Hello 2024, I'm back. January held a very remarkable Couture Fashion week that was held in Paris, in addition to designers creating more collabs and entering into new markets.

1. Dior opens first luxury spa in Dubai:

 Luxury maison Dior is set to open its first spa in the Middle East, in the city of Dubai to make its debut in the region. The spa will hold a treatment list including facial services for women and men, muscle released-focused services, D-sculpt for body firming, hydrafacials, in addition to retailing luxury beauty products.

2. Victoria & Albert Museum holds Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel Exhibition:

“Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto” will now run until March 10, held in London. The first U.K. exhibition dedicated to the French fashion designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. The exhibition charts six decades of Chanel’s career.

3. Swarovski Launches Valentine's Day Capsule With Marina Raphael: 

Marina Raphael, the accessories brand, is celebrating love in all shapes and sizes with the new capsule collection of micro bags in collaboration with Swarovski Creators Lab honors a heritage of technical and creative mastery. 

4. Pucci Drops Yoga Capsule Collection:

After launching its second ski capsule collection, Pucci is now embracing asanas in style, dropping a dedicated yoga line, practical as it is fashionable. Adorned in the fashion house's classic Marmo print and deep blue tones and whimsical, wavy lines.

A homage to "the elegance and freedom of movement". Available at Mytheresa and Pucci.com.

5. Highlights from the SS24 Haute Couture shows:

Just as it should be, the couture fashion week kept us on our toes, kept telling us stories through the eyes of many and presented us with a piece that transferred us into each designer's imagination, Haute Couture is always about pushing limits and diving into a creative facet, and this year sure delivered.

• John Paul Gaultier reaction to Simone Rocha designing a collection for his brand.

•  Maison Margella theatrical take on Brassai's 1920s and '30s portraits of the night- time underbelly of Paris's clubs and streets. John Galliano took us through an underground door- and into a rancid Parisian nighttime.

• Alaia elegance, innovative laser cut and quite luxury.

• Arab designers took everyone's breath, The theme behind Tony Ward's collection was smart, inspired by the golden ratio, which is a math believed to be found everywhere in life.

• Schiaperelli surrealist sci-fi Western spring haute couture collection.

 Hands down, September is the best time to get excited for fashion, with fall clothes making their way into stores and our wardrobe. And with fashion week taking place, you get all the inspiration we need from the street style to previous runways, to get us going. 

Today’s article will be around the Fall Fashion trends that we saw last season on the runways. Plus, I added a styling board for each trend to give inspiration for how to wear and corporate the trends into your everyday wear.

1. The Wearability:

  A truly ready-to-wear pieces, easy looks and the season-less basic items were seen on the runaway. 

Seen in: Tory Burch, Saint Laurent, and Bottega Venetta.

2. The Power Wearing:

  Sharp and bold shoulders, structured suits and sculpted skirts, presented were all giving the most powerful boss girl attitude. Designers referred a lot with this trend to the 80’s structured shoulder pads.

Seen in: Versace, Saint Laurent, Balanciaga, Courreges.

3. The Tartan:

 Plaid and tartan pattern is making a comeback for the fall-winter season. Whether on big coats, skirts , tops or scarfs, the trend was a reoccurring theme throughout the shows.

Seen in: Vivienne Westwood, Issey Miyake, Dior, Thom Browne, Saint Laurent and Burberry.

4. The Innovative Leather:

   Leather is a staple, and this season it was reimagined by designers. Some used it with flowers to create texture, others were more innovative and worked with it to give the impression of denim, wool, and poplin.

Seen in: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Jill Sander, Saint Laurent, Bottega Venetta, Courreges, Stella McCartney.

5. The Pinstripes:

Nordic stripes were a big trend last season and is continuing to stay with the whole quiet luxury look. However pinstripes had their moment in Fall-Winter looks, seen on tailored suits, blazers, oversized shirts and shirt dresses.

Seen in: Boss, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Ujoh, Alexandre McQueen.

6. The 3-D Flower:

Oversized flowers were seen last season, however now the trend is more delicate, but always 3D. Made from various fabrics, few of which are denim, organza and muslin. Placed on the neck or skirts and jackets  or more likely to replace an item of clothing, like flower bras.

7. The Black and White Contrast:

The most effective and easiest way to create a classy quite luxury look. Very understated but very effective tool found in anyone’s wardrobe. The contrast of the two colors were used heavily thoughtoy the popular fashion brands.

Seen in: Emporio Armani, Chloe, Chanel.

