiona Sinclair Scott.
She is currently the only
member of the Fendi family
who is still working at the label
and has been at the company
since 1995. She is noted for
designing the famous baguette
handbag, which currently
retails for up to $9,000.



ACCESSORIZE IN STYLE

CHIC DAILYMAGAZINE

STYLISH
REPORT

VIRGIL ABLOH

American designer, DJ and stylist Virgil
Abloh came to prominence as Kanye
West 's creative director, but has since
made waves in the fashion world with
his luxury streetwear label, Off-White,
and his role as artistic director of
menswear at Louis Vuitton.

"This opportunity to think through
what the next chapter of design and
luxury will mean at a brand that
represents the pinnacle of luxury was
always a goal in my wildest dreams," he
said of his appointment in March
2018.

Louis
Vuitton

























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