Polo Ralph Lauren Fall 2023 Campaign by Richard Phibbs | AOC on Color Barriers in Education
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Massimo Dutti Limited Edition FW 2023 Collection Campaign Shot by Colin Dodgson
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Massimo Dutti chooses Villa Cavrois as the site of its Limited Edition Fall-Winter 2023 Collection campaign.
AOC isn’t prepared to make the case for the influence of Italian futurism in the campaign. But the film supporting the Massimo Dutti campaign with models Rebecca Leigh Longendyke, Ji Shun, Ylang Messenguiral, and Cyrielle Lalande has a very self-absorbed intellectualism.
Colin Dodgson [IG] is the photographer, with film direction by MartinSalvador Studio [IG].
This campaign is fascinatingly well done in AOC’s opinion. I’ll be thinking about it. ~ Anne
Read MoreBrunello Cucinelli Spring 2024 Collection Echoes Italian Humanist Luxury Values
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Brunello Cucinelli is luxury fashion’s philosopher king, a practioner of slow fashion, quiet luxury, stealth wealth — multiple words that describe the Spring 2024 collection that emerged from the medieval Italian town of Solomeo from humanism’s bright north star.
The most important words may be Italian humanist luxury values. Cucinelli is driven by humanism, which is not a top priority among brands.
Read MoreCatching Up with Lupita Nyong'o No 1 : Chanel, Selema Masekela, Meeting Alek Wek
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As part of Anne of Carversville’s ongoing years-long renewal of our deep, pre 2020 archives, this ‘Catching Up With . . . ‘ series will take people we love and issues we care about into the ‘now’ world.
August 28: A Key Day in Lupita’s Life
Take note of the two lovebirds sitting in the salon of Coco Chanel’s apartment, in a series of images from the actor’s IG. Dear Lupita is in a deep-love relationship with Selema Masekela, born on my birthday August 28.
If the name sounds familiar, Selema is the American-born son of Hugh Masekela, often described as "the father of South African jazz".
It’s also the day of Lupita’s ‘Black Panther’ co-star Chadwick Boseman’s passing: August 28, 2020.
The story of how Lupita and Selema first met is priceless. That alone is worth the read.
Read MoreMadison Headrick Nahmad's Tiffany-Rich 'Naked Beauty' Sinks Venice
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This ‘daring’ fashion story featuring model Madison Headrick is presumably heavily-funded by Tiffany, and absolutely approved by them. They have worked together previously, but this collaboration devoted to the Tiffany Lock and Tiffany Knot collections is pure brilliance. Anne will explain.
The arrival of Hector Muelas at Tiffany & Co this week, and now this very racy, divinely-sensual Madison Headrick fashion story lensed by David Roemer [IG] reaffirms my understanding of a top-level LVMH strategy in marketing to a progressive, younger, monied clientele.
My point in is not to compare Headrick Nahmad to Richie Grainge. Both young women are successful on their own.
Read MoreLouis Vuitton Taps Pharrell Williams As First Guest of Podcast 'Louis Vuitton Extended' Out Now
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Louis Vuitton is launching a podcast with popular French fashion journalist, documentary maker and YouTuber Loïc Prigent. Called ‘Louis Vuitton Extended’, the podcast will dive deeper into the scenes of what’s happening behind the scenes at one of the world’s premier luxury houses. That Prigent-guided conversation includes the house’s cultural codes, values and activism.
In the case of Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, the dialogue will focus on the June 20, 2023 show and all the decisions made around its structure and content.
Read MoreHector Muelas Rejoins Alexandre Arnault as Tiffany & Co. Chief Brand Creative Director
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Hector Muelas is now Chief Brand Creative Director of Tiffany & Co.
Muelas arrives at Tiffany & Co with a storied resume that includes positions at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Rimowa, Apple, Creative Artists Agency, Donna Karan International, Vice Media and more. Muelas joined Expedia Group as senior vice president of global marketing and creative in 2021.
