Natalie Portman, Rosamund Pike Turn Out for Dior, Riley Keough, Lupita Nyong’o for Chanel
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ALL ABOUT GODDESSES: Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest couture collection for Dior was inspired by goddesses, so it was fitting that she had Valkyrie herself — in the form of Natalie Portman at least — sitting in the front row.
Portman, who plays the Norse goddess in the “Thor” film series, was all smiles catching up with Léa Seydoux as the two took their seats in the front row. She shared hugs with Dior chair and chief executive officer Delphine Arnault and LVMH Fashion Group CEO Sidney Toledano.
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Gemma Arterton, a Dior regular, played it cool in a summery shorts ensemble.
“She’s a strong female and we love her because she’s just so supportive of anyone that’s an artist,” she said of Chiuri’s work. “The clothes are really feminine but empowering. You feel good in them — you don’t feel awkward.”
The actress recently wrapped “The Critic,” a film adapted from the Anthony Quinn novel, costarring Ian McKellen.
“He’s amazing. I loved working with him. He’s very humble. Very, very modest. He’s eightysomething, and he’s just the hardest working guy. It was an honor to work with him,” she said of pairing with the legendary actor. As for when the film will premiere, Arterton said she is in the dark. “I don’t know. I think it’s later on this year. I never know anything about any of the work I do.”
Alexandra Daddario just wrapped “I Wish You the Best,” which marks the first time Tommy Dorfman has stepped behind the camera.
“She’s wonderful. She’s so confident and that’s a very hard thing to do,” she said of working with Dorfman. “It’s very easy to get on a set and with everything that you have to deal with sort of lose control and she had control of the set as if she has been doing it for years.”
It was Daddario’s first time attending a Dior show, but she heaped praise on Chiuri’s work. “You always want to have that combination of feeling sexy and sophisticated and classy and classic and like the best version of yourself,” she said of the jacket, skirt and tank combination she was wearing. “It’s beyond a dream come true.…It’s like a teenage dream.”
The “White Lotus” actress even brought her mom along as her date. “It’s the first time she has visited Paris in 50 years,” she said of the mother-daughter trip.
Thuso Mbedu was treating the show as an early birthday event, ahead of her big day this weekend. “It’s my first couture show, and this year is about new experiences. It’s my birthday in a couple of days, so this is a good way to celebrate it,” the actress said of hitting 32 on the calendar. She’ll be on vacation in Croatia to blow out the candles before taking on a new top secret project in the fall.
Meg Bellamy, fresh off her first role as Kate Middleton in “The Crown,” was attending her first fashion show. “I’ve been so well looked after,” she said. Grazia even constructed a pair of custom vegan heels for the actress.
Dior regular Rosamund Pike brought her two young sons along for the first time.
“Maria Grazia always seems to be inspired by another artist. She seems to always take inspiration from other artists so I expect to have it all decorated by somebody else inspiring,” she said. “Dior is always a celebration of elegance, and haute couture is always the opportunity to spend the most time creating the most exquisite things.”
The collection featured Grecian-inspired gowns, floor-grazing filigree capes, and gilt chain mail for the most fashion-forward goddesses around. — RHONDA RICHFORD
BY THE RIVER: Chanel’s morning show may have taken place on the banks of the Seine River, but Camila Morrone was still riding the wave of the Biarritz International Film Festival. The actress sat on the jury that features young filmmakers, and said she had the time of her life at the festival, where Penélope Cruz was the guest of honor and Chanel a sponsor.
“It was the most eye-opening, thrilling experience I’ve had so far,” she said of discussing films and seeing work from new directors. “It’s so hard to pick a ‘best film.’ They each had beautiful elements to them. And, of course, when you know how much work goes into making a film, there’s no way to ever say that a film is not good. Just when you know the labor of love that goes into filmmaking and years of your life that it takes to lift up a story and get it off the ground.”
She just wrapped Patricia Arquette’s directorial debut “Gonzo Girl,” costarring Arquette and Willem Dafoe. The story is loosely based on Hunter S. Thompson. Working with the Hollywood veterans was “life-changing,” she said.
