Jessica Michault 12/18/20 Jessica Michault 12/18/20

🎙️ Anna Dello Russo

Anna Dello Russo is a fashion force of nature. To the uneducated, she is the eternal star of the concrete catwalk. The colorful, upbeat and sometimes outrageous outfits she wears to the fashion weeks she attends are always the must get shots for the photographers that stalk the streets outside the show venues.

But for those who know Anna, she is much more than a fabulous clothes horse. She is one of the industry’s leading stylists and art directors. After getting a master’s degree in fashion at the Domus Academy in Milan, Anna had the good fortune, right at the start of her career, to cut her teeth at Vogue Italia under the watchful eye of its longtime editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani. There she spent 18 years honing her skills and worked alongside all of the biggest photographers of the 80s and 90s. Then in the year 2000, she was tapped to become the creative director of L’Uomo Vogue before going out on her own as a creative consultant in 2006. She is also currently the fashion editor-at-large for Vogue Japan, creating one iconic cover image after another for the magazine.

Throughout her career, Anna has been paying forward the generosity and mentorship she received from Sozzanni to up and coming stylists. Many of her former assistants have gone on to their own successful careers in the industry after being trained up by Anna. And three years ago she took the concept of giving back even further by becoming the international brand ambassador of the Istituto Marangoni, teaching its students from around the world about how to telegraph their sartorial ideas through visual storytelling that both grabs the viewers’ attention and makes them dream.

Full disclosure, I have known Anna for years and she is hands down one of the most positive, heartful, and generous people working in fashion today. You can always count on Anna to find a way to make any situation fun and unforgettable.

Image from Fashion ABC website.

Jessica Michault 12/12/20 Jessica Michault 12/12/20

🎙️ Steven Kolb

Steven Kolb and I have traveled in the same circles for years. But until this podcast, we never really had the chance to have a deep dive discussion about life in general and more specifically, life in fashion. As the CEO of the CFDA, Steven is basically the ringmaster of New York Fashion Week, so it is a bit difficult to pin him down.

But what I have always appreciated about him is how level headed he is. Even in the eye of the fashion tornado, you can count on Steven to be matter-of-fact with his insights, feedback, and suggestions. Over the years, he has been a driving force behind some of the CFDA’s more important projects, from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the CFDA Fashion Incubator program to the CFDA Fashion Awards. Not to mention the many initiatives he, and by extension, the CFDA, have supported over the years that shine a light on issues such as better representation, equity, and inclusivity within the fashion industry.

Just this year Steven launched RUNWAY360 in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic to create a digital platform for New York fashion designers to show content-rich online presentations of their collections when social distancing made in-person fashion weeks a non-starter. And at the same time, he flipped the script on this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund turning it into a fundraiser called A Common Thread to aid those fashion businesses that have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this podcast, Steven and I talk about where he sees fashion weeks headed in the future, how his outsider’s perspective has helped him be even more effective as the CEO of the CFDA, and what his favorite part of his job is. Also do listen all the way to the end of this podcast because Steven’s answers to my 5 generic fashion questions are just fantastic.

Image from CFDA's website.

Jessica Michault 5/5/20 Jessica Michault 5/5/20

💭 The Floral Dress for The Outnet

This article first appeared on The Outnet.

THE FLORAL DRESS

At first blush, the floral dress might not be thought of as a wardrobe icon in the same way as, say, a blazer, a crisp white shirt or a little black dress. But dismissing the floral dress would be a mistake. It has just as important a role as any of those other icons in our closets and has an evergreen staying power. Floral dresses have been a fashion hallmark for centuries, long before any of those other pieces came along. In fact, ever since the tastemakers of ancient Rome began accessorizing their togas with fresh blooms, fashion and the power of the flower have been interlinked. Once the silk producers of medieval Asia worked out how to weave patterns like the exotic peony into their fabrics, the floral trend blossomed everywhere it was imported.

There are some women, I was once one of them, who have a fear of wearing florals. “I’ll look too girly!” or, “prints and I just don’t get along,” are some of the phrases I have heard come out of the mouths of colleagues who forgo florals. How wrong they are. They offer a uniquely beguiling mix of nature and femininity that can emulate every mood – from prim to pretty to deeply dramatic. If you’ve got a tough message to deliver, they can soften the impact. Michelle Obama’s love of large-scale florals was a masterclass in using their power to signal her own strength. Or think of Reese Witherspoon, attending hotshot Hollywood meetings clothed not in power separates but in sweet, flowery tea dresses. In 1954’s Sabrina, Audrey Hepburn outshines a ballroom full of guests in conventional evening attire, by way of a floor-sweeping, white Givenchy gown – embellished with navy flowers. When Hepburn accepted her Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday the same year, the cinched, white floral Givenchy dress she wore is the style peak in combining glamour and girlishness to devastating effect.

Florals can convey any mood, depending on the pattern you pick. For historical romance, a delicate botanical inspired by the Liberty print is hard to beat. William Morris, icon of the early 20th century Arts and Crafts movement, made Indian chintz-inspired designs all the rage. Find the modern iteration in dresses from the likes of Zimmermann and Emilia Wickstead. If you want to exude a sweet, Little Women-ish innocence, there are ruffled prairie dresses scattered in small sprigs from brands like GANNI and Les Rêveries. There’s something about the irony of retro upholstery florals that designers love to subvert. In his work at Balenciaga and Vetements, Demna Gvsalia inspired a street-style mania for the kind of prints you might have found on granny’s curtains, but draped and spliced in new ways. Of course, some houses have made florals their calling card – whether it’s Mary Katrantzou’s dizzying digital designs, Dolce & Gabbana’s bold baroque blooms or Preen’s endless innovation with shirring and asymmetry that gives their floral frocks a cool twist. Then there’s the bold exuberance of 1960s and 1970s designs – think of Mary Quant’s signature monochrome daisy and the stylized poppies and tulips of Celia Birtwell, whose prints combined with husband Ossie Clark’s clothing designs are now some of the most collectible vintage pieces. Find the same graphic mood in brands like Diane von Furstenberg and Emilio Pucci. Your choice speaks volumes about who you are and how you want to be viewed by the world.

The floral dress has endless styling potential. Mix it with flat sandals, loose locks and long earrings and it’s the perfect sunny weather ensemble. Layer under a fitted blazer, add a pair of creepers and a high ponytail and poof! A modern update on the ‘90s grunge-floral aesthetic.

The day I met my future husband, I was wearing a blue, empire-waist chintz dress, covered in sweet little pink blooms. I remember (even before his green eyes alighted on me in the University cafeteria for the first time) feeling especially beautiful and self-assured. I’d finally taken the plunge and embraced my feminine side. Up until that fortuitous day, you have to understand, I was a 24/7 trouser and suit-wearing kind of woman. But putting on that dress was a sartorial awakening for me. I discovered that, as pretty as flowery frocks might be, they can also wield some serious power. They’re unapologetic in their use of some of the world’s most beautiful creations to adorn women in ways that elevate them, connect them to Mother Nature and quite simply, make them look and feel beautiful. That’s something we all need…

Jessica Michault 2/14/20 Jessica Michault 2/14/20

🎙️ Sara Sozzani Maino

I think few people in the fashion industry would argue with me if I said that Sara Sozzani Maino is one of the hardest working women in fashion.

