Monthly Archives: February 2019

Advisory boards of external experts are becoming a trend at fashion houses: after last December some of the fantasy charms in the Pradamalia range were deemed offensive as they seemed to evoke blackface, Miuccia Prada created a diversity council, hoping … Continue reading →

There were quite a few notable moments at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday night: some awards were unexpected, others were entirely deserved (Best Costume Design to Ruth E Carter for "Black Panther"; Best Supporting Actor to Mahershala Ali … Continue reading →

The fashion industry is a complicated machine, but it functions on very simple truisms such as "there's safety in numbers," "people like new things" and "always consider the rise and power of social media and online shopping". Moving from these … Continue reading →

Fans of the fashion and religion connection may remember that Jean-Charles de Castelbajac designed the ecclesiastical robes for Pope John Paul II as well as rainbow-striped vestments for 500 bishops and 5,000 priests for the 1997 Paris World Youth Day. … Continue reading →

Between the end of the '40s and the early '50s when the modern history of Italian fashion was just starting, there were no professional models, but aristocratic women would often pose for photographers such as Pasquale De Antonis in sumptuous … Continue reading →

Becoming the creative director of a well-known and established brand has its rewards, but it can also be extremely challenging, especially if you're young and have to try and combine your own inspirations with the heritage of the brand you're … Continue reading →

Prada's A/W 19 menswear and Pre-Fall 19 collections, showcased in January, moved from one inspiring icon – Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and featured images of a cartoonish monster replicated on some of the key designs in the collection. Gentle and looking … Continue reading →

The theme of the double and the power of duplicity have always been very fashionable inspirations for designers. After all, juxtapositions of dichotomies such as male/female or elegant/casual and tailored/streetwear have been the focus of many collections in the last … Continue reading →

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died yesterday at 85 in Paris, didn't believe in "lifetime achievements", he often stated so whenever he received a major award. Yet the "Kaiser", as he was also known (a nickname that he didn't like … Continue reading →

"One day I saw on a publication the 'living room of the century' by Alessandro Mendini's Studio Alchimia with the 'Proust' armchair and the 'Kandissi' sofa. I wanted to buy the pieces for my studio, but the designers didn't know … Continue reading →