The film will be making the festival rounds in the fall. Now that she has been on the other side, she’s putting herself out there. “I am looking for my next jury. Who wants me on their jury? I’m a jury girl. I want to do like one jury a year,” she joked.
Riley Keough was glammed up ‘70s disco style in a sparkly jumpsuit, platform sandals and big “No. 5” necklace.
“It wasn’t the best choice for the weather, but it was my favorite,” she said of the slinky style. The show was “cinematic and almost like a 1970s film. They really set the scene with the Eiffel Tower and the Seine.”
Keough is gearing up for the U.S. premiere of her directorial debut, “War Pony,” on July 28. “It’s been a really long journey and it’s been trickling out slowly. So I’ve become really comfortable with it,” she said of the film, which premiered in Cannes and took the Golden Camera prize for best first film.
At the moment she is tackling acting projects, but hopes to get behind the camera again soon. “It’s just a different part of your brain and it’s very fulfilling. They both have their challenges,” she said. Then it is off to vacation for the summer to spend time with her family.
Keough had more in common with fellow guest, Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola, then just Chanel. Coppola is finishing up a film about the life of Keough’s grandmother Priscilla Presley, from Elvis’ young bride’s point of view.
Coppola keeps an apartment in Paris, though she relocated to New York City, and she’s been spending time with her in-laws in the South of France for the summer. “They’re in Provence, so I did learn how to make ratatouille,” she said.
Coppola famously interned at Chanel in her teens, and said the show was like a family reunion. She’s known creative director Virginie Viard forever, and model Carole Bouquet is “like an aunt” to her.
“It was really fun to work with someone new and see what they are capable of. She really anchors it,” Coppola said of Cailee Spaeny, who plays Priscilla in the film. Jacob Elordi is Elvis.
“It was really daunting. The idea of Elvis especially,” she said of the casting process. “Jacob just transformed. And Cailee had to play [Priscilla] from 15 to 28 so she has to play a whole life. But I met them and just felt like they could do it. You never know until you are on [set], but it’s like you have to go with it until you do.”
Chanel did a special look for the film, which will be premiering in October.
For Lupita Nyong’o, it’s been a long relationship with the house, which has dressed her for several red carpets.
“It’s a brand that really knows its identity, with I guess you could call it exploration and playfulness, while just following who they are. I love that it is consistent.” While her personal style has shifted since 2020, she is still looking for “easy put-together-ness.”
“I want to look good, but I don’t want to be in pain doing it,” she joked. She had on a summery shorts outfit in purple, with a coordinating manicure.
She just wrapped “A Quiet Place: Day One,” costarring Joseph Quinn and Djimon Hounsou.
“It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It was just incredibly the perfect amount of challenge and collaboration,” she said of the psychological horror film. “It was an environment that really allows you to go to scary places. That’s how you grow. I learned to surrender a lot on this project, and as an artist I really had to surrender my ego in order to do the work. It was a very bare experience.”
Jenna Coleman, who played Queen Victoria for several seasons in the period drama “Victoria,” and starred in the gothic drama “The Sandman” last year, said she is changing up her style. The peony pink ensemble of the day was sartorial evidence.
Costumes with corsets really change your mood, she added. “It affects the way a person can display emotion and what’s held in — Victoria was literally bursting at the seams,” she said. Working on a character, she starts from the shoes up, she added.
Next up is the series “Wilderness,” which was an intense four month shoot in the Grand Canyon. Hiking boots helped her get into character. “I love the outdoors, but I love the city and the outdoors. I need to have one and the other as an antidote for a bit of both.
“I had never seen a dog on a runway before. There should be more,” she joked of the show. “Let’s carry wicker baskets and walk across the river — they really created a scene.”
French actress Clémence Poésy was expertly navigating the cobblestones with grace, despite a preference for flats while walking in Paris. “I never wear this high of shoes, ever,” she said, as she reveled in the show’s setting.