I think few people in the fashion industry would argue with me if I said that Sara Sozzani Maino is one of the hardest working women in fashion.

Sara is the head of Vogue Talents and Italian Vogue’s deputy editor for special fashion projects. And pretty much no matter where I am in the world or what event I am attending, I invariably seem to spot Sara, with her lion’s mane of black hair, her monochrome - usually black - attire and her practical footwear, which is a must since she is in constant motion. I see her working the room, wherever she is, and make sure to say hello to everyone. She is always giving kind words of support and encouragement to the young designers who are endlessly seeking her out and she is forever crisscrossing the globe on the hunt to discover new talents to celebrate within the pages of Italian Vogue and Vogue Talents.

Sara grew up surrounded by strong women passionate about fashion. Both her mother, Carla Sozzani, who is the founder of the famed fashion concept store 10 Corso Como in Milan and her aunt, Franca Sozzani, the iconic editor in chief of Italian Vogue, from 1988 until her death in 2016, showed her what a strong work ethic can achieve and how powerful and transformative fashion can be on a global scale.

Initially, Sara didn’t have a particular interest in fashion. She worked a bit in the early 90s, when she was just out of school, at the newly opened 10 Corso Como before getting a job as an intern in 1994 at Italian Vogue. Over the years she worked her way up through the ranks of the magazine and found her own niche, that of spotting up and coming talents that she would bring to the attention of the rest of the editorial team. Not surprisingly, in 2009 Franca put Sara in charge of the newly created Vogue Talents project. It was her mission to unearth the future designer diamonds in the rough in the worlds of womenswear, menswear, accessories, and fashion photography.

And she has quite an eye for spotting those that have what it takes to make it to the top of the fashion pyramid. Designers like J. W. Anderson, Simone Rocha, Marco de Vincenzo and Glenn Martens, just to name a very few, were clocked by Sara very early on in their careers. It’s no wonder that every young talent fashion jury on the planet is clamoring to get Sara on their committee.

2019 marked the 10 year anniversary of the launch of Vogue Talents and I caught up with Sara right after that momentous milestone. And to give you an idea of just how busy this woman is, we ended up recording our podcast in the back of her black town car in between two fashion shows.

All you have to do is listen to this podcast to know that Sara is one of those amazing people who you know you can always count on. She wants everyone to be a success, and if she can help you get there, she will pull out all the stops to make it happen.

Image of Sara Sozzani Maino from Antidote Magazine.

Jessica Michault 1/1/20 Jessica Michault 1/1/20

💭 Tilda Swinton for VOGUE Japan

“Fun”. That was how the Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton described working on her latest film, Suspiria.

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN January 2019 Issue No. 233.

TILDA SWINTON

“Fun”. That was how the Oscar winning actress Tilda Swinton described working on her latest film, Suspiria. Now this is not really the first word most people would think of in relation to a very dark supernatural horror film, that takes place at a world-renowned dance academy and deals with witches, the occult and the immortal soul. But Swinton has never, ever, been someone to see the world, her work or the roles she takes on in a traditional way.

She said that “comradeship and fun” helped her to deal with the day to day filming in an unheated and abandoned hotel on the top of an Italian mountain in the dead of winter. That these two things were “the best talisman combo possible” to protect the actress from the dark subject matter of the script.

She went on to say that she was initially drawn to the role of Madame Blanc because of how the character’s commitment to her art came above all else. [She is] “the artist amongst the witches, deeply compromised by the deal she had made with the supernatural for the sake of the survival of her art, is a compelling one for me,” explained Swinton. “I thought a lot about Mary Wigman, the pioneer of New Expressionist Dance, who kept her company afloat throughout the occupation of Germany by the Third Reich and was psychologically delicate and troubled. And I also thought about the character of Lermontov - played by the great Anton Walbrook in Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes - who exerts himself to persuade the red-haired dancer, Vicky Page, to choose art above life. I also borrowed certain aspects of her look from the extraordinary Pina Bausch, whose ever-present cigarette seemed appropriate in this fable about breath.” added the actress about how she prepared for the demanding role.

Swinton is a woman that holds a very particular place in most people’s consciousness. She has acted in almost 80 films so far in her career and her characters, in movies as diverse as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Doctor Strange, Orlando, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Okja, make her an actress that is hard to pin down. In fact, that seems to be the one common thread in the roles she takes on. She disappears into each part, often via transformative costumes and make up (and in a few cases some impressive dental prosthetics) becoming a true storytelling vessel.

*Peter Lindbergh Cover Story for VOGUE Japan, Tilda Swinton Paris 2018.*

“Sometimes, a person’s mouth is the principal focus of a portrait: their words, their attachment to the truth or their version of it, needs a little heightening... so it was with Minister Mason and the dreadful Mirando twins in the films I have made with Bong Joon Ho - Snowpiercer and Okja,” explained Swinton. “But, in general, it is always fun to put together a unique disguise for a performance, with an enjoyment in detail and a spirit of playfulness. For me, filmmaking, as life, is always part rock and roll, part kindergarten playtime, with a big dash of family vacation adventure holding it all together,” she added.

If this has been her goal, then she has more than succeeded. For some of the most common adjectives to describe Swinton include; eccentric, chameleon, unique, muse, statuesque, iconic and gifted. One attribute however, that is perhaps less well known is what a stalwart friend she can be. And it is a friendship that brought her to Suspiria in the first place.

For this film she once again teamed up with director Luca Guadagnino, who has been one of her closest friends for nearly 25 years. And apparently over those years, while they worked on such memorable movies like I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, they often discussed doing a remake (or as Swinton likes to call it “a cover”) of Suspiria together. “Working with my friends is one of the greatest blessings in my life: it means a deep trust, a playful atmosphere and a sense of freedom to explore territories and subjects that take real comradeship to approach,” said Swinton.

She felt that Guadagnino could bring unique and new perspective to the story. “Luca is an extremely cinematic filmmaker,” she said. “His passion for a kind of ‘sensational’ cinema - meaning a cinema of the senses, one that sets up a particular and unique atmosphere into which we might be absorbed and by which we might find ourselves affected and transformed - is developing all the time. I love our lifelong work very dearly.”

Besides getting to once again team up with Guadagnino, Swinton was drawn to the subject matter for other reasons as well. Both the focus on the world of dance, and the opportunity to work with a cast of over 40 women on this film had its appeal. Each of these aspects are rarities in the film world today and the actress relished the beautiful atmosphere on the set and how the dedication, focus, stamina and skill of the dancers assembled by Damien Jalet for the film played the vital role of giving the narrative a rigor and texture.

Many of the women who started alongside Swinton, including Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jessica Harper and Alek Wek, joined her at the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it got an eight-minute standing ovation after the screening. For the big event Swinton sported a high necked scarlet red column dress from one of her favorite designers, Haider Ackerman.

