Phoebe Philo Is Here, and other stuff
This Week In Fashion
This was a bit of a slower week, but with that being said, I still feel like I have quite a few things to discuss. The Phoebe Philo of it all alone is something I can’t stop talking about, and no one in my life cares about fashion, so.
Anyway, let’s get into it.
So, Phoebe Philo finally dropped her eponymous line, and while this isn’t the first “collection” per se, it is the first edit we’re seeing of the clothing, and it pretty much sold out! Phoebe hasn’t released anything since her appointment at Celine ended in 2018, and her cult like following was eager to pounce on this drop style release.
Much to discuss!
Here’s the thing, I am a fan of Phoebe’s work. I think she manages to create clothing with effortless ease that still manages to have a bit of quirk and intrigue. It’s the reason you can see so much of her isms in the work of designers who have worked under her, or in designers who are just fans themselves. This first drop is beautiful, and no one is surprised. There’s a lot of really wonderful outerwear and accessories that she’s proven are still her bread and butter.
Those prices, though… Again, no one is surprised, as the pricing is quite similar to other luxury brands today— think Daniel Lee’s Burberry. But $19,000 for a 100% VISCOSE dress?! Sure it’s hand knitted, but be so fucking for real. Then again, that is the point right? She made clothing for a very specific customer who doesn’t care if you’re included or not. Yet, still, I think a drop style launch, with insane pricing, backed by LVMH who can afford some wool and cotton, is a bold move. Especially from the women, who although has a big fan base, still has a past of racism that she has never addressed. Not only that, but the sizing only goes up to a US 12— doesn’t feel very clothing for “the every woman” to me. Making larger patterns does cost more, that’s just a fact, which is why I’m sometimes more forgiving about it when it comes to smaller, emerging brands, but like I said, Phoebe is backed by LVMH, spending money to produce larger sizes is like pocket change to them.
There is no lack of Phoebe’s Celine and Chloé on resale sites, and there is no lack of Phoebe’s style in other designers work, so why are people still losing there mind? Well, all these bitches are her sons and when you want exclusivity, you want the original, right?
Remember when I told you there were rumors that Walter Chiapponi was heading to Blumarine? Well, the rumors were true! Earlier this week, Walter was announced as the new creative director of the brand.
Although I enjoyed Nicola Brognano’s work at Blumarine and think he is a large reason as to why we got this big Y2K revival, the clothing just wasn’t selling. While it was TikTok fashion girly catnip, the reality is that, the people who liked the clothing weren’t the people who had money to buy the clothing. There’s only so much Dua Lipa and the other pop girlies can do with their bank accounts to keep a brand afloat!
I’m sure they’re bringing in Walter, who was previously at Tod’s, to add a bit more refinement and elegance, that will appeal to the Milanese audience and increase sales.
- Florence Pugh for Vogue Australia; Florence Pugh is a Valentino girly, but I feel like she never gets the good looks. I don’t have a problem with people liking what they like, but she truly just always wears the same outfit different font, and for someone who clearly isn’t scared to experiment with their style, I want more! In this editorial she’s wearing a Valentino Haute Couture gown that is completely open on the sides and it’s incredibly sexy. Is it essentially a loin cloth for your entire body? Sure, but I’m here for it. Florence loves a large cape and also plays with the masculine and feminine quite often so I love this Vetements look for her— it’s a really cool option for what we usually see her in. The Alaïa is simple, but it’s very much Alaïa with the King of Cling of of it all. I think the metallic sheen to the dress is lovely, and I love how the high neckline plays on modesty, and yet the dress is quite sheer. The Burberry hat is silly and fun, and although I’m all here for this fuzzy Loewe jacket, I’m not sure this is the shot I would have chosen for the cover. I just feel like every time I see her on a red carpet, I’m often left wanting more, whereas in editorials, her styling is so good. Styled by Christine Centenera.
- North West for i-D; This is weird, right? Here’s the thing, there’s nothing inappropriate about these photos, or the styling, or the interview. It’s all quite childlike, but I also don’t think as grown adults we are looking for fashion advice from a child. There’s something tricky about children being in the public eye from such a young age, and from what we’ve been shown, North seems to want attention… but on her terms. As a child, there is no way she can understand the gravity of the fame that her family holds. She expresses that her life is great and that she’s blessed, but her favorite part of this editorial was that she got to eat fries and all she wants to talk about is how much she loves basketball. We see time and time again how Kim gives her kids these super “cool” experiences, like fashion editorials and trips all over Europe to see their favorite soccer players, but they are still just kids, who will react to their lives in the way kids do. Maybe a Teen Vogue would have been more fitting if we really wanted to do something like this. I’m sure i-D is more “on brand” for Kim, but I don’t think we needed North on the cover of a publication that is talking about sugar daddy scammers in the same breath. Don’t get me wrong, I love i-D, I think it’s a great publication, but I just don’t think this was the move. Styled by Alastair McKimm.