Poésy grew up in the suburbs of the capital. “As a teenager, all I wanted to do was come in and walk along the Seine and shop at the bouquinistes at the weekend. This felt deeply Parisian and a bit like a setting in ‘60s French cinema.”
She’s just wrapped the second season of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” which takes the title character from the Southern U.S. to France.
“To all of a sudden dive into that genre was a very interesting experience. We touch on a lot of things I’ve never done before,” said the “Tenet” actress, noting that she has to keep mum on the show for fear of revealing spoilers. “I will say that there are a lot of surprises.”
“Vikings: Valhalla” star Frida Gustavsson has walked in several Chanel shows in her former modeling days, but it was her first time on the side of the seats. She declared it “wonderful,” and said that acting had always been her goal.
“Modeling kind of fell into my lap and I thought I should make the most out of it. The years kind of rolled by and I was doing quite well, then I decided I had to jump off the train.”
She jumped into the Netflix series, where she spends her time sword-fighting and doing stunts.
“There is fighting galore. It gets bigger,” she said of the upcoming season, which has wrapped but will premiere in January. She trains six days a week and keeps a very strict regimen. “I’ve kind of got the hang of it, but of course wanted to push myself and make it more intense, so there’s a fight scene in season three that I think I am the most proud of.
“It expands into new continents and new cultures, and there are some characters that the audience really longed to meet, and they’re gonna be in this,” she revealed.
As for comparing the two careers, “When you’re a model you don’t have to risk your life,” she joked about the death-defying stunts she does on the show. “But I had a lot of respect for the girls walking today.” — R.R.
FLOWER TALE: Benedict Cumberbatch is the latest actor to join the rich roster of talents from the movie industry fronting ad campaigns for Prada.
Posing in a solo image, wearing a duffle coat and facing a life-size orchid against an intense black backdrop, Cumberbatch is flanked by other newcomers to the Prada campaign set, including his costar in Jane Campion’s 2021 movie “The Power of the Dog,” Kodi Smit-McPhee. The clean-cut Australian movie star wears a tan bomber jacket and slim-fit tailored pants and is portrayed opposite a nigella blue flower.
Chinese actor Li Xian, known for his 2020 role in “Soul Snatcher,” is also new to the squad, here portrayed in a floor-length parka facing a bright yellow calathea crotalifera flower, joining Hunter Schafer and Letitia Wright, who both appeared in previous Prada ads. The former was captured in a glossy red leather jacket matching a vermilion peony diana parks blossom. All three talents are Prada ambassadors.
Lensed by Willy Vanderperre, the campaign intends to explore “eternal, timeless values of humanity, universal emotions,” such as beauty, care and love, Prada said in a statement, with blown-up flowers used as a metaphor of “beauty between the everyday and the extraordinary.”
A video flanking the ad campaign scripted by Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Hours,” shows each talent in paradoxical conversation with the respective blooms.
Cumberbatch is poised to star in Wes Anderson’s upcoming 37-minute-long movie, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” for Netflix.
A BAFTA, Emmy and a Laurence Olivier Award winner and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor, Cumberbatch has most recently reprised his role as Doctor Strange in Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” movie. A London native, he was appointed a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to the performing arts and to charity in 2015 by the late Queen Elizabeth II. — MARTINO CARRERA
THEATRICAL DEBUT: Guests including Cardi B, Diane Keaton, Karina from K-pop girl band Aespa, Ayo Edebiri, Maisie Williams and Lee Pace all faced a steep climb up the steps from the rear entrance of the Palais Garnier to reach the setting for Thom Browne’s debut couture showing Monday afternoon.
“I’m imagining something is going to happen to that curtain,” said Baz Luhrmann, who knows more than a thing or two about theaters. He even got married at the Sydney Opera House, he reminisced fondly.
He was right: after guests settled into their seats for the show, the curtains parted, accompanied by a sea of gasps from the audience, to reveal the gilded interior of the opera house with its red velvet seats and spectacular fresco ceiling by Marc Chagall. The runway space was the theater’s stage itself; in the audience, a full house of black-and-white cardboard cutouts, each wearing shades and signature Thom Browne, looked on.
