Zendaya and More at Louis Vuitton; Jessica Alba at Stella McCartney
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STOPPING TRAFFIC: Zendaya could stop traffic anywhere, and her appearance at the Louis Vuitton show was no different.
Fans lined up in the street outside the Musée d’Orsay to set their sights on guests, including Ana de Armas, Alicia Vikander, Chloë Grace Moretz, Emma Stone, Gemma Chan, Jaden Smith and newly appointed Louis Vuitton men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, leading to a tangle of vehicles, including one unfortunately timed public bus full of bewildered passengers.
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The gilded hall of the museum buzzed when Zendaya made a last-minute entrance after being caught up in the massive traffic jam. She snuck in just as the lights were about to go down, and squeezed between Stone and Dior chief executive officer Delphine Arnault.
After the show she said she saw other guests getting out of their cars and running, but wasn’t sure if she could sprint in her outfit. “It would have been easier to ride a bike here,” she joked, and happily posed for selfies with fans.
Sarah Paulson and wife Holland Taylor were two of those guests that dashed down the street. “You can’t imagine the running that was happening — it wasn’t pleasant,” Paulson joked as she pointed to her Louis Vuitton heeled boots. “Even Holland in her flats, we were hoofing it,” she said.
The new “mommy of the internet” Paulson sported a minidress with an enormous zipper, and praised creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s quirky vision. “I loved every single look that came down the runway. He’s very diverse, and everything just seemed incredibly wearable.”
As for the “mommy” meme she joked about on “Saturday Night Live,” she added: “If I’ve got to be someone’s mommy, it’s my dogs and the children of the internet. At some point, if you can’t beat ’em join ’em,” she laughed.
It was the second Louis Vuitton show for de Armas. Last season when asked about the Oscar buzz surrounding “Marilyn,” she wanted to change the subject.
“A lot has changed since then,” she said. “It’s been such a beautiful, rewarding outcome and, of course, it’s very special to be nominated alongside those actresses I’ve been admiring my entire life. It seems unreal,” she said.
De Armas said she was at the show not just as a spectator, but shopping for the upcoming red carpet. “It’s a team effort,” she said, pointing to her stylists.
No stranger to the Oscar red carpet, Vikander joked that she lives in the countryside and rarely gets dressed up. “It’s funny, even my nanny was like ‘Oooh, wow,’ because she mostly sees me in clothes that fit the countryside. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that I do love an occasion.”
She’s wrapped the Henry VIII period drama “Firebrand,” which will “hopefully” be in an upcoming festival, she said, though she wouldn’t divulge where it might land. Then she’s off to Tenerife, Spain, to shoot a new film, but details are under wraps.
Sophie Turner has been in town since last week, hosting a reception as ambassador for the LVMH Prize, and has had a few days to rest and explore the city in between events. She carried that vibe through, changing up her look from the sexy low-cut top of Thursday’s party to a pajama suit. “It’s all about the comfort. You’ve got to get the comfiest ones and put them in your bag,” she said.
The longtime brand ambassador said the show was “otherworldly.”
“This show was inspired by Paris but it still felt futuristic,” she said, adding that she now has her sights on the light mask-slash-sunglasses models wore. “One hundred percent I would wear those. Pop those into the shopping bag, too.”
Lea Seydoux, also fresh off the “Dune 2” shoot, was hoping for a mini reunion with costar Zendaya. “It was really something amazing. [Director] Denis Villeneuve I love. I really had such a blast. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” she said, along with working with Florence Pugh and Javier Bardem.
“He inspires me on a larger scale. It’s always just a joy to be around him,” she added of Ghesquière. “I love being part of his family.”
Moretz has been in the Louis Vuitton family since attending a show in 2015, officially joining the brand in 2018. She was just 17 at that first show.
“It’s been incredible to have that journey and to grow up within it, and also to be able to kind of shift my look and my vibe,” she said.
“I imagine, I mean, hopefully I’ve changed a lot which is good. I’m 26 years old now. So I think I’m continuing to change and continuing to grow and becoming the woman that I want to become and representing what I believe in,” she said. She starts shooting the second season of “Peripheral” in July.
Backstage after the show, Williams, who was appointed creative director of the men’s line in February, hugged and talked with Ghesquière and chief executive officer Pietro Beccari. The two designers discussed the show and the looks, before posing for pictures together.
Williams said he’s already started on his collection, and asked how he is approaching the process he answered simply: “With love.” — RHONDA RICHFORD
MORNING ACTIVITIES: Stella McCartney took everyone for a ride, staging her early morning show at equestrian school Manège École Militaire.
Out came a pack of white horses at the behest of trainer Jean-François Pignon, who performed various tricks and formations in unison. It was a curious choice for a vegan line, but delighted the crowd nonetheless, and McCartney assured guests that the horses are rescued and humanely trained.