Just like with the directors she works with, Swinton is also a faithful fashion friend. Returning over and over again to designers she has built long lasting relationships with, like Ackerman, Alber Elbaz, John Galliano for Martin Margiela, Bertrand Guyon for Schiaparelli and Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. “I am, naturally, someone who is pretty shy about being the center of attention and if I can stand up in a creation by someone I love, with whom I have developed the look, I feel less alone in that brightly-lit moment and I have the company of my accomplice by my side and their hand in mine,” she explained.

Coincidentally it was another film screening that Swinton also attended at the Venice Film Festival, the remastered version of the iconic film Last Year at Marienbad (which was supported financially by Chanel) that inspired the photo shoot that accompanies this article. Recounted Swinton, “Peter Greenway deployed his legendary response to shadow and magic in movement to create a story closer to a set of film stills than a traditional fashion study. There are unspoken depths to each image, as if each represents a scene, an individual drama. It was a dream to shoot and we were aiming for a dreamy essence: a very sweet memory.”

Mission accomplished.

Jessica Michault 11/25/19 Jessica Michault 11/25/19

💭 Iris Van Herpen for VOGUE Arabia

The Dutch designer has an insatiable appetite for knowledge, leading her to pave the way for never-before-seen haute couture.

Originally printed in the October 2019 issue of Vogue Arabia.

How Iris Van Herpen is Paving the Way for Never-Before-Seen Haute Couture

The Dutch designer has an insatiable appetite for knowledge, leading her to pave the way for never-before-seen haute couture.

*Iris Van Herpen FW19 Couture Collection. Photographed by The Bardos for Vogue Arabia; Collage by Shay Colley*

If haute couture is a factory of dreams, Iris van Herpen is one of its master weavers. This soft-spoken, slender, and unassuming woman with long strawberry blonde hair has, for more than a decade, consistently transformed jaded fashion front row regulars into wide-eyed children staring with wonder at her otherworldly creations. “It is like wearing a piece of art. What she creates is so special. Each piece is an exceptional surprise,” says veteran Hollywood stylist Leslie Fremar, who recently dressed actor Eva Green for a red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles in one of Van Herpen’s designs. “Eva fell in love with Iris’s dress as soon as she saw it. She appreciated the art and craftsmanship that went into it. I’ve never received such positive feedback for a dress that I’ve styled.” It takes a certain kind of woman to wear one of Van Herpen’s designs. Women like Björk, Solange Knowles, Tilda Swinton, Gwendoline Christie, Cara Delevingne, Cate Blanchett, and Lady Gaga. They have the character it takes to not lose themselves in the artistry and the technical prowess to pull off such imaginative and unusual garments.

Since Van Herpen started her company in 2007, the Dutch designer has found that exploring the juxtaposition between the beauty of Mother Nature and the beauty born from man-made innovations to be her happy place. 3D printing has become one of her signature avenues of sartorial expression, as has the incorporation of unconventional materials. She also bends state-of-the-art techniques and technological advancements to her creative will to bring into being sculptural garments that always seem to have a sense of movement at their heart.

“In my world, I don’t see a distinction between nature and technology. They influence each other and they are obviously intertwined in our lives, even in our bodies nowadays. I think they are pure expressions of the dichotomy of our lives,” says Van Herpen from her Amsterdam studio that overlooks one of the city’s many canals. “The pieces I make live in-between the worlds of art and fashion; I am very flexible about how people perceive them, as both are the truth.”

*Designer Iris van Herpen with models showcasing her FW19 couture collection. Photographed by The Bardos for Vogue Arabia*

Van Herpen was raised by her ballet teacher mother and a father who worked as an advisor to a governmental water agency in a quiet village outside of Amsterdam. With no television or computer screens to stifle her imagination, her formative years were filled with painting, playing the violin, and a serious love of ballet, which she studied until she was 16. She would go on to study fashion design at the renowned art academy ArtEZ and intern for Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra, before deciding to head out on her own.

Ask the designer, who likes to sky-dive to give her mind a creative clean slate, what superpower she wishes she had and the answer reveals much about her. “Time travel,” she states matter-of-factly. “There are so many people from the past I would love to meet. If I could go back and visit with only one, it would be Leonardo da Vinci. What I love about him is his unlimited curiosity about every layer of life and how he wasn’t scared to move from one discipline into another. He never limited himself by defining himself.”

The same can be said about Van Herpen. She is passionate about exploring different artistic and scientific disciplines. She often works with masters in other fields, such as Bart Hess, Daniel Widrig, Tara Dougans, and Joost Vandebrug to create her designs. Sometimes this collaboration is more directly, like when she worked with the American kinetic sculptor Anthony Howe on her most recent haute couture collection, Hypnosis – the ideal title for a show filled with undulating geometrically designed ensembles.

The pieces felt structured while portraying a sense of fluidity, with sharp black piping denoting the fabric edges and rivulets of dégradé colors cascading down dresses. For the 10-year anniversary of her brand, Van Herpen collaborated with the performance musicians Between Music for her Aeriform couture show, with the artists performing live underwater during her presentation.

*Iris Van Herpen FW19 Couture Collection. Photographed by The Bardos for Vogue Arabia*

These creative partnerships can also be felt more subtly in her work. Trips to the scientific research center CERN in Geneva will spark an interest in using magnets and their effect on fabrics. Currently, she is fascinated by the work being done at TU Delft University, where researchers have found a way to transform wastewater into a pearlescent shell material. “I almost can’t believe what they are able to do,” Van Herpen says with audible excitement in her voice. “It’s like 21st-century alchemy.” She also recently worked with Neutelings Riedijk Architects to create the new Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, which opened in August. For this collaboration, she was inspired by fossils in the center’s archives to create more than a kilometer of three-dimensional designs, hand-sanded into concrete, to mimic the idea of beauty through erosion over time. Her contribution was woven, like sedimentary layers of rock, into the overall structure of the building. According to architect Michiel Riedijk, they reached out to Van Herpen because they were drawn by the research she has undertaken into natural organic references. “We are fascinated by the ways she turns this inspiration into research and innovation as a novel expression in contemporary collections. This matches the ambitions we had in mind for the design of the new Naturalis.”

This collaboration has only sparked in Van Herpen an even more fervent desire to explore the world around her. And one place that is at the top of her bucket list is to revisit the UAE. Her curiosity about the Middle East was first piqued via the work of her fellow countryman MC Escher. The mathematical beauty found in his tessellation patterns lead Van Herpen to discover the geometric beauty in Islamic artwork and architecture. “It is mind-blowing, the mathematical perfection of it. The architecture is stunning and so fundamentally different from anything else on this planet. I really want to go there and do a deep dive into that,” she says. The mind begins to spin at the thought of what a talent like Van Herpen could conjure up in her atelier if she ever turned her full attention to the mathematical precision of Middle Eastern artwork. It could end up being some of her most engrossing and original designs yet. Fusing fashion’s future with the world’s past in a way that would be, without a doubt, both breathtaking and bold.

