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JESSICA CHASTAIN PHOTOGRAPHED BY ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI AND STYLED BY LAURA FERRARA HAIR:
Renato MAKEUP: Tyron Machhausen MANICURE: Julie ON THE COVER—Dress VALENTINO
Volume 4, Number 21 | lofficielusa.com | L’OFFICIEL USA | 9 W 57th St New York, NY 10019
UNTAMED
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L’O DOSSIER
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrea
Vailetti STYLED BY Giulio Martinelli Wanderlust is in full swing. Head out into the wild with these animal prints from quiet to roaring.
BY
Devin Yadav
In collaboration with our partners from around the world, we present a dossier detailing 16 designers to watch.
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DECADE BY DECADE BY
Piper McDonald & Tori Nergaard
A curated selection of some of L’OFFICIEL’s most impactful, well-loved, and highly fashionable covers.
WALK THE LINE
Francesco Finizio STYLED BY Fabrizio Finizza PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Emporio Armani, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, continues to be a bastion of ’80s-inspired Italian elegance.
L.A. WOMAN BY
Matt Tyrnauer
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For over 40 years, the photographer Joan Archibald—also known as Kali—quietly created some of the most captivating images of Southern California.
THE EYES HAVE IT BY Alessandra
Codinha PHOTOGRAPHY BY Alexi Lubomirski STYLED BY Laura Ferrara
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Jessica Chastain has spent the last decade building the kind of career most actors spend a lifetime pursuing. Here, she gets to dress the part—all the parts.
A CENTURY OF PARISIAN NIGHTS BY
VOLUME CONTROL Chris Sutton STYLED BY Lauren Coppen PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Simon Liberati
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French nightlife began with clandestine wartime speakeasies, emerged into the mainstream, went back underground, and finally blossomed into unabashed public revelries.
Turn it up with bubble-cut dresses and dramatic capes, or turn it down with corsets and chic, tailored coats.
SHAPE SHIFTERS BY
Herve Dewintre
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For centuries, fine jewelers have flexed their creativity by fashioning extraordinarily versatile pieces.
TIME TRAVELER COLOR VISION
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Kat Herriman Artist Lucy Bull’s trance-like abstract paintings are getting bigger and better. BY
Chris Sutton STYLED BY Amanda Harlech PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Model Erin O’Connor embodies some of the most important looks in modern fashion history.
DRAWN OUT BY
Piper McDonald & Tori Nergaard
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Turning couture silhouettes into fashion illustrations, René Gruau captured the fantasy that comes with such spectacular designs.
AMERICAN BEAUTY Deirdre Lewis STYLED BY Mecca James-Williams PHOTOGRAPHY BY
PASTORAL FANTASY Paolo Musa STYLED BY Giulio Martinelli PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Whether on the city streets or in the ring, hit your stride in a glamorous tableau of rich hues, leather accents, and statement accessories.
128 THE PAST IS PROLOGUE
Iconic model Pat Cleveland reflects on the past, the future, and her September 1971cover of L’OFFICIEL.
BY
Dan Rubinstein
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The couple behind French interior design studio Gilles & Boissier—an oppositesattract marriage of sensibilities—look back, and forward, in a new book.
TO THE NINETIES
Menelik Puryear STYLED BY Jermaine Daley PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Call it the new minimalism: This fall’s shapes take inspiration from the ’90s while remaining undoubtedly of the moment.
AFTERNOON IN PARIS Guen Fiore STYLED BY Vanessa Bellugeon PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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Take a stroll around La Ville Lumièr, greeting the season in feminine silhouettes and a confident strut.
SUBTLE STATEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Isabelle Bonjean
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The nineties were all about minimalism, and today’s statement jewelry pieces are a testament to the decade’s lasting influence.
L’LOOKBACK BY
Piper McDonald & Tori Nergaard
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Fashion has always been a little wild. Just look to its century-long love of animal print, as seen in the pages of L’OFFICIEL.
PUBLISHERS
Marie-José Susskind-Jalou, Maxime Jalou CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
CHAIRMAN
GLOBAL CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Benjamin Eymère
CHRISTOPHER BROWN
GLOBAL DEPUTY CEO
CONSULTING GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Maria Cecilia Andretta
Anthony Cenname
GLOBAL SALES DIRECTOR
Stefano Tonchi
Robert D. Eisenhart III
GLOBAL HEAD OF CONTENT PROJECTS AND FASHION INITIATIVES
Caroline Grosso EXECUTIVE EDITOR
GIAMPIETRO BAUDO BOOKINGS EDITOR
CASTING DIRECTOR
Joshua Glasgow
FASHION FEATURES EDITOR
Jennifer Eymere
SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER
SENIOR EDITOR
Sara Ali
Laure Ambroise
DIGITAL EDITOR
Sabrina Abbas
ART DIRECTION
Sophie Shaw
Giulia Gilebbi
INTERNS
Trinidad Alamos, Addison Aloian, Lara Arab, Caroline Cantrelle, Gelina Dames, Lauren Gruber, Noor Lobad, Johnny Rabe, Nicolette Salmi, Violet Thompson, Matthew Velasco, Jacqueline Vu, Devin Yadav
CONTRIBUTORS CONSULTING EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR
DESIGN DIRECTOR
Regan Solmo
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
ART EDITOR
Linda Ganjian
PHOTOGRAPHY
Isabelle Bonjean, Francesco Finizio, Guen Fiore, Alexi Lubomirski, Paolo Musa, Menelik Puryear, Chris Sutton, Andrea Vailetti
Michael Riso
FEATURES EDITOR
Kat Herriman PRODUCTION
Maura Egan
FASHION
Dana Brockman, Lauren Tabach-Bank
Vanessa Bellugeon, Lauren Coppen, Laura Ferrara, Fabrizio Finizza, Mecca James-Williams, Giulio Martinelli
FEATURES
Simon Liberati, Piper McDonald, Tori Nergaard, Dan Rubinstein
In this Issue
Alessandra CODINHA WRITER
Jermaine DALEY STYLIST
Amanda HARLECH STYLIST
Matt TYRNAUER WRITER
Deirdre LEWIS PHOTOGRAPHER
“The Eyes Have It”
“To the Nineties”
“Time Traveler”
“L.A. Woman”
“American Beauty”
“Jessica Chastain is one of those actors who is so good at her job that it’s easy to forget how hard the work she’s doing actually is. I was moved by the generosity of spirit she showed towards everything, from her co-stars and the characters she plays to the clothes that she wears.”
“I viewed my favorite collections through the lens of cool ‘90s minimalism, highlighting the luxe velvets of Gucci, the neutral palette of Fendi, and the structured silhouettes of Bottega, whose looks best Illuminated that aesthetic.”
“‘Time present and time past / Are both perhaps present in time future / And time future contained in time past’ –T.S. Eliot
“Kali [the assumed name of the late Joan Archibald] is Vivian Maier of California. Her never-before-seen archive of what she termed ‘Artography’ is an astonishing find, and a coherent artistic take on a parade gone by.”
“It was such a joy to collaborate with a legend like Pat Cleveland on this shoot. She is an icon.”
One Hundred People and Ideas from a Century in Fashion
A richly illustrated survey celebrating the Centennial anniversary of L’OFFICIEL. From its early days as a chronicle of the developing fashion industry in Paris, to its current multimedia position at the center of global culture, art, celebrity, and design, L’OFFICIEL has always had its finger on the pulse of the present, while confidently anticipating the future. Featuring more than 1,000 striking images that span 100 years of cutting-edge fashion. Edited by Stefano Tonchi $95 Available for preorder now: https://bit.ly/OFFICIEL_100_ENG
Emporio Armani, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, continues to be a bastion of ’80s-inspired Italian elegance. Since 1981, Emporio Armani has been an innovator. Giorgio Armani’s collection dedicated to younger audiences has changed with the times, all the while staying true to its values of inclusion. The brand’s Fall/Winter 2021 show, aptly named “In The Mood For Pop,” is not only a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Emporio Armani, but also of the 1980s themselves. This mix of elegance and androgyny is apparent in the collection. Oversized suiting in relaxed
silhouettes are nostalgic and sexy, harkening back to familiar trends of the decade with a modern take. The clothing is shared across the gender spectrum: pleated high-waisted trousers are paired with velvet jackets, while graphic prints and knit details punctuate the looks. The pieces in the collection are meant to be taken to the streets, to continue a dialogue between men and women against a metropolitan setting. —Devin Yadav
Photography FRANCESCO FINIZIO Styled by FABRIZIO FINIZZA
Jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes EMPORIO ARMANI Coat and hat EMPORIO ARMANI PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT—AMERIGO: Jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes EMPORIO ARMANI ELDA: Jacket, pants, and shoes EMPORIO ARMANI AMERIGO:
OPPOSITE PAGE—CLAUDIA:
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FROM LEFT—ELDA: Jacket
and pants EMPORIO ARMANI MARCO: Jacket, shirt, pants, and tie EMPORIO ARMANI AMERIGO: Jacket, shirt, and pants EMPORIO ARMANI SIMONE: Jacket, shirt, and pants EMPORIO ARMANI Earrings SIMONE’S OWN
Coat, top, and pants EMPORIO ARMANI Coat, shirt, and pants EMPORIO ARMANI MODELS: Claudia Vega FABBRICA Amerigo Valenti IMG Simone Bricchi I LOVE MODELS Elda Scarnecchia SELECT Marco Bellotti NEXT HAIR AND MAKEUP: Manuel Ian Farro using Armani Beauty CLAUDIA:
OPPOSITE PAGE—MARCO:
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For over 40 years, the photographer Joan Archibald—also known as Kali—quietly created some of the most captivating and rather disquieting images of Southern California. In a new book, a trove of photos by an unsung master is celebrated. I moved recently to a house in a canyon in Los Angeles, which is similar in its situation to the house in which I grew up in a neighboring foothill section of the city. Like the house my parents had, this property has views on to nearby canyon ridges. It is all quite picturesque in these canyons— as well as voyeuristic—because of views on to the backs of other canyon homes, framed by tall trees. In the distance— after dusk—there are city lights; in the foreground, coyotes. Overhead, in the L.A. canyons, with surprising frequency, there is the thunder of police helicopters. As I have not lived in an L.A. canyon for some years, the effect of returning is Proustian, being back above the city I live in, where I am from, now half remembering, half experiencing anew the microclimate of these hills. The marine layer, the same botanical perfumes wafting seasonally—orange blossom; then night-blooming jasmine; then frangipani; then sage. This ridge, with this view and attendant memories is an especially good perch to be on as I peruse the photos in these pages you are about to explore. The photos of Joan Archibald—or Kali, as she styled herself in about 1964— evoke a deep feeling, or better yet, realization of Los Angeles, or greater Los Angeles. The photos in these volumes, for the most part, came from a similar, timelessly picturesque
canyon; they were developed in makeshift darkrooms. Those that didn’t come from the garage darkroom in the nearby canyon, came from the desert, developed in a master bath darkroom in Palm Springs, to be specific. Canyon and desert were the main environments of Kali, who, from the mid 1960s to the mid 2000s, was a secretive and therefore obscure master of the visual arts, hidden among the mostly conventional West L.A. housewives of her generation. Joan Archibald turns out to have been one the great chroniclers of the waning 20th century years of her adopted hometown; a secret historian of the era we now know mostly from the heavily marketed triumphs of The Beach Boys, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Joan Didion, and Shampoo. What you have in front of you is, in effect, a discovered memoir; an interior monologue in visual form. And, while thoroughly personal, the images—for the most part neverbefore-seen, and maybe never intended to be seen—will stir up memories and emotions for anyone who got even a peek at those hazy, dazed years of psychedelic, hippie, haywire L.A.—virtually indescribable to anyone who turned up here any time after the dawn of the ’80s.
