IN ATELIER
© FROLOVEMBROIDERY
© ELIE SAABJEWELRY
CATWALK
© GEORGES CHAKRATEXTILE
ART
© Franck SorbierARTISANAL
DESIGN
“MIRROR OH MIRROR...”
Photographer: ISSHOGAI
Stylist: Audrey JEHANNO
Dress : Seyit Ares
Makup: Julie AIGRET
Model: Vyolet ANDROS
Critical Fashion
Abundant controversy notwithstanding, Covid-19 has had some beneficial consequences, especially in heightening attention to environmental sustainability and social equity, eschewing practices which harm people and nature. This new sensitivity supports critical fashion orientations, combining style with mindfulness of social justice, animal welfare and ecological integrity. Fast fashion is driven by superficial reflex actions which annihilate the buyer’s personality while producing the heaps of rubbish so famous in Chili’s Atacama Desert where an estimated 59,000 tons of fast fashion garments are dumped every year. Legal waste facilities in many parts of the world will not accept the harmful chemical products contained in these products and thus they are disposed of illegally. The devastating consequences of crass consumerism are multiplied all along the value chain. Take the example of cotton whose industrial production requires as much as 22,500 liters of water for a single kilogram of fiber. Massive water and chemical use desertifies vast territories, most famously in the complete evaporation of what was once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea of Uzbekistan. Even Europe produces cotton, including Sicily where cotton cultivation was imported by the Arabs in the 9th century. In the 1950s 350,000 hectares of Sicilian arable were given over to cotton, whose cultivation then declined and eventually disappeared in the 1990s.
Cotton cultivation is now being reintroduced to Sicily by a courageous entrepreneur, Manlio Carta.
He aims to have 5,000 hectares devoted to cotton by 2026, supplying raw material to fabric makers that exalt demand for high quality garments entirely grown and produced in Italy.
This is not the intensive water-thirsty cotton variety of years past, but one requiring little water and no chemical treatment. His success bears witness to the new orientation of fashion users, ever more attuned to environmental and inclusionary issues. Fortunately, today it is increasingly fashionable to support producers who strive to reduce the negative outcomes of their activities while enhancing the positive ones. This is seen in Livia Stoianova & Yassen Samouilov spring-summer collection presented at the 2023 Paris fashion week.
The Sunlightpower collection reflects concern for the geopolitical and environmental implications of energy sourcing whose negativities can be attenuated by using diffuse energy supplies, including these energy producing garments of rare beauty. This refined techno couture captures solar energy as well as the piezoelectric power generated by ordinary movements. Their collection expresses the designers’ membership of a critical community which is drawing together ever more fashion users all over the world.
Gregory Overton Smith D.Phil. Oxford Temple University RomeRE-GENER ACTION
Aelis COUTURE
SUPERNOVA
Re-Gener-Action is the mood that accompanies the collection and is the theme treated through Re-GenerAction is the mood that accompanies the collection and is the theme treated through the continuous exchange between the New and the Old, between the Movement and the Static ,between sky and his memory of hearth.
The creation of the collection passes from the emotional gesture that imprinted in the memory goes to look for the hidden side of the logicalsequence. A hidden side that surprises and that refers to the passion capable of ReGenerAction.
When the emotional gesture manages to inspire and generate beauty and art, it is also capable to accompany the growth of the ecological awareness that animates and generates AELIS creations.
Very long fringes of glass beads imitate the movement of galaxies and illuminate and reflect the light of a long dress and mini skirt worn with ahoody embellished with metals pearls. The amazing work of embroideries dated 1920 that overlap the natural organic silk dress,offers a point of view that opens the reflection to the passage of time and the consumption of matterbut also to the permanence of the art object.
The dress created and handmade with care and wonder is an object of artand, as such, it crosses time without losing its value. Sofia works by making very different elements dialogue with each other, creating silhouettes that integrate and go beyond the functional and temporal notion.
BEAUTY & ART
HAUTE COUTURE SS23
Arte Povera of the 70s” that talks about Nature and artificial Images,while inspiring the creation of disconnected or unrelated elements, almost lostin the cosmic void that surrounds them without ever sucking them in,inspires the creation of a punk bomber jacketdecorated as a uniform with precious silver ears of wheat created from the mold of species of ancient wheat
that Sofia sows and harvests in Tuscany. The ecological technique of “plissage” inspired by Fortuny made entirely by hand with heat and steam, is an element present in the collection andis aimed at expressing the passage of time asa mark printed in the fibers. A natural silk satin muslin dress with tiny wrinkled folds accompanied an embroidered tunic.
A vaporous and impalpable evening gown in wrinkled vintage tulle settles on the body like a cloud of steam in shades of green “degradé” fromwater to emerald. An oversized hemp sailor tunic is worn on a pearl embroidered mini short combo;Hemp is always present in all AELIS collections and the “Maison” accompanies research and development of thisecosustainable material.A bouquet of ancient Capodimonte porcelain flowers and vintage bamboo coral made by Les Interessants ,settles like a precious miracle over anorganic silk mousseline dress in shades of red inspired by the color of the energy of the stars. An antique Tribal necklace of red and white glass pearls strung with coconut thread rests on a nude silk satin dress embellished with an embroideryon tulle with pearls and black stones.The engagement of AELIS continues in the casting of the muses present at the fashion show because AELIS does not intend to link the femininity of its creations tothe gender of its muses. The defense of craftsmanship that includes the concept of art, finds in couture and haute couture a form of real expression. Creating a dress i is synonymous, not only of beauty , but also of artistic creation and recognitionof the individual value of the workgeneratingthe piece of artcouture to wear.star is the multiverse, star is light, star is beauty. Search in the past what you see in the future, erase the temporal sensation of the presentTo Suzanne
THE CONCEPT OF ART
Alexis Mabille
3) Sheath dress, V-shaped bustier with draped double-panels, in anise colored crepe.
4) Blouse crafted from Paris pink colored changing taffeta, with batwing sleeves. Skirt with draped tiers, open at the side, in Paris pink colored crepe princess.
5) Long backless sheath dress in orange jersey, veiled with lace in the back, capped sleeves made of jersey and crepe princess gathered at the chest.
6) Long asymmetrical dress in Danube blue crepe, draped above the hip, embroidered with multicolored patterns; worn with matching embroidered satin corset.
7) Long backless sheath dress in embroidered organza with multicolored patterns, rectangle top crafted from changing organza panels that are thrown onto the back.
“MOONLIGHT AND DUST”
For Ashi’s SS’23 couture collection, it all began with a fantastic vision, an epic tale of love just beyond the horizon, two lovers named Penelope and Orion lost between remote worlds.
As the fantasy goes, she remains trapped on a desolate earth ravaged by dust and he on the moon, a pristine sanctuary she longs to reach.
Their heroine toils beneath the sun, gathering dust and ashes that make up the scorched terrain around her to erect a mountain tall enough to summit above the atmosphere and finally join her love among the stars.
ASHI STUDIO
“The Man on the Moon calls again ‘Listen, beloved, to the soft approach of Night”
A love among the stars
The collection of dresses and ensembles represents a return to roots for the brand, seizing the moment to delve deep into its maximal impulses while maintaining the pure lines ofits amplified silhouettes. This season the selection offers a twist on devastated glamour as wanderers of solemn landscapes in majestic shrouds. The textures compose shredded organzas and wisps of frayed mohair, volcanic crystal appliqués and crushed stones with dangling pearl charms in harmonious arrangements.
Figure-hugging outlines act as heroic bodyarmor and over-blown shapes mimic natural rock formations, juxtaposing one another with masterful balance.
AZ Factory
AZ Factory presented its newest collection created in collaboration with Tennessy Thoreson through an extraordinary Cabaret show featuring sophisticated skill sets commonly used in the art of ShowBusiness.
Always imbued in a histrionic and acrossthe-board reality, Tennessy imagined this collection as an ode to joy, and extravagance through 12 characters defined as ‘Super Heroines’.
Tennessy and AZ Factory specifically empathized on curating a cast that would transcript the same values that the collection stands for, with a cast of performers ranging from Drag Race superstars with Parisian and international talents from different performing arts backgrounds.
Silhouettes are sharp, tailored and body revealing. Every piece has been totally hand-sewn by AZ Factory Atelier Maison. Cuts and constructions observe strict and traditional Couture codes for both flou and tailleur, with flamboyant and unexpected theatrical details adding surprise and panache.
The result is an organic, authentic dialogue between the younger generation and the values and rituals of Couture: inclusivity meets exclusivity.
The collection will be available for bespoke and made-to-measure, offering and exclusive and veritable experience with AZ Factory’s own Atelier.
SUPER HEROINES
THE VALUES AND RITUALS OF COUTURE
ABOUT AZ FACTORY
Believing in smart fashion that cares, AZ Factory was founded by the late Alber Elbaz with Richemont in 2020 to ‘create beautiful, practical, and solutionsdriven fashion that works for everyone’. Anchored in the highest disciplines of style and savoir-faire, AZ Factory’s universe seamlessly blends traditional craftsmanship with forwardlooking applications and technology in quest of true innovation.