At Rimowa, Muelas held the same title of Chief Brand Creative Director and would have worked with Alexandre Arnault, who was CEO of Rimowa at age 28. The youngest Arnault — and a prodigious business talent — is now Executive Vice President of Product and Communications at Tiffany & Co.
Read MoreHelen Mirren Talks Golda Meir in DuJour Magazine Fall 2023 by Nick Thompson
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Esteemed actor Helen Mirren is not accustomed to being the center of controversy. But she knew that criticism of her decision to play the plum role of world leader Golda Meir, the founding first and only woman leader of Israel’s history, was certain to invite controversy. Mirren is not Jewish and she has called the criticism of her being tapped by Oscar winner Guy Nattiv to play the lead in ‘Golda’ as “utterly legitimate”.
‘Golda’s focus is the 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973.
The film is in theaters and online now, released on August 25 and with a modest box office of $4.4 worldwide.
Read MoreBurberry's New Pop-Ups and Immersive Events Design Live Well in a Psilocybin World
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The field of Burberry winter 2023 purple roses popping into the first floor of Seoul’s Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch is a feast for our psilocybin-loving eyes.
This new Burberry pop-up in Seoul is sophisticated, charming in a totally-modern way and also a reflection of ‘restrained psychedelic design’. There is nothing ‘flashy’ about the visual design. It beckons us, however to explore the shop — which is a key attribute of a successful pop-up.
‘Restrained Psychedelic Design’
Magic mushrooms inspired profound introspection and spiritual connections long before the rise of monotheism.
In a world where psilocybin use is coming at us in a profound and urgent way — after a Nixon-administration 50-year ban — my reaction to the Burberry purple roses display was instantaneous.
My memory was transported to my own use of psilocybin and a dark night walk I took, eventually sitting down next to a flower bed on my own lawn.
Read More'Radical Etro' Reborn Fall Winter 2023 Campaign Lensed in Scotland by Zhong Lin
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Etro reveals its Fall Winter 2023 Men and Women’s Advertising Campaign shot 1700 miles north of Italy in Inverness, Scotland. Etro’s Creative Director Marco De Vincenzo creates a dreamlike vision that is softly romantic and soothing — but also environmentally-aware in a humanist sense.
Featuring Argentina-Belgium model Nathaniël Ortiz and Israeli Sun Mizrahi, they are at one with nature and specifically water. The mood is one of great serenity and we can hear the soft ripples of the water — but there is also a disruptive undercurrent in both the images and the film.
Stellar photographer Zhong Lin [IG] is known for creating images that are both dreamy and simultaneously unsettling. Her January 2022 fashion story for Vogue Taiwan called ‘Heat Wave’ remains one of AOC’s most read and shared stories.
For the Fall 2023 collection Marco De Vincenzo worked diligently to mine and better understand the irreplaceable Etro archives. He is digging deep until he’s satisfied that he understands the very roots of the Etro vision.
In today’s world, such a search becomes a Radical Vision and the Fall Campaign is called ‘Radical Etro’.
Read MoreKaia Gerber and Steven Meisel Make Good Trouble in Valentino Black Tie Campaign
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What a superb new Valentino Fall/Winter 2023 Black Tie campaign! It soars sky high in creativity and self-assurance with Kaia Gerber playing a role that defines the very concept of je ne sais quoi.
Kaia’s acting lessons are having huge impact on her self-expression in the last year.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s vision of luxury for rebellious rule-breaking, smarty-pants fashion lovers with unbridled confidence and positive spirit is unmatched.
Gerber is boss as she struts around Huntington, Long Island’s Oheka Castle. Even the fact that the film is shot in New York and not Europe is a rebellious gesture that succeeds.
There’s so much going on in this film, and yet it does not feel overdone. We don’t lose our way because a confident clarity rules this audacious, beautiful, inspiring Fall 2023 Valentino Black Tie campaign.