By MATT TYRNAUER
black and white prints on silver Portriga paper, semi-gloss or canvas-textured, all with rough edges. Then, after a stop bath in Sandra Dee’s Roman tub, the prints were floated in the pool; the water of the pool would become colored with Dr. Ph. Martin inks, for tints; spray developer may be applied, which could create abstraction; swirling prints in the uncleaned pool caught bugs and desert sand on the surface for texture. The prints were sun-dried on the pool deck, where more sand or bugs may have stuck to
THE IMAGES—FOR THE MOST PART neverbefore-seen, AND MAYBE NEVER INTENDED TO BE SEEN—WILL STIR UP memories AND EMOTIONS FOR anyone WHO GOT EVEN A PEEK AT those HAZY, DAZED YEARS of psychedelic, HIPPIE, HAYWIRE L.A. *****
Kali was born Joan Maire Yarusso in 1932, in Islip, New York. She married Bob Archibald, a trumpet player. He was apparently on the road a lot. Joan Archibald was divorced by the age of 30, and, according to her daughter, Susan Archibald, got in a car and ended up in the Malibu of 1962. With her good looks and some allure, she became a fixture at the beach parties of the era. FROM AN UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT OF A CONVERSATION WITH SUSAN ARCHIBALD, REGARDING HER RECOLLECTIONS FROM THIS PERIOD:
Well, my mom had two children and she needed to get away and my brother and me went to boarding school and my mom needed to expand herself, whatever she was searching for, and she landed in Malibu and she was hobnobbing with Richard Chamberlain. My mom needed to find a place, through my grandmother’s guidance, because my grandmother told my mother that Malibu was not a place for her kids. After that, my mother went to Palm Springs and she bought Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin’s house. Frank Sinatra wanted to date my mom but my mom wanted nothing to do with him. *****
Kali took photography classes at The College of the Desert, in Palm Desert. But no one knows exactly when and how her style developed. An improvised darkroom in the master bath in the Palm Springs house started churning out 16x20
them. After this process, the prints ceased to be simply photography. They were impressionistic or expressionistic works. Kali trademarked her work: Artography (unrecorded at this point). This went along with the name change to Kali, and a recorded copyright, Kali Kolor Ltd. Her portrait and landscape subjects, and treatment of these images, depict a serial acid trip—one she may or may not, in Archive discovery by Susan Archibald All Artography trademarked by Joan Archibald 1967. Archived, edited, and authored by Len Prince. Published by powerHouse Books and designed by Shahid / Kraus & Company Joan Archibald “Kali” papers are housed in The Rose Library at Emory University, Atlanta Ga.
fact, have been on—articulated as well as anyone who ever made the attempt. Certain characters recur: Debbie, classic beauty; Susan, model, daughter; Mary, Renaissance visage; Kali, artist on the edge; Paul in the Speedo, satellite of love.
atomic age motherboard of some sort, it seemed to me that Didion’s text somehow matched up perfectly. Both of the works capture the disquieting potential for the devastating mood which relentlessly fair-skied Southern California can breed—a creeping ennui verging into madness.
*****
A few days into looking at the images in the Portraits and Landscapes volume, I thought I should re-read Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays. As I was reading it, and, alternately, staring at the black and white photo of the stacked freeway overpasses, and, a few pages later, the attractive couple not quite connecting, with an overlaid exposure of a menacing,
In the November 1970 edition of Camera 35 magazine, there was the only article ever published on the work of Kali. The article is called “Eyes By Kali,” and it ran with some of her photos focusing on young people’s eyes. “Kali is...a young woman who lives in Palm Springs, California, and creates painterly pictures for a living,” reads the text. “Her subjects range from her teenage daughter to the family cat to anything and everything that she might encounter with her camera.... Kali feels her Artography (a word she coined and has since copyrighted) is a category of visual communication complete unto itself. … No argument there. They offer physical texture and surface modulations that are beyond the capabilities of mere machines. In fact, there is not a way to reproduce one of her images; as a result each of them is an original. Which, of course, enables her to sell them in galleries, not as photographs that can be run off in multiples, but as unique works of art.”
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There was only one known gallery show of Kali’s work, which was, according to Susan, in Monterey in the early 1970s. “Ansel Adams stopped by and he saw my mother’s work and was like, `Wow, who is this person?’ Ansel Adams thought something of my mother’s work in the day.” Mostly, the hundreds of prints were tossed into storage cabinets and suitcases, never to be seen until now. FROM THE SUSAN ARCHIBALD TRANSCRIPT:
It started in Palm Springs, which is pretty weird. In the late ‘60s, my mom would take my brother and me out in her ‘62 Studebaker and all of a sudden she would see something like going over a power line and at that time from Palm Springs to Indio, California wasn’t that built up so it was very dark. She would see these sightings and then she’d call whomever. The airport, whoever would listen to her. And they basically shunned her out. In 1973, Kali married Karl Davis, Jr., a lawyer. They met in Palm Springs and lived at 16900 Enchanted Place, in the canyons of the Pacific Palisades. Kali set up a second darkroom in the garage, and the pool in the backyard functioned as the wash tray. Kali continued to go to Palm Springs. Kali did not stop taking and developing photos. As Karl had money there was no imperative to sell Artography. After Karl died in 2000, Kali became a quasi-shut in. The UFOs, Susan believes, had been following her mother for years in both Indio County and in the Palisades canyon. There was an uptick in the sightings after Karl died.
FROM THE SUSAN ARCHIBALD TRANSCRIPT:
Orbs, or orbies, she called them, and my mother started documenting them with the film she was shooting on the infrared feeds in the Pacific Palisades house. She was doing Polaroids of these images, which were outstanding. Kali recorded, obsessively, the appearance of the flashes and unidentified images in her closed circuit monitors, sketched them, and made notes. The unprocessed film was discovered in a flight bag by Susan. It was recently processed, and selections appear here in Outer Space. The time codes in the journals, matched with the time codes from the infrared monitors on the processed film, give an immediacy, and insight into Kali’s late nights.
In 2017, suffering from Parkinson’s and memory loss, Kali was found wandering in the canyon near 16900 Enchanted Place. She was picked up by authorities, and placed in a public assisted living facility. Eventually, Susan was contacted, and she was moved to a private nursing home. As 16900 Enchanted Place was being cleared of her belongings, all of the photos in these volumes were discovered. On January 14, 2019, Kali died from complications of Parkinson’s disease. She was 87. Since the discovery of the photographs of Vivian Maier, and the posthumous publication and celebration of her work, the thrilling prospect of finding other unknown masters of the art form has more than ever been in the back of many an aesthetes’ mind. The particular excitement derives from the utter improbability that there could be complete archives of unsung masters out there. Maier, after her work was posted on a Flikr account, became a viral sensation, and was quickly appraised to be the equal of Diane Arbus and Robert Frank. Kali herself seems to be a different kind of rare breed. The record shows that she started to get some recognition for her work, but then retreated. Was she insecure? Distracted? Comfortable in her identity as the wife of a lawyer? Or was it the sexism of the times, combined with the lack of seriousness attached to the art of photography? We will never know for sure. But one of the key standards of artistic judgment is the so-called test of time. In that regard, the delayed discovery of Kali’s complete works, long shuttered in her scattershot archive, may have been a favor to everyone—and Kali, most of all. Her ’60s and ’70s work is evocative of its time. Much of it looks like the Age of
CANYON and DESERT WERE THE MAIN environments OF KALI, WHO FROM THE MID 1960S TO THE MID 2000S WAS AN obscure MASTER OF THE VISUAL ARTS, HIDDEN AMONG THE mostly CONVENTIONAL WEST L.A. HOUSEWIVES OF her GENERATION. Aquarius, and if it had been widely known at that time, it may have been judged as dated by the time the go-go ’80s had set in. Tie-dye shirts and VW busses were something to snicker at when I was in middle school. But, by hiding her work, Kali, intentionally or not, avoids any charge that her skill—I’d venture genius—can have been diluted by having the “fashion of the day injected into it to gain wider acceptance,” as a critic once defined the main demerit of the test of time standard. We can, as these pages prove, better appreciate, and, yes, judge the work of Joan Archibald, aka Kali, at a distance, and, in what amounts to a catalogue raisonné, better appraise the depth and breadth of her work: The architectural and landscape photography, the portrait work, the high Artography of the hippie era, and, finally what herein is grouped as “Outer Space.” Viewed all together, it’s an astonishing, coherent oeuvre, with marked stylistic shifts and distinct periods. Kali vs. the test of time. An excerpt of Matt Tyrnauer’s foreword for Kali Ltd. Ed. by Len Prince, published by powerHouse Books. 39
Turn it up with bubble-cut dresses and dramatic capes, or turn it down with corsets and chic, tailored coats. It’s all on your dial. Photography CHRIS SUTTON Styled by LAUREN COPPEN
JW ANDERSON Pants ACNE STUDIOS Shoes UNTITLABTM and shoes PRADA Shirt DIOR PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT—JAMES: Jacket and pants LAUREN PERRIN JAGO: Dress GMBH GEORGE: Pants KAUSHIK VELENDRA MAY: Top VERSACE PREVIOUS PAGE, RIGHT—Dress FENDI Boots GMBH Harness FLEET ILYA X DION LEE Headband ? ABOVE— Dress
OPPOSITE PAGE— Jumpsuit
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Coat and belt BOTTEGA VENETA Pants ALEXANDER McQUEEN Shoes PRADA Jacket and bra GIVENCHY Pants and boots ACNE STUDIOS MODELS: May Bell ELITE Jago Burnett SELECT James Fairweather NEXT George Osborne SUPA HAIR: Declan Sheils MAKEUP: Mata Marielle MANICURE: Jenny Nippard PRODUCTION: Truro Productions CASTING: Dean Goodman SET DESIGN: Ash Haliburton PHOTO ASSISTANT: Dawn Marie Jones STYLIST ASSISTANT: Giulia Bandioli HAIR ASSISTANT: Becca O’Neil MAKEUP ASSISTANT: Tahiya Ali ABOVE:
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For centuries, fine jewelers have úH[HG their creativity by fashioning extraordinarily versatile pieces. Fine jewelry has long drawn its prestige from the versatility of the unique pieces that lavish on the crowned heads and great figures of high society. This centuries-old tradition, common since the 1800s, has its origins in a double necessity. First, a very practical one: The need to make the most of rare stones at a time when most modern mines had not yet been discovered. These stones were often passed down through generations. The jewelers’ role was to transform the original jewels to the tastes of the day; it was not uncommon for a tiara to morph into a necklace over the course of its ownership. The other need arises from new social mores of discretion. Clasps disappeared and chatelaines cleverly concealed watches that can be looked at tactfully. “Transformable jewelry is one of the great traditions of the house,” confirms Pierre Rainero, Director of Image, Style & Heritage at Cartier International. “It may be, for example, that necklaces adorned with pendants are also worn as brooches or head ornaments, or are detached into bracelets.” A century later, this exercise in versatile style has reached unprecedented heights, especially at Cartier, thanks to the enthusiasm of a devout clientele for new pieces that can be adapted to their lifestyle. In June 2021, in the lush Italian gardens of the Villa d’Este, guests of the French jeweler were invited to discover—among the many unique pieces in its latest high jewelry collection Sixième Sens (“Sixth Sense”)—a prodigious new iteration of Cartier’s beloved Tutti Frutti collection, called the Udyana necklace. Characterized by a gourmet canopy of emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, the show-
