The musical chairs continue in the fashion world as yet more creative heads have departed major houses. I was in a state of shock when Pierpaolo Piccioli exited as head of Rome brand house Valentino after twenty-five years. The couture label epitomized glamour with its monochromatic pink looks and feathered head pieces. All great rides come to an end. Piccioli’s clock rang. However, the clock was ticking. When powerhouse Kering bought 30% of the house in July 2023, changes were coming. As a media sweetheart, Valentino matched Louis Vuitton with celebrity filled fashion shows in Paris. As a major sales force, the numbers came up short. Enter the former Kering alumi and past darling Alessandro Michele. The once head of Gucci has been given the task make the sixty-four-year-old brand commercially relevant. It is a curious mix of bling meets classical style. It will be interesting to see the next evolution of the big V logo brand in Spring 2025 collection
Tag: womensfashion
Here is the second part of our Milan Fashion Week coverage.
PASQUALE BRUNI
CURIEL
SERAPIAN
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Guess Jeans Repositions
I remember the Guess Jean ads from the 90s. Those sexy images of models and celebrities posing in soft black and white images produced by some of the world’s most famous photographers, including Ellen von Unwerth. The pictures defined an era of denim marketing.
Founded in 1981 by four brothers, Georges, Paul, Armand and Maurice Marciano in South of France. Moving to the United States, the Marcianos found great success, starting a high-end denim brand mingled with the California lifestyle.
At Pitti Uomo 105, the Los Angeles based label had a bit of relaunch. Using the menswear trade fair, Guess had an impressive display of showing the company’s past, present and future. Using the Florence music hall, representatives gave a tour along with a meet and greet of the installation, showing its evolution to sustainable production and new store designs.
Will it work? In many ways, Guess fell off the radar of trend conscious shoppers. Facing competition from behemoths Zara and H&;M, repositioning a fashion brand targeting young buyers will not be easy. The well known red question mark inside triangle has it work cut out for itself luring customers who shop with emotional attachments to apps searching for cheap clothing.
Is success written in the future, or will Guess just continue to cruise in the slow lane? If the Florence presentation was down payment on the next forty years.
The second part of the Before Tacky Podcast with Borsalino Head of Styling Jacopo Politi and Actress Eugenia Kuzmina talk about the Headwear design and what goes into making an amazing hat.
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Logomania is OUT!
The end of an era, actually, a recycled trend that started a few years ago Logomania has moved from being Bling Chic to feeling dated. As the world continues to grapple with Covid and the Ukraine War, showing off a luxury purchase with a giant emblazoned logo seems a bit out of touch.
I remember when the latest craze of Logomania started thanks to social media. The Fake It At Any Cost culture went digital global on sharing platforms. First time luxury buyers not only wanted to show off their new affluence they wanted to flaunt the wealth. At times, the over do it styling became clownish. Classic, understated looks be darned.
Notice
Almost every fashion presentation or show I attended, it was the same plan, Go Big, Get Noticed. Fashion brands scrambled to redesign collections as well brand logos to get noticed. Influencers taking endless selfies accompanied with their latest purchases of an envied lifestyle dominated Instagram. Becoming a a living billboard was what fashion was all about for the past six years. Going to certain runway shows invitees would dress head to toe, as if attending a cult gathering, in a brand’s trademark symbol.
The was the fastest industry wide “What’s In Today, Out Tomorrow” shift I’d experience. Scalps were claimed. Recently, Michele’s exit from Gucci and Scott’s departure from Moschino are signals of the shift. A new reality has dawned of job uncertainty and energy crisis. The all-over Balenciga logo looks are out like latest The Shazam Movie.
As a very part time stylist and editor, a bit of relief because I never embraced paying a lot of money advertising a luxury brand. I was taught when it comes to fashion, notice me, then the clothes.
As I have said, there is a reason why images of classic styles are eternal, not because of a logo.
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Sohee Milan Fashion Week
Check out the interview with the Miss Sohee. The fashion designer behind statement looks influenced by her homeland.
This episode of Before Tacky talks about the Fall 2022 collections. Combining men’s and women’s runway shows, see what we like for the coming season.
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MFW is Back, Sort of
Milan Fashion Week was physical this past February. What did we think?
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Paris Fashion Week Couture
From France 24, coverage of the Paris Fashion Week Couture 2022, has the fashion world returned to normal? Normally, A time of celebration, but this season the comeback to physical shows felt a bit tamed.
The Before Tacky Podcast reviews Milan Fashion looks. The hosts, Breck, Alex Popov and Lyn Jegher discuss the collections we like and the ones we did not like. Get the runway lowdown below.