Read MoreBella Hadid's Futuristic Life Is Marc Jacobs Heavenly, Lensed by Carlijn Jacobs
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Supermodel Bella Hadid returns to the spotlight in Heaven by Marc Jacobs [IG] fall 2023 campaign. The futuristic images with a transmutation undercurrent were lensed by Carlijn Jacobs [IG], with styling by Danielle Emerson.
The Heaven by Marc Jacobs campaign is focused on new ‘Kiki Group’, a group of 2000s-era ready-to-wear and accessories that meld Y2K nostalgia with a dominant futuristic vibe.
Carlijn Jacobs did explore the idea of multiple selves in the recent Kylie Jenner for Acne Studios campaign, as noted by Fashionista. Beyond that fact, the two campaigns are speaking to visually very different imagery and context.
It’s also truth that Carlijn’s images of Kylie are garnering a lot of praise and — let’s see —this one has 2, 951, 012 IG likes. They average 1.2 million.
Many people believe that Jacobs visually amplified Kylie Jenner in a major new way. AOC is in that group.
Read MoreAs Gucci Pursues An 'Exclusive Elevated Path', Anne Says 'Watch for Landmines'
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In-transition luxury house Gucci presents its Fall Winter 2023 campaign featuring Vittoria Ceretti, Aboubakar Konte and Brando Erba, lensed by photographer David Sims [IG].
Alastair McKimm styles the cast with hair by Paul Hanlon and makeup by Thomas De Kluyver. “Brakhage” by Stereolab is the music in the campaign video.
I noted a few months ago that we didn’t even post the new Gucci Valigeria campaign video, thinking it was just a stop along the way of Gucci’s reinvention. But that mistake was AOC’s.
The video is exactly in sync with the Fall 2023 campaign.
Many luxury brands — Louis Vuitton immediately comes to mind, but also Dior — are redefining luxury in more humanist terms. This branding does not prevent exclusive salons for best customers. But our common humanity — or ubuntu — is part of the luxury brand story.
Look at the new RIMOWA campaign, as a good example.
Read MoreDebra Shaw in 'Red Hot' Fall Fashion Lensed by Fabien Montique in The Sunday Times Style
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In the words of Laura Craik, writing for The Sunday Times Style magazine September 3, 2023, Debra Shaw “thrums with good energy”. A key reason for Shaw’s longevity as a couture model lies in her humanist spirit.
Fabien Montique [IG] captures Shaw in the fashion story ‘Red Hot’, wearing Celine by Hedi Slimane on the cover. Note an outtake from Montique that is very VROOM VROOM. “I like wearing red — it’s a powerful colour,” says Shaw.
For AOC, Shaw’s self-analysis of her secret to her longevity is a life lesson for all of us. It involves:
“. . . being open, being flexible and not having the ego involved in areas that it doesn’t need to be involved in. You can have the ego on stage because that helps the performance, but coming in and demanding things? That doesn’t work with this [younger] generation. It should never have worked, because the reality is we’re all pulling together. So be a team player.”
Read MoreKylie Jenner Fronts Acne Studios True Grit Woman Campaign by Carlijn Jacobs
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Stockholm-based fashion brand Acne Studios [IG] sees double in its Fall Winter 2023 denim campaign. Put Kylie Jenner [IG] and her 399M IG followers in the campaign mix; hire Dutch photographer and director Carlijn Jacobs [IG], schedule the meet up in Los Angeles and let the good times roll.
Jacobs explains the double-trouble pleasure of having Karlie in the campaign. “The campaign sought to showcase Kylie as a woman who is in control, has love for herself and is unafraid to embrace her desires,” Jacobs said in a statement. “I aimed to celebrate her individuality by doubling her. She loves herself and is not afraid to show it.”
Reading the Acne Studios’ new sustainability report, which includes very specific information on its denim made in Italy, the report says that in FW22, 70% of the 5-pocket denim had 70% low-impact. I just wish that if these fantastic finishes are in the 70%, that someone would tell us in the product info.
Read MoreThe BALMAIN Paris Fall 2023 Campaign Is Sublime Black Beauty on Steroids
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