stopping necklace features an engraved 67.7 carat ruby at its center. The piece can be worn with or without the central ruby or the pendant placed on the back clasp, which can also be worn as a brooch. Another piece demonstrating Cartier’s penchant for transformable pieces is the Kheon hair ornament. “Whether it is a hand jewel that covers the wrist, or a pendant connected by a chain, the creative challenge for us has been to imagine jewelry that evolves over the course of the wearer’s desires and lifestyle,” explains Jacqueline Karachi-Langane, Cartier International’s Creative Director. A few days before Cartier’s fête, Bulgari unveiled its new Magnifica fine jewelry collection in Milan. Lucia Silvestri, creative director of the maison, who is also responsible for sourcing precious stones, also emphasizes versatility. “These pieces break new ground because they are designed to be worn in different ways. I consider this to be a modern concept for high jewelry,” she says. This tradition is also firmly anchored at Van Cleef & Arpels. In January 2021, on Place Vendôme, the house presented the renovations of its historic boutique. Also on display were 150 masterful pieces that demonstrated the jewelers’ master of the craft— some pieces could be worn 10 ways. “Elements that disappear or appear have existed since the inception of the house,” says Lise Macdonald, director of patrimony and exhibitions at Van Cleef & Arpels. “Around the 1930s, when René Puissant was artistic director, this notion of transformation reached its peak with the Minaudière, the Passe-Partout collection, or the Zip necklace.” This desire to go beyond the limits of the craft is also
By HERVÉ DEWINTRE
evident among contemporary jewelers. Reflections of Nature, the first high jewelry collection created under the direction of Céline Assimon, new CEO of De Beers Jewelers, looked like a manifesto: “We favor transformative creations because our high jewelry pieces mustn’t only adapt to the lifestyle of our customers—they must stand the test of time,” she explains. Christophe Bourrié, director of Piaget’s high jewelry department, is also refining the stylistic signature of the Swiss House by providing, within the new Extraordinary Lights collection, pairings of rare stones, created to seduce discerning collectors. “We believe this is a real underlying trend that will continue and encourages artisans to be inventive...because clients like to transform their jewelry themselves. Comfort and fluidity are essential.” The same conclusion has been reached by Valérie Messika, who prefers to bring her own experience into the creative process. “I like to play with diamonds when I design a piece of jewelry; I want it to be modern and to move. As a woman, I know how important comfort is.” In Monaco, Louis Vuitton proved itself equal to the great jewelers of Place Vendôme with a collection called Bravery. “The use of this word, bravery, is unusual in high jewelry,” confirmed Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of the jewelry and watchmaking division of the French house. Necklace BULGARI Udyana Necklace CARTIER Le Mythe necklace LOUIS VUITTON Opalescence necklace BOUCHERON Extraordinary Lights necklace PIAGET OPPOSITE PAGE—Bulgari high jewelry necklace and Chaumet Le Grand Frisson ring shot by Christophe Bouquet for L’OFFICIEL February 2013 ABOVE, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP—Metamorphosis
“However, these notions of will and adventure are inherent in the signatures of Louis Vuitton. We wanted to illustrate them within this collection.” The hero piece of the collection is Le Mythe, a three-row necklace illuminated by three sugarloaf cabochons (a 19.7 carat Sri Lankan sapphire, a 8.64 carat Colombian emerald, and a 7.11 carat Madagascar sapphire). 1300 hours of work went into this masterpiece, which can be worn in 12 different ways. “Transformable jewelry has always been part of Boucheron’s heritage,” enthuses the house’s creative director Claire Choisne. “One of the oldest order books that we have, dating from July 1859, mentions an order of a pierced body and black enamel bracelet with an enamel brooch appliqué. This is the first written record of a transformable piece of jewelry. Created in 1879, the Point d´Interrogation necklace is the most iconic transformable piece of the maison, and my personal favorite. A necklace without clasp whose central motif, which can be reinterpreted ad infinitum, could be detached and transformed into a brooch, like on the Plume de Paon necklace dating from 1883.” The collection presented by Boucheron in July 2021, called Carte Blanche, Holographique, is a celebration of color, casting a rainbow of light and reflection. The tradition of the multi-functional piece, dear to the house, was manifested in particular in a stunning iridescent necklace, a waterfall of opal set with a betta fish created using the plique-à-jour technique, allowing light to shine through its translucent fins. The necklace can be transformed into a brooch, ear cuff, or pendants. More than ever, fine jewelry remains fertile ground for experimentation and the avant-garde.
Artist Lucy Bull’s paintings are getting bigger and better, with vibrant hues and methodical, trance-like abstractions. On social media, artist Lucy Bull’s landscapes read like tunedup Impressionism with shades of Mark Bradford. Or maybe late Monet lily pads on acid. In person, there is something more sinister going on. Bull’s psychedelic paintings hiss and vibrate like Bridget Riley stripes on a hot sidewalk. They dominate the room with a ferocious joy. The same could be said of Bull, who at 31 is a fixture of the Los Angeles art scene, a position she held long before her recent sold-out solo debut at the David Kordansky gallery, and one that extends out past the purview of the artist.
Her beloved eponymous desk gallery, which she runs out of her house in Echo Park, is infamous for turning exhibitions into all-night parties, which Bull doesn’t mind, but she confesses to be more inclined to throwing an intimate dinner. Despite being a New Yorker educated at The Art Institute of Chicago, Bull passes for a native Angeleno, perhaps because she aligns so well with the city’s preoccupations: Bull is a compulsive cinephile and a color mystic; she is matter-offact and intimidatingly optimistic. Her abstract paintings seem to hold, however precariously, the euphoria she and Los Angeles naturally radiate.
By KAT HERRIMAN
despite the conspiratorial vibe here, there are no hidden symbols lurking in her furious brushwork. But are there any dicks? “Probably.” In the past, Bull has described her practice as that of falling into a trance state; maybe it’s more accurate to imagine it as a kind of hard-won fluency. Through hours of hands-on learning, Bull developed the ability to make material and color adjustments so rapidly that, to the viewer, they read as fluid gesture. This sense of movement is then transferred to the viewer, which is to say that if you’ve encountered her work, you remember. The raw-edged canvases glow neon hot. They have a transfixing kinetic quality that has made at least one collector of Bull’s work physically sick when a piece was shown under fluorescent lights.
So immediate is the aesthetic of Bull’s work, it sometimes comes as a shock that her process-based abstractions can take weeks, months, and sometimes years to complete. This is a casualty of their subtractive methodology. She begins each piece by painting an image and then painting over it again. She sometimes uses her brush like an eraser, pulling up her new work to reveal the old. This goes on for countless layers. As a result, each painting represents a series of destructive decisions and subsequent resurrections. She promises that,
The paintings in Skunk Grove, at David Kordansky, showcased a shift in Bull’s scale. After years of working on canvases approximately her own height, Bull feels drawn to working on mural-sized stretchers. The artist likes the way the larger scale teases out the sensation of falling. “It is almost easier for me to paint [the mural-sized ones] because they just force me into this more physical process, where with the small ones, I get carried away with the detail,” Bull says. “The big ones force me to confront these larger areas and be a little bit more brutish about the mark-making.”
ABOVE, LEFT—Sisper, 2020, by Lucy Bull, Installation view, High Art, Arles, France. Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles (throughout) BELOW—”Pussy Willow,” 2021, by Lucy Bull PREVIOUS PAGE—Lucy Bull photographed by Sofie Kjørum Austlid
BULL’S ABSTRACT PAINTINGS SEEM to HOLD, HOWEVER PRECARIOUSLY, the EUPHORIA SHE and LOS ANGELES NATURALLY radiate. Distractions also tend to go quiet at night, which is a blessing, Bull tells me. As the city shakes off its COVID restrictions, people are out again and calling. Because of the layering of her work, breaks from the paintings are a necessity and Bull revels in them. Friends are her preferred method of release. When the artist first moved to LA, she was too shy to karaoke, but now it’s a ritual she’s looking forward to returning to—especially when followed by late-night Thai food. In quarantine, she ran a Los Angeles chapter of a British film club. They meet every week, but she’s had to log off the group chat until she’s further into this next body of work. Los Angeles’ unshakeable pulse is central to Bull’s work, and as it gets back up and running again Bull feels the vibes reverberating in the studio, much to her delight.
Maybe it’s the beast within that Bull is courting in the studio. She confesses she’ll never be able to take on an assistant because she’s too shy to paint in front of others. Her idiosyncratic style requires an unhinging that can’t happen when someone else is looking. “It has really always been getting to that point where I can actually surprise myself,” Bull says. “They’re finished when I get lost, when I lose track of how I made them.” This fall Bull’s work will be featured at a solo booth at Frieze London, and then soon after she’ll be part of a two-person institutional solo show at the Pond Society in Shanghai. The good news is that her new studio affords her the flexibility to paint at night. Previously, she toiled in the alleyway of her home where she had to contend with the sun’s temper and schedule. “I’ve finished so many paintings between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.,” she confesses. “It’s this magical period of time where you’re completely alone and it feels almost like time stolen from sleep. There’s something really empowering about not being asleep. It seems almost wrong that you’re finishing a painting at that hour. Maybe it’s also an easier time to get lost.” ABOVE, FROM TOP—Skunk Grove, 2021, by Lucy Bull, Installation view, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, Photograph by Jeff McLane; Lucy Bull photographed by Sofie Kjørum Austlid RIGHT—“Crooked Coda,” 2020, by Lucy Bull
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Wanderlust is in full swing. Head out into the wild with these animal prints from quiet to roaring. Photography ANDREA VAILETTI Styled by GIULIO MARTINELLI
and skirt ROBERTO CAVALLI Bag FURLA Hat MONTEGALLO Earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ERMANNO SCERVINO Shoes and bag LOUIS VUITTON Scarf STYLIST’S OWN Earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—Jacket and skirt CIVIDINI Bag MICHAEL KORS Scarf STYLIST’S OWN Necklace and earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS PREVIOUS PAGE, LEFT— Dress BLUMARINE Shoes and bag JIMMY CHOO Tights WOLFORD Necklace and earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS PREVIOUS PAGE, RIGHT—Jacket BLAZÉ MILANO Scarf STYLIST’S OWN Necklace and earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS ABOVE—Shirt
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT—Jacket
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ETRO Boots JIMMY CHOO Hat ERMANNO SCERVINO Belt STYLIST’S OWN Earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS DIOR Skirt MAX MARA Tights and shoes STYLIST’S OWN Earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT—Jacket LANVIN Scarf STYLIST’S OWN Earrings VAN CLEEF & ARPELS HAIR: Daniel Manzini MAKEUP: Riccardo Morandin PHOTO ASSISTANT: Michela Locci STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Terry Lospalluto, Barbara Zilli, and Donato D’Aprile ABOVE—Coat
OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT—Jacket
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100 YEARS OF L’OFFICIEL. 100 YEARS OF INSPIRING IMAGERY. 100 YEARS OF FASHION, ART, AND CULTURE. 100 INTERACTIVE STORY OBJECTS. #100DREAMSOFTOMORROW L’OFFICIEL
HOUSE DREAMS of
Sept 30 Exclusive VIP Opening at Théâtre Daunou in Paris and online at lofficiel100.com Featuring special guests and exclusive performances, and the launch of the book L’Officiel 100 Oct 1-2 Exhibition opens to the public in Paris and the virtual audiences everywhere REGISTER NOW on lofficiel100.com
For the past century, L’OFFICIEL has been documenting the latest in fashion, art, and culture, searching the globe for the most innovative creators in their fields. In collaboration with our partners from around the world, we present a dossier detailing 16 designers to watch, from New York to Vienna, Marrakesh, Seoul, and more. The designers in focus are, through hard work and ingenuity, on the rise. Each with their own unique identity informed by their home countries and an increasingly globalizing world, their collections bend and challenge trends while also encompassing the principles of inclusion, evolution, and earnestness. By DEVIN YADAV
CONNER IVES, USA Conner Ives has captured his ideal of The American Dream in his collection of the same name. Ives’ graduate collection from Central Saint Martins takes inspiration from the women he grew up around in Bedford, New York. From “The L.A. Crystal Girl” to “The Valedictorian,” these archetypes form a picture of 2010s Americana. The designer maneuvers vintage fabrics and recycled clothes into new pieces in a process he calls “Reconstituting,” exemplifying the Gen Z mentality emphasizing sustainability.
