Fendi Headed to NYFW,Lafayette 148’s New Store, Camilla’s Milestone
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“IT” BAG TO NY: Fendi took Instagram by storm Saturday, unveiling an accessories campaign fronted by Linda Evangelista to celebrate its signature Baguette bag’s 25th anniversary.
In addition to sharing campaign imagery, the luxury house controlled by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said it will hold a runway show in New York on Sept. 9 to mark the bag’s anniversary which will come two years after Kim Jones joined the storied house as artistic director of couture and womenswear.
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No other details on the show were available at press time. However, sources have told WWD that Jones is working on a collaboration with Marc Jacobs that could be unveiled during New York Fashion Week in September, which implies that the Baguette will somehow be part of it.
Instagram netizens praised the campaign in which Evangelista is photographed by Steven Meisel against a gray backdrop holding two sequin-covered Baguette bags in different sizes paired with a grey sweater and satin baseball caps stockpiled on her head.
The supermodel casts a diva gaze behind her pink-hued sunglasses and had fans on social media cheering her return in front of the camera.
First introduced in 1997 by Silvia Venturini Fendi, artistic director of accessories and menswear, the Baguette has been the ideal canvas for many creative iterations over the years, including denim, embroidered jacquard, sequined, fur accented, hand painted versions and even a scented one introduced in 2019.
The accessory ignited the “It” bag craze and is currently enjoying momentum like other bags from the late ‘90s and early Aughts, tapping into Y2K nostalgia.
Back in the days, its popularity was cemented after Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in the hit series “Sex and the City” sported a sequined purple version. She returned to show her love for the accessory in 2019 when Fendi debuted the #BaguetteFriendsForever communication project. — MARTINO CARRERA
NEW IN NAPLES: Lafayette 148 has opened a 3,020-square-foot freestanding shop at the open-air luxury shopping destination The Waterside Shops in Naples, Fla.
The store space evokes an art gallery, a nod to Lafayette 148’s SoHo origins, as well as the brand’s commitment to craft and handwork in its collections. Hanging shelving displays host the Lafayette 148 Made in Italy accessories collection of bags and footwear.
The space features custom planters from Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist Julianne Ahn with handcrafted wooden and ceramic stools by Kieran Kinsella. Two works by photographer Sophie Elgort will be on permanent display.
The boutique offers 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.
The shop has an oil-rubbed patina bronze wall flanking mirrors. Drawing inspiration from the brand’s global flagship at 59 Greene Street in New York, elements include French white oak hardwood flooring, bespoke seating areas and ice onyx jewelry vitrines.
courtesy shot.
Lafayette 148 joins other retailers such as Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Gucci, Tory Burch, Max Mara, Lululemon and Vince at Waterside Shops.
As reported, Lafayette 148 opened its first boutique in Canada in May at 130 Bloor Street West in Toronto. That unit, at 2,077 square feet, also evokes the scale of an art gallery.
The Naples store is Lafayette 148’s 27th store in the U.S. and China. Founded in 1996, Lafayette 148 is also sold in specialty stores and luxury department stores around the world, as well as on lafayette148ny.com. — LISA LOCKWOOD
CAMILLA’S MILESTONE: It’s a happy birthday to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
The future queen consort turned 75 on Sunday, and to mark the occasion, Clarence House released a new official birthday portrait.
In the photo, Camilla is wearing a blue floral Sophie Dundas summer dress while posing in her garden with a cup of tea and a bowl of peaches on the table.
She also wore the independent British brand on the cover of Country Life magazine, which she guest-edited with the Duchess of Cambridge taking her portrait for the cover.
Clarence House via Getty Images
Inside the issue, her food writer son Tom Parker Bowles writes about the fruit, mentioning that “my mother is a keen grower of white peaches (the subject of this month’s column was very much her idea).”
Since her marriage to Prince Charles in 2005, the duchess has been gradually on a path to ameliorate her public image.
In British Vogue’s July issue, she revealed that she “was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it. Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized.”