8. The Double Denim:

Denim is such a stable fabric for transitional season. A denim look will always look good and timeless. This season, the total denim look was a go to and to wear it, you can choose similar shades for a more flawless look. And creativity of the wearer will create endless possibilities with this trend.

Seen in: Versace, Y Project.

9. The feathers: 

Feathers gives a nod to couture and glamour its airy and soft. Being used in ready to wear pieces definitely creates a statement look, it needs to be paired down with a basic pieces to be more wearable and day appropriate.

Seen in: Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Coperni, Burberry, Danielle Lee, Jonathan Anderson.

10. The Red Dress:

Think Little Black Dress, but in red, a powerful and daring color.

Seen in: Mugler, Fendi, Alberta Ferrari, Blumarine, Carolina Herrera, Micheal Kore, Ferragamo

 We are in the middle of summer and I couldn't be happier, these days bring a lot of excitement and joy, especially with the fashion industry. And today we will go through some of the fashion highlights and updates during June.

1. Kipling collaborates with Barbie:

  Bag and accessories brand Kipling has unveiled a collaboration with fashion doll Barbie, it includes eight bags and two accessories, including a limited-edition Barbie doll keyring.

   What a better way to relive our Barbie's dream in a more fashion driven and mature way?

  The launch timing is also good with the release of the new Barbie movie.

2. Angelina Jolie teams up with Chloe:

Angelina Jolie unveiled a new purpose-driven sustainable fashion label, Atelier Jolie.

And as explained by the brand Chloe:

"Co-designed by Chloé Creative Director Gabriela Hearst and Atelier Jolie founder Angelina Jolie, the capsule collection spotlights authentic women-to-women connections and honours both brands’ respective commitments to improving social and environmental sustainability with greater transparency and accountability. ​"

3. Simon Miller x Mango:

  California-cool brand Simon Miller, known for its vibrant use of color and festive designs launched a summer capsule collection with the Spanish-based brand Mango." Inspired by the care-free spirit and deep blue hues of the Mediterranean sea, the collection captures the two brands' ethos."

  The 73-piece collection launched May 22.

4. Clinique x Kate Spade:

  Prestige beauty brand Clinique has unveiled its first-ever collaboration with fashion and lifestyle designer brand Kate Spade New York. The collaboration includes Kate Spade’s vibrant patterns: springtime florals, stripes, kisses, and graphic polka dots.

  The collection is available on clinique.com, Macy's and Belk in the US, and Shoppers in Canada.

5. Dior Cruise 2024 collection:

  Dior unveiled its Cruise 2024 collection reflecting the heritage of the museum’s home country of Mexico.

The iconic venue for the show was selected due to its ties to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was at the core of creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest collection and had studied at the famed cultural centre.

6. Versace collaborates with Dua Lipa in Cannes:

Versace presented its cruise 2023 collection in Cannes. The collection was co-designed with singer Dua Lipa featuring heritage butterfly prints, pastel hues and house codes from the ‘90s.

The high summer collection entitled ‘La Vacanza’ showcased Donatella Versace’s and Dua Lipa’s shared vision of an elegant Italian vacation.

 1. Sandro launches collection with Louis Barthelemy:

  

French fashion brand Sandro is collaborating with French artist and designer Louis Berthelemy as part of the brand's SS23 collection. Berthelemy is a designer, an illustrator and a textile designer. The collection will include 11 pieces of ready-to-wear and accessories.

2. Jacquemus and Saks exclusive capsule collection:

  Parisian fashion brand 'Jacquemus' has teamed up with Saks, the luxury retailer, on an exclusive SS 23 limited edition collection  "E'te'".

  The collection gives a nod to the French Reviera. It includes men's and women's ready-to-wear, handbags and hats. To celebrate the launch, Jacquemus will take over the window display of Saks Fifth Avenue Beverley Hills.

3. Netflix × Lacoste collection:

  Lacoste has teamed up with Netflix to create a limited edition collection inspired by its TV shows like 'Stranger Things ',  'Bridgerton', and 'The Witcher'.

  The Lacoste crocodile has been reimagined in different ways according to each show. 

4.  Hermès opens new factories to meet handbag demand: 

  As the demand for luxury handbags soars especially for Hermès, the company has decided to open three leather goods factories in France.

  Hermès had invested heavily on local manufacturing to increase production. The increasing demand in the past 3 years has led the company to open 10 leather goods factories.

5. The 2023 Met Gala celebrated "Karl Lagerfeld": 

This year's Met Gala paid homage to the iconic designer who shaped the fashion world with his unparalleled vision and creativity. Lagerfeld's timeless elegance and innovative designs graced the runways of renowned fashion houses like Chanel, Fendi, and Chloé, leaving his mark on the industry.