Photos throughout courtesy of the designers
CASSEY GAN, Malaysia The chemical-engineer-turned-fashion-designer Cassey Gan is no typical creator. After realizing her true passions in the fashion industry, Gan studied design at London College of Fashion before eventually starting her own brand in 2014. With a focus on joyful prints and bold color, Gan’s goal is to empower those that wear her clothes to be themselves. She draws inspiration from the sensations of Malaysian cuisine, capturing the color, textures, and stories that weave through mealtime traditions.
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NOUS ÉTUDIONS, Argentina Romina Cardillo is not new to the fashion world. After working alongside her family in textiles, it’s no surprise that she went on to found her own menswear project in 2007, Grupo 134, before launching Nous Étudions. With a focus on sustainable and genderless design, the brand has collaborated with big names, such as Nike. The “ancient biotechnology” of the brand is not only striking, but innovative, and led Cardillo to being one of the 2020 LVMH Prize semi-finalists.
EENK, Korea EENK designer Hyemee Lee’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection is titled “T for Temptation,” which is exemplified in the high Victorian collars and cinched waists. Like the city of its origin, the brand exists past limiting binaries. “Street and luxury are intertwined in Seoul. People create their own style without any hesitation to mix it up,” says Lee when asked about the city’s influence in her feminine-meets-masculine creations.
CARL JAN CRUZ, Phillipines Carl Jan Cruz, known as CJ to his family and friends, describes his collections as “honest” and “intimate.” Always intrigued by fashion, Cruz began interning in the fashion industry at a very young age, going back and forth between New York and Manila. His native country undoubtedly influences his designs, which are a combination of heritage and personal references.
KSENIASCHNAIDER, Ukraine Ukrainian duo Ksenia and Anton Schnaider are the creative minds behind Kseniaschnaider. Focusing on the blurred line between casual and formal wear is exactly what the brand seems to do best, initially gaining popularity in 2016 after releasing their demidenim shorts, which took the fashion world by storm. Reflecting on her father’s first pair of jeans in the Soviet Union, Ksenia says, “He cared about them like they were luxury. He shared one pair with my mom. I think at that time I fell in love with denim.”
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GUIDO VERA, Chile The self-proclaimed nomad Guido Vera creates minimalist designs with a twist—but don’t call them simple. Gaining inspiration from said nomadic lifestyle as well as his childhood in Patagonia, Vera provides a fresh take on Chilean street style while keeping in mind the needs of the planet, mixing natural Peruvian cotton with recycled materials and deadstock fabrics.
SAID MAHROUF, Morocco The Moroccan culture as it once was and as it exists today are both encapsulated by the work of Said Mahrouf. Born in Morocco and raised in Amsterdam, the designer’s timeless and feminine designs are created to flatter the female form. Mahrouf has a close relationship with many of his clients, often working to create custom pieces in the tradition of the local craftsmanship that is still celebrated in Casablanca, where his showroom is located.
PETAR PETROV, Austria Petar Petrov’s designs provoke emotion, while still being chic and ultra-wearable. A balance of fluid cuts, boxy shapes, and sumptuous fabrics, his pieces have found fans in numerous celebrities and style stars. Petrov finds inspiration from those surrounding him in Vienna, creating his clothes with precise thoughtfulness, and it shows. His collections are versatile, well-made, and fit for the modern woman.
DAWEI, China If fashion is the expression of the self through clothes, then it follows that uniforms would be the opposite. Yet, young fashion designer Dawei’s first fashion memories were the military uniforms worn by family. “People need to express their uniqueness whether they have the opportunity to wear different clothes or not,” he says. Cutting his teeth at Balenciaga before starting his own label, the designer creates clothes for the woman that “can be graceful even when she needs to run.”
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MCOUTURE, Latvia Julia Malahova, founder of MCouture, has developed what was once a hobby into her profession. After initially falling in love with the Lady Dior denim bag 20 years ago, the designer has gone on to sweep the Latvian Fashion and Style Awards as Designer of the Year, Debut of the Year, Fashion Show of the Year, and Best Concept Store of the Year. Inspired by her father, who was a master tailor and taught Malahova to not be afraid to bend the rules, her enchanting collections seem straight out of a fashion fantasy.
˘ JUOZAS STATKEVICIUS, Lithuania Juozas Statkevic̆ius has an impressive resume: the designer has authored three books, released several fragrances, has been creating stage costumes for over three decades, and has had his designs worn by the likes of Björk, Naomi Watts, Nicole Richie, and more. The designer preserves his Lithuanian roots in his designs to date, stating “without history and the past, there is no future.”
CASABLANCA, France Charaf Tajer brings together his interest in architecture and leisurewear to his brand Casablanca. The French-Moroccan designer’s pieces are right at home on the French Riviera or the streets of resort towns. Tajer’s latest collection takes inspiration from the Memphis design movement of the ‘80s combined with a ‘90s Tokyo, a playful contrast that begs for a sun-drenched locale.
ALUF, Brazil Ana Luisa Fernandes, the designer behind Aluf, is creating much more than just clothes. With aims to communicate the experiences of the world in her sustainable collections, Fernandes has turned clothing into purposeful art. Her creations are products of creative thought, “a questioning, a feeling,” or as she describes it, “the entire abstract universe of the unconscious.”
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ANDREA ADAMO, Italy The “second skin” Andrea Adamo has created is one of mobility and freedom. With a mission to represent the wearer behind the clothes, Adamo believes his nude palette allows just that. Though the brand was born at the tumultuous time of the pandemic, the company has defied all odds, even selling out. The new collection “metamorfosi,” meaning metamorphosis, is said to embody the ideas of change and the myths that go along with it, to develop—but not to alter—the fundamental self.
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GIA STUDIOS, Vietnam Lam Gia Khang captures the timelessness and elegance of minimal design in his brand Gia Studios. Khang, who was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 in Vietnam, creates clothing that is a marriage of opposites, with a neutral color palette that holds their timelessness while the daring designs challenge their minimalist character. The designer incorporates details from traditional Vietnamese clothing, weaving his heritage throughout the pieces.
On the occasion of its Centennial Anniversary, L’OFFICIEL presents a curated selection of some of its most impactful, well-loved, and highly fashionable covers. Fashion magazines demand to be judged by their covers. A mysterious alchemy of glossy photography, inspired styling, and graphic design that somehow perfectly captures the zeitgeist, the magazine cover is at once timeless and also a precise reflection of right now. The fashion magazine—so often erroneously seen as merely superficial—is a significant window into the current cultural mood. Throughout its storied 100 years of publication, L’OFFICIEL has produced more than 1,000 covers that, when viewed together, are a crash course not just in the history of fashion but also our modern moment. As each decade develops its own unique stylistic personality—drawing on fashion trends from previous cycles while forever searching for what’s new, and
always reflecting shifts in social attitudes—L’OFFICIEL’s covers, issue by issue, build a framework through which to understand the nature of the fashion system, changing trends, and society itself. From its early days as a chronicle of the burgeoning fashion industry in Paris, to its current position at the center of global culture, art, celebrity, and design, L’OFFICIEL has always had its finger on the pulse of the present while eagerly anticipating the future. The covers of L’OFFICIEL are significant markers of bygone eras in fashion, each encapsulating a shared moment in our cultural history and creating a visual timeline of a century of style.Please enjoy our highly subjective selection of our favorite covers by decade.
By TORI NERGAARD & PIPER McDONALD M DONALD
July 1921 On July 20, 1921, L’Officiel de la Couture et de la Mode released its very first issue. The simplicity and refinement of the original cover encapsulates the magazine’s origins as a trade publication, created with the singular objective of protecting and promoting French fashion—and more importantly French elegance—without betraying its secrets. This same design appears on the first three issues of the magazine and features a simple red medallion depicting a couple as they stroll through a lush park, presumably in the fashion capital itself. Written across the cover in simple black lettering, “Organe de Propagande et de défense de toutes les Industries de la Nouveauté [Organ of Propaganda and Defense of all Novelty Industries],” elucidates the gravity of fashion to French industry and commerce. Although the original cover design was quickly usurped by more glamorous iterations, this first issue recalls L’OFFICIEL’s initial conception as the official voice of all things French fashion.
Model photographed by Madame d’Ora for L’OFFICIEL April 1926
April 1926 Relishing the freedom and excitement coming from post-war Paris in the 1920s, the first decade witnessed by L’OFFICIEL was a moment of cultural revolution. Modernity was the word on everyone’s lips, and women’s fashions reflected an avant-garde and increasingly liberated attitude toward life and style. This cover photo from April 1926, taken by the photographer Madame d’Ora, perfectly illustrates the pre-war trend for Eastern-inspired styles made popular by Paul Poiret and Jeanne Paquin, coupled with the post-war tendency toward ease and movement. The ensemble, designed by J. Suzanne Talbot, is named after the Roman military commander Titus, and here the model appears ready to conquer Paris in her black silk velvet dress and helmet-inspired head scarf with golden details and embroidery. At once mysterious, inviting, and luxurious, this is one of many L’OFFICIEL covers that captured the unending possibilities of this exciting new era in fashion.
Mlle. Rosine Drean photographed by Madame d’Ora for L’OFFICIEL April 1931
April 1931 The 1930s saw magazine covers heavily inspired by art movements of the era, beginning with an art deco hangover from the 1920s and softening into feminine illustration toward the end of the decade. This cover from April 1931 is thoroughly modernist, celebrating both the art form and the movement’s taste for constant change. Predating the logo, the L’OFFICIEL name is illustrated by P. Covillot, who supplied many borders for L’OFFICIEL’s covers throughout the decade. Blocky, geometric shapes stack into letters, popping off the page to resemble a physical statue placed beside the cover model. A symbol of the newfound French obsession with bathing and seaside vacations during this time, socialite Mademoiselle Rosine Drean is photographed by magazine favorite Madame d’Ora, modeling a custom Jane Regny bathing suit in a playful pose. This leg-baring look was uncommon for an era characterized in French elegance, but was the precursor to the well-established swim cover of today. Covillot’s illustration blurred the lines between fashion and art, transforming the magazine cover into a modernist, boundary-pushing work.
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Model illustrated by René Gruau for L’OFFICIEL October 1947
October 1947 The evolution of L’OFFICIEL covers throughout the 1940s pays homage to one of the most fraught yet ultimately revolutionary moments in fashion’s history. The last decade to rely mostly on illustrated covers, the years during World War II were characterized by the soft, subtle designs of the Italian artist Léon Benigni. Toward the end of the decade, however, fashion lovers everywhere were desperate for what seemed like a bygone era of the luxurious fantasies offered by French couture. The illustrator René Gruau met this desire with his striking cover illustration for L’OFFICIEL’s 1947 winter collections issue, which featured a Christian Dior fur coat designed in the maison’s hyper-feminine New Look silhouette. As a longtime friend and collaborator of Monsieur Dior, Gruau assured that all eyes were on this iconic creation. Placing the coat on a flat, bright red background and contouring the design with a delicate black outline, Gruau made Dior’s creation jump from the page and into the reader’s imagination, ushering in a return to the grandly exuberant designs of the Paris couture tradition.
