Behind the paywall in today’s Premium issue: What VICs really think of this week’s couture shows. Plus, they discussed Anna Wintour and Lauren Sánchez Bezos paling around together — and how damaging the Bezos association may be for brands.
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LOOSE THREADS
The Melania documentary opening this weekend isn’t being screened for critics. However, the same day Alex Pretti was shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, the White House hosted a black tie reception to screen the film, which “attracted about 70 VIP guests,” per The Hollywood Reporter. The fashion folk in attendance included Adam Lippes, who made Melania’s inauguration suit, and Ellen Von Unwerth, who photographed her for the film’s poster.
Alexis Mabille’s couture collection was entirely AI-generated. So, if couture clothes are handmade — is that still couture?
Many seem to agree that the best thing about the Valentino couture show was the clever set, which included portholes through which faces peered at the models. Regarding designers debuting looks on the red carpet versus the runway nowadays, Alessandro Michele told Women’s Wear Daily, “The red carpet is like a metaphysical place that is not the market, where you can put your fantasy — so nobody can say anything, because it’s not real. It’s like the Yellow Brick Road in the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ It’s like a fairy tale.” I’d argue that everyone says everything but as usual I like this man’s Lagerfeldian-without-the-offensive-part quotes.
Valentino couture (Photos: Courtesy Valentino)
Dazed has noticed a lot of high-fashion dresses look like they have testicles and is calling these “penis dresses.” That could catch.
One such penis dress was seen on Charli XCX at the Wuthering Heights premiere. People seem to have enjoyed that red carpet. (Margot Robbie wore Schiaparelli.)
Charli XCX in her arguably testicular custom Vivienne Westwood dress. (Photo: Unique Nicole/FilmMagic via Getty Images.)
Margot Robbie in Schiaparelli. Thoughts?(Photo: Unique Nicole/FilmMagic via Getty Images.)
Sydney Sweeney’s lingerie line is the inescapable clickbait of the week. Sweeney claimed the line is part of her crusade against the “annoying strap” and “cutting bands” that Elle.com says “have long plagued the bra industry.” It’s called Syrn which I assumed rhymed with “urn” but — you guys — is apparently pronounced “siren.”
If you want functional underwear that doesn’t dig or annoy and is actually insanely comfortable, allow me to draw your attention to my new fav brand EBY, which has a great T-shirt bra, lined wireless bralette, and briefs.
3 Very Important Clients on the Couture Shows
Couture week has resulted in a few predictable narratives. One, people do not want the Bezoses stinking up the joint. Two, critics once more are beside themselves with praise for Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel. And three, John Galliano (the inspiration for Jonathan Anderson’s first Dior couture show) is back.
That the clothes themselves have been competing with backlash toward Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos for attention is notable. This is a significant season, given that Blazy and Anderson both debuted their couture visions for the world’s most significant and famous houses. Sure, as Met Gala benefactors who have been spending more and more time at fashion shows, it’s unsurprising that they populated couture week and indulged in the attendant photo ops. The backlash — on the eve of the Melania documentary, which Amazon acquired for $40 million; impending layoffs at the Bezos-owned Washington Post; and news of Amazon’s layoffs of 16,000 — is unsurprising.
I wonder if their presence affects the perception of the brands that consort with them. One VIC told me that she no longer wanted her Dior bag after she saw Sánchez at the show carrying the very same one, wearing a fur-trimmed Dior skirt suit the internet called “mob wife.”
Regarding the shows, the critical response to both Anderson and Blazy’s work was largely positive — which is expected given these brands’ advertising budgets, outlets and influencers not wanting to stand in the way of their access, and so forth. But as always, I wanted to know what the actual buyers thought. So I called up a few Very Important Clients (the 2 percent of shoppers who account for 40 percent of luxury sales) to ask them how they’re feeling about these shows, particularly now that Blazy and Anderson have had a little time to cook. They weighed in on the Bezos backlash, too.
The Chanel Client Who’s Still Not Seduced
Couture is not dead, but I think everyone is kind of asking the same questions we were at ready-to-wear. The industry is in flux — between couture and the Saks bankruptcy. We feel it. Couture doesn't feel like an escape anymore.
Let's say couture was the ad campaign for the brand — I don't feel like we're talking about it in the same way. The show happened — then it's done. It's not creating that dream state, that aspiration that would get the ready to wear customer excited about Chanel. I always used to look at couture and say, How is that going to inform my excitement to buy ready-to-wear? I'm not looking at couture and being like, Wow, I want to buy more Chanel.
It also kind of feels cringe.
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