6. Zolando x Paco Rabanne:

  Fashion house Paco Rabanne is launching an exclusive capsule collection inspired by its “strong DNA” in collaboration with e-tailer Zalando on April 12.

The 40-piece ‘The Capsule by Paco Rabanne’ will offer the brand’s signature chained bags, disc-inspired skirts, tops and dresses in bold colour shades for spring/summer 2023.

 Hello Spring and hello to a new exciting things happening in the fashion industry. 

1. H&M collaborates with Mugler:

Launching May 11, a first look into the collaboration was unveiled recently and it's not disappointing. The collection encapsulate an essence of Mugler very clearly. It will include womenswear, menswear and accessories at a high-street price. The preparation for the collaboration started before the passing of Thierry Mugler back in January 2022.

2. Prada Caffe pop-up at Harrods:

Prada launched a temporary exhibition and cafe at Harrods, celebrating the brand's 100 year anniversary. The interior is inspired by Prada's flagship Milanese boutique. The pop-up is available until the end of 2023.

3. Mango launches 'Capsule' events collection:

Spanish retailer Mango will launch an occasion wear collection called 'Capsule'. As as a response to focus on more formal dressing like dresses, jumpsuits and tow-piece tailoring.

4. Balmain x Beyonce Haute Couture Collaboration:

Balmain launched an haute couture collaboration with Beyonce' this month.  The inspiration was found from the singer's album 'Renaissance' to create 16 designs. The collection includes Balmain house signature with classic Parisian savoir-faire and the joy and genius of the album.

5. Luxury brands choose hand-painting for advertising:

  While AI-generated artwork and digital media solutions dominate the world of contemporary advertising,  hand painting is taking an important role recently especially for Gucci.

  L’oreal, Hermès, Burberry, are some of top clients that have adopted hand-painted murals into their advertising budget. 80 percent of their luxury clients will consider hand-painted while also purchasing digital media and incorporating AI-generative art into their creative strategies. 

6. Luxury brands and their over exposure:

Due to post-pandemic growth,  luxury brands are now overexposed. As BOF explained "This, they worry, threatens the delicate balancing act at the core of the modern luxury industry, a global business that sells millions of units a year but depends on the perception of exclusivity to cultivate consumer desire." This is affected also by the rise of resale platforms.

First chapter of 2023 came to an end. It's officially the middle of deep winter and there's no better time to read and enjoy a hot cup of coffee. 

1. LoveShackFancy launches active wear line:

LoveShackFancy brand known for their vintage feminine and girly style are launching their own active wear line. Their pieces will combine their signature floral prints with high quality materials. The collection contains 9 styles for "girls on the go".

2. Pretty Little Things new showroom and office space in London: 

Fast fashion retailer announced an opening of a new location in London, Oxford Circus. Set to launch mid-April, the space will have a private showroom and a content creator hub. It will also include a photo studio, working offices, and meeting rooms.

3. Tiffany & Co. unveils a collaboration with Nike:

Jewellery brand Tiffany & Co. has entered a new domain by collaborating with sportswear brand Nike. Under the name ' Legendary pair', the sneaker design features a black suede contrasting a Nike swoosh in Tiffany's signature blue as well as a co-branded solver detail above the heel. Set to release on March 7. 

4. Tiffany &Co. collaborates with Fendi:

Another Tiffany &Co collaboration that was released earlier this month.  Tiffany &Co and Fendi have released a limited edition "Tiffany Blue" Baguette Bag to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the iconic Fendi Baguette bag that was created in 1997. The bag was name after it's attitude,  as it's meant to be worn under the arm like a baguette loaf. 

  The 'Tiffany Blue' bag will come in leather and silk satin , nano and medium size.

5. Clarks teams up with Zara:

Clarks has teamed up with the world’s biggest fashion retailer, Zara for a new collaboration which sees both its classic Wallabee and Dessert Boot reinvented.

The collection features men’s, women’s and kids wear options, has been “the interpretation of the iconic models by using chunky crepe soles to make it unique”.

Clarks has launched 15 new styles which are available to buy online and in stores.

6. Megan Hess launches new Fashion Books:

  Fashion illustrator and writer Megan Hess Mis known for her iconic style. Her work have  been used in a global campaigns for Fendi, Prada, Cartier, Dior and Salvator Ferragamo.

"The Bag" and "The Shoe" books are illustrated books about the most stylish, timeless and useful pieces through out the years.

"The Little Black Dress" is an illustrated  book about fashion's most enduring and chic uniform, celebrating the designers, the women and of course the dresses