Model photographed by Studio Pottier for L’OFFICIEL September 1953
September 1953 Throughout the 1950s, L’OFFICIEL’s covers were systematic, focused, and reminiscent of the magazine’s to-the-trade roots. Where preceding decades focused on artistic direction and mirrored the cultural moment, the ‘50s let couture designs speak for themselves. This September 1953 cover photographed by Studio Pottier features a model dressed in a Christian Dior coat at the height of the golden age of couture. While it is strange for a cover model to be nameless today, prior to the rise of celebrity and supermodels, the magazine was focused entirely on fashion. During this decade it was standard to feature a model posing elegantly in front of a demure studio backdrop dressed in a Lanvin gown or Balenciaga cape, shining the light entirely on the designer’s work. For fall 1953, symmetrical and intentionally minimalist art direction draws the eye directly to Dior’s design, emphasizing the iconic swing coat silhouette which nearly marked this era to the same degree as Dior’s New Look. Complementary styling ensures that X, quite literally, marks couture treasure starring on this cover.
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Model photographed by Roland Bianchini for L’OFFICIEL October 1968
October 1968 As the youthquake of the 1960s overtook the fashion world with innovative designs by Pierre Cardin and Andrè Courrèges, this era of unstoppable originality was also extended to the covers of L’OFFICIEL. Long gone were the traditional, formulaic couture-driven covers of the 1950s, replaced by bright, inventive photographs representing a new age in fashion, in which dressing for oneself was of the utmost importance. This decade brought fresh photographic perspectives to the magazine as seen in this October 1968 issue photographed by Roland Bianchini, which experimented with new layouts and unconventional angles. The model is pictured in a jersey ensemble by Yves Saint Laurent, who at that time was quickly transforming from designer wunderkind to bonafide fashion icon. Infused with vivid colors and a sense of playfulness, the covers seen throughout the ‘60s brought a feeling of fun back to fashion.
Jane Birkin photographed by J-L Guégan for L’OFFICIEL February 1974
February 1974 While the celebrity cover became a magazine mainstay at the turn of the new millennium, L’OFFICIEL’s first celebrity fashion cover would occur in February 1974. Two symbols of French pop culture came together as Paris’s favorite Brit, Jane Birkin, was photographed for the magazine’s cover by J-L Guégan. Unlike decades past, the focus of the cover was not the clothes Birkin wore—a Nina Ricci ensemble that received little screen time—but instead Birkin’s persona that welcomed the magazine reader into the publication’s 605th issue. Guégan’s portrait captured Birkin’s free-spirited essence, which rejected the elegant manner of couture fashion touted by L’OFFICIEL in decades past, and instead connected with the more casual nature of ready-to-wear fashion. The cover is extremely personal, emphasizing her natural features and artfully disheveled hairstyle, a marked shift from poised Parisian fashion, but a Jane Birkin signature. The 1970s challenged fashion to lay back and live a little, and bohemian Birkin was the decade’s consummate covergirl.
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Model photographed by Rodolphe Haussaire for L’OFFICIEL December 1980
December 1980 The ultra-glamorous portraits featured on the covers of L’OFFICIEL throughout the 1980s evoked fashion’s unabashed embrace of the era’s gilded extravagance. Bold silhouettes, bright colors, and heavily defined makeup reflected these years of unprecedented economic growth in which women were increasingly independent and in control of their own identities and futures. Designers like Claude Montana and Thierry Mugler experimented with exaggerated shapes that set the trend for the power suits and structured shoulders that came to notoriously define the decade. For L’OFFICIEL’s December 1980 cover photo taken by Rodolphe Haussaire, this strength and severity is expertly exuded by the model’s fierce gaze, under which reads the simple statement: “Le Fantastique.” Fantastic, indeed, were the unique hair creation and bold dress, both from Montana’s Spring/Summer 1981 collection. Evident in these powerful cover images, the 1980s covergirl became a force to be reckoned with, daring readers to take new fashion risks.
Tyra Banks photographed by Carlo della Chiesa for L’OFFICIEL February 1993
February 1993 Fashion of the 1990s is synonymous with the supermodel. The 777th issue, covered by Tyra Banks and photographed by Carlo della Chiesa, perfectly encapsulates the playfully glamorous attitude of the decade. Unlike the celebrity cover star, the supermodel personified fashion, matching a face to the latest trends and a spirit to the intangible je ne sais quoi of well dressed women. Banks and her contemporaries Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington covered countless issues of L’OFFICIEL, and while their iconic image drew intrigue, unlike the celebrity cover, this era was all about the clothes once again. For the February 1993 cover, Banks is styled head-to-toe in Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, sporting a number of brand signatures that peaked in popularity at this time, like tweed on tweed, sailor trousers, cap toe boots, and in true 1990s spirit, a logo chain belt. Not only is this cover about embodying fashion in its entirety, but it is also about defining the revered iconography of ‘90s Haute Couture that has endured decades.
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Scarlett Johansson photographed by David Ferrua for L’OFFICIEL March 2005
March 2005 As the 2000s gained traction, supermodels were swapped for on-the-rise celebrities and fashion-forward It girls as the cover stars of L’OFFICIEL. A decade responsible for the meteoric ascent of celebrity and reality television, the early aughts saw an increased interest in the private lives of movie stars, pop singers, and socialites. Coming off the heels of her performance in Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning film Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson is the epitome of the upcoming starlet in this 2005 cover image photographed by David Ferrua. Pictured in lingerie by Agent Provocateur, which is not-so-subtly covered by a silk trench from Christian Dior by John Galliano, the styling mirrors the overt sexiness popular during the decade. Other cover stars from the aughts range from Vanessa Paradis and Uma Thurman to Lindsay Lohan and Marion Cotillard. Fame was redefined in the early 2000s, but what remains certain is that pop culture’s craving for all things celebrity has become one of the decade’s most enduring elements.
Iman, Ciara, Ajak Deng, Maria Borges, Anais Mali, Grace Boi, Riley Montana, and Adesuwa Aighewi photographed by Ellen von Unwerth for L’OFFICIEL September 2016
September 2016 Fashion and culture are mirror images of one another, mutually evolving over time. As equity and representation mounted in importance through the 2010s, fashion worked to shed its exclusive, Eurocentric image in favor of diverse models, creators, and voices. The September 2016 issue of L’OFFICIEL focused on Black beauty in line with cultural movements that centered Black voices and challenged racism across the institutions of education, culture, art, and beyond. The cover, photographed by Ellen von Unwerth, stars models and icons Iman, Ciara, Ajak Deng, Maria Borges, Anais Mali, Grace Boi, Riley Montana, and Adesuwa Aighewi dressed in Dior Haute Couture and styled with an element of regality, consecrating the important contributions of Black women to the fashion industry. The casting and styling of this cover recognizes that fashion is not mere aesthetics, but a tool to shift values through representation. In the 2010s, fashion was political, and the fashion magazine a powerful platform to feature diverse voices and celebrate previously unheard-from perspectives.
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Jessica Chastain has spent the last decade building the kind of career most actors spend a lifetime pursuing. Here, she gets to dress the part—all the parts. Despite the close attention it’s paid on the red carpet, fashion, for a celebrity, is typically fairly disconnected from a star’s real interior world. For the chameleonic actor Jessica Chastain, though, fashion is elemental: a true pleasure that is both a vehicle for self-expression and an opportunity for inward expansion. Fashion is like music, she says one morning this summer. It’s an art that doubles as a tool she can use. “It constantly makes me feel different things,” she says. “It opens up other parts of myself.” It’s this perspective—along with the kind of exquisite bone structure that belongs as much in Old Hollywood as it does new—that made Chastain the natural choice to pose in decades-spanning designs for the Centennial Issue of L’OFFICIEL.
need an idea of the actor’s range, consider the two projects she has premiering this month: Michael Showalter’s biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye, in which Chastain transformed into the emotive, scandal-plagued evangelist, and Hagai Levi’s present-day reprise of Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 two-hander Scenes from a Marriage for HBO, in which the roles of the husband and wife have been flipped. Chastain speaks with L’OFFICIEL about conquering her fears, her deep feeling for fashion, and what keeps her striving forward—both as a champion of equal rights for women in and out of Hollywood and as an artist. I watched the first two episodes of Scenes from a Marriage available to reviewers, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and congratulations on both really tremendous—and incredibly different—projects and performances. What attracts you to a role? JESSICA CHASTAIN: Well, it depends. Sometimes what attracts me to a role is who I’m working with. Oftentimes it’s if the role is something I’ve never done before and feels challenging. But always what attracts me to a role is feeling like I’m putting L’OFFICIEL:
Anniversaries were on her mind, too, when Chastain spoke to the magazine. It was a few days after she’d returned from Cannes, a full 10 years after her debut there with Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. “My career in cinema is a decade old now, which is shocking,” she says, though that’s really only true in the sense that she’s managed to build one so rich and interesting in such a relatively short period of time. If you
By ALESSANDRA CODINHA Photography ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI Styled by LAURA FERRARA
something positive out into the world. It may not be a nice person I’m playing, but positive in terms of breaking gender stereotypes or pushing a conversation forward. I always ask myself, “What am I putting out in the world? Am I contributing to society?”
JC:
Is that something you always thought about? Or is that something that you realized you had to think about once you were in the industry? JC: I never really thought about it because I was never given the option. At the beginning of your career you’re just so excited to be chosen. And then your career starts to develop and evolve, and instead of feeling excited to be chosen you’re also excited to have choices. And you—everyone actually— start to understand that your power comes from the choices you make.
L’O:
L’O:
When I did Zero Dark Thirty with Kathryn Bigelow, I saw the questions she was being asked, and I saw the difference between how the world and the industry talked to her and how they talked to male filmmakers. I also saw the stereotypes people held about my character. It was really upsetting to me, but at that moment I understood that film can be a political act. That really ignited a desire in me to choose projects that create some kind of ripple in the conversation, push a kind of boundary, and depict real human beings. Was that what drew you to making a movie about Tammy Faye Bakker? JC: I think it was the award circuit for Zero Dark Thirty, and people were asking what I wanted to do next, and the Tammy Faye documentary was on TV and I watched it and thought, Wow, this feels like an incredible part. The singing, the preaching, everything about her. It ticked all the boxes, because for me, it also rights a wrong. I was so upset that she’d been treated the way she had by the media. The fact that we vilified her for the makeup she wore and how she looked instead of listening to what she was saying about love, what she was saying about religion, about Christians, and about what Christianity is supposed to be about; how she was reaching across and really trying to love those who feel like they’ve been abandoned. It broke my heart that she was never acknowledged for that. She was just made into a joke. L’O:
Even now when you mention Tammy Faye, people say, “Oh yeah, she’s singing and there’s mascara running down her face.” I spent hundreds of hours studying her, I looked through all the footage I could find; there’s not one video I could find of mascara running down her face. I think it’s in our memories because of the media, the comedy sketches, and the people making fun of her. And that’s what we remember; it changed our memories of what the reality was. I wanted people to see what she was really about. Speaking of the makeup, and the incredible prosthetics, and the very long manicured nails—the way you open cans of Diet Coke with a nail file in the film answered a lot of questions for me.
L’O:
LEFT—Top, bustier, skirt, and
briefs DIOR Boots GIANVITO ROSSI Belt CELINE Earrings HARRY WINSTON
The reason I know to do that is because my mom had those nails. As soon as we were on set I was like, I need to open one of these, anyone got a nail file? My mom always had a nail file in her purse, and she would use it to open her cans of soda.