Jessica Alba sat front row, and praised McCartney’s activism. “She’s a gal’s gal, she loves the planet, she loves people, she loves kids, and she’s pretty fearless,” she said. “She was the first to bring sustainability to luxury and show it can be done. And that’s the influence, it trickles down to everyone else, which is pretty cool.”
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton director of image and environment Antoine Arnault was front row to support the first sustainable brand in the conglomerate’s stable. Rita Ora and Noah Cyrus also sat in the front row.
Alba sat next to Camila Alves, who worked with McCartney last year to bring her collection to Austin, Texas, for charity.
“We did the runway in the middle of the soccer field, and had over 700 women that attended,” she said of the event, which raised funds for a medical center and schools.
Alves said that McCartney’s work goes beyond just showing for charity and extends to caring for the planet. “The fact that she’s able to do it, blending the beautiful fashion that she does and maintain sustainability as a key mission is amazing,” she said. “And she’s fighting for other designers who also stand for the same purpose and opening a path for them.”
“Outer Banks” stars Madelyn Cline and Madison Bailey had a mini reunion in the front row. “It’s chaotic,” said Cline of the tiny area packed with photographers. “But I love to see all of my friends somewhere else outside of L.A. and I think this is such a fun celebration of fashion.”
The Netflix show has been a breakout this season, which Cline framed as “phenomenal.”
“I feel like every season I barely believe that it’s all happening,” she said. Bailey added that the show has already been renewed for season four. The ink is just dry on the renewal, they said, and they don’t know when they’ll start shooting again.
For Bailey, it was her first time in Paris and she was overwhelmed by the architecture — and the traffic. “I’m obsessed with the city. There’s so much beauty here and everywhere I look is stunning. But there is so much traffic,” she said.
Models pranced down the runway in checkered blazers, jersey dresses with rope details and cruelty-free fluffy heels. — R.R.
SHEER STYLE: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas made the case for couples outfits at Sunday night’s Valentino show.
The duo was styled by Law Roach in coordinating outfits for the evening. Priyanka wore a PP Pink — designer Pierpaolo Piccioli’s signature shade — gown and cape with a tone-on-tone monogram, while Nick was in a suit of the same subtle lettering but in black. It was a captivating study in contrast.
Roach, who has worked with Chopra before and is close to Piccioli, said it was his first time dressing Jonas. “Don’t you think it’s cute? They’re both in the new monogram and I think it’s fab. I mean look at her,” he said, adding they were great to work with as a team. “They’re a cool couple.”
Cool, and a little bit cold, as Chopra shivered in the freezing air upon leaving. “Is it always this cold during Paris Fashion Week?’” she queried, while another guest informed her that it was even chillier during the January couture show.
Florence Pugh has become the poster girl for Valentino, wearing the brand for some memorable red-carpet moments. Never one to shy away from sheer, she traded in see-through tops for see-through bottoms, sporting a tulle skirt with a white bikini brief. She was eyeing another barely there piece.
“The naked underneath dress with the feather sleeves, unbelievable, and the red waistcoat and the pants, I’m gonna be wearing that. I hope to anyway. I loved it all,” she said after the show, singing Piccioli’s praises. “I think Pierpaolo is an absolute genius.”
Emma Roberts was in search of a glass of Champagne, but found she would have to wait until the private dinner, while Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham held hands in the front row.
Nicole Ari Parker sat front row in a very daring bodysuit and cape outfit. “It just felt right and it’s signature Valentino red,” she said, twirling her floral cape.
Filming on the second season of the “Sex and the City” sequel “And Just Like That” is nearly completed, and the series is expected to premiere in June. Valentino — which created the voluminous finale gown that star Sarah Jessica Parker wears to Paris — will be featured in the second season, she said, and she was spotted wearing red couture and dramatic headpiece on the set. However she wouldn’t divulge just exactly how it fits into the plot. “I’m sworn to secrecy,” she said.
The series will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, she noted. “Everyone is so warm and exactly how you think they are — generous and funny and kind and brilliant. I’m happy to be a part of the whole thing.”
Plus she’s become close with costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago, who helped her prep for Fashion Week. “They’ve been really great to me so I borrowed a bag or two for Paris.” — R.R.
HEAVY LIFTING: For the last two seasons, the A.P.C. fashion show has been a study in the unstudied, held in the brand’s headquarters with models casually walking the lobby floor around standing-room-only guests.
This season had the same laid-back vibe, despite the announcement Wednesday confirming the news originally reported by WWD that founder and designer Jean Touitou sold a majority stake to consumer investment giant L Catteron.