“He’s a great, singular artist,” said Luhrmann of Browne, musing on what it takes to stand out in today’s fashion world. “Look at what Pharrell did; for the younger generation, there’s no line between fashion, music, art, pop culture, and we do need to ‘eventize,’ to have a big idea. It’s no longer good enough to just walk up and down and say look at the clothes, I don’t think. As beautiful as the clothes are, that engagement process is tapped out, because we’re living in a different, collective world.”
Cardi B, who had changed into a gilded headpiece and a tweed tailored dress since her dramatic entrance at Schiaparelli Monday morning, admitted she had never been to the opera before. For her, the dramatic staging of the show — beyond the theatrical setting — evoked a story. “It was like a New York day, someone who had a really long day, and there are people walking around them, some people are nice, some people are thinking too much of work. It just reminds me of a New York day, with fashion in it,” she mused.
Maisie Williams, who often takes in Thom Browne in Paris, said she found it hard to believe he had not done couture before. “It feels crazy that this is the first one,” she said. “I can’t wait to see how far he pushes it, it’s exciting to see what he’s capable of doing.”
Williams was taking advantage of some time off from work due to strike action at the Writer’s Guild of America. “The whole industry is at a little bit of a standstill, so I’ve been taking the time to see my friends and hang out in London, and it’s been really lovely,” she said. She also enjoyed down time at the recent Glastonbury Festival. “That was amazing, I saw the Arctic Monkeys, I saw Elton John, I saw the Foo Fighters, I saw The Chicks, I saw Romy. Romy was the best act for me, I got all the way to the front at the barrier and I danced my little heart out for an hour.” — ALEX WYNNE
TAKING FLIGHT: The week got off to a flying start at Schiaparelli on Monday with Cardi B in a fanciful shrug that resembled giant wings for the haute couture’s kick-off show.
Cardi B made her dramatic entrance in a velvet gown that she declared “beautiful, amazing.”
“I’m about to sit next to Tracee Ellis Ross,” she exclaimed. “I’ll see you after the show, my little truffles.” But as the show ended she was overwhelmed by guests trying to snap photos with her and made a quick exit.
The giant wings were less shocking than last season’s hyper-realistic animal-themed pieces at Schiaparelli. The cape was constructed of layered wool tufts to amplify the volume — and was faux without a doubt.
Ellis Ross, who has worn Schiaparelli on several red carpets — including a fanciful bird hat on one occasion — was more relaxed in a purple pajama-style silk suit. She said she attended Daniel Roseberry’s first couture collection back in 2019 and has been able to see him grow as a designer.
“I’ve worn beautiful things. He’s such an artist. I love the way he transforms his inspiration with every collection. And especially with couture, then you get to see him and his full glory,” she said of Roseberry.
The actress just completed the film “Cold Copy” with Jeffrey Wright, which is making the film festival rounds now.
“It was such a different character than I’ve ever played. I don’t even smile. She’s a real terrible person but it was really fun to play. And I have straight hair with bangs,” she said of the film’s style. Next up is a Christmas movie, “Candy Cane Lane,” with Eddie Murphy.
Ellis Ross doesn’t shy away from taking risks on the red carpet. “I just love clothes, and I love the art of clothes. They are a form of creative expression for me,” she said, admitting she devotes a lot of floor space in her home to housing her wardrobe.
“I took a room and a half, well, two rooms. I don’t have kids, so that’s the bedrooms,” she joked of what takes up space in her life.
“Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie was seated next to model Marisa Berenson, and the two made fast friends in the front row. They snapped selfies and asked bystanders to take photos and videos of them together.
Christie, who has long been a fan of Roseberry’s, praised the show.
“I love seeing the evolution of Daniel’s craft. And I think that craft is something that isn’t necessarily focused on in our world. But what I see is the evolution of a well-trained designer branching out his imagination, but also continuing to form an extremely happy relationship with his atelier, and it is a delight to receive that work,” she said.