Did you have hours and hours and hours in the makeup chair? JC: Oh yeah. Honestly, I’m probably never going to do that again. It was pretty anxiety-ridden for me. I’ve had some health problems in the past: I had a pulmonary embolism, and when I get on an airplane I always think about how I have to be careful and not get blood clots. And sitting there, the first week of work, I’m like, Oh my gosh, it’s like I’m going cross country on a plane every day. You have to sit very still; I would wear compression socks on my legs. The first day of shooting they picked me up at 3:30 in the morning. What I would do is think: How could I make this into something positive? And I watched Tammy Faye for at least 4 hours every morning. Andrew [Garfield, who plays Jim Bakker] would be there and we’d share clips related to the scenes we were doing that day. I watched her, I listened to her, I had an audio file that was just her voice, and when I had to close my eyes for the prosthetics and the makeup and everyone painting me, I would listen and I would repeat after her. I had the longest runway for taking off each day. So by the time I’m in the air, by the time I’m acting, I’ve been on the runway for 4 hours. It really helped once I got on set. But the first time I did the very first test with the whole prosthetic on, it was way too much, and I had a bit of a panic attack. And then when you start to go oh god oh god oh god it looks terrible, at that moment normally you start to sweat, and your heart is beating fast, and all that stuff makes it worse because your skin can’t breathe, and you can’t remove it because it can rip off your skin. Did you do all of your own singing in the film? JC: Yes! Here’s another thing. I was really scared. I mean, I sang in college. But like, actor singing. Cabaret and stuff, nothing like this. And Tammy Faye is a fearless singer, just like she’s fearless in her fashion and in her love—she’s a belter. She just sings it out, sings it to Jesus! And that was very different. When I went into pre-record with Dave Cobb [who produced the music for A Star is Born], who I was so excited to work with, I was terrified. I showed up with a bottle of whiskey and I drank whiskey for two days while I sang. Dave, this is the kind of producer he is, he’s so smart, he raised the notes to a higher key on the second day. He said, we’re going to re-do everything from day one. What?! But he said, “You’re singing it like it’s easy. When she sings, she’s at a 10, she’s at 12, she’s beyond. We need to get you to the point where you’re afraid you’re not going to hit these notes. I need every ounce of energy from you in these songs.” And that’s what we have in the film. You hear me really pushing for every song. L’O:
It’s perfect; you’re the face of L’OFFICIEL’s Centennial Issue, because you go through at least half a century’s worth of fashion trends in this one role. Did you have a favorite? JC: The one thing I really loved, because it was so silly, was the white fur coat with the white hat. Faux fur of course. That’s actually from a picture I saw of her that I took to L’O:
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ABOVE—Dress
ROBERTO CAVALLI Shoes GIANVITO ROSSI Bracelet TIFFANY & CO. OPPOSITE PAGE—Dress JASON WU Bracelet CARTIER PREVIOUS PAGE—Dress CHLOÉ
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Mitchell Travers, our costume designer, like “Mitch, please! we have to recreate this look!” I also love the ‘90s for her. I love her red jacket with the leopard lining—she famously said her two favorite colors were pink and leopard. It’s a way of honoring her.
show that I have curves on my body. I’m drawn to that, but I’m also drawn to androgyny sometimes. The one thing I’m not drawn to, and I will say this, is grandma chic. That’s kind of what I’m not drawn to. How did you approach doing Scenes from a Marriage in 2021? Did you revisit the original Bergman film, or did you want distance from it? JC: Oscar [Isaac] and I definitely revisited. It was important looking at it, but also it was freeing, because a lot of people might ask why we would remake a Bergman film. Also because Liv Ullman is one of the greatest actresses ever—which I know not only because I’ve seen all of her films, but because I’ve worked with her when she directed me. I know who she is and how great she is; there’s nothing I can do better than anything she’s done. For me it was the freedom of us not remaking it, because the genders are swapped. Scenes from a Marriage from the 1970s is incredible because it really is a picture of the marriages of that time: this is what femininity is, this is what masculinity is. And now we take it and go, Okay, what are we going to say about marriage today? What is feminine, what is masculine; what is being a mother and what is being a father; and what is the expectation of the roles that we have to play? I love the original, and Oscar and I studied it in terms of the bigger themes, but in terms of performance, there’s no such thing. I’m playing a completely different character than Liv Ullman played, not only because of the time difference, but because I am playing a different character: the husband. So we studied it, but we also let it go. L’O:
It’s nice when a character enjoys fashion and it’s not solely portrayed as a flaw, or pure vanity. JC: Exactly! Also, what’s wrong with that? I do have an issue with people blaming women for having a ton of shoes, or too many clothes—come on. If someone wants to look fabulous, let them look fabulous. Let them express themselves in whatever way they want to. If they want to wear a pound of makeup, let them do it. If they want to wear wigs, let them do it. I love fashion and glam as a form of self-expression. L’O:
WOMEN ARE FLESH and BLOOD, AND THEY have DESIRES and THEY are COMPLICATED JUST like MEN ARE. You’ve just been at Cannes, which is obviously the ne plus ultra of big, glamorous red carpet moments. Is that something you always enjoyed, or is it just part of the job? JC: Always. Growing up, my grandmother and my mom were always so glamorous—I told you about my mom and her nails and her nail file. It’s always something that I enjoyed, if something I could not ever really afford until I got into this industry. I love fashion because—and this is a strange thing to say—I’m very sensitive, and I can get overstimulated. My husband teases me about this because I chose a career where there are a lot of people around, but if there’s a lot of noise, if there’s a lot of energy, sometimes I have to get quiet and sit in a quiet room for a while. I’m very open and closed. If I’m wearing yellow, I feel it. If I’m wearing a suit, I feel it. I feel the energy of what I’m wearing. If I’m wearing all white and my hair is in braids, if I’ve got a miniskirt on, whatever it is, I feel it and it contributes to me in some way. I do really enjoy putting on gowns and going on the red carpet at Cannes. I don’t know how to describe it, but each outfit that I have the opportunity to wear makes me feel like a different kind of woman. L’O:
Do you find yourself drawn to any one style in particular? You have a very classic look; I feel like every article I read about you referenced Botticelli. JC: I love that, though. I love the history of fashion. I love wearing a corset, I love those kind of classical looks. I’m not a stick figure and I really don’t...over exercise. I exercise, but I’m not crazy about it. I’m happy about that, and I’m happy to L’O:
RIGHT—Dress
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VALENTINO
It did feel very important somehow that this time it was a woman who was driving the action, leaving her husband for a younger man, rather than being the one left behind with the kid. JC: I mean, it happens! It has always happened! It’s happened for hundreds of years actually. That’s what A Doll’s House is about. It isn’t about infidelity, but Nora leaves her family. That play was made a long time ago. So it’s time that we start to go, okay, women are flesh and blood, and they have desires and they are complicated just like men are. Men have been complicated and have done not nice things and sometimes selfish things, and sometimes women do not nice things and selfish things. That’s what it just means to be human, and I think actually we need to understand that women are humans. L’O:
And in one of your 2022 movies, The 355, they get to be action stars, which is exciting. Are there other upcoming projects you’re excited about? JC: The 355 is with Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o, Fan Bingbing, and Diane Kruger, and because all of the actresses are owners of the film, we raised the money ourselves in Cannes, sold the distribution rights, and all get a percentage of the box office. It’s a new way of doing things. I also just did The Good Nurse with Eddie Redmayne, who is divine, and I’m about to go shoot Tammy Wynette with Michael Shannon playing George Jones. And I just want to say, in response to your first question, of what draws me—one thing is looking at all these co-stars. To go to work every day and work with people like that? Who knows how things will turn out, but it’s just so important to me. L’O:
and pants ETRO Shoes VERSACE and skirt SACAI Top STYLIST’S OWN Hat ALTUZARRA HAIR: Renato MAKEUP: Tyron Machhausen MANICURE: Julie SET DESIGN: Jack Flanagan PRODUCTION: Dana Brockman, Nathalie Akiya, and Emily Ullrich DIGITAL TECH: Casanova Cabrera PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Alexei Topounov, Diego Bendezu, and Conor Monaghan STYLIST ASSISTANT: Amer Macarambon SET ASSISTANTS: Todd Knopke and Beau Bourgeois PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS: Brandon Abreau and Patrick McCarthy ABOVE—Jacket
OPPOSITE PAGE—Jacket
The legacy of French nightlife began with clandestine wartime speakeasies, emerged into the mainstream, went back underground, and finally blossomed into unabashed public revelries. 1920s–1940s
According to writer and Parisian nightlife aficionado Maurice Sachs, the first dance halls opened in Paris one hundred years ago, in 1921. During the First World War, social evenings and dances were not considered proper for young women to attend, but it wasn’t long before the nightclub made its appearance. Up until that point, popular balls were held in Montmartre or Montparnasse for the bourgeois and aristocrats, but the dance hall ushered in a new era in which women could safely venture out alone and with no judgment. Sachs writes in The Decade of Illusion: Paris 1918-1928: “A real dance hall has red lacquered walls, orange and blue lanterns; chiaroscuro and hurried hands; on the left, tango orchestra, on the right, a jazz band: piano, trombone, saxophone, drums, and shell cymbals.” By 1925, there were more than one hundred of these establishments spread across the capital. Le Perroquet, Chez Florence, Florida, Gaya, Bricktop, and Delli’s are but a few names that are now all but forgotten. Only Maxim’s and Le Boeuf sur le Toit remain, the latter of which has recently been restored to its former glory by designer Alexis Mabille. Thanks to its popularity among Paris’ avant-garde, namely the poet Jean Cocteau, Le Boef remains a symbol of the Roaring ‘20s. The years between the wars marked the period of the great surrealist balls of Etienne de Beaumont or Charles de Noailles in their hotel near the Place des États-Unis. This dance-frenzied Paris was as debaucherous as the 18thcentury post-revolutionary era, when relatives of those who
lost their lives to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror held bals de victimes (“victim’s balls”). This was an era of the most sumptuous brothels, where men—and also couples—came to finish the night with women and ever-flowing champagne. The names of such establishments have remained famous: Le Sphinx, Le Chabanais, and Le One-Two-Two, which is notorious for serving as a branch office for the Gestapo during the German occupation of World War II. Postwar, Parisian nightlife went subterranean. Even after American soldiers stopped blowing their air raid sirens, the zazous of Le Tabou or Le Caveau des Lorientais were used to hiding in cellars, and the underground began to reverberate with the sound of American Bebop. There were no sound systems at the time. Even pick-ups—ancestors of the turntable—were rare. The violin was quickly replaced by a band—often featuring writer and musician Boris Vian or jazz clarinetist Claude Luter—on a small stage, and moving bodies, among them Marc Doelnitz, Anne Marie Casalis, Juliette Greco, and Michel de Ré. This move underground began on April 11, 1947 at 33 rue Dauphine. The owners of Tabou invited the clientele of the Café de Flore after the famous cafe closed at midnight. The singer Juliette Greco, who had dropped her coat in the cellar, discovered the basement and arranged with the owners to rent it out as a rehearsal space. Thus, the first Parisian club was born.
By SIMON LIBERATI
1950s–1970s
The 1950s came along with the reign of Jean Castel and Régine Zylberberg. It was at the Palais Royal that Régine opened her first club, Le Whisky à Gogo. She later moved to the Left Bank, opening Jimmy's in Saint Germain, then further to Montparnasse with New Jimmy's, which became emblematic of Parisian nightlife. With Jean Castel’s outpost on Rue Princesse, the pair lured an international clientele: American movie stars, English rockers, and glamorous models, as well as the Windsors (whom Régine taught to dance the twist), Jacqueline Onassis, and the Shah of Iran. But it was the regulars, perched on the large couch at the entrance of New Jimmy’s or the banquettes at Castel who were the soul of these spots— Sagan and her gang, Annabelle Buffet, David de Rothschild, Philippe Junot, actor Jean Pierre Cassel, models from Catherine Harlé, and call girls from Chez Claude. At Castel, Alain Delon flirted with Nathalie Barthélémy, who would later become his wife, while a few feet away the future Bianca Jagger danced with her partner of the moment, the record producer Eddie Barclay. Not far away, David Niven, Andy Warhol, and Eddie Sedgwick mingled. At New Jimmy’s, the evenings ended at dawn in Régine’s apartment above the club, where the crowd dined on her famous meatballs to soak up all the alcohol. In the 1970s, the jetset took over from the high society crowd, which was no surprise since this was also the beginning of the sexual liberation movement. The city’s gay clubs, which were formerly confined to the Palais Royal neighborhood or the rougher parts of Pigalle, settled in Rue Sainte Anne near the Avenue de l'Opéra. The most famous was Le Sept, run by Fabrice Emaer, a former hairdresser. Le Sept hosted everyone from Yves Saint Laurent to Karl Lagerfeld and their respective entourages. In 1978, Emaer opened the greatest Parisian folie, Le Palace, which would become the French version of New York’s Studio 54. Inaugurated with an over-the-top concert by Grace Jones, which included a performance of “La Vie en Rose” sung from atop a pink Harley Davidson, the Palace attracted a fashionable and eclectic crowd including the queen of punk Edwige Belmore, Louis Aragon, Madame Grès, and the likes of Loulou de la Falaise and Thadée Klossowski. The Palace ushered in a whole new level of glamour to the nightlife scene and would go on to see performances by Talking Heads, The B-52’s, and Prince.