Speaking to journalists after the show, he said that creatively “nothing is going to change,” and “if worse comes to worst” he still owns the building on Rue Madame in Paris’ tony 6th arrondissement, as well as the attached recording studio.
Touitou said he feels as if a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders after barely surviving the business difficulties wrought by the pandemic and likening it to a fight for his life.
“Because that pandemic ‘war,’ people don’t realize…we about died during the pandemic because we had merchandise ready to be shipped to around 400 shops. That’s a lot of yardage, in rolls of fabric that you don’t know what to do with.”
When things finally were able to reopen, he wasn’t able to predict what different regulations would be in various regions, as the company is in markets as diverse as Denmark and South Korea. As the chief executive officer, he didn’t feel like he was able to keep up with the rolling regulations on openings or rules governing employment.
“I really felt, ‘OK, I’m gonna get out of this game,’” he said, though it took him time to come to terms with the decision.
He decided to align with L Catterton so their deep pockets could do the heavy lifting.
“I like the metaphor of somebody who knows how to handle the street fights, but I prefer to have bodyguards now.”
Powerful bodyguards they are, as L Catterton is backed by luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. L Catterton has invested heavily in its fashion portfolio in recent years, including Birkenstock, Etro, Ganni and John Hardy.
Speaking to WWD following the sale news, L Catterton Europe partner Eduardo Velasco said that A.P.C. has revenue of more than 100 million euros and he believes it is poised for growth up to 500 million euros.
Touitou wouldn’t comment on specific financial targets, but said that after 36 years he felt like the time was right for the business to grow and that he didn’t feel he was the person to lead it to the next level. He will remain in charge of “strong decisions,” but the day-to-day financials and growth strategy will change. It is likely they will open more stores.
The brand has 70 company-owned stores across Europe, the U.S., Australia, South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.
When questioned if there will be expansion in new regions or markets, Touitou added that he has long been asked to open the brand in new markets but feels comfortable with the current structure.
“It’s a tough world, to own a company. I mean I was glad to, at the same time, be a poet and warrior, but it is tiring,” he said, adding that now he will focus on the creative side.
To that end, he sent out a collection of smart basics in stiff denim, striped shirts and trench coats. He looked to the codes of preppy, punk and goths to add his signature twists.
All of the models were students from his daughter’s high school class, and Touitou added that anyone who wanted to do it was accepted. “I love this idea of no casting,” he said. Students came and graffitied the walls surrounding the runway, adding to the ad hoc vibe, and skipped last looks in favor of an impromptu dance party. — R.R.
GROWTH TARGET: During Sunday’s National People’s Congress meeting, an annual key political gathering in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a 2023 GDP growth target of “around 5 percent,” the lowest growth target in decades.
According to Li’s state of the nation address, growth in 2023 will be largely driven by consumption and the creation of 12 million new urban jobs, which would contain the unemployment rate to 5.5 percent, the same as 2022.
Li said the modest growth forecast is in line with a slowdown in global economic growth and high inflation rates. He also acknowledged domestic labor market woes, a distressed housing market and pressure faced by private enterprises and small businesses after years of stringent COVID-19 control.
The GDP of the world’s second-largest economy grew by 3.3 percent in 2022, missing the official target of 5.5 percent.
Li stressed the importance of prioritizing consumption expansion by increasing household income and “promoting a deeper integration of online and offline consumption.” Li said online retail sales of physical goods is expected to increase from 15.8 percent to 27.2 percent in 2023.
“We read the National People’s Congress as positive for the European luxury goods sector,” Barclays analyzed in a recent report.
“We expect policies to be accommodative in boosting business and consumer sentiment to support the growth,” the report continued. “In particular, we think the effort to boost luxury spending repatriation will continue in 2023 even after border reopening, and Hainan will continue to play an important role for this purpose.”
Barclays projects that the mainland China luxury market will grow 19 percent in 2023.
Li, Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s righthand man for the past decade, will retire after this year’s National People’s Congress meeting, also known as the “Two Sessions.”
The meeting, which will conclude on March 13, will officially secure Xi’s position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong as he enters an unprecedented third term.
The country’s next premier and other key members of the Xi administration, made up of Xi loyalists, will also be officially revealed.
Former Shanghai party head Li Qiang is poised to succeed Li as the new premier.
The leadership change, which started in October last year, sets “a stable backdrop for economic recovery starting in 2023,” according to Barclays. — DENNI HU
DISPUTE CONTINUES: The legal battle between Hermes International and the artist known as Mason Rothschild took another turn Friday, when the luxury house filed a preliminary motion for a permanent injunction in Manhattan federal court Friday to try to stop him from selling and promoting his “MetaBirkin” non-fungible tokens.