Since 2022, AZ Factory has evolved into a multidisciplinary platform that goes beyond the conventional fashion blueprint, daringly supporting creation and young talent as a creative collective with a curatorial approach.
Recent collaborations include Thebe Magugu, Ester Manas, Club Domani, Cyril Bourez and Lutz Huelle.
ABOUT TENNESSY THORESON
AZ Factory first met French Designer Tennessy Thoreson during his Head Geneva 2021 graduation show and was immediately intrigued by his talent, creativity, technical skills, extraordinary power of storytelling and the emotional capacity to communicate it.
Tennessy recognized Alber’s style and values as a focal point of inspiration to create this collection and was particularly impelled by the creative lab concept of AZ Factory.
An ode ...to joy
A GOLDEN DAWN
ELIE SAAB
She is the illusion of a GOLDEN DAWN, illuminating celebrations of fantastical proportions while gracing them with endless possibility and plenty. Overflowing with sheer bliss and desire, the opulent ceremony is royal in its scope and regal in its progression, carrying on infinitely, in an imperial land where the sun remains forever above the horizon
The ELIE SAAB HAUTE COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 23 moves in such currents of richness and symbols of abundance. Each majestic piece is intricate and ornate, carefully created with impressions from the natural scenes and rituals of the revered kingdom of Thailand, where rich cultures of gilded splendor inspire the imagination and artistry of ELIE SAAB..
To inaugurate the captivating celebration, she begins her perpetual rise alongside her partner, and together, in splendid harmony, they emit glistening braided embroideries and beaded rays across soft natural colorscapes of graciously moving silhouettes.
Shimmering rhinestones and crystals weave into the delicate metallic tresses of whispy capes and sumptuous large coats that make elegant statements as they dance to the floor.
With delicate wings extended from her shoulders, they are carried to a skyline of infinite beginnings, where they summon forth the legendary naga dragons.
The powerful figures whirl round and round, over asymmetrical bodices and plunging sweetheart necklines, creating lavish silk crêpe winds and wild peplum waves of ivory and pearl.
Sacred koi fish swim through mermaid tails and ornate scalloped overskirts to join the dawn, as crystal rose lotus flowers blossom upwards from chantung blue ponds to offer a water blessing.
SHEER BLISS AND DESIRE
Luscious verdant petals and 3D guipure blooms emerge from organza layers of spontaneous merriment, while fressia blossoms charmingly dangle from embellished hemlines. Light gold tulle and plush draped embroideries in exquisite textures, undulating between elaborate passementerie details and transparency. And finally, entwined in glimmers of white and gold floral vines, the bride dances forth, leading to new beginnings.
AN INDULGENT ESCAPE FROM THE ORDINARY
ELIE SAAB HAUTE COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2023 IS AN INDULGENT ESCAPE FROM THE ORDINARY, INTO AN EVERPRESENT DAWN OF MOMENTOUS FESTIVITY.
THE COLLECTION IS AN OPULENT EXPRESSION OF AN ENDLESS DAY, WHERE SHEER BEAUTY AND MAGIC WED IN NEVER-ENDING UNION.
This daring new collection pays homage to the Himalayas. Masterful draping mimics the rolling slopes of mountaintops.
Custom made zippers and artful ropes take their inspiration from trekking equipment.
And duchess satin in snow white, sky blue, and dark noir bring the serene colors of Mount Everest to the Parisian runway.
Powerful storytelling isn’t the only signature feature of this collection.
“Our pieces are built to be timeless, both in fashion & function,” says founder Yara Shoemaker.
“We merge the latest innovation in digital technology with handmade craftsmanship to create garments that are heirlooms, timeless in their aesthetic and lifespan.”
Fovari has struck a cultural chord, proving that the future of women’s fashion is innovative, ethical, and feminine.
Fovari, is re-inventing couture for the modern woman.
Founded in 2021 by designer Yara Shoemaker, Fovari is a sustainablyfocused brand.
With highly collectible pieces that embody the essence of femininity, Fovari is paving the way for ethical luxury fashion.
Névé
FOVARI
The future of women’s fashion is innovative, ethical, and feminine
Chopard unveils a rare and precious set of exceptional coloured diamonds, rubies, sapphires and tourmalines
True to its Artistic Director’s passion for precious stones, Chopard is revealing new treasures on the occasion of the Paris Haute Couture Week. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and exceptional Paraiba tourmalines compose this colourful and luminous array of gems that the artisans of the Maison will soon highlight to perfection through a range of mesmerisingly beautiful Haute Joaillerie creations.
For several years now, Chopard has been devoting its traditional Parisian Haute Couture Week event to presenting the most stunning precious stones. Since her childhood, the Maison’s Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele has cultivated a genuine passion for exceptional gems.
Endowed with a natural instinct and a keen eye, she travels the world in search of the most coveted specimens to nurture her boundless creativity.
In 2017, Chopard had the honour of presenting the Garden of Kalahari, a collection created around a rare 342-carat rough diamond that gave rise to a set of 23 gems of which five were over 20-carat D-Flawless grade diamonds.
Another extremely pure rough stone, the 6,225 carat Chopard Insofu Emerald, is currently in the expert hands of the in-house artisans being prepared to sparkle within a collection in the making.
New gems are now being unveiled, heralding the splendour of jewellery creations such as only Caroline Scheufele can dream up.
Natural Colours
The sense of wonderment continues with two sets of coloured diamonds: intended for a dainty pair of earrings with a sleek contemporary design and a ‘You and Me’ ring, on which three pink and three green diamonds will star in an elegant play on their pear-shaped design. Far less common than white diamonds, coloured diamonds owe their hues to the presence of chemical elements or inclusions that modify their absorption of light. That is why, above and beyond the natural beauty of these exceptional gems, the finesse of their cut plays an important role in revealing the brilliance of their colour.
Another 26.70-carat sapphire featuring the most prized Royal Blue colour completes the corundum family. Also mined from the generous soils of Sri Lanka, it features a transparent blue hue that catches the light through an octagonal shape with a soughtafter symmetry that reinforces the intensity and brilliance of coloured stones. This no less precious vivid red ruby is distinguished by its remarkable 10.06-carat weight and fine purity. Its strong red saturation, size and characteristics make it one of the finest-quality East African specimens. Like the above-mentioned sapphires, its colour is natural and has not been subjected to any heat treatment.
While coloured diamonds – such as the famous ‘Dresden Green’ – were long regarded as the prerogative for monarchs who had them set on royal regalia, coloured diamonds have for several years been enjoying renewed interest among discerning collectors. Green diamonds are still among the rarest, while pink diamonds have seen their value rise due to their eminently feminine shade, as well as because of the recent exhaustion of the Argyle mine in Australia, which for several decades extracted the bulk of pink diamonds in world trade.
The three green diamonds acquired by Caroline Scheufele from mines in Brazil, as well as the three pink specimens from South Africa, are distinguished by their excellent combination of size (the largest in the lot weighed 4.63 carats) and few impurities.
HARMONY OF COLOURS
Finally, how could one explore the beauty of Nature’s treasures without including the crystal-clear purity of blue tourmaline, highlighted by Chopard through a batch of three stones? The first two examples featuring a remarkable weight of over seven carats, combined with a matching blue colour and very fine purity, form the ideal tandem for a pair of earrings. Their proportions and the finesse of their subtly oval cut create vivid blue hues due to multiple internal reflections.
Due to the presence of copper in its soils, the northern Mozambique region where these stones were unearthed has recently produced some of the finest tourmalines in colours ranging from blue to greenish blue, very similar in many respects to the famous ‘Paraiba’ tourmalines mined in Brazil during the 1980s and later in Nigeria. Assembling such a range of Mozambican tourmalines of this colour, size and quality can be considered an exceptional opportunity. A third almost 16-carat stone will be the highlight of a ring matching the earrings and forming a spellbinding set.
Exceptional stones and jewellery making skills
In addition to these precious stones whose destiny has yet to be forged, Chopard is also presenting the Parisian public with some jewellery fresh from its Haute Joaillerie workshops. Among them is a creation fit for a queen: a white diamond necklace flowing into a fantastic burst of sunshine in the shape of an over 100-carat fancy intense yellow diamond. As Caroline Scheufele explains: “Because of my family’s history as jewellery specialists across several generations, my life has been marked by encounters with the rarest gems. Impressive in size and captivating in colour, this yellow diamond immediately caught my attention and our Maison is proud to present it today.”
There is also a ring featuring a 30.63-carat fancy intense yellow ovalcut diamond and entirely adorned with diamonds; as well as a necklace graced with sculpted rose gold, diamond or pink sapphire motifs and inspired by the lace collars of 17th century courtiers’ costumes – a reminder of the enduring ties between the artistic crafts of couture and jewellery.
The Spirit Of Head
Accessories
THE GLAMOUR OF THE HAT
FRANCK
STEPHANE
Pérégrination DIRECTOR:
LAURENT
-
SORBIER ©FRANCK
MONTFOR PAGE 56
SORBIER
IN SEARCH OF ...