LEFT, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT—Princess
Caroline and Phillipe Junot circa 1977. Photo by Sonia Moskowitz; Barney Wilen and Juliette Greco. Photo by Ullstein Bild; Johnny Hallyday and his friend Nancy leave Regine’s in 1976. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff; Marisa Berenson in 1978. Photo by Jean-Claude Francolon; Jean-Paul Belmondo and Johnny Hallyday in 1977. Photo by Daniel Simon; Catherine Deneuve and Jacques Chazot in 1973. Photo by Patrice Picot; Cabaret show at the Lido in 1975. Photo by Michel Ginfray; Mick Jagger and Bianca Jaggerat at Chez Castel in 1977. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff. Photographs throughout via Getty Images
PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM TOP—Dancing in Paris in 1931. Illustration from the book Paris published by Ernest Flammarion. Photo by The Print Collector; A vintage French postcard advertising the Bullier ballroom circa 1900. Photo by Paul Popper; Marie-Hélène de Rothschild and Spanish painter Salvador Dali arriving at Lido in 1973. Photo by Patrice Picot; Performance at Lido in 1931. Photo by GammaKeystone; Dancing at Zellie in 1929. Photo by Bettmann
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1980s–2020s
At Le Palace, the last important Parisian balls were held before Haute Couture, and Christian Dior relaunched them for fashion week. At the same time, Fabrice Coat took over an old public bath located near Les Halles and created the first Bains Douches, which drew comparisons to New York’s Mudd Club. Les Bains Douches became known for its show business clientele and their appetite for cocaine by the early ’80s. The rockers and punks shuttled between the Gibus club in Paris’ République area and La Main Bleue, a basement den at the town hall of Montreuil where patrons in black leather mingled, and people danced to the music of Serge Kruger. In the ’80s, Le Palace upgraded and became Le Privilège, and Les Bains Douches became Les Bains. The city’s trendy set found themselves at Tango, Rose Bonbon, Opéra Night, and the Royal, a place not far from the Olympia. La Main Jaune was the place for fans of roller skates and Mezcal. This was the moment of reggae-salsa music which would soon be followed by rap at the Globo and rave parties in abandoned spots across the city. DJs were soon becoming superstars with residencies at specific clubs. David Guetta spun the wheels of steel at Chance, which would later become Moloko. Meanwhile, Marthe Lagache and Franck Chevalier (husband of Nina Hagen) opened the most amusing and eclectic club of the late ’80s: the Zoopsie in Bobino. On the Champs-Élysées, several swanky spots for the rich and famous opened, where actor Anthony Delon paraded around with his girlfriends, including Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. The ’90s were ruled by the Queen club, which was charming if not a little vulgar. There was also the unforgettable La Scala. Meanwhile, Cathy Guetta recovered the indestructible Le Bains Douches, while Régine found herself at the deserted Le Palace. The new millennium opened with a welcome surprise: Le Baron, a former brothel on Avenue Marceau, was reinvented by the graphic designer turned nightlife impresario André Saraiva. Saraiva, Olivier Zahm of Purple magazine, and businessman Jean Yves Le Fur, would go on to open Montana on Rue Saint Benoit, energizing the Saint Germain neighborhood. As for the 2020s, the decade started well with Cicciolina and Serpent à Plume, chez Maitre Binoche, and Place des Vosges. These places will reinvent themselves after the pandemic-era curfew that allowed Paris to dip back in to its prohibition-era behavior, with the opening of exclusive speakeasy bars and hotels bathed in champagne. Velvet nights are once again underground. Clockwise, from top left—Jerry Hall and Claude Montana at Le Palace in 1980. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff; Grace Jones and Helmut Berger at Le Palace in 1983. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff; Thierry Mugler, Edwige Belmore, and Jean Paul Gaultier at Les Bains Douches in 1990. Photo by Foc Kan; Caroline of Monaco, Marc Bohan and Stéphanie of Monaco at Le Palace in 1984. Photo by Gamma-Rapho; Azzedine Alaia, Hubert Boukobza, and Naomi Campbell at Les Bains Douches. Photo by Foc Kan; Karl Lagerfeld, Victoire de Castellane, and Catherine Deneuve at Les Bains Douches in 1992. Photo by Arnal/Picot; Susanne Bartsch at Le Queen Club during fashion week in the 1990s. Photo by Foc Kan
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As L’OFFICIEL celebrates a century of groundbreaking images, model Erin O’Connor looks to the past and present, embodying some of the most important looks in modern fashion history. Photography CHRIS SUTTON Styled by AMANDA HARLECH
The Twenties ERIN:
Dress MIU MIU Shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK Bag VINTAGE FROM VIRGINIA BATES Tights EMILIO CAVALLINI
ERIN:
Dress VALENTINO Shoes MANOLO BLAHNIK Hat STEPHEN JONES Tights WOLFORD Scarf VINTAGE
The Thirties Itemtk BRANDTK Itemtk BRANDTK
ERIN:
Coat (worn over) and skirt VINTAGE Coat (worn under) GIVENCHY Shirt GUCCI Shoes TERRY DE HAVILLAND Hat ACADEMY COSTUMES Stockings COSPROP OPPOSITE PAGE—ERIN: Jacket and skirt BRANDON CHOI Necklace VINTAGE FROM DEBORAH WOOLF VINTAGE Headpiece STEPHEN JONES
The Forties
ERIN:
Cape, jacket, and skirt LOEWE Hat NOEL STEWART Brooch VINTAGE FROM DEBORAH WOOLF VINTAGE
The Fifties
The Sixties JEREMIAH:
Dress COURRÈGES Boots VINTAGE FROM THE ARC Hat NINA RICCI
The Seventies JEREMIAH:
Coat CHLOÉ Jeans VINTAGE LEVI’S Hat PHILIP TREACY ERIN: Jacket, shirt, pants, and belt CELINE
ERIN: Jacket
VINTAGE YOHJI YAMAMOTO Dress YOHJI YAMAMOTO Boots ALEXANDER McQUEEN
The Eighties
The Nineties ERIN:
Jacket VINTAGE COMME DES GARÇONS Top and skirt NENSI DOJAKA Shoes VINTAGE ALEXANDER McQUEEN FROM THE ARC
The Aughts ERIN: Jacket
VINTAGE DIOR HOMME Dress BLUMARINE Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Sunglasses VINTAGE TOM FORD
Coat, shirt, boots, bag, and hat GUCCI and bodysuit RICHARD QUINN MODEL: Erin O’Connor and Jeremiah Berko Fordjour HAIR: Sam McKnight MAKEUP: Adam DeCruz MANICURE: Jennie Nippard PROPS STYLIST: Ash Halliburton PRODUCTION: Susannah Phillips PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Maria Monfort Plana and Darryl Otten STYLIST ASSISTANT: Peter Aluuan PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: Alfie McDonald JEREMIAH:
OPPOSITE PAGE—ERIN: Dress
The Tens 123
Renowned fashion illustrator René Gruau was one of the most significant figures to leave his mark on the pages of L’OFFICIEL. Often drawing comparisons to the great French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Gruau’s Japonisme-inspired use of color and commanding sense of line transformed the fashion image, evoking the elegance and high style of the couture-dominated era. Gruau’s collaborations with L’OFFICIEL spanned more than 55 years, throughout which he illustrated 11 covers and countless spreads. His first cover for L’OFFICIEL was published in 1947, and effortlessly captured a moment when Haute Couture was experiencing a post-war surge of newness, sparking a lifelong connection between the illustrator and the elegance of French couture.
Born in 1909 to an Italian nobleman father and an aristocratic French mother, Gruau was originally the Conte Renato Zavagli Ricciardelli delle Caminate. After his parents separated when he was just three years old, his mother moved them from Italy to France. The young illustrator left his title behind as well, preferring to take on his mother’s maiden name. Maria Gruau posed as her son’s first model, and left a profound impact on the artist, having instilled in him an early interest in Haute Couture and a devotion to elegance in all its forms. Gruau pursued his talent and interest in drawing from a young age, despite having no formal education or training in the subject. By age 14 he was supporting himself and his mother
By PIPER McDONALD & TORI NERGAARD
Illustrations by René Gruau for L’OFFICIEL 1940-1991
Turning couture silhouettes into fashion illustrations, René Gruau captured the fantasy that comes with such spectacular designs.
by selling his illustrations to local magazines, with Lidel offering him his first commission in 1924. Gruau moved to Paris in 1930; however, it wasn’t until 1936 that he made his first contribution to L’OFFICIEL. Gruau’s black-and-white drawings of hats designed by the fashionable Danish milliner Erik Braagaard showcased the illustrator’s use of bold lines and his distinct approach to portraying his model’s features. Appearing alongside these first drawings for the magazine is Gruau’s iconic signature, which shows an asterisk above his last name—a flourish he added after an ink blot mishap earlier in his career.
Gruau knew better than anyone that fashion was not only about the physical garment, but also the fantasy and image associated with it. Fashion was a mood, an idea, and magazine readers were parched for images that translated this feeling for their viewing pleasure. The artistic style perfected by Gruau satiated their thirst. The illustrator prioritized the line. He once remarked: “If you draw a line with a pencil and it is well-made, that is art for me. The same law that makes a good fashion drawing art allows for a Picasso painting to be bad.” Applying the rules of fine art to fashion illustration, Gruau recognized the emotionally transformative power of the fashion fantasy. It was his purposeful and impressive use of line that matched so perfectly to the couture that he illustrated. The rough, wide brush marks that bordered his famed silhouettes were inspired by methods of Japanese calligraphy, according to the artist himself, offering a mode of illustration that was entirely fresh to the European fashion publication. Gruau spent World War II in unoccupied Cannes, where he helped his friend, Christian Dior, find work, meanwhile making drawings for Marie Claire. It was during this time that Gruau claims to have inspired Dior to open his own maison. After the war came a revival of French couture, signified by ABOVE, LEFT—Models in gowns by Jean Dessès, Robert Piguet, and Pierre Balmain illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1947 RIGHT, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP—Model in Givenchy illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1952; Model in Dior illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1947; The Ballets de Chota de Monte Carlo illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1946; Model in Marcel Rochas illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1946; Model in Grès illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1947; Model in Lucien Lelong illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1946
Dior’s 1947 New Look. The illustrator worked as the artistic director for advertising at Christian Dior after this seminal moment in fashion history, ultimately becoming so central to the house’s identity that he was offered the late designer’s role of creative director after Dior’s untimely death 10 years later— Gruau did not accept. Gruau befriended many of the couturiers with whom he worked, among them Cristóbal Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy, and even a young Yves Saint Laurent. His closest friends, however, were Dior and Jacques Fath, whom he met early in their careers, and with whom he shared longstanding professional and personal relationships. In a 1989 interview with L’OFFICIEL, Gruau recalled the many parties they attended together in post-war Paris, when they considered
a night eating at a typical bistro “slumming it,” and their tuxedos seldom had the night off. Never referring to himself as an artist, Gruau preferred to be called a commercial illustrator. Indeed, some of his most famous works are the advertisements he created for the Miss Dior perfume, the lingerie and stockings of Scandale, and the infamous advertisement for Rouge Baiser, in which a blindfolded woman’s bright red lips exude a provocative sensuality. And while these famous works were born to be temporary campaigns works, they live on over half a century later as works of art in their own right, lining the walls of the most stylish homes or residences and hanging in some of the most respected museums in the world. Gruau passed away in 2004 at the age of 95, carrying the legacy of couture illustration long beyond its heyday. His talent and significance lay in his ability to understand the changing climate of fashion while staying true to his unique aesthetic and point of view. His iconic style remained sought after even during his later years, with the illustrator producing a final cover for L’OFFICIEL in 1991. While the spirit of couture had shifted endlessly throughout the long span of his career, Gruau’s work always spoke to the cultural fashion zeitgeist.
