culture of fashion

The Culture of fashion: Susy Dyson’s Cartier bangles



Cartier coloured enamel bangles

Think of Cartier classics and you probably think of Jeanne Toussaint’s panther-themed pieces or Aldo Cipullo’s 70s signatures, the Love bracelet or the Juste un Clou. But not so much pieces like these simple enamel hinged bangles from the 1980s (above).

This threesome (sold singly) is part of an auction taking place this week of 70s Peruvian model Susy Dyson’s jewellery and accessories. Dyson was a favourite model of Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Karl Lagerfeld and Issey Miyake, not to mention Helmut Newton. Her personal style seen in the accompanying auction imagery sums up the casual-yet-jet-set glamour of the 70s. Youthful, free-spirited and chic, it straddles the high-low style and status that we now accept as standard. (more…)



The culture of fashion: Pharrell x Louis Vuitton SS24



 Pharrell x Louis Vuitton ss24

All the Substacks and TikTokers have hit ‘post’ on their Pharrell x Louis Vuitton SS24 hot takes.

So, here’s mine.

I was expecting to hate the show and collection. (more…)



The culture of fashion: Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat



Swatch x Jean-Michel Basquiat watch

I very nearly missed this memo.

Swatch just dropped three Basquiat collaboration watches as part of its Art Journey line. The turquoise ‘Ishtar’ one is very clever with its number placement, while the yellow ‘Hollywood Africans’ is also very cool, and the crown design has a certain IYKYK appeal.

Part of me thinks, what the fuck took you so long Swatch? (more…)



The culture of fashion: AKILA x Keith Haring eyewear



AKILA x Keith Haring eyewear Paradise red

What’s the deal with all the Keith Haring collabs? The FT has the answer to all my questions here (pay wall), looking at the legacy of Keith Haring as an activist and accessible artist who coined the phrase “art is for everybody”. The company responsible for the never-ending list of collabs (Uniqlo, Primark, Junya Watanabe and Coach among them) is Artestar. The licensing agency also represents photographers, designers and creatives, and its success highlights the merchification of culture in the modern age.

But this latest Haring collab isn’t just a print slapped onto a tee. (more…)