Hermès sued the 28-year-old artist, whose given name is Sonny Estival, for creating and selling 100 MetaBirkins — colorful faux-fur Birkin bag-inspired NFTs — in November 2021. The luxury brand contended the NFTs confused consumers, diluted the brand and impacted its in-the-works plans for NFTs. Rothschild and his legal team have insisted that the two-dimensional digital tokens were a commentary on fashion’s fur-free initiative, an experiment in replicating the luxury handbag’s perceived value and an act of artistic expression that is protected under the First Amendment. The artist, who is also cofounder of the progressive store, gallery and event space Terminal27 in Los Angeles, was compared to Pop Art artist Andy Warhol.
Last month a nine-person jury in Manhattan federal court found Rothschild liable of trademark infringement, brand dilution and cybersquatting. They also found that the First Amendment does not bar liability. In terms of damages, Hermès will be awarded $110,000 for trademark infringement and brand dilution, as well as $23,000 in statutory damages for cybersquatting.
Executives at Hermès did not respond to a request for comment Monday regarding the latest action. A spokesman for Rothschild issued an unsolicited statement Monday from one of his attorneys at Lex Lumina PLLC, Rhett O. Millsaps II, which read, “As plaintiffs, Hermes gets to file their argument first. This case is far from over. This latest filing is a gross overreach by Hermes and an attempt to punish Mr. Rothschild because they don’t like his art, but what’s new? Mr. Rothschild will be responding in the Court in due course.”
That reiterated what Millsaps vowed following last month’s decision that an appeal was being planned. He also said at that time that every legal avenue will be taken by Rothschild’s legal team. Asked whether there is a timeline as to when the appeal would be filed on behalf of Rothschild, his spokesperson said Monday, “not at this time.” — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
POP UP: Giorgio Armani has installed a pop-up inside Just One Eye, the highly curated Los Angeles boutique.
It was unveiled on Thursday at a cocktail party held at the retailer. Showcasing Giorgio Armani’s spring 2023 collection, the selection is an assortment of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories.
“I am excited to partner with Giorgio Armani,” said Just One Eye founder Paola Russo in a statement. “As a pioneer in creating beauty and sharing this with the world for many years, Mr. Armani has inspired me and my Italian roots for as long as I can remember. Working closely with my partnership director, Renato, my Just One Eye family, and the Giorgio Armani team on this kickoff is a collaboration that is very special to us.”
Guests included Langley Fox, Mamie Gummer, Alice Eve, Dominique Fishback, Madeline Brewer, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Mason Gooding, Larsen Thompson, Juliette Labelle, Inanna Sarkis, Kendrick Sampson, Zoe Chao, Michelle Randolph, Lewis Tan, Albert Muzquiz, Will Peltz — all wearing Giorgio Armani — as well as André 3000, Maurizio Donadi, Shamier Anderson, Rosetta Getty, Jon Gries and Victoria Mahoney.
Russo first opened Just One Eye in 2012 in the Art Deco Howard Hughes Headquarters building in Hollywood before relocating to the Sycamore District. Expanding with 13,000 square feet of floor space, the shop features vintage and contemporary fashion, art, design, fragrance and wellness goods. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
FASHION GUIDE: Stacy Igel, founder and designer of the contemporary brand, Boy Meets Girl, has penned a book, “Embracing the Calm in the Chaos” (Harper Collins Leadership, $28.99).
Igel, who for the past 20 years has collaborated with musical artists, athletes and activists as well as organizations including the Young Survival Coalition, BullyBust, Human Rights Watch, Glam4Good, Youth Over Guns and Survivor Corps, will be making the rounds to promote the book.
The tome offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to run a fashion business. It is intended to be an accessible guide for anyone starting a new business. In the book, she walks readers through the highs and lows of creating a business, from how to overcome discouragement to making one’s voice stand out in the marketplace.
Her first stop is Bloomingdale’s Carousel in New York on March 11 from 1 to 5 p.m., where she will have a meet and greet and book signing in conjunction with Women’s History Month. Igel, who is featured with Bloomingdale’s 50 Founders in Fashion, will bring together several women-owned brands for the day’s festivities. The first 20 customers will receive a complimentary headshot by ClickHouse, founded by celebrity and fashion photographer Sophie Elgort. Valerie Star, celebrity makeup artist, will do pre-shoot hair and makeup touch-ups.
Igel will offer for sale a digital “Calm in the Chaos Bag,” in partnership with NFSHE, which will come with the real life version when a customer comes to Bloomingdale’s to pick it up with the book included. In order to receive the real life bag and the book at Bloomingdale’s, customers must mint their NFTs ahead of the event.
Other stops on Igel’s book tour include a livestream Tracy Margolies on Saks.com on March 14, as well as visits to JCC Manhattan and several book stores in March and May. — LISA LOCKWOOD
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