There are seasons, like this, of slow ripening. Still, I dreamed of going on a trip. First of all, I wanted to immerse myself in the “Fayoum portraits”, small tablets in wood or canvas painted with wax depicting the faces of the dead. These Egyptian mummies from the Greco-Roman era, found in the Libyan desert, around the Fayoum oasis, still fascinate me today.
A very beautiful story, a theme, which I had already approached during the “Short Stories” 2011 Summer Haute Couture collection, presented at Sotheby’s Paris.
Caravanserais, these places intended to shelter caravans and to accommodate travelers, in the East, I found there the desert, ITINERANCE...
I was moving little by little towards the EAST.
In the distance, I glimpsed bewitching mirages and a boundless attraction to Orientalism, this great artistic movement of the 18th century, which would reach its peak in the 19th century. A current, still today, celebrated by all the major arts. HE! Yes!... Didn’t all these tales of The Thousand and One Nights, a tale of Persian, Indian and Arab origin, already make me dream when I presented this beautiful journey during the collection “Les Routes de l’Encens” 2003-2004 Fall- Winter Haute Couture, at the Opéra Comique. Again, dissatisfaction or uncertainty...?
Isn’t Haute Couture that part of the dream that is essential in US and ALL? This dream continued on its way... and this road took me to INDIA. Right away, I was seduced by the mantra of great compassion:
“OM MANI PADME HUM”
The mantra is an instrument of thought, an invocation used for ritual purposes and meditative. Indian grammarians translate it as “hidden words”. The mantra has a saving value, it frees the mind. The first mantras were probably composed around 1500 – 1000 BC. From India, they spread with Buddhism to Tibet, Southeast Asia and the Far East. The Rigvedea contains approximately 10,552 mantras, categorized into ten books called Mandalas. The syllable “OM” is sacred, “MANI” means jewel in Sanskrit, “PADME” represents the word lotus. The mantra contains a double meaning and thus has many dimensions. The literal translation is “the jewel in the lotus”. We can thus understand a jewel that fulfills all wishes, a philosopher’s stone.
The lotus emerges from the mud, crosses the water to bloom in the sun without being tainted, thus symbolizing beauty and purity. There would be so much to write about the Sadhous, from the Sanskrit sādhu: holy man, good man having achieved his goal and about their philosophy. They would be related to the gymnosophists, the naked philosophers whom the Greeks of Alexander the Great encountered when entering India. They practice many disciplines: yoga, recitation of mantras, breath control, meditation, magic rituals, vow of silence...
They have no roof and spend their lives traveling the roads of India and Nepal, feeding on donations from devotees.
There are also Sadhu women called Sādhvī. The illumination, the one I was waiting for, finally arrived with Holi: the Festival of Colors.
I could settle down ... Happy!
This Indian and Hindu festival is celebrated around the spring equinox. It is both “the Rite of Spring and the Celebration of Fertility”.
The Holi is dedicated to Krishna, in the North and to Kâma, in the South, it is one of the oldest celebrations in India and which already existed in Antiquity. On the second day of the festival, the protagonists, dressed in white, circulate with colored pigments, which they throw on each other.
It is then customary to apologize after having sacrificed to the colored rite by “Bura Na Mano”, “Holi hai” which means “don’t be angry” in the Hindi language.
These pigments have a very specific meaning: green for harmony orange for optimism, blue for vitality and red for joy and love.
Holi is the day when all castes mingle like all these color pigments.
The color arises, here and there, on the clothes like so many luminous and shimmering bursts, like an alchemy of lyrical abstraction. The “scarves” or “handkerchiefs” spirit is on all the outfits. It flies and waves with the wind.
The colored silk organzas are superimposed, the shaded muslin plays with the mixture of pigments, the discolored checks, Madras style, in silk organza, deploy an extensive palette of warm and cold.
These are the predominant materials of this collection.
A few years ago, I said to Janie SAMET (Rest in peace!): “I’m so sad that I couldn’t do more.”
She then answered me: “When the dinner is good, there is no need to offer a multitude of dishes”.
This humanity, still relevant for some, will perhaps return with the good weather for others. This “source” collection required hours and hours of passion.
The creations surrender to the depth of experience combined with the freedom of a rediscovered instinct, a quest for the creative and spiritual absolute. The direction is more and more that of a Couturier Master of Art, where reflection rhymes with emotion.
Listen only to your heart and soul for a light, humble and joyful Haute Couture.
Frank SorbierCOUTURIER MASTER OF ART
CYBERDOLL CYBERDOLL CYBERDOLL
Photographer: ISSHOGAI
Stylist: Audrey JEHANNO
Robe et Bijoux : Stéphane Rolland
Lunettes : Rendel
Model: Vyolet ANDROS
Makup: Julie AIGRET
Assistant: Samantha & Lilie
Post Production: Feel Good Creéative Agency
Body : Seyit Ares
Plastron : Zaady
Pantalon : Amuse
Foulard : Manifesto
Bracelets : 4 Crosses
Bague : DFLY Paris
Ensemble et Sac : Seyit Ares
Collier : Holi Editons
Bracelet : 4 Crosses
Dress: On Aura Tout Vu
Body : Seyit Ares
Plastron : Zaady
Pantalon : Amuse
Foulard : Manifesto
Bracelets : 4 Crosses
Bague : DFLY Paris
Robe et Bague : Stéphane Rolland
Lunettes : Rendel
Body : Seyit Ares
Plastron : Zaady
Pantalon : Amuse
Foulard : Manifesto
Bracelets : 4 Crosses
Bague : DFLY Paris
Stéphane Rolland
“ The Island of Love”
In the midst of the nightmare, FROLOV’s creative director Ivan Frolov found the Island of Love. It is dark there. But love is not afraid of the absence of light.
Moreover, intimacy and fragility are often born in darkness.
So are born FROLOV’s haute couture pieces. Hand-executed with extreme attention to detail and finish.
In the center of Kyiv. During frequent blackouts and air raid sirens. Boundaries, body, taboos, and bonds.
FROLOV has always been fascinated by human sexuality.
This season, the subject of his research is the heritage of Ukrainian sexuality. The brand has been exploring it for a few years by working with ethnographers, historians, and archives.
Another inspirational starting point for this collection is Ukrainian television series of the turn of the millennium.
The favorite of the brand’s team - “The Island of Love ‘’hypnotizes with its aesthetic of reinterpreted Ukrainian folk eroticism.
Haute Couture Spring 2023
FROLOV collection absorbs vast ingredients of Ukrainian heritage and collides them in unexpected ways.
Among the elements Frolov highlights loose silk sirwals worn by Cossacks in the XV century. Traditional rushnyks’ (‘towels’) symbolism on the white embroidered jumpsuit.
Emerald dress inspired by Mavka’s female spirits who enticed and lured young men into the woods.
Eye symbol - as the center of Ukrainian worldview. A bird - as heavenly creator with cosmic scales of activity.
And the archives of FROLOV collections, famous for their sexual subtexts. Pieces are handembroidered using techniques that were used to decorate the outfits of a Cossack foremans in the XVI century.
FROLOV suggests exploring his first Haute Couture collection presented in Paris in an intimate setting of a darkroom.
The place where we processed films and made prints of our latest campaign shot in Kyiv. The place which recalls in our mind the power of constructing designs by hand from start to finish.
The place, which reminds us of the state of mind of all Ukrainians, darkness where beauty will prevail.
An Intimate Setting of a Darkroom
Gaurav Gupta
Shunya
Gaurav Gupta is an Indian couturier and artist known to explore the themes surrounding surrealism and fanaticism from the inception of the brand in 2004 after graduating from Central Saint Martins.
In over 18 years, the designer has carved a world that is Indian at its core and boundless in its form merging indigenous construction and embellishing techniques with his idea of the future.
Shunya is a Sanskrit word which translates as zero. Zero was discovered in India many centuries ago.
The stillness of zero and infinity expanded possibilities in studies of space and time.
For our first showcase on the official calendar at Paris Haute Couture Week,
“I wanted to delve deeper into our mindscape to come up with a concept which is subliminal in thought and original in form.
I have tried to explore the movement possibilities between zero and infinity with tangents of mythology, fantasy and surrealism”.
Frozen strokes of dancing wind in infinite forms are sculpted in gold and silver handwoven tissue – the set of twin dresses in silver are an embodiment of this
The Movement possibilities between Zero and Infinity
SCULPTURAL DRAPING FORMS
HANDCRAFTED STORY OF FORM TO INFINITY
Exploring sculptural draping forms in indigo electric blue in satins, chiffons, organzas represents a sense of futurism.
There are elemental dresses in black and nude strategically revealing the form in its pristine state. Meteoric light embroideries emulate melting lava or deep waves of a very dark ocean. There is also a garbage like dress with abstract entangled wires as embroideries.
There is a snake dress slithering and intertwining all through the body.
The snakes, inspired by the kundalini, softly meander on the body in hand-embroidered waves.
Their form is made luminous with black and purple rainbow and blue iridescent glass beads. There are goth dresses in black leatherlike jersey and an acid trip neon yellow.
TIME AND METAPHYSICS
There is also a silver and yellow kundalini snake dress. The last segment of the collection is in stark gold and black. I am constantly fascinated with ancient Egyptian civilisations, explorations on time and metaphysics. There are pyramid nails sewn into detailed directional embroideries.