- Billie Eilish is the face of Gucci’s latest campaign, promoting the Horsebit 1955 bag made from Demetra— an animal free material made with 75% plant derived materials. The rest is made from fossil-fuel derived materials, for durability. Gucci says that they are working on finding alternatives for the fossil-fuel derived materials that will provide the same durability, and since this is quite a large campaign, one can only hope that’s true. Vegan leather has been all the rage in the fashion industry recently, and while mass producing leather is not the answer, neither is putting more plastic in the world. Some brands have figured out that they can charge the same luxury prices for lower quality materials, while others truly are trying to find more sustainable options— think Stella McCartney. I’d like to think Gucci is on the path of the latter, but only time will tell. Regardless, I think having Billie as the face of the campaign makes sense, as she is vegan and has been quite vocal about only working with brands if they stopped using things like fur. The knew skewed shape of the bag is also quite fun.
- The 2023 Fashion Awards have announced the Designer of the Year nominees! Included are: Daniel Lee for Burberry, Jonathan Anderson for JW Anderson and Loewe, Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons for Prada, and Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
The only person that really doesn’t make sense to me here is Daniel Lee. He hasn’t been at Burberry long enough, and quite frankly, the collections still don’t make sense entirely. I’d replace him with Maximillian Davis for Ferragamo. If I’m choosing from this line up, I’d give it to Matthieu Blazy. We all know this is a Jonathan Anderson and Miuccia Prada stan account, but Matthieu’s Bottega is so special.
- This definitely looks a lot cleaner on Dua than it did on the runway, and I think unbuttoning the top lets the dress breathe a little, but it’s not my fave. This is from when Gucci was still in a state of limbo, but Sabato’s Gucci hasn’t proven to be much more intriguing.
- Kylie attended the WSJ Magazine Awards where she won the Brand Innovator Award for her new brand Khy, which dropped literally the day before she won this award. Now, I think I made my feelings about Khy very clear in last years newsletter, but what’s innovative about it? ALSO, if this brand means so much to you and you put so much work into, why are you wearing Ferragamo? Oh right, because those plastic faux leather chemical fumes are for us, not for you. Like I said, celebrity brands are glorified merch, and just another cash grab for this KarJenner. The dress itself is stunning and is a take on styles we saw in the Spring 2024 collection, but lmao, girl.
- Timotheé was also at the WSJ Innovator Awards and he wore Dolce & Gabbana. They got another one Joe. Now listen, Dolce aside, the suit does fit well, and it’s a very Timotheé Chalamet suit— the man loves a skinny pant, well fitted jacket, and boot. With that being said, we could have literally gotten a boring black suit from any brand. He wore Tom Ford recently, so why didn’t we just follow up with that? I feel like Timmy is pretty in-the-know when it comes to fashion, so part of me is a little surprised to see him in Dolce, but I guess anyone can be bought for the right price.
- Just a little June Ambrose being the most fabulous to brighten up your day! I love seeing a full Marc look off the runway, because so few people actually go for it. A Kiki boot is always going to do it for me, and that hat is so silly and fun. An icon.
- I don’t talk bridal style often, but Bel Powley wore the most darling custom Miu Miu dress at her wedding, and I could die. It had the most beautiful bell shaped skirt, which is something we’ve seen at Prada quite a bit recently, and is fully embroidered in little flowers and crystals, which is very Miu Miu. I love its 50s essence, and the shoe feels like a high-heeled ballet flat.
Speaking of ballet flats, she also wore another Miu Miu dress with the actual flats, and it was just as sweet. This time a very Miu Miu mini with a bow to emphasize an empire waistline. Bows tend to be hit or miss for me, but here it makes sense, and just feels festive.
Finally, she dipped into the Simone Rocha archive and gave us this 1920s/30s dream of a dress, paired with a paw platform heel. A girl after my own heart, truly.
So that was this week! I’m in the midst of a mental breakdown, so I’m gonna go get back to that.
TTYL!!!
xx