Originally published in the October 2019 issue of Vogue Arabia

Manuel Arnaut: Editor in Chief
Caterina Minthe: Features Director

Jessica Michault 11/20/19 Jessica Michault 11/20/19

💭 Wafaa Abbar and Noura Binzagr for VOGUE Arabia

Much has been written in Western press about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s male-dominated society and the status of women’s rights. Meanwhile, one mother-daughter team has been working diligently to bring about real change from within.

Originally printed in the September 2018 issue of Vogue Arabia.

This Mother-Daughter Duo is Proof That Women in Saudi Don’t Just Work – They Lead

*Wafaa Abbar and Noura Binzagr. Photographed by Rawan Althomali*

Wafaa Abbar is the president of the country’s leading luxury retailer, Rubaiyat Group. Her daughter, Noura Binzagr, is its ladies division manager. Together, they contribute to impressive advancements for women in Saudi. They have done this on a number of fronts: through the curated choice of luxury designer products (from the likes of Gucci and Prada) sold in their stores, to the local fashion initiatives that they support. Now, they are heralding the opening of a new ladies store spanning over 2000 square meters in Olaya, Riyadh. Industry pioneers, the two women are regional and international examples of what women with vision and drive can accomplish.

“I think it’s only fair that the likes of Noura and I speak out so that all women sitting at home – or who are working but hiding it and don’t want to be seen – reveal themselves to the public. There is no shame in that. It’s a power,” says Abbar about her choice to do interviews with the press. Abbar, a woman who always has a smile on her lips and a joyful twinkle in her eyes, has had the drive to make her mark on the world since she was a child. The youngest of six children, she remembers looking up to her older brothers and wanting to be like them. “I have the spirit of competition inside me; to be number one,” she admits. That drive translated into a work ethic that saw her become one of the first Saudi women to start a retail business in the Kingdom. She is also the main shareholder of the company, which she helped to co-found in Jeddah in 1980. In 2014, under her guidance, Rubaiyat opened the city’s first luxury fashion department store.

Meanwhile, Binzagr is a diminutive beauty with a head for business, a love of fashion, and a clear-eyed understanding of the challenges women face in her home country. “I think it’s because we feel we have to work so hard to prove ourselves that Saudi women in the work force end up being very accomplished. I see it at work: most of the Saudis in our company that excel are women,” she says.

Both Abbar and Binzagr relish the challenge of finding luxury goods that will sell in their unique market. Often they work hand-in-hand with designers to help them create products that are in keeping with the label’s esthetic but that also incorporate the particular needs of Saudi customers. “Saudi is a tricky market. It’s very sheltered in the sense that it is one of the only markets in terms of retail that caters only to locals. In Europe the offering is different than what we have because we buy a very tailored edit. I’ve heard customers say things like, ‘We’ve been to Europe and we didn’t see these products.’ This is why we’re here. We buy for you because we know what the market needs,” explains Binzagr.

*Portrait of Wafaa Abbar. Photographed by Rawan Althomali*

*Portrait of Noura Binzagr. Photographed by Rawan Althomali*

Now, the launch of the three-floor ladies store, promises even more selection for its dedicated customers along with a café and mini spa. “This is a dream that we’ve been wanting to realize for many years,” comments Abbar. The mezzanine will offer footwear from brands including Aquazzura, Malone Souliers, Sergio Rossi, but also Golden Goose and Nike while the store’s ground floor will propose handbags and accessories by brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Saint Laurent alongside labels Phillip Lim, MSGM, Helmut Lang, and Alexander Wang. Upstairs, eveningwear from Jenny Packham and Naeem Khan will satisfy special occasion indulgences. Décor on the walls will feature a curation of large-scale works from the Kingdom’s art foundation l’Art Pur, established in 1999 by Her Highness Princess Adwa Yazid bin Abdallah Al Saud.

What the market also craves is the promotion of its own homegrown talents. To that end, Abbar has been instrumental in highlighting regional designers on both a macro and micro level. In 2016, Rubaiyat Group backed the first ever Jeddah Vogue Fashion Experience. This saw a number of leading fashion designers, tastemakers, and journalists fly to the Kingdom to judge a group of up-and-coming local designers. The winners of that competition were then flown to Europe to present their creations during Milan Fashion Week. Furthermore, since the Rubaiyat luxury department store opened four years ago, during Ramadan, Abbar creates a dedicated area for emerging designer products. Over the 30-day period, a different designer is given the entire space to display their creations for two days. Often, a selection of abayas or kaftans is presented exclusively for the store.

*The Dolce & Gabbana department at Rubaiyat Department Store, Jeddah*

With the launch of the new store, Abbar aims to satisfy a growing need, “Our customers in Riyadh have been wanting a bigger Rubaiyat store in their city for a while now. We’ve always wanted to satisfy our cosmopolitan customer and now it’s finally the time.” She adds that along with providing a bigger space, they will “take everything to the next level,” from the interior to the merchandise and customer service. “We hope it will be as exciting for them as it is for us and that it was well worth the wait.”

Photography: Rawan Althomali

Jessica Michault 11/1/19 Jessica Michault 11/1/19

💭 Elle Fanning for VOGUE Japan

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN November 2018 Issue No. 231.

ELLE FANNING

“Come on over and take a look Pamela,” said photographers Mert and Marcus as they shot Ella Fanning for the cover of this issue. The moniker wasn’t a slip of the tongue, it made sense, because the woman in the photos was not the girl that we have all come to find delightful in films like Maleficent, Super 8 or We Bought a Zoo. Instead the blond bombshell looking back at us, dressed in the latest resort collection from Miu Miu, had the same sexy playfulness of a young Pamela Anderson, Brigitte Bardot or even Claudia Schiffer. The images showed Fanning to be in that fleeting sweet spot in a woman’s life; where innocence swirls with fully formed femininity for a powerfully potent cocktail.

Fanning, who is 20 and has been acting for 17 years, has already started to explore this new power. Recently taking on roles in films with very adult subject matter such as The Neon Demon, The Begulied, Galveston and Mary Shelly - a film about the life of the author of Frankenstein, which included Fanning’s first on screen love scene. But even that celluloid milestone didn’t seem to faze Fanning, “It’s like a rite of passage I guess. As you get older, it’s like it’s going to eventually happen. I never really thought that much about it because it was so technical getting that scene right,” she said.

The actress’s comfort level with such a scene probably has to do a lot with the way she approaches acting. She has always been surrounded by her close knit family on set. While her older sister Dakota Fanning (an accomplished actress in her own right) has been there to help point her little sister in the right direction, even if their acting styles are completely different. “People say that we work differently,” explained Fanning who said she would love to act with her sister one day and that the two of them are actively looking for a project to share. “I don’t really know her process. But for me, I am someone who really lives in my head. I am always reading and thinking a ton. Also I don’t really learn my lines until like the night before a scene. I kind of like to keep them feeling fresh in my mind,” she added.