This is a handwoven, handcrafted story of form to infinity.
ABSTRACT ENTANGLED WIRES AS EMBROIDERIES
GEORGES CHAKRA
An Expressive Femininity
The GEORGES CHAKRA COUTURE Spring/Summer 2023 Collection is a youthful interpretation of extravagance, an exploration of opulent volumes in sumptuously striking colors, capturing a mood of expressive femininity and dramatic decadence.
Imbued with a sense of freshness, this season’s palette is reflective and audacious. Shocks of cinematic color: neon yellow, vibrant coral, flame rose, emerald hues, lime and bright mint are bursts of electric energy.
Chartreuse, rose pale, vanillaand ice blue give way to a vivid white. Crystals, sequins and stones are embellished onto the garments, creating reflective subtlety.
Metallics, holographics, and printed paillettes are intricately woven into shimmering mosaics.
GEORGES’s love of silk gazar is a constant throughout the collection, highlighting flawless construction and workmanship.
Exaggerated volumes and sleek shapes work in symbiosis. Bustiers are molded, accentuating the body, while sculptural silkscreate crushed couture gowns with sinuous trains.
Each look is singularly statuesque, with collars playing a pivotal role as this season’s muse.
A story of pleats unfolds with graceful ease, illustrating the savoir-faire of the GEORGES CHAKRA Couture atelier.
AN EXPLORATION OF OPULENT VOLUMES
EACH LOOK IS SINGULARLY STATUESQUE
Techniques of micro-pleating, effervescent Fortuny pleats, and a mélange of sun and flat pleats evoke subtle strength and supple dimensions.
A nod to classicism, the structured silhouettes are the quintessence of symmetry and linear form.
Accessories are bold this season: cascades of oversized pearls adorn bare torsos, cuff bracelets ring wrists.
A single shoulder length drop earring in tiered facetted multi-colored stones.
The satin mules in champagne and silver with delicate neon heels, have been revived and reinterpreted from the house archives.In a dramatic finale, the bridal gown emerges on the runway.
A first for the Maison, this exceptional dress is executed in striped blue and rose pastelprinted silk Mikado, hand painted in broad strokes of bright metallic silver.
A traditional ball gown, the train is a whirl of dramatic movement with volumes of printed soft gazar and ice blue tulle pleated and shaped into wave-like fans forming a cascade on the voluminous train.
THE SYMMETRY AND LINEAR FORM A
“...Mirror oh my Mirror...”
Photographer : Isshogai
Stylist : Audrey Jehanno
Model : Nikol @ Karin models
Makup & Hair Stylist : Julie
Robe : Georges Chakra
Bracelet de bras : La Fontana
Boucles d’oreilles et Bracelet : Jordane Somville
Bague : Thomas Sabo
Robe : Favori
Manchette et Collier : Isabelle Toledano
Bagues : Jordane Somville
Robe ; Georges Chakra
Serre-tête : Alexandre de Paris
Boucles d’oreilles et Bague : Jordane Somville
Bracelet : Mon Rêve
Robe : Favori
Manchette et Collier : Isabelle Toledano
Bagues : Jordane Somville
METAMORPHOSIS
INTRODUCING THE FIRST CHAPTER OF DE BEERS’ MAGNIFICENT NEW HIGH JEWELLERY COLLECTION, INSPIRED BY MOTHER NATURE’S TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE SEASONS
De Beers
DE BEERS PAYS HOMAGE TO MOTHER NATURE
In nature, change is the only constant. Seasons shift as flower buds blossom, bloom and fade. A caterpillar forms a chrysalis, preparing forits magical transformation into a butterfly. Beneath the earth’s crust, billions of years ago, a slow tectonic alchemy created ancient deposits of rough diamonds, the fruits of which are still being revealed. And it is through gradual adaptations that we achieve our innermost potential.De Beers pays homage to Mother Nature’s constant evolution with Metamorphosis by De Beers, a High Jewellery collection dedicated to the transformative power of natural diamonds.
Launching in January 2023 during Paris CoutureWeek, Prelude is the first chapter of the new collection, with a further chapter to be revealed in July 2023.
Prelude explores the cyclical rhythm of time, harmoniously capturing the four seasons within nine one-of-a-kind designs. With a focus on exceptional craftsmanship, Metamorphosis by De Beers encapsulates the transformation at the heart of De Beers, the only globalluxury brand that begins at the source. De Beers realises the potential of rough diamonds, transforming these treasuresof nature into one-of-a-kind High Jewellery that radiates magnetic beauty.
A CELEBRATION OF ARTISANAL SKILLS WITH RARE BEAUTY
The collection continues the evolutionof the House itself, with artistic and technically ambitious designs that celebrate artisanal skills as well as the rare beauty of the raw materials. The Prelude set showcases an array of expert goldsmithing and diamond-setting techniques, including serti neige(snow setting), fil couteau (knife-edge) and perlage (gold beading).
Spring, summer, autumn and winter collide, with each season represented through different design signatures, coloured metals, diamonds and settings. The collection combines white, yellow and rose gold with white, brown and fancy-coloured diamonds, selected to evoke the hues of each season.
Nature’s metamorphic power is mirrored by an element of transformability in four of the nine pieces. A majestic transformable necklace features four diamond strands – one for each season – strung between two removeable clasps.
Bead-set white diamonds and star-set yellow diamonds are joined by fil couteau to mimic the fledgling buds of spring;a twisted rope of diamond-set yellow gold evokes rippleson summer sand; brown diamonds set in rosegold triangles conjure autumn’s russet leaves; and white gold serti neige represents the glacial beauty of winter.In a contemporary ear cuff, each diamond strand is finished with a coloured-titanium chrysalis, hinting at the beginnings of nature’s most magnificent metamorphosis.
The chrysalises can be removed and worn on a charm bracelet. Elsewhere, the four strands form a ring jacket for a 3.06 carat D-Flawless diamond solitaire from the De Beers Natural Works of Art collection, which canbe interchanged with a pavé-set diamond ring. Another necklace features a detachable pearshaped clip which can be worn as a brooch.
HAUTE JOALLERIE
.“In Metamorphosis by De Beers we have transformed the spontaneous beauty of nature into our most complex and innovative designs yet,” says Céline Assimon, CEO ofDe Beers Jewellers. “Each design in our Prelude set showcases a masterclass of artisanal savoir-faire – we have honed in on the details, combining antique-inspired settings with contemporary techniques such as coloured titanium.
We have pushed the boundaries with the ear cuff, which has a mesmerising sense of movement and volume. It’s a very modern approach to classical High Jewellery, reflecting De Beers’ DNA of excellence through experimentation and constant innovation.”
De Beers’ DNA is excellence through experimentation and constant INNOVATION
A MASTERCLASS OF ARTISANAL SAVOIR-FAIRE
GEORGES HOBEIKA
Intended as a celebration of Maison Georges Hobeika’s savoir-faire, this joyful collection showcases the importance of the relationships and interactions between family and friends. Underlying this concept is the familial collaboration between Co- Creative Directors Georges and Jad Hobeika, and the powerful link with the house’s archives and ateliers. The collection also highlights the importance of a support network, and the people who bring us together in everyday life.
To emphasise this sense of love and connection, the show’s casting includes a number of real-life friends of the Maison, walking as couples and pairs in order to create the experience of a once-in-a-lifetime moment at Paris Fashion Week
THE HOUSE’S DNA
To name a few: Leonie Hanne, Gabrielle Caunesil, Jessica Kahawaty & her mom, Cynthia Samuel & Adam Bakri, Lorena Vergani, Valentina, Ameni Esseibi, Diala Makki & Twins Hadban. Men’s couture is once again present on the Maison Georges Hobeika catwalk, affirming its place as part of the house’s DNA. This rich heritage bringing together nearly 30 years of creative history forms the basis for the more than seventy looks presented, with the idea of drawing on key elements to showcase exquisite craftsmanship whilst maintaining a feeling of ease and lightness perfectly suited to a contemporary generation of couture clients.
THE EXPERIENCE OF A ONCE IN A LIFETIME MOMENT
The silhouettes further reflect this sense of ease and modernity: dresses appear to float on the body, while a neckline inspired by Marie-Antoinette opts for the fresh twist of a jumpsuit shape. The ornate embroidery synonymous with the Maison’s heritage, creates magical “trompe-l’œil” effects; such as frosted water droplets, cascading diamond shapes and an ethereal burst of flowing feathers. Gold and silver chains and intricate thread embroidery evoke the links and webs between individuals. Motifs from nature including a horse’s head, birds and feathers, echo Jad Hobeika’s own happy childhood memories. The striking colour palette features the essential yellows, pinks and blues alongside classic black and white, with plays on sheerness and contrasts.
SMALL TALKS
Bringing together references from the Maison’s archive, as well as integrating a bright new energy, this collection is the true vector of happy moments. Highlighting the importance of human connection and conversation, “small talks” stand out in an increasingly virtual world.