As for the worlds of drama and design colliding, she added: “They are similar in terms of craft, but they are very, very different.”
Roseberry presented plenty of looks that will make their red carpet mark. Many had dramatic volume with blanket-size proportions, mirrored suits and a skirt constructed from gold stones. Irina Shayk walked in a wrap of flowers that dramatically descended down her arm, and last looks were on white silk with painted feathers. — R.R.
ON STAGE: SCAD Lacoste, the French branch of the Savannah College of Art and Design, is staging an exhibition of costumes created by Christian Lacroix at its SCAD FASH Lacoste museum space in Provence over the summer.
The exhibition, which opened Saturday and runs through Nov. 1, features 40 costumes created by the designer for a production of Henrik Ibsen’s most famous play, “Peer Gynt,” at the Comédie Française, France’s oldest theater company.
Lacroix began a regular collaboration with the public theater troupe in the ’90s, and has created the costumes for a variety of productions over the years, winning two Molière awards for his designs.
“Embellished with exuberant colors and rich details, his work is synonymous with elegance and can be admired as much on the catwalk as on the stage,” stated SCAD Lacoste, which described the costumes as drawing viewers into an “unpredictable narrative” between Lacroix’s style and Ibsen’s saga.
SCAD Lacoste, which offers a study abroad program in state-of-the-art facilities housed in more than 30 renovated historic buildings in the picturesque medieval village of Lacoste, inaugurated its exhibition space last year with the aim of attracting a broader public to the village.
Staging two exhibitions a year during tourist season, previous shows since the space opened have focused on the work of Isabel Toledo, Azzedine Alaïa and Julien Fournié.
The village of Lacoste is also home to the castle formerly owned by the Marquis de Sade, which was bought and restored by Pierre Cardin, who launched an annual summer festival. All of these efforts have contributed to putting the village, which is home to just a few hundred permanent residents, on the map. — A.W.
IN FULL BLOOM: The idea of a collaboration blossomed from the moment that Philosophy’s Lorenzo Serafini and jewelry designer Bea Bongiasca met.
“In a creative process, finding a soulmate isn’t that common,” Serafini told WWD at the Paris unveiling of the duo’s designs. He added that he and Bongiasca clicked instantly upon being introduced by mutual friends over a shared vision of color, joy and creativity.
This is the first time that Philosophy has collaborated with a jewelry brand, with Serafini describing Bongiasca “a powerhouse of ideas and enthusiasm.” Serafini added that he and Bongiasca would like the collaboration to continue in future seasons.
Asked what she liked about his work, the Milan-based Bongiasca spoke enthusiastically about Serafini’s designs, in particular his volumes and colors. “And we’re neighbors,” she added.
Collaborations are like “an escapism from your own job,” said the jewelry designer, who had previously worked on eyewear designs with Linda Farrow. This is the first time she is working with a fashion label.
“It’s always really interesting to talk to other brands because you’re so wrapped up in your own world that you don’t know what’s going on outside,” she continued.
For their joint collection, she and Serafini agreed on dressing her 9-karat gold designs in enamel tones that match the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini resort palette of lilac, red and a dash of black.
The collection includes stylized flower hoop earrings; another swirly model that climbs on the ear; a necklace, and three ring shapes, including Bongiasca’s bestselling Vine design.
That Vine style is finished with a purple amethyst that “he keeps pushing on everyone,” Bongiasca said with a laugh, holding her own bejeweled hand up to show it off.
Priced between $560 for enamel earrings and up to $1,300 for the adjustable choker and its four-leaf pendant, the Philosophy x Bea Bongiascia collection will be sold from November at the jewelry designer’s Milan store and online as well as through a selection of retailers that carry Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini. — LILY TEMPLETON
COLOR CULT: Trade show Tranoï, which continues to hone its fashion-forward positioning, has turned to stylist Marylin Fitoussi to style its latest campaign.