Maybe it’s this freshness, or the aforementioned sweet spot that Fanning currently finds herself in that makes her the perfect ambassador for Miu Miu. She has already shot advertising campaigns for the brand and she opened the Fall/Winter 2018 runway show in Paris. “Oh, that definitely made me nervous,” Fanning admitted. “I’ve had dreams before, vivid dreams of walking a runway. It’s also something I used to do when I was a kid, and I would make everyone sit in the house and watch me just walk in different outfits and stuff. So I was very excited about that show and Mrs. Prada made me feel really comfortable, like a proper model backstage.”

Fanning is a fan of Miu Miu in real life too. She has been spotted wearing the brand’s distinctive mix of happy go lucky prints, brightly colored separates and rhinestone embellished outfits numerous times over the years. She has always loved fashion that helps her stand out and likes to pick out outfits for her friends. “I remember we would have Free Dress Fridays at school. We had to wear uniforms, and on Fridays you could wear whatever you wanted. I would wear very strange things sometimes,” she said adding that she would top off her eye catching school outfits by wearing platform shoes so that her 5’8 frame looked even taller.

Standing tall on screen is something Fanning is also learning to do thanks to the interesting career choices she is making. In a field where there are very few female directors, Fanning’s filmography is filled with some of the best in the business, like Sophia Coppola, Mélanie Laurent and Haifaa Al-Mansour. “I’ve been lucky. You know, I didn’t just choose to work with them, they also chose to work with me too. And one of the first movies where people started recognizing me for me was Somewhere directed by Sofia. She gave me such a big opportunity and I remember being on her film set, run by her, the respect that she has… Her sets are very unique and special and if I ever direct something one day, I would want to emulate the environment that she creates,” said Fanning.

While directing might still be a distant dream for the actress, there is one other skill set she seems even more eager to explore. Fanning just became the face of Tiffany jewelry. Her first commercial campaign for the brand, which is a modern day take on the famed opening scene from the film Breakfast at Tiffany, shows the actress in a Tiffany blue hoody and diamond tiara and features her voice softly singing the iconic song Moon River, that is the bedrock of the film’s soundtrack.

“When we were shooting the video I was singing the song, humming it off camera and then Francis Lawrence, the director, came up and was like ‘Hey I have an idea, why don’t you just sing the song?’ because he has had experience with Jennifer Lawrence on Hunger Games where she sang the song and it became a crazy hit,” recounted Fanning. “I think that if I wasn’t an actress, I’d be a pop star, like I love singing, I sing all around the house!”.

Fans of Fanning will get to enjoy more of her melodic voice in the upcoming film Teen Spirit, which she just completed with rumored boyfriend, actor Max Minghella. He also wrote and directed the movie, which is about a shy teenager who dreams of being a pop star to escape her broken family. “I sing five songs on that. I guess this is the year of me singing. It’s going to be a surprise to some people but my family, and my close friends are happy that I finally get to share my singing with people,” said Fanning.

Looking at Fanning as she sat on a bridge overlooking pond feeding ducks in a bucolic country home, getting the last shots of the day for this issue’s cover spread its easy to imagine her breaking into a love song. Instead, the only musicality to be had is the sound of her laughter as she warmly says good-bye to everyone on the crew before pulling on a cream colored slip dress and flats. Pamela is gone and Fanning is simply a young girl, once again.

Jessica Michault 1/1/19 Jessica Michault 1/1/19

💭 Lily-Rose Depp for VOGUE Japan

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN January 2018 Issue No. 221.

LILY-ROSE DEPP

Lily Rose Depp is a young woman who has spent her life moving between worlds. Daughter of the iconic French singer Vanessa Paradis and Hollywood movie star Johnny Depp, she has adopted the best aspects of both cultures into her character. She is at once a chic and cool Parisian and a goofy LA valley girl. She is a world class beauty who, at the tender age of 18, still seems unaware of the effect she can have on those around her. And, as she continues to discover who she is, Depp reveals in being able to disappear into a character and become someone else.

She has also followed in the footsteps of both her parents. Garnering warm reviews for her acting work in The Dancer and has landed lead roles costarring with Oscar winners like Nathalie Portman in Planetarium. At the same time, she has become the face of the Chanel No. 5 L’eau perfume, walked in a number of Chanel show (including as the bride for the spring 2017 couture collection) and modeled for the house’s advertising campaigns, just like her mother before her.

We meet up in a hip Paris bistro to talk about her budding carrier, how she and Karl Lagerfeld like to exchange photos of their fluffy white cats Mittens (hers) and Choupette (his) and her plans to finally move out and being the next chapter of her life.

Do you feel like you are a girl of two worlds?

Yeah. Absolutely. When I’m here, I feel totally French and immersed here. But when I am in the US, I feel totally like a valley girl. I was raised there. I think if I had to pick one. I would rather raise kids here. There is a level of fakeness in LA you don’t have here. I don’t know… here if a person is rude to you, at least you know it’s real.

Did you always want to be an actress?

When I was little I want to be like a dancer and painter and a spy and model and president and an actress. It was always random. But I love acting. It gives me permission to get out of my own head for a second. That’s what I like about it.

You actually left school at 16 to pursue your acting career full time, isn’t that right?

Yeah. To be honest, I think it’s old-fashioned to believe you have to go to college…I just think that people don’t know that college isn’t mandatory. I love reading and writing. I just knew what I wanted to do and I didn’t want to waste any more time. The schooling system… I just think it’s not made for everybody. But that doesn’t mean I have stopped learning, I continue to read and self-educate myself. Actually my favorite writer is the Japanese author Haruki Murakumi.

*Peter Lindbergh, VOGUE Japan Cover Story, Lily-Rose Depp, Paris 2017.*

Let’s talk about the house of Chanel. It really has been a part of your life since the very beginning.

I am not going to say that my first word was Chanel, but….. (smiles) I remember my mom and my grandmother wore Chanel. So the smell is maybe the first thing I remember. My mom worked for Chanel when she was my age. I remember seeing all those bags. The clothes, shoes, all that stuff. There is actually a picture of me in my diapers where I am wearing a pair of her Chanel pumps.

So what was your first Chanel piece?

I’ll never forget my first Chanel piece and I still have it. It’s this little pink quilted bag. And you know what, it’s still so relevant now. It’s so timeless.

You have walked in a few Chanel shows now. There was the Casino show that you did with your mom, there you were the bride in the spring/summer 2017 couture show, you also walked in the Ritz collection, a show you repeated in Japan. Of all of those turns on the catwalk do you have a favorite?

They were all so different. Every Chanel show has a different vibe. But if I had to pick, I would say a bride. I never thought about it in a realistic sense, for me it would have been so ridiculous, so out of reach. When they asked me, literally I thought it was a joke. I was so excited and so honored. It is still surreal for me. It was insane. Even walking. I am not a model. I don’t fit the height requirement. Walking in any Chanel show is already an amazing experience, but being like a bride and walking out by yourself is so surreal. It was so so exciting. I felt like a princess.

That must be so surreal for you mom as well. Your mother was the famous Chanel advertisement for the Chanel N5 perfume where she is a bird in the cage and now you are representing the brand. What does that feel like?