HAUTE COUTURE
FALL WINTER 2022-23
GIAMBATTISTA VALLI
IRIS VAN HERPEN
THE FEMALE BEAUTY AS A FORM OF CONTROL
Iris van Herpen recently collaborated with French artist Julie Gautier to create a film that explores the idea of femininity and female beauty as a form of control.
The anticipated movie is inspired by womanly bravery and perseverance. The film ‘Carte Blanche’ paints a picture of the female body as a tool to claim freedom as well as a weapon to oppress and control.
It is an ode to the ongoing resilience and strength of women worldwide and to the strength of Iranian women whose’s bodies have served as a battlefield for ideology and authority.
The sensual narrative is a forceful composition that conveys the power of the female body and its ability to take ownership of her beauty to challenge the status quo.“In the beginning three woman are melted together into a painting of skin, textures of growth and decay. The red heart of this female ocean drifts down alone into the deep depths of her own consciousness where she dances a journey of isolation and oppression moving into resilience and invincibility.” - IrisVan Herpen and Gautier use the symbolism of water to subdue female shapes into a choreography that slowly disembodies control. Where the movements tell a story of fortitude, resistance and finding freedom.The film portrays female bravery and is a testament to how women can use their physicality and strength to resist oppression, fight for their rights, and encourage others to persevere in their individual journeys. Through the movie we are reminded of the power dynamics that exist in the world.
“Carte Blanche” highlights the importance of liberating the beauty of the female body and honors the courage of those who have pleaded for equality. Always committed to pushing the boundaries of fashion, van Herpen and Gaultier’s film is a beautiful example of the power of art to communicate a message of strength and perseverance. Through their art, these female artists are inspiring others to use their talents to create meaningful change.Van Herpen is proud to announce that they are taking their fashion show to a digital platform this season. Instead of a traditional runway show, the brand shows a digital presentation that allows for more creative freedom and storytelling.
“Carte Blanche” is a culmination of the brand’s creative vision and deepens its sustainability goals. The film is a visually stunning display of the season’s latest silhouettes, colors, textures, and patterns that are a tribute to an important story to be seen.
ORÍGENES
Juana Martín
After her debut in July 2022 with the “Andalucía” collection, Juana Martín returned last January 26th to the official calendar of the Paris Haute Couture Week with “Orígenes”, a proposal that reflects the beginnings of her work in fabrics and prints, and offers a result true to her flamenco style, with a more avantgarde touch.
Inspired by her summers in Málaga, a place that has seen many of her creative processes, Juana Martín returns to this city to create “Orígenes”.
The blue of its beaches, its people and the harmony of its land are embodied in this collection that, according to the designer’s words, “is designed for an elegant and transgressive woman, who dares to take another step towards evolution and personal development”. This collection shows the essence of Juana Martín’s designs, both in the color palette based on black and white tones, as well as in the use of volumes, embroideries, ruffles and of course, polka dots.
The fabric innovation and the abundant presence of crystals stand out in this collection, embroidered crystals and netted crystals, create meshes that cover the body of the sensual, daring and provocative woman.
Also, in the “Orígenes” fashion show are present accessories such as the Christian Louboutin shoes, Nadia Chellaoui bags and Plata Pura goldsmith work. A mixture of high-end firms have come together with a contemporary and an avant-garde point of view.
The harmony and the elegant of the STYLE
AN ELEGANT AND TRANSGRESSIVE
WOMAN
Solstice COLLECTION
Inspired by the year’s most exceptional night. The Solstice collection is a celebration of shared joy, extravaganza and pure beauty. After a first chapter inspired by voluptuous and fluid Haute Couture gowns, the Solstice collection takes this precious mix of fun and craft even further: Solstice’s second installment is all about laughter and long conversations under the shimmering moon. Outside, night has finally descended. Inside, illuminated by the stars in the sky and
the glowing moon up above, the lights shine an infinity of sparks on the joyful crowd. The brightness of their smiles, the warmth of their laughs, the echoes of their glasses clinging as they cheer…
The heart of the party vigorously pumps a flow of energy, traveling through the cocktails that are poured into the glasses, and the rich colours of the unique watches and pieces of jewellery they inspire.
GIVE US THE NIGHT
Julie De Libran
This couture collection is about celebrating women, their support of each other and the versatility and beauty of women around JULIE DE LIBRAN for their strength and character.
She has asked a few of her muses to be part of her couture collection, to wear these silhouettes and to have this experience because a dress is always a moment, a memory and a feeling she wanted to share with them. Inspiring women that are wearing couture which for her makes it fashion and modern today.
Until it is worn it isn’t fashion. Shine is an important colour of this collection, beauty and comfort in her choice of material and shape.
Most of the dresses are draped on the body and made to measure.
Celebrating their craftsmanship and time spent
on every detail is of the utmost importance to her. She always feels fortunate to be in Paris surrounded by such incredible Haute Couture ateliers and the opportunity to work with some of the most talented hands.
She loves when there is movement in a dress and for this collection, she wanted to create a feeling of lightness.
Which is the reason she has also chosen to display her couture as an installation flying at eye level. Her silhouettes wouldn’t be complete without maison sisley’s hair and beauty and Manolo Blahnik’s exquisite creations, so she is very grateful as always for their shared values and their continued support. She feels like couture has a sense of festivity and she wanted to celebrate and share this collection surrounded by all the women who inspire it.
The beauty of women
FIRST SUNSHINE
Julien Fournié
Once upon a time there was a young magician named Julien who loved nature, the islands and the cycle of the stars. Ever since he was a teenager, he had heard of full-moon parties that took place on beaches until the sun came out. They were meant to celebrate the earth and its environment, the sea and its magic, women freed from male domination.
As soon as he was old enough to participate, he went everywhere to Goa, the Balearic Islands, the west Indies to finally join these moments of communion with mankind and the universe. He was imagining them to be festive and serene, nocturnal and intense, liberated and elegant. Each time, Julien, now a grown-up adult, was disappointed: the excesses he was witnessing spoiled his expectations for harmony and jubilation. With the first ray of sunlight, Julien always found himself meditating about his delusion: particularly on these beaches where nature had worked wonders, shouldn’t women and men magnify the joy of finding themselves in harmony with their peers and the cosmos? His hope of a party without bitterness gradually withered facing the obvious commercial aims displayed in these heavenly natural sites and the lack of chic, revealing a poor self-respect.
One day, after all the excesses of mankind had been demonstrated, after the viruses had forbidden the parties to take place, Julien thought to himself: “what if instead of dreaming, I proposed my vision so that it gets a chance to materialize?” How could he achieve this? “With my own weapons”, he said.
“The design tools I know can enhance looks on these festive occasions. It will also prove that nature can be magnified by the work of the best craftsmen across the world. And it will give me the opportunity to reveal that women have always, against all odds, sought to free themselves from the shackles imposed by societies.”
As if the planets had aligned to answer Julien’s thoughts, he then had the good fortune of meeting several fairies: first fairy Emmanuelle, who brought him closer to the best weavers and knitters of natural fiber from the region of lyons; then fairy aya who comforted him in the knowledge of the many embroidery techniques from India; finally fairy marie-automne, who helped him find an elegant parisian setting to present his vision. Cinderella’s fairy godmothers had also woken up to whisper to Julien, “the dream that you wish will come true.”
A resolutely summery and festive collection Julien went then back to sketching... With all the “petites mains” in his Haute Couture atelier, he cut, he draped, he imagined new embellishments. Twenty-five silhouettes emerged to compose “FIRST SUNSHINE”, a resolutely summery and festive collection, with new cuts in Julien’s repertoire, a tribute to women freed from constraints, and designed to magnify their nature and simply celebrate the joy of partying in the open air in summertime. The sparkling white tuxedo with golden highlights gives the same strength to women or men.
The petticoats, always short in the front, revisit the 18th century spirit in a lighter construction, to comfort movements. They go well with long asymmetrical tops in silk jersey and supple jackets in the same soft fiber. Drapes and pleats accompany body curves and never oppress them.
The collection meets the need for freshness with its light and delicate fabrics and a palette of precisely chosen colors.
Find your Legend
Transparencies, cuts and inlays let bodies breathe, uncover skin and illuminate each lady’s personality. In the final bouquet, three fresco dresses play with embroidered transparencies and summon the sun at dawn, at zenith, at dusk.
The bride unfolds her embroidered silhouette in triple silk organza. Without veil, the spouse preserves her feminine magic with fine craftsmanship and needlework. The moral of this tale is: resilience is not enough. It is still necessary to make all possible efforts to meet joy, to create real parties and live together unforgettable moments of elegance and pleasure until full daylight.
The secret of this tale is that for the dream to come true, partners with various skills are essential... If they fully trust the artist whose dream they respect enough to turn it into a project.
And you too, you who are dreaming the same dream as Julien, you can make it come true in a thousand ways. Imagine them... then Julien’s wish will be fully granted: “find your legend.”
