Before The Row, Lemaire and Brunello Cucinelli, there was Calvin, Donna and best of all, Giorgio. A fabric meister, rigorous deconstructor (before Margiela), uber-minimalist yet (contrary to expectation) anti-perfectionist, Giorgio Armani is the godfather of what we now call ‘quiet luxury’.
Fantastic Man has a, well, fantastic deep dive on the man himself in its latest issue, as well as a mention of Made In Milan, Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mini-documentary, that gives us a delicious glimpse into Mr Armani’s influences and philosophies. (more…)
AW23 is emphatically female-focussed, kicking off with supermodel mania – thatVogue cover, the Apple series and a Linda Evangelista book – and continuing with a slew of women-championing exhibitions. We’ve also got the big Phoebe Philo reveal to come, as well as a focus on revivalist classic fashion (aka gentlewoman style). For this you can easily shop your closet, or consider buying pre-loved – the quality may be better and so may the price. “The connection between instability in the economy and consumers’ desire for classic, quality pieces that retain value is certainly at play, as is the cultural zeitgeist,” Kelly McSweeney, senior merchandising manager at The RealReal, told WWD. (more…)
The story goes that a 1930s businessman and watch collector was tasked with creating a watch for polo players to wear that would withstand the rough and tumble of the game. The result was the sleek JLC Reverso whose case was engineered to flip over to protect the watch face – and back again after the game. 90 years later, there’s a market for mind-bendingly intricate paintings on that smaller-than-postage-stamp caseback, with limited editions models selling for €80,000. (more…)
Last year I noticed the move towards not-so-pristine heritage handbags, the kind that look like they’ve been inherited from a wealthy aunt rather than bought box fresh from Luxury Promise. Vogue Business (pay wall) has dug deeper into the phenomenon with new stats from The RealReal that show people are buying visibly lived-in Hermès Birkins and Chanel Double Flaps at a lower price than the ‘mint’ standard usually expected on vintage sites. In the past, luxury resale sites wouldn’t really entertain shabbily treated luxury bags, so it’s very revealing to note the shift. (more…)