It feels amazing. It is a huge honor that Chanel wants to keep working with me. I feel so grateful that they see something in me that could help tell the story of the brand. I look up to my mom so much. She’s the person I look up to the most. Being able to follow her footsteps with Chanel and continuing what she did in a way, it’s amazing.

So is Karl Lagerfeld, like Uncle Karl to you…a part of the family?

I met Karl when I was 8. I’ve known him for a long time. He is somebody that I admire first of all. He is such a hard-worker. Since I started working with Chanel I have come to know better. In fact, my first shoot ever was with Karl when I was 15 with the eyewear campaign. He is somebody that I really look up to, that I honestly care about. He is really clear about what he wants, he has ideas in his head but he always wants to make sure you feel comfortable. It’s something that you won’t find everywhere. That’s really special about Karl. And now we send each other photos of our cats.

What was it like coming to Japan to walk in the Chanel show?

I’ve been to Japan only once before. When I was fourteen, it was a different world. I felt like such an embarrassing tourist, I was walking in the streets taking pictures of everything. Everything about Japan is so cool and different. Style is different. People have such distinct style and the way they express themselves through their clothing is amazing. There is an energy in the people there that reflects the energy of the city. Chanel represents classic French beauty and it was interesting to see how the Japanese reacts and interpret classic Chanel.

What’s the next big project you are working on?

I am trying to buy a new house in Los Angeles.

Is there a certain area in LA you like?

I don’t know where yet but I am going to build it myself. Because I am too particular. And it’s actually way cheaper to build a house. It’s gonna take more time but it’s gonna cost me less. That’s my next step as an adult.

Jessica Michault 7/17/18 Jessica Michault 7/17/18

🎙️ Eugenia de la Torriente

Eugenia de la Torriente is the incredibly articulate and fashion savvy editor in chief of Vogue Spain and is considered to be one of the most respected fashion voices in Spain. Before she got her current gig at Vogue last year, she was editor-in-chief of the Spanish edition of Harper’s Bazaar, as well as fashion editor of El Pais, and editor of El Pais Semanal.

Eugenia has also worked as a professor, regular speaking at leading luxury and fashion conferences and has published several books on fashion.

She arrives at Vogue Spain at a pretty important time in the history of the magazine. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Spain edition of the internationally respected publication. It is also a time when Spanish designers, like Johnny Coca, Palomo Spain and Ana Locking, are generating some serious international buzz.

In this podcast she talks about how Vogue Spain is supporting these budding designers, the challenges they face and what advice she would give any young brand starting out that is looking to make a name for itself in the saturated fashion market. Her answers are insightful and informative and the takeaways she offers up in this podcast can be applied to designers around the globe.

In the world of fashion editor in chiefs….Eugenia is one to watch.

Jessica Michault 6/1/18 Jessica Michault 6/1/18

💭 Paul Andrew for VOGUE Japan

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN June 2017 Issue No. 214.

PAUL ANDREW

As far as first impressions go Paul Andrew knows how to make an impact. On the top floor of the Salvatore Ferragamo headquarters in Milan he greets me inside a giant glass veranda. There, the city’s rooftops frame an impressive display of his first shoe collection for the house. It’s a momentous occasion considering that Andrew is first person to every hold the title of design director of woman’s footwear for the brand since its illustrious founder Salvatore Ferragamo.

If he is feeling the pressure of having such enormous shoes to fill, you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. “Its beautiful up here isn’t it,” are the first words out of Andrew’s mouth as he takes in the view with an easy smile on his face.

But he is also eager to show off his debut runway collection. Picking up one pair after another to explain what exactly makes those shoes so special. “ The most important thing is, as much time I spend designing this collection, I also spend time reworking the fit and the construction of the shoes for Ferragamo,” he said.

Many people think that Andrew should feel right at home at Ferragamo. For years he has earned a reputation for creating chicly shaped footwear that never sacrifice comfort for style. And in 2014 he took home the top award at the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize. He is also one of the most prolific shoemakers in the industry. When he accepted the position at Ferragamo he ended over 14 shoe designing contracts he held with leading fashion houses like Diane Von Furstenberg, Donna Karan and Alexander McQueen. Only holding onto his own signature label that he will continue to design in tandem with his work at Ferragamo.

Here Andew explains some of the cool new features he has incorporated into his Ferragamo designs, how the female foot has changed since Salvatore was in charge and reveals one of his secret talents.

What was it like to you when you came on board at Ferragamo and first got you hands on those amazing archives? Because you, like Salvatore, have been passionate about shoes all your life.
I have! Well, I knew a lot of his shoes already. There were a lot of museums pieces in display. But to actually have the great honor and pleasure to see how they were crafted. And there are actually shoes that I found in the archive that I don’t think anyone has ever seen before. He was a genius and to have inherited the keys to that archive is pretty much the most incredible honor and privilege for anyone.

So when the Ferragamo family approached you did you even hesitate to say yes to the job?
It was a very organic process. They have been, the Ferragamo family, were following my career for a little while now. We also share a similar sense of values in design, in quality and for color... And I think those things really appealed to them. It’s family; it feels like I am part of that family. It’s really an amazing thing.

You mentioned earlier when we started looking at the shoes that you wanted to “rebuilt” some of the signature shapes. Was that the first thing on your “to do” list when you arrived at Ferragamo?
Re-work the fit was the number one thing. Because it’s really the foundation on which the company was born. Salvatore was very interested in art, in architecture, in sculpture, collecting different pieces of art and spent great time energy investing in museums. Somehow a lot of that informed what he did in his shoes, the architecture of his footwear. So I’ve tried to translate that mentality into the new products. It’s much more clean and simple. There is a lot of attention to the line of the foot. When they’re on the foot, hopefully they are the perfect fit.

So your saying that women’s feet have changed a lot over the past 50 years?
If you look at the shoes in the archives, it’s incredible, I can hold them in one hand, they’re tiny, people were much more smaller in those days. But more than that, so many people wear sneakers these days. People are more engaged in sports, running, yoga or whatever. What that does is it has really changed proportions: feet are bigger, wider, people’s arch tends to be higher. So the shoe has been re-proportioned in the way it’s really going to fit the modern foot. There is a new technology that I have developed with the Ferragamo team: it’s memory foam. Everytime you put in on, you feel that same juicy cushion on the ball of your foot.

So this is you version of botox for shoes?
That’s exactly what it is - fabulous.

So what exactly is the fascination with shoes? How did you first get interested in them?
It sounds like a generic answer but I would say its thanks to my mother. She's incredibly stylish. She has always had deep closets full of shoes. I remember being 5 or 6 years old, sitting in her shoe closet; holding and cherishing this red suede fringe boot which became my obsession. And then I started drawing shoes from that point on.

Would you say that that red fringe suede boot is your favorite shoe of all time?
When I started my own collection, I did a version of that which actually sold very well. But I don't know if it’s my favorite shoe of all time. I mean people ask me to choose my favorite shoe in my collection; it’s really like choosing your favorite child. Like you spent so much time and attention to each model and picking one more to the other… I don’t know it’s very hard to choose.