However, Camilla has come out stronger on the other end. She’s won over the royal family, especially Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
A new side of the duchess has come out to the public — one that’s very much needed at a time when the longevity of the monarchy is being questioned; her husband is preparing to fill the shoes of his mother, and there is the need to counteract “The Crown’s” portrayal of her in the hit Netflix series.
She has proven that she’s nothing like Diana, Princess of Wales nor is she competing with the beloved royal who she was once in a love triangle with. Camilla’s strategy, like Kate Middleton’s, is to serve and stay on brand for the crown. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
WELL OFF: Capping off an active period of destination resort shows and high jewelry presentations, Anthony Vaccarello and Saint Laurent staged their spring 2023 menswear show Friday night in the Agafay Desert near Marrakech, Morocco.
Vaccarello conscripted English artist and set designer Es Devlin to collaborate on the staging of the sunset display around a well that emitted a haze, adding to the otherworldly ambience of a rocky landscape often described as moon-like.
According to Saint Laurent, Vaccarello referenced “The Sheltering Sky,” the 1949 novel set in North Africa that probes existential despair. “We think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really,” author Paul Bowles wrote.
Editors, influencers and VIPs who jetted in for the event had their share of memorable happenings, with a rare sandstorm engulfing Marrakech on Wednesday and a brief thunderstorm sending Champagne flutes flying off trays and tables at a welcome cocktail on Thursday night.
Courtesy of Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent said it took numerous steps to reduce its environmental impact, and billed the event as carbon-neutral.
“The carbon footprint of the event is calculated and all greenhouse gas emissions are offset through verified REDD+ projects, which not only conserve critical forests and biodiversity but also support the livelihoods of local communities,” the Kering-owned fashion house said in a statement released to WWD.
It noted that materials and equipment were rented where possible, while new items will be either reused, recycled or donated to support local associations, including women cooperatives in Marrakech that will take back fabrics to make carpets. Water employed for the set was non-potable and will irrigate olive trees in the Agafay area afterward, Saint Laurent said.
The desert region is not classified as a protected area. Nevertheless, Saint Laurent said it hired local experts to perform an environmental impact study and provide recommendations on the management of biodiversity, fauna and flora on site.
In addition, Saint Laurent said it would fund various philanthropic actions in the region through nongovernmental organization, including planting thousands of fruit trees and installing an irrigation system in the village of Achbarou; digging a water well and solar systems in the village of Akrich, and setting up a garden in the Zerkten area to educate children about sustainable practices and local biodiversity conservation. — MILES SOCHA
MARKING A DECADE: Frank and Oak celebrated the opening of its second New York City location, and flagship, last week.
In celebration of its 10-year anniversary this year, the Montreal-based brand is using the new 3,600-square-foot store as a way to celebrate and showcase its sustainability feats. All in the past few years, the brand launched its circular denim line, became a B Corp and wiped the slate clean with carbon-neutral shipping in Canada and a new owner under Unified Commerce Group (after a pandemic bankruptcy).
Although a slight delay from its original opening plan due to a location shift, the store is ready for business.
In a spacious minimal storefront in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, immediate sustainability callouts include messaging on its B Corp chops and a drop-off box where customers can donate pre-loved clothes for next best use. The store’s sleek wooden paneling, lush windowsill plants and soft, natural light also aid its down-to-earth impression.
Perhaps the more understated element is the sheer range of more responsible fabrications like organic cotton, Tencel Lyocell, recycled polyester (even making its way into standout terry-cloth retro summer styles). Innovations like Seawool (a blend of PET and upcycled oyster shells), algae-powered SeaCell, regenerative kapok and yak wool also signal the brand’s aims. Today, around 78 percent of its products are made with more sustainable materials and methods.
Opening its SoHo location only a year prior, at the time, cofounder and chief executive officer of Unified Commerce Group said, “New York City is our most important U.S. market in our online business, and we are excited to bring the store experience to our existing New York customers, while allowing many more U.S. consumers to get to know the brand and its mission.” — KALEY ROSHITSH
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