Art on Silk
Alida Liberale
Alida Liberale is an artist with an extraordinary and inexhaustible expressive vein artistic where creativity finds its realization in different pictorial techniques from oil painting to tapestries to silk painting. It is precisely painting on silk that gave voice to her main passion by reuniting the name of his Brand in “Art on silk”. We are accustomed to admiring a work of art while observing a certain detachment despite emotional involvement. However, the art created by Alida can be worn. Therefore, a painting is no longer just a pure observation, but it envelops our body. Painting on silk becomes art that is worn. The painted silk scarves are unique, exclusive, and unrepeatable works. The colors slide on the silk following the careful hand of the artist who knows how to direct the sign, as describing the nature that accompanies the themes of her paintings. She is inspired by nature and matter; the environment is a subject of great attention for Alida. It is precisely “reserve dyes” through the batik and shibori technique, which exploits the eco-sustainable respect of Art on Silk.
A delicate art PAINTING
The silk scarves, the eco-sustainable pictorial techniques make everything return to nature as an inexhaustible circle where creation is born and turns into painted silks, which, thrilling us like a work of art, know how to respect nature.
The softness of silk with its exclusive texture, gives those who touch it very pleasant sensations. However, the silk painted by Alida acquires new awareness of new life, and adds value because the hand that directed it through its pictorial ideas add a new and different consistency giving to the touch a real sensation, the truth of the hands that have been able to transform it.
Art, painting, silk, creativity, together make the difference where a female accessory becomes through the eyes and heart of Alida Liberale true “Art on Silk”.
STARS OF HOLLYWOOD
LENA ERZIAK
The glamour of a modern VISION
Lena Erziak turns the spotlight on the stars of Hollywood. Inspired by the golden age of cinema, the designer takes her inspiration from an era where couture has never been more in tune with its contemporaries.
Like the Hollywood stars, Lena Erziak presents a spectacular luxuriant collection.
Without nostalgia, Lena reinvents glamour by adding a very personal and modern vision.
Close-up on sensual materials: the eye glides gently over the silk taffeta. Travelling: we discover daring and bewitching accessories, with bold colors, red, black, light blue and pink.
Made of silk satin soaked in soy milk, large rooster feathers and handmade pleats in the brand’s Parisian atelier, the collection is designed like a powerful and fearless sequence shot; Lena Erziak shines on camera.
That’s a wrap! With intelligence as much as elegance, Lena takes us in front of the white screen of her fantasies for a movie of beauty and dreams...
NATAN
L’Amour du beau
“Elegance and chic, ethics, benevolence, passion for our profession, the love of beauty, and care for the gesture, form the identity of our House”.
The Maison Natan Couture collection was created by the Natan teams in the image and likeness of young people. It vibrates with energy and is designed for movement. Edouard Vermeulen presents his forthcoming signature Couture, which plays with shapes, sparkles and interprets the summer palette in declinations of two- and three-colour accords, with flamboyant references, ranging from garment ornaments to accessories. More colour also in feathers, embroidered beads, pearls, evanescent gauze and brooches with organic energy. The House of Natan offers draped skirts coordinated with open back tops, plunging necklines and plunging necklines. The Spring-Summer Couture 2023 collection remains true to the Maison’s heritage, infusing more rebellious accords.This new year will be one of celebration for Natan, for a birthday with fireworks.A glittering, luminous summer that generates a metamorphosis, bringing a new, raw, sophisticated energy. Thus, fashion as we know it is transformed into a performance and acts as an energy amplifier, feeding our souls with light and colour.
L’éthique, la bienveillance la passion
Green SEASON
ON AURA TOUT VU
SUNLIGHTPOWER
“ENGINE OF LIFE DYNAMICS OF AUTONOMY PRAGMATIC AND POETIC SOLAR ENERGY, PIEZOELECTRIC ENERGY, HUMAN ENERGY.”
This is our question and answer to the current energy crisis. The inspiration of this collection is based on an existential question that we asked ourselves: can human beings turn towards themselves
and draw on their own resources to create their own energy?
Our answer is in the new Couture or Techno couture. We must look for the solution in our own forces, in our movements and in what surrounds us.
PHOTOVOLTAIC FASHION
TECHNO COUTURE
EACH OF US BECOMES AN ENERGETIC ELEMENT
CAN HUMAN BEINGS TURN
TOWARDS THEMSELVES AND DRAW ON THEIR OWN RESOURCES TO CREATE THEIR OWN ENERGY?
On the one hand, the sun can recharge our batteries (in a pictorial sense), but also in a purely utilitarian way with photovoltaic generated energy.
On the other hand we have piezo energy, generated by movement. We looked for ways to integrate extremely thin and flexible photovoltaic elements, as well as piezo elements into couture pieces. How to store the energy thus produced to recharge our essential smartphones, directly in clothing or through shoes?
In a nutshell, how can we actively involve Couture in solving our daily problems?
The most important message for us is that everyone on their own small scale can produce their own energy and reduce common electricity consumption.
The idea of this collection is that each of us becomes an energetic element that holds part of the solution to the current energy problem.
by Lydia KamitsisFASHION
OF
EVOLUTION
THE
RAHUL MISHRA COSMOS
“ What surrounds us, lies within us. We as humans, lie at a fascinating junction between two infinite worlds. Looking outwards, we face the boundless, ever-expanding interstellar space and inwards, we preserve the illimitable, all-containing human mind. Like a thin membrane between two identical planes, not separating but not combined either, our physical bodies are embraced by realities that are vast and bewildering.
Rahul Mishra’s Cosmos is a vision of physical reality founded in the utmost truth of our being, originating from the Sanskrit statement ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ which informs, ‘I am the cosmos’. It tries to understand if the world that surrounds us may be a construction of stimulations interpreted by the human brain, and if the universe within us may be a replication of the physical reality we are a minuscule part of. With this collection, we break the linearity of comprehension with inclusion of fantasy.
Light years apart yet set on the same horizon, there are galaxies in the vacuum constantly originating and fading. Who is to say that they aren’t contained in a single water droplet, and who will deny that the droplet lies in an ocean. The piercing gaze of an eagle comprehends the world below it, in a manner that a smallladybug cannot fathom. And this season, our ‘Cosmos’ expands from human landscape into the beyond, the sunken city of Atlantis, gleaming in gold over a vivid coral reef as streams of salt water flow above the atmosphere curtailing celestial bodies, planets and planetoids.
The collection is explained by the beauty that surrounds us through nature and how humans may wish to interact with it. Some pieces observe the gaze on human dwellings as behemothic ecosystems burgeoning towards the sky akin to weed, while others look to our fellow species experiencing life in imaginative habitats. While one person’s cosmos may be within the members of their family, another’s may be in the mirror. Like a million atoms enclosed in a water droplet, we observe several stories through this collection but most of all, our ‘Cosmos’ speaks of yearning. A yearning for a beautiful world, full of magic. Realised in two and three dimensional hand embroidery complemented by elements made in hand casted recycled brass that are gold plated and encrusted with Swarovski crystals, this collection becomes our most exuberant effort at surface development.
A VISION OF PHYSICAL REALITY
Hand crafted across villages of India, each separate generates employment for over three thousand human hours on an average.
Articulated from age-old traditional Indian craft techniques, the application speaks to a global couture consumer of today. Striving to be ‘art’, while emaining ‘fashion’ the collection remains independent of trends and aspires to retain the whimsy of ‘classic’. Each element from our ‘Cosmos’ is proudly made in India, with love, for the world”.
Histoire de Style
Boucheron
When Princess Elizabeth turned eighteen in 1944, she received a Boucheron aquamarine and diamond double clip brooch. She would continue to wear this sentimental design throughout her reign. In 2020, Claire Choisne, Creative Director of Boucheron, decided to take inspiration from this unique piece to create a High Jewelry collection reinterpreting the famous Art Deco design through eighteen contemporary new designs.
Histoire de Style, Like a Queen draws inspiration from an icon whose style transcended decades. “Three years ago, when I started looking for inspirations for this collection in the Boucheron archives, I couldn’t get my mind off that Art Deco double clip brooch, explains Claire Choisne. The severity and geometry of the Art Deco design, tempered by the softness and light blue hue of the aquamarines, always fascinated me. I was touched by the sentimental value of this double clip, which Queen Elizabeth II wore at pivotal moments in her reign.”
This piece of jewelry joined the British Royal Family on July 31, 1937 through Prince George, Duke of Kent, who purchased it from the Boucheron boutique in London. Seven years later, the family gave it to Princess Elizabeth for her eighteenth birthday. Throughout her reign, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, wore it on a number of occasions, most notably including her Diamond Jubilee on June 5, 2012 ; on May 8, 2020, for the 75th anniversary of the speech by George VI announcing the end of World War II ; and on the 70th anniversary of her
coronation on February 6, 2022. Inspired by Queen Elizabeth’s distinctive style, formidable character and effervescent presence, Claire Choisne thought it most fitting to work with this particular design and to bring it up-to-date in a collection that surpasses all genres. “Being able to wear a piece in a number of ways, as well as the use of color, were central to our work on this collection, so that both men and women may wear these pieces. We wanted these eighteen variations to reflect the ease with which the original was worn, since the two clips may be attached in various ways, on their own or together. We also wanted this collection to convey the elegance distinctive of this Art Deco piece.”
Thus, each piece of this Histoire de Style line reflects the unique spirit of the two cerulean clips. “On certain jewelry sets, we broke down the original geometry of the design.