I know that about 40% of the brand’s business comes from footwear but there are three of you creating the Ferragamo universe. Fulvio Rigoni is doing the womenswear and Guillaume Meilland is in charge of menswear, while you create all of the footwear. How do you all communicate with each other? What is the process like?
We’re all on the road all the time and we all thank god for technology. We do a lot of Skype calls, Facetime calls but we speak to each other all the time. I know that’s an unusual scenario in fashion to have three creative directors but it kinda works in this case. We are all specialists in our own role. Even though certain things may begin with the shoes, because of course we are women's shoes house, it’s a very open vocabulary. It’s a great relationship actually.

What’s your creative process like?
I get up really early and I find it’s the best time because the world is waking up and it gives me a moment to think and start sketching. Once I’ve sort of curate some initial shapes and pulled together some inspirational images, that’s when I start engaging with my team and we work together to create the collection.

And then how do you break up your time, when you’re working on your own signature label and Ferragamo?
I do like to keep things separate so there is no aesthetics overlap and the way that I do that is by keeping a very tight schedule. It’s very clear that you know “this day I’m working for Paul Andrew”, “the next day it’s all about Ferragamo”. Actually it tends to be less about days but more about weeks. I would spend a week in New York, a week in Florence.
It tends to be that way: back and forth every week. It’s important for me to keep the two things very separate.

What has been the biggest surprise for you here so far at Ferragamo?
I think the biggest surprise was to discover that archive and then understanding that all this was designed in 192o and 30s. Just thinking how incredibly ahead of the time Salvatore was. It was all about innovation and technology but at the same time incredible craftsmanship. He was so engaged with these Italian artisans, that he not necessarily discovered in factories. He might be walking in the streets of Florence, and in the 1920s and 1930s, every square had markets with artists, painters, artisans... he was incredibly engaged with these people and always trying new things, inventing things. He was an incredible man.

Do you have a vision of the new modern Ferragamo woman? Who is she?
You know that’s an interesting question because, as we in America, we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have established consumers. We don’t want to lose her. She may be a certain age now so we’re interested in introducing the brand to her daughter.
It’s difficult to put a celebrity name to that person. Even if I have that person in my mind...

Who? You can tell me, it’s between us!
Well I think she’s a sophisticated, educated, world-traveling woman...like so many women today. I think of women the brand has been dressing like Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore or Jessica Chastain, you know these smart intellectual women.

I am curious, do you try on the shoes?
(Laughing) No I have not! Maybe because they don’t come in my size – 43. Actually you can’t believe the number of requests we have for size 43 shoes.

What would you way is the common denominator between your design philosophy and Ferragamo’s?
We both have a shared love for color. He was always very connected and obsessed with color. He was pushing boundaries on that. Imagine in 1928 what he created with natural pigments. There is also that underlining desire for fit and comfort.

Tell me something about yourself that no one else know.
I play the piano. That’s an amazing way to relax… the hours almost disappear.

Looking forward, how do you envision your future? Where do you see yourself?
This definitely isn’t a temporary arrangement for me. I feel like it is just the beginning and we have a lot of work to do still. It’s an incredible heritage luxury brand. We want to really introduce this company to a new generation and that takes time. I’m really excited about the prospect of doing that. Plus the archive is so rich, there is so much to do and so much I am excited about for the future. So I definitely see myself here for an extended time.

What is Ferragamo to you in one word or sentence?
It’s an incredible Italian heritage brand. It’s all about family and at the same time about technology and innovation. We have so many values here. We established...that You know I am really trying to pull it back to that, fundamentals…

Jessica Michault 5/1/18 Jessica Michault 5/1/18

💭 Celine for VOGUE Japan

The clothing that Phoebe Philo creates for Celine has often been described as wearable artwork. She elevates the everyday wardrobe of modern women to a place where it feels both relevant and yet revolutionary. And from the beginning of her time at the house she has found creative ways to incorporate inspirations from other artists into her sartorial universe.

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN May 2017 Issue No. 213.

CELINE

But for her most recent spring/summer show she wove her artistic muses into her work in two much more literal ways. First she turned to the modern artist and writer Dan Graham, who is renowned for his “installation” artwork, to concoct an undulating glass walls that dissected the audience. The walls separated the guest but, as they were transparent, they also made it possible for a visual connection to remain between the individuals.

“I first came across Dan’s work at the Dia in NYC many years ago. I thought it was beautiful…. ,” said Philo about the contemporary artist. “I wanted to see my collection cast through the kaleidoscope of Dan’s installation. The fact that people can see themselves and the collection makes for more complex reflections,” she explained.

As the show unfolded — filled with tailored jackets, ensembles with graphic cut outs sliced at the sides, mismatched shoes and draped dresses in neon hues – guests could watch the reaction of others to Philo’s work as the models glide by. The two-way glass had the audience simultaneously seeing themselves and those sitting opposite them. Resulting in a viscerally experience which made it possible sense to how others responded to the designs in real time and appreciate the work in an unconventional way.

“ I want to show that our bodies are bound to the world, whether we like it or not….” pronounced Dan Graham in a typed statement that was featured on the show’s invitation. His cryptic words being open to a multitude of interpretations in light of his divisive yet inclusive set.

But what the designer appreciated most about the artist’s work, and her show’s set in particular, was how it elegantly channeled everyday life and ordinary elements into something unexpectedly and serenely beautiful. “I love the fact that this pavilion by Dan Graham, made up of readily available corporate materials {2way glass}, offers an opportunity to question our present day, highlighting the complexities and contradictions of every day life,” she said. “Social interaction, fantasy, and life in general are the main driving forces in my work and Dan Graham’s installation is therefore an interesting and powerful way for me to present my collection to the audience,” she added.

The other artist that Philo turned to this season was Yves Klein. Designers commonly use the iconic Yves Klein blue color in their collections but never has one made such a clear allusion to some of his most iconic work.

Back in the 1960s Klein famously panted nude models in his signature color and then had them press their naked bodies onto paper, leaving a colorful traces of their female forms on the canvas. These works are known as the Anthropometry paintings. The also happen to be some of Philo’s favorite modern art prints.

So in a homage that felt very much in keeping with the designer’s overarching artistic inclinations, Philo flipped the narrative on the Anthropometry nudes. On two white dresses in her collection she returned those celebrated two dimensional nudes to their three-dimensional origins. She reproduced in her own way the blue print outline. But this time the curves of her model’s bodies gave the flat forms new life. It made for a brilliant and bold statement about the female body that conveyed an inspiration that somehow also felt rooted in a feminist repossession of self.

Philo is a private woman of few words. She rarely talks with the press and most often only via email. But what she doesn’t say with hundreds of magazine and newspaper interviews or via social media posts speaks just as forcefully. She is a designer who leaves it all on the catwalk. Each season the artists that inspire her or that she collaborates with to present her collections are her heralds. They are the ones that help to hone her narrative and vision down to a precision perfect result. One designed to make sure that her message is heard loud and clear.

