New Style Idea

Gucci is showing the life of a rock star in its latest campaign. For the luxury label’s men’s tailoring collection, creative director Alessandro Michele tapped artists Tyler, The Creator, A$AP Rocky and Iggy Pop to star in the ads. This meeting of eccentric creatives in a California mansion set the scene for the shoot, as the musicians can be seen in Gucci’s flamboyent collection. The line is filled with three-piece suits, double-breasted jackets, leopard print, patterns, colorful hues and textures, and bell-bottomed pants. The campaign was set at Californian modernist mansion, located in Los Angeles where the campaign was shot in February. CREDIT: Courtesy of Gucci A cameo appearance comes from Iggy’s pet parrot, Biggy Pop, and its friend, a blue hyacinth macaw as pictured in the campaign, too. “With these campaigns, I am working on different ways of being elegant, and these three men embody this idea perfectly,” said Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele. CREDIT: Cou

Since the death of its eponymous founder, Aläia collections have been designed by an internal atelier team. It’s a tricky balancing act but the Richement owned company has enjoyed considerable success injecting Aläia with a more contemporary feel while still retaining the spirit of the storied Parisian house . Aläia spring 2021 featuring ’92 reissue gladiator sandals from the new Editions line. CREDIT: Alaia Thus far, it’s been savvily supplementing collections by issuing a handful of re-editions of signature pieces from the founder’s extensive oeuvre. However, this season the team have ramped things up a notch. Starting spring 2021, they will introduce an official biannual ‘Editions’ capsule of 30 pieces alongside the regular collection. This will comprise respectful recreations of garments and accessorizes spanning almost four decades from 1981 to 2017 and which have shaped the history of the house. It will be released in parallel to the regular fall and spring lines.

There was a real buzz about the Kenzo show today in Paris and it wasn’t just the bees flitting amongst the wild flowers that populated the bucolic Paris setting. Like many designers in this time of pandemic creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista was thinking protection — of people and planet alike. He took these bees as his emblem for spring 2021, dubbing them “the regulators of the planet.” Kenzo spring 2021 CREDIT: Kenzo “Now, more than ever we are overwhelmed by a sense of urgency to take care and protect our world,” he said in his show notes. “Bees and beekeepers with their clothing and hats that echo so strongly the fragility and distance imposed and needed today.” Baptista riffed off the idea with exaggerated beekeeper veils and archival Kenzo poppies and hortensia prints given a “digital crying effect.” “I wanted to express anxiety and sadness but also something very optimistic and uplifting,” he said. Kenzo spring 2021 CREDIT: Kenzo “It is time to look at

In the past week, as the fashion capital of the world was preparing for its Paris Fashion Week, there were 12,115 new cases of the coronavirus reported in France, the majority of them focused in and around the capital. Compare that to the 5,989 cases reported in the state of New York over the same period of time — or to Italy’s seven-day average of 1,694 — and one starts to wonder just why the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode thinks it’s acceptable to host fashion events as if a global pandemic was not happening.  There was no better place to see this flagrant disregard for public health in the name of fashion than at today’s Christian Dior spring ’21 runway show. Held inside a fully enclosed tent in the Jardin du Tuileries with an audience that appeared to be at least 200 or more, the show felt like a distinct déjà vu of the last Paris Fashion Week. Back in late February, amidst a growing outbreak that included plenty of fashion people migrating from Italy to France a

Milan Fashion Week spring ’21 has come to a close. While it has certainly been a season like no other, with most of its attendees attending virtually, the week proved that a mix of digital-only and select physical shows could still bring some excitement to a (hopefully mostly) pandemic-free spring and summer 2021. There were plenty of beautiful shoes to carry the enthusiasm. What Milan Fashion Week had (and which New York and London were lacking) was a continued bounty of easy-to-translate products in easy-to-sell categories (like footwear and accessories) that retailers can look forward to — and pass along the excitement to their shoppers. Herewith, the top 10 shoes from Milan Fashion Week’s spring ’21 virtual reality season: 1. Prada The highly anticipated union of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons as Prada’s co-creative directors delivered a near-perfect mix of the two creative minds , including in footwear: a sharp kitten heel with a quirky tongue. Prada’s new kitten heel for spr

Danse Lente founder and creative director Youngwon Kim made her debut for spring 2017 and has swiftly become known for her the bold, contemporary and competitively priced arm candy with their distinctive geometric silhouettes. Kim who actually graduated in footwear design from London College of Fashion is now expanding her cult repertoire and is launching shoes for spring 2021 . Today she also debuts her virtual spring 2021 showroom: virtual-showroom.danselente .   Danse Lente spring 2021 Lola style. CREDIT: Danse Lente Nine styles range from slippers and mules to sandals and boots. Silhouettes draw inspiration from nature and organic shapes such as the quilted Zawn slipper she based on La Llareta, an intriguing bulbous plant that grows in Chile’s Atacama Desert.  Kim’s spring 2021 bags are conceived in similar shapes lending the overall collection coherence and synchronicity.   View this post on Instagram Rachel Sussman’s ‘La Llareta #0308-

In the past decade, Valentino’s Rockstud has managed to make a rebel out of even the most conservative wearer. Whether in a T-strap, a high-heel pump, a flat gladiator sandal or a kitten heel, the footwear has become one of Valentino’s most recognizable pieces ( and one of its most copied ). It’s also one that is far more attainable for a wider consumer base than its fantastical evening gowns. Which is perhaps why the Rockstud has been offered as a commercial product even during the seasons when it wasn’t shown on the runways. The new Valentino Rockstud, in a flat ankle wrapped gladiator mule with a pointed toe and big studs for spring ’21. CREDIT: Courtesy of Valentino But for spring ’21, the Rockstud made its runway comeback in a big way — literally. At Valentino’s runway show at Milan Fashion Week Sunday, the footwear appeared with even bigger and bolder versions of its signature studs. Call it the Rockstud 2.0. Valentino’s new Rockstud for spring ’21 in a kitten heel. C

Grounded buyers and editors? No problem. In the absence of a physical spring showroom By Far has created an ultra slick virtual version. In fact it’s an invite only replica of the brand’s regular consumer e-tail platform where retailers can load their trolleys with their wishlist for the upcoming season. By Far spring 2021 campaign shot featuring the new Gigi mule. CREDIT: By Far Smart thinking all round. First up buyers reveal time and time again that they are drawn to digital showrooms that offer a real life ‘shopping experience’ for choosing their new season ‘purchases’. Secondly, come next year, the site can simply be flipped to consumer as it already exists in beta right down to 360 degrees views, videos and spring 2021 campaign imagery. The collection, described as ‘Your Direct Flight to the Côte d’Azur’, offers up a joyful summer palette of saturated brights, poppy pastels and digital spray paint with finishes from creased leather to high shine embossed croco. By Far

During the final days of Milan Fashion Week in February, the coronavirus pandemic hit Italy quickly and dramatically. This summer, after months of trauma and suffering, Italian footwear players showed their determination and got back to business. That resiliency is evident in designers’ upbeat spring ’21 collections, which were shown over the past week in Milan. Some brands held in-person appointments. Others went fully digital. But no matter the platform, the message from the spirited Italian industry is clear: It’s time to add some glamour and joy back into our shoe wardrobe. Here are highlights from the top presentations. Giuseppe Zanotti Zanotti presented a smaller collection of men’s and women’s styles that ranged from sandals with oversized gold chain accents to western-inspired boots with a star embellishment to silk-adorned sneakers. “When I used to do shoes for couture 30 years ago, silk was the most beautiful material ever,” Zanotti said, as he talked about his artis