The stylist is best known internationally for her work as costume designer for the hit Netflix show “Emily in Paris,” notably the colorful outfits selected for lead actress Lily Collins.
The visuals for the September edition of the show, which will showcase spring 2024 ready-to-wear collections, feature model Eva Roche in colorful outfits selected in tandem with the Tranoï team and synonymous with Fitoussi’s distinctive stylistic take.
Back in March, Fitoussi spoke to WWD about how the success of “Emily” has allowed her to shine a spotlight on talented young designers through the series, with some gaining massive exposure.
Emerging designers make up much of the exhibitor base at Tranoï, where she praised colorful collections that represented a contrast with what she had seen on the runways for fall.
Marylin Fitoussi, born in Toulouse in the Southwest of France grew up with a love of clothing inherited from her mother, a seamstress, and her grandmother, who collected fashion. She studied art history at the Ecole du Louvre as well as textile design, and has since cultivated a following for her distinctive way of building character through costume choice.
Tranoï will take place at the Palais Brongniart from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, during Paris Fashion Week. — A.W.
GOOD HAIR DAYS: To celebrate Blackpink, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Lana Del Rey performing at British Summer Time Hyde Park in London, American Express, the concert’s main sponsor, enlisted the help of celebrity hairstylist Peter Lux for an on-site activation.
This year, the theme was the 2000s with a Y2K Hair Bar and three hairstyles for guests to try.
In a Zoom interview from Los Angeles, Lux said his hairstyle inspirations came from “all the usual pop culture suspects of that time — Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani. I do think that Stefani had a massive influence on the hair, makeup and the outfits.”
Hairstyles included space buns, colorful crimps and a spiky zigzag.
He said the concept was about “having fun,” and the three styles work for every type of hair texture, too.
Lux works with the likes of Florence Pugh, Simone Ashley and Dua Lipa. He worked with the latter on her music video for “Dance the Night,” one of the singles in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” film, which comes out later this month.
“I started when I was 17 and I was always really good in school with making things. I found my calling with hair because I just enjoyed the experience,” he said, adding that he always tries to “understand the person sitting in front of me, what they like, don’t like and also, it’s about making people feel good,” said the London-based hairstylist.
On site, American Express created several mall-inspired pop-ups, including a photo lab that featured colorful backdrops; a food court with food and snacks from small businesses; a pick-and-mix station; an arcade space with games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Guitar Hero, and a customization store for any merchandise purchased. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
FASHION SCHOOL SHUTTERS: Fashion school Studio Berçot, whose alumni include designers Isabel Marant, Martine Sitbon, Vanessa Seward, Roland Mouret and Vincent Darré, has shut its doors after financial difficulties made maintaining the school unviable, director Marie Rucki confirmed to WWD.
Student numbers had dwindled in recent years, said Rucki, exacerbated by the pandemic making it difficult for international students to join the school, which was independently run. “Despite extremely good results, operating costs had just become too expensive, given the number of students,” Rucki said. “It’s a great shame for the profession.”
The Studio Berçot, known for pushing students to cultivate an individual approach to design, was opened as Cours Berçot by Suzanne Berçot in 1954 and had been run by Rucki since 1970. As well as fashion designers, well-known stylists and editors including Camille Bidault-Waddington and Anne-Sophie Thomas are also former students.
Reacting to a post on Instagram about the school’s closure, Martin Sitbon wrote, “Very sad to imagine the Studio Berçot disappearing…impossible to imagine even.” She continued, “My formative years, where I found myself thanks to Marie Rucki.”
In recent years student intake had been around 20 a year. The school employed six staff on a permanent basis and a roster of visiting teachers in around 6,000 square feet of premises in Paris’ 10th arrondissement.
It offered a three-year study program in fashion design and styling, followed by a year’s internship for its students. Students who completed the course this year have already reportedly secured placements at major fashion houses including Chanel and Off-White, while first-year students who desired to do so have received help to transfer to alternative schools, Rucki said. — A.W.
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