Jessica Michault 6/1/17 Jessica Michault 6/1/17

💭 Louis Vuitton Exhibition for VOGUE Japan

Louis Vuitton is taking its “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez – Louis Vuitton” exhibition on the road. Fittingly its first stop is Japan, a country that has been a font of inspiration for the house spanning its entire 162 years of existence.

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN June 2016 Issue No. 202.

LOUIS VUITTON EXHIBITION

The exhibition, which opens in Kioicho, Tokyo, on April 23rd, celebrates the work of the founding family and its unparalleled skills at creating bags, trunks, cases and accessories that helped their exacting clientele voyage around the world in style. To bring to life these objects curator Olivier Saillard and Artistic Director and Designer Robert Carsen decided to forgo a chronological recounting of Louis Vuitton’s illustrious travel heritage. Instead opting for thematic chapters such as automobiles, yachting and trains. While at the same time weaving in subtler, perhaps less well known, aspects of the house such as the art of writing, fragrances and the root of the business itself – the wood used as a framework to create those iconic Louis Vuitton trunks.

The exhibition is broken up into ten chapters, one more then the version of this show that was presented at the Grand Palais in Paris. They feature sweeping set designs that include the wings of a biplane covered in Louis Vuittton bags, the inside of a luxury train with the images of majestic landscapes whipping by and a boat deck, complete with mast and sail. The added chapter, which is called “Inspirational Japan”, is the final room of the exhibit. It was created so that Louis Vuitton could more fully explore and honor its long creative connection to the country of Japan.

“Japan is a place of boxes – wood boxes,” said Saillard about a fundamental connection between the country and the travel trunks at the heart of the Louis Vuitton house. “It is from that same spirit of wanting to be organized, to arrange, package and protect. That obsession for order and the art of order is a common thread between the two,” added Saillard who was once an honored artist in resident at the Villa Kujoyama.

Another possible connection can be found in the iconic Louis Vuitton Monogram. Georges-Louis Vuitton was captivated by Japanese family crest emblems called mon, it is hard not to see a strong link between those powerful motifs and what would become Louis Vuitton’s most recognizable symbol. While during his lifetime Gaston-Louis Vuitton would become an avid collector of tsuba, the decorated guards usually found at the base of the grip of bladed Japanese weapons.

Guests of the exhibition can see an impressive makeup trunk created by the head of the Special Orders Department Patrick-Louis Vuitton, the great great grandson of founder Monsieur Louis Vuitton, for a famed Kabuki performer. There is also a cabin trunk build back in 1883 for the Japanese dignitary Taisuke Itagaki on display. And let’s not forget all of the highly creative modern collaborations Louis Vuitton has worked on over the years with Japanese artistic legends like Takashi Murakami, YayoiKusama and Rei Kawakubo of Comme Des Garçons, whose work also had pride of place in the final room of the show.

The link between Louis Vuitton and the land of the rising sun has never been stronger. The country and the company are connected in their fundamental love of beauty, artistry, creativity and innovation, as well as the endless pursuit of perfection. This exhibit displays that steadfast relationship in an elegant and inventive way.

Jessica Michault 12/1/16 Jessica Michault 12/1/16

💭 Adèle Exarchopoulos for VOGUE Japan

This article first appeared in the VOGUE JAPAN December 2015 Issue No. 196.

ADÈLE EXARCHOPOULOS

One of the most striking things about meeting the French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos for the first time is her open and raw beauty. She has an unaffected splendor that comes not just from her lush chestnut hair, hazel gold-flecked eyes and full bee-stung lips. It also radiates out from within her. It’s a beauty born from her fearless personality, which she continues to leave bare to the world. She does not filter, dumb down for easier consumption or shield away anything about herself.

This fact was undeniable in her break out role as Adèle in the film Blue is the Warmest Color, which won her the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Making her the youngest artist ever to be giving the festival’s highest honor, and also the first actress (alongside her co-star Lea Seydoux) to receive the prize in addition to the film’s director.

“I am young and I still have so much to learn and discover,” said Exarchopoulos humbly about her budding acting career.

Online as well Exarchopoulos’s delightful Instagram feed, which she has not made private, shows the 21-year-old unabashedly gallivanting with friends, taking selfies and posting her favorite inspirational citations. One of her most recent quotes comes from the singer Nina Simone that states, “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me, no fear.”

It’s a message the actress has taken to heart professionally as she just wrapped her first English language movie called The Last Face. Directed by Sean Pean, Exarchopoulos worked alongside Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem in the highly anticipated film. “When I hear myself speak English I feel like I almost don’t have the same personality, the same subtleties, as I do when I speak French,” she admitted freely.

Undoubtedly it is this fearlessness and natural beauty that attracted Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière to Exarchopoulos. She has been a front row guest at his Vuitton shows since the designer’s first cruise collection for the house and now she the face of the brand’s resort 2016 collection.

“Nicolas has a understanding of elegance that goes beyond femininity in his designs,” said the actress about what appeals to her in Ghesquière’s work. “He is very cerebral designer.”

If the Louis Vuitton clothing is cerebral, the brand’s advertizing campaigns, all of which have all been shot by Juergen Teller, are decidedly not. They have an unfettered and stark beauty to them that give the clothing an approachable allure.

In May Exarchopoulos flew to Palm Springs to take in the resort show, which was presented at the famed spaceship-like Bob Hope house. “There was an amazing energy at the show and the collection had a real poetry to it,” said the actress. “It really was more like a party then a fashion show. But at the same time very poetic and very modern.”

The next day she spent hours with Teller wandering over the grounds and through the halls of the unique home, which looks almost untouched since it was built in the 1970s, hunting out inspirational locations. “It was one of my favorite shoots because it felt like I was almost on a film,” explained Exarchopoulos. “Juergen is always in the present and in motion, it was so comfortable. He walks with you around the place and as soon as you feel good somewhere you stop and he starts to take photos.”

Some of Exarchopoulos’s favorite images were shots of her sitting in an off color all red room inside the house. “It was something about that room that really got to me. I really wanted try and represent the silence and the eeriness of the room in the photos. It made me think of the movie The Shining a bit. I also think the room really works with the clothing. Even in this room, with these uncomfortable colors, the clothing worked.”

Teller’s campaign shows Exarchopoulos wearing Louis Vuitton clothing in a very unpretentious way. She is not so much posing with them as she is living in them. He captures her climbing the hills of the aired desert surrounding the Hope house, sitting on industrial sized pink trash bins and getting drenched in a cascade of water in a rocky stream.

But what the actress enjoyed most about the shoot was working with Teller. His aesthetic dovetailed with her own in its real and natural approach to his chosen form of artistic expression. “There is something very brut and real and grounded,” she said about the photographer’s style. “His are very intelligent images because he has been clever in how he works. You don’t waste hours on make-up and preparation. It’s your skin and just life as it is. When you do a shoot with him you are really present and in the moment and he just captures that moment.”

The resulting fashion campaign is a beautiful meeting of two creative minds. Both Exarchopoulos and Teller are clearly more comfortable in the real world. And yet it is how they are able to relaying its pure beauty through the eye of artistry that has made both of them such acclaimed artists.