Gruau’s ILLUSTRATIONS REFLECT the PINNACLE of THE COUTURE WORLD, BRINGING TOGETHER ITS tangible ELEMENTS and DEEPEST FANTASIES.
LEFT, FROM TOP—Models
in Jean Dessès, Jean Desses-Anfran, and Jacques Fath illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1947; Models in gowns by Jacques Fath, Pierre Balmain, and Robert Piguet illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1949; Models in Jacques Fath, Paquin, and Marcel Rochas illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1949 ABOVE, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP—Model in hat by Erik Braagaard illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1936; Cover from L’OFFICIEL Spring 1948; Model in hat by Erik Braagaard illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1936; Advertisement for Mistigri, a perfume by Jacques Griffe illustrated for L’OFFICIEL in 1952
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An icon celebrated as much for her groundbreaking editorials as her glamorous personality, Pat Cleveland reflects on the past, the future, and her September 1971 cover of L’OFFICIEL. You’re here today to celebrate your famous L’OFFICIEL cover shot in 1971. What does it mean to you to be able to revisit this moment in your life? PAT CLEVELAND: I’ve always lived in that moment. Arriving in Paris at 20 years old and being asked to pose for the magazine is one of the most spectacular things that has ever happened to me. Pierre Cardin was there the day of the shoot—it was such a surprise. It was also my first shoot in Paris, and when he walked into the room my heart was beating so fast. I wholly fell in love with Pierre; he was my idol. You know, I studied fashion and I wore his clothes L’OFFICIEL:
Photography DEIRDRE LEWIS Styled by MECCA JAMES-WILLIAMS
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PREVIOUS PAGE—Shirt
ABOVE AND OPPOSITE PAGE—Coat and earrings SCHIAPARELLI and pants ALIETTE Shoes JIMMY CHOO Necklace GUCCI Earrings and ring MATTEO
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as a 15 year old. To actually have him standing next to me...I could hardly imagine that a moment like that would happen to me. It was magic. And then when they shot me for the cover, wearing that Dior coat, I was in ecstasy. It was the most luxurious thing you could put on your body, and I just sort of melted into it. What was the fashion world like when you shot the cover? PC: At the time I was American coming over to Paris, and I was working with Antonio Lopez and Karl Lagerfeld, who were just coming up. The clothes reflected the changing times and the music in the streets. Before, fashion was just for ladies of society and movie stars. I remember when I was doing shows for big couturiers like Madame Grès and Schiaparelli, the room was completely silent and you carried a card; fashion was a private thing. Suddenly, everyone was beginning to have access to clothing and fantasy, and in the ‘70s there was this raw energy everywhere, like everyone was trying to find a space where they could express themselves through art and aesthetics, like Andy Warhol. L’O:
Regarding the evolving role of women in fashion and the workforce in general, what change have you been either most excited or grateful or furious about? PC: Women have a lot to deal with. We feel vulnerable, and like we have to nourish the world, but at the same time there are doors that have been opened by the women who came before us to let us have an opportunity to express ourselves. They said: Yes, we can wear slacks. We can wear suits. We can smoke cigarettes. We can have a business. We can have a family and a business. We can go to school. We can be powerful, and we are very serious about our power. That doesn’t mean you have to give up your femininity. That’s why fashion is so important because it gives us a chance to blossom in that beautiful exterior way—as well as on the inside—no matter our DNA. Fashion can also be a tool—it helps to be modest when you need to be. You don’t want to run around like a bird with no feathers. L’O:
Is there a certain garment or piece of jewelry that makes you feel your best? PC: My wedding ring. It was made by Dutch designer and it’s a simple ring, but I wear it with everything. As far as clothing goes, there’s a story behind every garment that was given to me. I feel sentimental toward and am very possessive of my clothes, but many of them are also being displayed in museums. So I’m very happy that they have served me and also now serve a purpose. Sometimes I’ll go to a museum and see my dress and then think, Oh, but I would like to wear you today. And then I’ll get very upset and just want to break through the glass and take it back to my house, but I have to let it go. I never in my heart let go of any beautiful dress that I’ve worn. It’s always in my heart. L’O:
RIGHT— September
1971 cover of L’OFFICIEL and dress MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Earring ALEXANDER McQUEEN HAIR: Junya Nakashima MAKEUP: Kuma PRODUCTION: Sarah Milik LILI STUDIOS PHOTO ASSISTANTS: Michel Oscar and Paula Andrea Poulsen STYLIST ASSISTANT: Raz Martinez OPPOSITE PAGE—Coat
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What would you like to see happen in the fashion world over the next 100 years? PC: Oh wow. Everyone now is trying to go to the edge of outer space. I mean, I guess they’re going to have hostesses that need to dress appropriately. So I’d like someone to design something that lets your skin breathe, new fabrics that don’t hurt the planet, and clothes that will make you feel healed. I think healing is a very important part of dressing as well. You know, color vibrations and garments that make your body feel good. I think that’s the future. L’O:
IN THE ’70s THERE WAS THIS RAW ENERGY everywhere, LIKE EVERYONE WAS TRYING to FIND A SPACE WHERE they COULD EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH ART and AESTHETICS.
Collections Fall 2021
Call it the new minimalism: This fall’s shapes take inspiration from the ’90s while remaining undoubtedly of the moment. Photography MENELIK PURYEAR Styled by JERMAINE DALEY
pants GUCCI Shoes GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Necklace SOPHIE BUHAI Earrings DEMARSON JORDY: Jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes GUCCI OPPOSITE PAGE, MILA: Cardigan, sweater, skirt, and boots PRADA PREVIOUS PAGE, FROM LEFT—VAQUEL: Jacket, dress, and shoes BOTTEGA VENETA MILA: Dress and boots BOTTEGA VENETA JORDY: Pants and shoes BOTTEGA VENETA
FROM LEFT—MILA: Jacket, shirt, and
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FROM LEFT—MILA:
Dress and gloves LANVIN VAQUEL: Dress, boots, and gloves LANVIN Sweater, pants, and boots ALEXANDER McQUEEN
OPPOSITE PAGE—JORDY:
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MILA: Dress
and boots MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION Necklace TIFFANY & CO. VAQUEL: Shoes MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION
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JORDY:
Jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes CELINE Dress BURBERRY Boots GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
OPPOSITE PAGE—VAQUEL:
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SALVATORE FERRAGAMO MILA: Jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Jacket, sweater, pants, and shoes SALVATORE FERRAGAMO OPPOSITE PAGE—MILA: Jacket, dress, bag, and earrings GIVENCHY Boots GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI
FROM LEFT—VAQUEL: Dress
JORDY:
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Romper, shoes, and necklace SAINT LAURENT Jacket, shirt, pants, and belt SAINT LAURENT
FROM LEFT—VAQUEL: JORDY:
MILA: Coat, top, skirt, and shoes FENDI Coat, jumpsuit, and shoes DRIES VAN NOTEN Earrings JENNIFER FISHER MODELS: Vaquel THE INDUSTRY Mila Ganame NEXT Jordy Ortiz DNA HAIR: Gonn Konnoshita MAKEUP: Rommy Najor MANICURE: Daria Hardeman PROPS STYLIST: Shane Paula Klein PRODUCTION: Roger Inniss BOOM PRODUCTIONS DIGITAL TECH: Brandon Bakus TAILOR: Carol Ai PHOTO ASSISTANT: William Takahashi STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Niambi Moore and Mikai Booth OPPOSITE PAGE—VAQUEL:
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Take a stroll around La Ville Lumièr, greeting the season in feminine silhouettes and a confident strut. Photography GUEN FIORE Styled by VANESSA BELLUGEON
and pants CHANEL Top PRUNE GOLDSCHMIDT Shoes AMINA MUADDI Rings KARRY GALLERY OPPOSITE PAGE—Jacket, top, and shorts VALENTINO Shoes GUCCI PREVIOUS PAGE—Coat MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION Top and pants MONCLER Shoes AMINA MUADDI Hat PETUSA ABOVE—Jacket
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ABOVE—Dress
LOUIS VUITTON Bag AU DÉPART Earrings KARRY GALLERY Headband PETUSA Tights FALKE and shoes BOTTEGA VENETA Dress MIU MIU Skirt MONCLER Headband PETUSA
OPPOSITE PAGE—Coat
ABOVE— Jacket
MONCLER Top PRUNE GOLDSCHMIDT Pants DIOR Boots HERMÈS Bag VALENTINO Sunglasses STYLIST’S OWN ISABEL MARANT Bodysuit INTIMISSIMI Shoes RENE CAOVILLA Bag LOUIS VUITTON Tights CALZEDONIA
OPPOSITE PAGE— Coat
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necklace SAINT LAURENT Shoes MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION Tights CALZEDONIA and dress HERMÈS Ring KERRY GALLERY Hat MONCLER MODEL: Queen Toïdé HAIR AND MAKEUP: Sergio Corvacho PHOTO ASSISTANT: Emma Roze STYLIST ASSISTANT: Lily Grace
ABOVE— Cardigan, bodysuit, and
OPPOSITE PAGE—Jacket
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Collections Fall 2021
PASTORAL
fantasy
Whether on the city streets or in the ring, hit your stride in a glamorous tableau of rich hues, leather accents, and statement accessories. Photography PAOLO MUSA Styled by GIULIO MARTINELLI
ABOVE—Jacket
and skirt ALEXANDER McQUEEN Boots STYLIST’S OWN Necklace and earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat and whip GUCCI DIOR Shoes SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Necklace and earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat and whip GUCCI PREVIOUS PAGE—Sweater, skirt, and boots CELINE
OPPOSITE PAGE—Dress
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whip GUCCI Earrings SCHIAPARELLI LOEWE Boots PRADA Necklace and earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat and whip GUCCI
ABOVE—Cape, dress, boots, hat, and OPPOSITE PAGE—Coat
ABOVE—Dress
LOEWE Necklace and earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat GUCCI and boots BOTTEGA VENETA Earrings SCHIAPARELLI
OPPOSITE PAGE—Dress
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bag PRADA Earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat GUCCI boots LOUIS VUITTON Necklace and earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat and whip GUCCI
ABOVE—Coat, boots, and OPPOSITE PAGE—Cape, shirt, and
ANNAKIKI Boots PRADA Earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat GUCCI boots VALENTINO Earrings SCHIAPARELLI Hat GUCCI MODEL: Liza Ostanina HAIR: Daniel Manzini MAKEUP: Lucia Giacomin DIGITAL OPERATOR: Luca Giorla STYLIST ASSISTANTS: Terry Lospalluto and Barbara Zilli ABOVE—Dress
OPPOSITE PAGE—Cape, dress, and
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The couple behind French interior design studio Gilles & Boissier—an opposites-attract marriage of sensibilities—look back, and forward, in a new book. By DAN RUBINSTEIN 172
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