On others, we took the opposite approach: we compacted the Art Deco design. And elsewhere, we brought in another dimension by playing on the colors of the gemstones.”
A cherry ruby necklace, a pink tourmaline brooch, an azure aquamarine cuff bracelet, earrings adorned with lush emeralds... Histoire de Style, Like a Queen stands out with its monochrome plays on joyful, intense colors, inspired by the spirit of the bright outfits that Queen Elizabeth famously wore.
Like a story told through eighteen chapters, Histoire de Style, Like a Queen transcends its initial objective – to construct a full High Jewelry collection inspired by a single piece – and offers a glimpse of the true genius behind its design.
LIKE A QUEEN
HYPNOTIC BLUE
The deep, hypnotic blue of a six-carat Ceylon sapphire clasped within a double arc set with round and baguette diamonds, captures the eye and adorns an entire phalange. This piece coordinates with a hyperbolic cuff bracelet in lacquered gold set with cabochon-
and baguette-cut diamonds and aquamarines. Although the design of this piece almost identically reflects that of the 1937 double clip brooch, the use of blue lacquer to emphasize the stones provides it with a very up-to-date look.
FROSTY WHITE
In the great tradition of wearing High Jewelry in various ways, the Frosty White necklace in white gold, diamonds and rock crystal offers six different configurations. The piece is set with more than a thousand diamonds, and its sides are adorned with the two famous Art Deco designs which may be detached and worn as a single or double
In keeping with this spirit, Boucheron has created a shape-shifting ring in diamonds and rock crystal. Adorning three fingers, this model is set with an emerald-cut central diamond (DFL II A) of 3.08 carats that may also be worn as a solitaire.
GREEN GARDEN
When considered horizontally, the double Art Deco design inspires a platinum ring paved with emeralds and diamonds that is simply enhanced by a fine line of green lacquer.
The piece may be worn in two ways: with or without its diamond surround. Thus, the piece becomes a solitaire which highlights a cushion-cut Zambian emerald of 6.25 carats.
As a complement, Boucheron proposes a pair of coordinating earrings which feature two detachable pear-cut emeralds of 4.04 and 3.99 carats. The remaining designs may be clipped onto the lobe or higher up along the cartilage of the ear.
Green Garden pendant earrings with 2 Zambian emeralds for a total of 8.03 ct, paved with emeralds and diamonds, green lacquer Green Garden solitaire version, set with a cushion cut Zambian emerald of 6.25 ct, emeralds and diamonds, with green lacquer, in platinumROLLING RED
Borne by 34 unique Mozambique rubies and nearly 1,300 round and baguette diamonds, this set includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a ring that asserts ultracontemporary elegance.
On these models, the royal brooch design – stretched along a carpet of flamboyant gems, takes on a new dimension, revealing a totally modern approach.
The Boucheron style is present in the streamlined design of the necklace, featuring a central ornament that may be detached and transformed into a brooch. Meanwhile, a fully diamond-set choker emerges. Its links are structured and articulated like a snakeskin molting in the 21st century, leaving behind the flourishes of the past.
Necklace set with 17 oval rubies from Mozambique for a total carat weight of 18.82 ct, paved with diamonds, in white gold.
Necklace in the tradition of the multiwear.
Brooch version of necklace set with 17 oval rubies from Mozambique for a total carat weight of 18.82 ct, paved with diamonds, in white gold.
LEMON SLICE
The high jewelry genre, propelling it into the 21st century
IN A COMPACT, MONOCHROME VERSION WITH WHITE DIAMONDS ON WHITE GOLD, THE 1937 MODEL METAMORPHOSES INTO A SOPHISTICATED PIECE THAT MAY BE WORN AS A BARRETTE OR BROOCH. THANKS TO LEATHER RIBBONS , AVAILABLE IN SIX COLORS INCLUDING FLUORESCENT YELLOW, THE DIAMOND DESIGN MAY ALSO BE CLIPPED IN VARIOUS WAYS TO BE WORN AS A CHOKER OR BRACELET.
THE CONTRAST AMONG MATERIALS IS A WAY TO UPDATE THE HIGH JEWELRY GENRE, PROPELLING IT INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.
MOON WHITE
Combining daintiness and strength, this transformable jewelry set juxtaposes the soft iridescence of Akoya pearls with the intense sparkle of diamonds. Featuring 175 Akoya pearls and diamond-set links, the three-strand necklace features a detachable Art Deco clasp paved with diamonds. This may become a hair ornament or a pair of brooches that brings inimitable elegance to a tuxedo lapel or turtleneck. Following the same principle, Claire Choisne created a pair of earrings, each featuring a lower section adorned with an Akoya pearl that may be removed in order to wear the principal portion of the piece on a different part of the ear.
The Queen’s double clip brooch also inspired a pair of index rings with a contemporary design. Streamlined to the extreme, shaped in white gold paved with mother-of-pearl and diamonds, the Art Deco design leaves an impression in the mind’s eye like a sparkling print in eternal snow.
These two brooches may be worn in various ways, together or separately. Either way, Mega Pink stands out for its bright pink tourmalines.
Cut into cabochons and baguettes, the colored stones are highlighted by channel-set diamonds while pink lacquer areas heighten their intensity. This pair of brooches is suitable for men and women.
MEGA PINK
Mantra
KADI
AN ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION
Holographic embroideries tracing geometric waves, the colors of the desert sun woven into asymmetric dresses, couturier tweed entwined onto pants and blazers, and voluminous displays of floating satin duchess fabrics: This is Mantra, Maison Rami Kadi’s Couture Spring Summer2023 collection.Every aspect of Mantra’s 25 looks was designed to be an embodiment of the image of Gaia. Ocean waves and sand ripples are reflected through patterns and mazes inspired by these terrestrial phenomena. Granite Green, Cosmic Sky Purple, and Lava Falls Red are among the celebration of colors that mirror those of the spirit of nature.
Thematic throughout the mystical collection are drapes that flow out from the gowns, wrapping the body with a balm tenderness and offering a sense of spiritual cleansing. Indeed, the imperial volume surrounding each piece gives a sense of the aura radiating from its every curve and pleat.“We didn’t want to restrict the spiritual expression of the pieces solely to patterns and colors,” explains Rami Kadi about this unique approach. “We wanted to turn the space around each dress into an extension of this artistic representation.” This ethereal spirit of the couture pieces set the scene for the cybershow that launched the Spring Summer 2023 Mantra couture collection.
HYMN OF EARTH
.”The models make their way through a mirrored runway that twines its way through illusive sand dunes, an outburst of light now illuminating their path. Among the dresses debuted in the show was the collection’s feature piece, vaunting an Ocean Wave Turquoise color, embroidered with infinity circles that intertwin with linear lines.
Scattered arch mirrors along the dunes offer captured reflections of the dresses, as if to echo the refrain of the pieces.
The show comes to an illuminous conclusion with the collection’s elysian bridal dress. Fashioned from the color of white sand and shrouded with elements that emanate peaceful energy, the bridal dress provides the final, light-filled note in this sacred Mantra.
AMantra is Rami Kadi’s personal homage to the state of rootedness and stability resembled by the spirit of Earth.
The show, which was live-streamed on the Maison’s official Instagram page on the 26th of January, invited viewers on a numinous trip that sees the models make their journey from dark to light, in a manifestation of the path towards enlightenment. Sporadic lights at the opening of the show offer fleeting glimpses of the dynamic movements on the gowns. Then, through the cleansing fumes of burning sages, the models appear, their faces decorated with make-up inspired by indigenous designs, sending a message that “this collection has a mantra, and its mantra is a hymn of Earth.
THE ETHEREAL SPIRIT
SCHIAPARELLI
“In 1308, the poet Dante Alighieri began what would be his masterwork, The Divine Comedy, a 14,233-line poem divided into three books: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
We all know this work, by name if not by heart. And yet when I revisited it recently, I was struck by something I’d missed when I first encountered it, not the horror of hell that Dante conjures so vividly, nor the sense of despair that overcomes you as you descend further and further into the realm, but by how the story is, at its core, an allegory of doubt.
The narrator, Dante’s stand-in (also named Dante), is almost exactly middle-aged at the narrative’s beginning, when he finds himself “midway upon the journey of our life.”
And yet as he climbs deeper into hell, he realizes just how little he actually knows—all those years, all that life, and yet he remains in that “dark wood,” the path he had once walked so surely vanished from sight. What appealed to me in the Inferno wasn’t just the theatrics of Dante’s creation, it was how perfect a metaphor it provided for the torment that every artist or creative person experiences when we sit before the screen or the sketchpad or the dress form, when we have that moment in which we’re shaken by what we don’t know.
When I’m stuck, I often take some comfort in thinking of Elsa Schiaparelli: the codes she created, the risks she took, are now the stuff of history and legend, and yet she too must have been uncertain, even scared, when she was inventing them. Her fear enabled her bravery, which sounds counterintuitive but is key to the artistic process.
Fear means you’re pushing yourself to make something shocking, something new.
Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso: One cannot exist without the others. It is a reminder that there is no such thing as heaven without hell; there is no joy without sorrow; there is no ecstasy of creation without the torture of doubt.
