Chanel on Show in London, Lafayette 148 in Canada, a Monaco Winner
CHANEL AT THE V&A: Following the storming success of the “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” exhibition, the Victoria & Albert Museum is banking on fashion once again, with major Chanel exhibition set for September 2023.
“Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto” will be the first U.K. exhibition dedicated to the work of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. It will look to chart the evolution of Chanel’s designs from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910, to the show of her final collection in 1971.
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Featuring more than 180 looks seen together for the first time, the exhibition will explore the designer’s democratic, offbeat approach to fashion, which paved the way for a new way of dressing.
The show will also feature jewelry, accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, the latter of which have generated a fortune for the house since they were launched.
Image Courtesy of Chanel
Based upon an exhibition of the same name organized by the Palais Galliera in Paris in 2020, the exhibition will be “reimagined for the V&A.” It will feature rarely seen pieces from the London museum’s collection alongside looks from Palais Galliera and the Patrimoine de Chanel, the heritage collections of the fashion house in Paris.
Key pieces on display will include outfits created for British model Anne Gunning (later Lady Nutting) and Hollywood actresses Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich.
Through eight themed sections, the exhibition will explore Chanel’s innovative approach to fabric, silhouette and construction and will examine how she drafted a new framework for fashion in the 20th century, according to the V&A.
It will also highlight Chanel’s British inspirations, such as her adoption of tweed as well as other British-made textiles.
Director of the V&A, Tristram Hunt, said the V&A was “delighted to be partnering with Chanel and the Palais Galliera on this exhibition, which provides us with the opportunity to explore the origins and elements of this enduring style, and to display little-known historic Chanel garments from the V&A collection.”
Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Fashion and president of Chanel SAS, said that by showcasing the designer’s contribution to the history of fashion, “as well as the incredible relevance and permanence of the Chanel style, this exhibition will highlight one of the greatest visionaries of our time.”
The show will take place with the support of Chanel, and will run from Sept. 16, 2023, until Feb. 25, 2024, at the museum’s Sainsbury Gallery.
Tickets to “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,” which took place in 2019, sold out less than three weeks after opening, and welcomed more than 100,000 visitors. The show’s run was extended from July until September of that year and was one of the most successful in the museum’s history.
“We knew that ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’ would be popular, but we have been overwhelmed by the phenomenal visitor response to date,” Hunt said in 2019.
The largest and most comprehensive British show on the House of Dior, it was a grand sweep of sparkle, rippling wool, sculpted jackets and floral prints and motifs. It threw light on the designer’s fascination with Britain, his “lines” and defining looks, and his international outlook and inspirations from history. — SAMANTHA CONTI
NEW IN CANADA: Lafayette 148 has thrown open the doors of its first boutique in Canada at 130 Bloor Street W in Toronto.
The 2,077-square-foot space evokes the scale of an art gallery.
The boutique carries Lafayette 148’s full ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, jewelry and accessories collections. Creative director Emily Smith’s approach is built on luxe fabrics, artisanship and a modern, understated aesthetic.
STEPHEN WELSTEAD
The store’s decor features an oil rubbed patina bronze wall flanking mirrors, French white oak hardwood flooring, bespoke seating areas, and ice onyx jewelry vitrines. Hanging shelves display the Lafayette 148 Made in Italy accessories collection of bags and footwear.
Founded in 1996, Lafayette 148 distributes its collection online at lafayette148ny.com, and is sold in 28 freestanding boutiques in the U.S., Canada and China, as well as in specialty stores and luxury department stores throughout the world. — LISA LOCKWOOD
MONACO WINNER: Abdul Al-Romaizan, designer of Ramzen, won the Emerging Designer Award at the Fashion Award Ceremony 2022 during Monte Carlo Fashion Week, held May 23 to 27. The ceremony took place at the Salle Garnier de L’Opera in Monaco. The award was presented by Princess Charlène of Monaco, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Gabriella.
The Ramzen show, which opened the Fashion Award Ceremony on May 25, presented the spring 2022 “Gioia di Vivere [Joy of Life]” collection, characterized by creations dedicated to Monaco and to its iconic female figures. The designer paid tribute to the principality through a white blouse and red corolla skirt, with the words “Je t’aime Monaco” impressed on the latter. Beginning May 25, a selection of the outfits from the collection were available to buy at the brand’s pop-up store at the luxury Fairmont Monte Carlo Hotel.
Image courtesy
“I was inspired by the beauty of Monaco with the purity of its nature,” explained Al-Romaizan. “It is a great honor for me and for the Ramzen team to have accepted the invitation of the princess and to have obtained this prestigious award.”
Ramzen made its runway debut during September’s Milan Fashion Week with a show in the scenic courtyard of Palazzo Serbelloni. He was the first Saudi designer to present a collection during Milan Fashion Week, and also was the first Saudi designer to show during Monte Carlo Fashion Week.
Sustainability and diversity prizes were bestowed to a number of industry figures. Edward Enninful, editor in chief of British Vogue and European editorial director of Condé Nast, received the Positive Change Award. The Sustainable Innovative Start-up Award was given to Italian company Verabuccia for developing a material produced from the waste of pineapple peels. The Sustainable Award for Circular Economy Pioneer was bestowed to accessory brand Regenesi, founded by Maria Silvia Pazzi and Alberto Montanari. The Education Award was given to the Florence-based fashion university Polimoda.
The jury comprised the likes of Sara Sozzani Maino, head of special project at Vogue Italia; Federica Nardoni Spinetta, president of Chambre de la Mode Monaco; Terrence Bray, designer and professor at Durban University of Technology Fashion and Textiles, and Matteo Ward, cofounder of Wråd and member of Fashion Revolution Italia. — ALICE MONORCHIO
EASTWARD BOUND: Frankies Bikinis is popping into the Hamptons this summer.
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, New York coffee and hospitality business Bluestone Lane has carved out a space for the Los Angeles-based swimwear and lifestyle brand in its Montauk, N.Y., coffee shop.
Frankies fans will be able to shop select swimwear, apparel and beauty products while sipping on limited-edition lemonades with Malibu-inspired names like “Frankies Fantasy” and “Sunset Spritzer.”
“I’ve always been inspired by my upbringing in Malibu, which is what really brought the ‘Malibu Fantasy’ concept to life,” Francesca Aiello, founder and creative director of Frankies, told WWD, regarding the theme for the space. “Laying on the beach between surf sessions, salt in my hair and sand in my toes, skateboarding home at sunset with my surfboard under my arm.”
Courtesy Photo
The Montauk carve-out space, located at 786 Montauk Highway, opens to the public on Friday and runs through October. But the limited-edition Frankies-themed beverage will be available at all 60 Bluestone locations throughout the nation.
Courtesy Photo
“We love being able to have a physical retail presence in Montauk as it is a popular summer destination for a lot of our East Coast customers and are excited to bring not only our bestselling new arrivals to life here but also our exclusive Montauk merchandise,” a representative for Frankies said.
This is the second year Bluestone has made space for Frankies within its café. But the retail carve-out is just the latest example of the brand’s rapid expansion plans. —KELLIE ELL
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