Design

Italian romance from Zanini AW21



Zanini AW21

I’ve never experienced Zanini’s clothes IRL, but you just know they’re the kind of clothes that improve with age. The Zanini AW21 collection illustrates this so well, even when viewed, as I have, through a three-inch Instagram square.

The fabrics are just lush. The slate black double-breasted coat (above) is a linen-and-wool herringbone lined in quilted cotton-linen, giving it slouchy dressing gown vibes in keeping with the at-home comfort mood of the moment. (more…)



TRP Travel Retail Style Index: March 2021



Cho Gi Seok for CR Fashion Book

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP).

This month’s highlights are a new sustainability experience pop-up in Hainan, China as well as region-centric luxury launches in the Middle East and Asia that hint at a return to localised exclusivity.

1/ LANCÔME’S SUSTAINABLE PURPOSE. I’m impressed with the way Lancôme has translated its latest sustainability message of ‘Caring Together for a Happier Tomorrow’ into an interactive pop-up in Sanya, Hainan. The campaign space celebrates the launch of Lancôme Absolue Rose Soft Cream Refill Set amidst a sea of roses at the resort island’s China Duty Free shopping mall atrium.

Instead of the usual selfie-culture beauty-tech attractions, Lancôme has switched to an informative note. Once inside the pop-up, guests can create a virtual rose bouquet as a pledge to plant a physical rose at the company’s Domaine de la Rose farm in Grasse, France, or they are whisked away on a virtual bike ride around the rose farm while they learn about Lancôme’s renewable energy production. (more…)



Positive fashion: Cut n sew



Wright Le Chapelain deconstructed shirt

I just stumbled upon Wright Le Chapelain on Instagram, a fashion brand with an early 90s Margiela-esque ethos and aesthetic.

The designers source secondhand shirts from the Crisis UK charity and upcycle them into new deconstructed pieces alongside suitings sourced from British heritage mills. During Covid, this local sourcing strategy has kept the business afloat. (more…)



Trend report: what to wear for SS21



Hermès SS21

God I’m so bloody ready for spring, aren’t you? Granted I mean actual spring more than fashion spring but fashion spring is a good start. I was wondering if we’d see big changes for SS21 but I don’t think our post-Covid reality has quite revealed itself yet. So consider my spring post more of a general round-up of things I’m eyeing at the moment…

1/ TALISMAN JEWELLERY.
Meaningful charms, amulets and talismans feel right for these pearl-clutching times and I’ve certainly found myself reaching for my dad’s old gold rings that I wear on a chain whenever I feel like I need some tactile reassurance. I’ve also been revisiting Tina Chow jewellery on Pinterest, along with the equally sculptural pendants of 1970s Elsa Peretti (below). (more…)