My prayer for myself is that I remember that always—that, on my most difficult days, when inspiration just won’t come, I remember that no ascension to heaven is possible without first a trip to the fires, and the fear that comes with it.
Let me embrace it always.
Wear and Love your Embroidery
Stéphane Rolland
SAUDADE MEU AMOR
A FEW MUSICAL NOTES FROM ANTONIO CARLOS JOBÌM AND MARIA BETHANIA’S VOICE ON ASUNRISE OFF THE BAY OF RIO. HOMAGE TO ORFEU NEGRO, MARCEL CAMUS’S MASTERPIECE, TRANSPOSITION OF ORPHEUS ANDEURYDICE’S MYTH IN A FANTASIZED BRAZIL WITH A TANGIBLE REALISM.
Act I
From Oscar Niemeyer, the couturier takes the generous roundness and strength ofhis architecture.
From Rio de Janeiro, the Bossa Nova’s sensuality.
A half poncho in a white iridescent voile is adorned with a shoulder sculpture, like amarble sculpture on its stele. Column like dresses in white gazar have reminiscences from the Alborada de Brasiliapalace and the Sambadrome dresses, all leg revealing, make heads turn.A few sets, Brazilian stones embellish the body in bunches to break the minimalism ofthe dresses.
The strength of Architecture
Act II
Amazonian immersion. Between rituals and art. Totem dresses in jersey or coffee brown crepe are embroidered with carved symbolsor cutout in mirrors, catching the light. A harem-pants jumpsuit in bark brown meetsa gigantic poncho in emerald green charmeuse embroidered with malachite.Gigantic cuffs and rings of ebony, long stems of earrings, the woman is deified.
A NEW BALANCE
A fantasized Brazil with a tangible realism
Act II
Amazonian immersion. Between rituals and art. Totem dresses in jersey or coffee brown crepe are embroidered with carved symbolsor cutout in mirrors, catching the light. A harem-pants jumpsuit in bark brown meetsa gigantic poncho in emerald green charmeuse embroidered with malachite.Gigantic cuffs and rings of ebony, long stems of earrings, the woman is deified.
TONY WARD
Floating through space
Clusters of stars in the distance
The end of an eraInfinite twinkles appear on a dress In our imagination, meteorite grain
Believed to be the origin of the universe Vaporous skirt, celestial corset, architectural collar
Ultraviolet illuminated with gold constellations
Cosmic Black, Solar Yellow, Emerald Green coated with magic dust
Oversized capelines flash by Floating pleats
Silhouettes ethereal, spiritual, beyond Earth
Tribute to a couturier who now lights up the sky70 years of Ward Ateliers
founded by Elie Ward, He left us last October
A sentimental feeling, reminiscing,
25 years of Tony Ward, his son, the story goes onIt’s a ‘Stardust’ voyage
Tony Ward Couture Spring Summer 2023 collection
The start of a new era.
STARDUST VOYAGE
THE START OF A NEW ERA
FASHION IDEAL
Viktor &Rolf
Viktor&Rolf Haute Couture Spring/ Summer 2023 presented a parade of dreamy, romantic tulle ballgowns, alluding to the grand tradition and golden days of mid-20th century Haute Couture.
The body is constructed, shoulders are bare, décolletés are revealing.
The waist is accentuated and juxtaposed with voluminous mille-feuille skirts in endless layers of tulle.
Bodices are embellished with sparkling embroidery and bows.
The pastel colour scheme is reminiscent of a painting by Boucher or Watteau.
With its delicate atmosphere, the collection appears to set the tone for an almost stereotypical vision of Haute Couture as an anachronistic dream of soft femininity.
But dreams are deceptive. The familiar becomes strange, as the mundane transforms into the absurd and vice versa.
This collection visualizes the sense of alienation the collection title refers to. A singular and narrowly defined ‘fashion ideal’ is presented and artistically manipulated to put itself into question.
Late Stage Capitalism Waltz
A surreal way
The body, while retaining the ‘dessous’ that sculpts its silhouette (traditionally an integrated part of the structure of a Couture dress), moves away from the garment.
And the dress, while retaining its idealized shape, antagonizes, alienates and frees itself from the body in a surreal way.
In close collaboration with Hans Boodt Mannequins, lightweight 3D-printed structures were crafted to realize the gravity-defying optical illusions.
The collaboration merges traditional and new techniques into bespoke ways of designing.
Gowns embellished with crystals from Swarovski® are evocative of the grandiose atmosphere of the mid-20th century.
Models take the runway in Christian Louboutin encrusted mesh and satin stilettos, complementing the pastelcoloured constructions of this season.
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS
A MAGIC AND ELEGANT ALLURE
YANINA COUTURE
YANINA COUTURE SPRING SUMMER 2023 COMES AS A COLORFUL SYMPHONY FILLED WITH TIMELESS BEAUTY, MAGIC AND ELEGANT ALLURE.
Silhouettes are sleek yet built with an architectural twist. Colors are passionate and lively and call for new horizons.
About her vision for this season Yulia Yanina, the creative director, says: “She is a daring dreamer, a conqueror.
She sees no limits and shares her talents with the World, welcoming the amazing discoveries it offers to those keen on jumping on new opportunities in life. She is fearless, ambitious and adventurous.
The YANINA Couture SS23 Girl enjoys it all. Impeccable at all times, anywhere across the world, at any age she enjoys working and partying.
Beautiful, happy, selfreliant, even a little cheeky sometimes!”
POPPY FLOWERS: THE ETERNAL SYMBOL OF BEAUTY AND CHARM
The Collection takes its inspirations in poppy flowers, the eternal symbol of beauty and charm. Bold yet delicate, breathtakingly gorgeous, poppies brighten up YANINA’s couture creations: dresses and tunics, skirts and palazzos. Poppy is the pattern Yulia Yanina brings in to celebrate color, happiness and love – her manifesto as an artist. Poppy flowers served as an inspiration for numerous shapes and details such as hyper sleeves, romantic silhouettes and hand- made décor that visually transforms fabrics, graphics and shades into blooming fields.
A CELEBRATION OF COLOR, HAPPINESS AND LOVE
Fabrics and décor for YANINA
Couture Spring Summer 2023 include shining satins, luxurious silk velvets, aristocratic double crepes, weightless voiles and chiffons with hand embroidery, starry sequins and glitters
DIOR AND THE HÔTEL DU CAP-EDEN-ROC REVEAL THE NEW DIOR SPA
EDEN-ROC IN ANTIBES
Dior Spa Eden-Roc
Present in the most beautiful places in the world, Dior is now joining the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes.
This legendary place treasured by the House is celebrated by an eponymous perfume in the Collection Privée Christian Dior. Here, on April 14th 2023, it will welcome a Spa, inspired by and looking out onto nature and the radiant Côte d’Azur light. United by a shared spirit and a shared vision of discreet and authentic luxury, the two Houses are, in this way, celebrating their long-standing ties. Overlooking the southern tip of Cap d’Antibes, Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc is an absolute legend of the French Riviera. Set on a promontory of white rocks with an unrestricted
view of the Lérins Islands, its elegant Napoleonic residence, majestic alleys and iconic swimming pool set into the cliffside, have shone for over 150 years. This vibrant gem of regal nature is set in grounds of nine hectares, where Aleppo pines, agapanthus, lavender, fragrant roses and jasmine flourish. This idyllic setting is a symbol of a unique art de vivre. It is a refuge for stars and key figures worldwide, from New York glamour couple Sara and Gerald Murphy, who started the trend for summer breaks on the Côte d’Azur with friends Hemingway and Picasso, to Sharon Stone, Robert de Niro and Clint Eastwood, as well as Liz Taylor and Richard Burton who came for their honeymoon, Audrey Hepburn, Romy Schneider and the Kennedy family.
A NEW CHAPTER OF SHARED HISTORY
A Place Inspired by The Cap d’Antibes and its
Iconic Rocks
In the shade of the immense Aleppo pines in the Cap-Eden-Roc gardens, the Dior Spa opens onto a reception room in pale shades of sand, inspired by the rocks from which the estate rises. A boutique also houses the Collection Privée Christian Dior perfumes, including, naturally, the emblematic Eden-Roc fragrance, as well as the most precious skincare lines, the new Dior Solar range and the House makeup.
The Dioriginels Rituals
Drawing on its holistic vision of beauty and well-being, Dior designed the Dioriginels Rituals, four new customizable signature treatments for its Spa. In a reflection of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, they are inspired by the four elements that give this mythical place its unique character: the rocks, the sea, the garden and the sun.
A complete “reset” treatment ideal for starting your stay, the Escale à Eden-Roc Ritual aims to rebalance and harmonise energy flow during a ma sage that uses semi-precious stones. Chosen according to the needs of each person, they are used either hot or cold during this 2hr treatment.
The Roc Affusion Ritual reinterprets the full power of water through a 1hr 30min hydrotherapy treatment, with the help of a tailor-made sequence of water jets, beneficial for the muscles and drainage.
Photographer: ISSHOGAI
Stylist: Audrey JEHANNO
Dress and Jewelry: Stéphane Rolland
Makup: Julie AIGRET
Model: Vyolet ANDROS