ICONS ONLY: Known for his elaborately embellished designs inspired by the Dior haute couture archive, Kim Jones wants men to know he is down with quiet luxury, too.
Hot on the heels of his denim capsule collection, the label’s artistic director of menswear is introducing a collection of timeless wardrobe essentials known as Dior Icons. Think tailored coats, cashmere sweaters and minimalist wide-leg pants, mixed with more casual pieces like a leather bomber jacket and jeans.
The line is launching on Dec. 1 in Dior boutiques, in tandem with an advertising campaign starring brand ambassador Robert Pattinson.
“I talked about clothing and fabrication with Robert a lot because he has a huge interest in fashion. I thought it would be perfect for him to wear Dior Icons because we discussed it in the conception of the collection. He is a good friend of mine so it seemed it would be nice for him to model in it,” Jones said in a statement.
The images were photographed by Alasdair McLellan, with art direction by Ronnie Cooke Newhouse and styling by Ellie Grace Cumming. Peter Philips did the makeup and Anthony Turner the hair.
Pattinson has been the face of the Dior Homme fragrance since 2013. The “Twilight” actor has also appeared in a series of menswear campaigns for the French fashion brand, starting with the fall 2016 ads shot by Karl Lagerfeld.
In addition to attending scores of Dior shows over the years, Pattinson starred opposite Gwendoline Christie in the film screened during the fall 2023 men’s show.
Alongside wardrobe staples in muted colors including gray, a favorite of founder Christian Dior, the Dior Icons collection includes accessories such as the Dior Gallop shoulder bag, available in a mini version with an aluminum buckle, and Dior Buffalo derby shoes.
Dior has launched several variations on the wardrobe essentials concept in recent years. In 2020, it introduced the Modern Tailoring capsule, and prior to that, the Dior Essentials line. All featured a range of elegant and more casual pieces designed to stand the test of time. — JOELLE DIDERICH
TILBURY’S AWARD: Makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury will receive the Special Recognition Award at The Fashion Awards, which take place in London on Dec. 4 at Royal Albert Hall.
The British Fashion Council, which organizes the awards event, a fundraiser for students and emerging designers, said the entrepreneur was receiving the award for her “contribution to the fashion industry” and “her visionary and innovative approach to beauty, creating global trends which have transcended the runways and red carpet and reshaped the industry.”
The makeup artist’s portfolio is prolific. She’s worked on more than 180 magazine covers; more than 600 editorial and advertising campaigns and with numerous fashion designers during show season.
“Britain is a trailblazer in fashion, so inspiring, innovative and dynamic. I am so grateful to have worked with some of the greatest creative geniuses in the fashion world, from photographers to designers, editors, stylists, icons and models to create pure beauty magic,” said Tilbury, founder, president, chairman and chief creative officer of her eponymous beauty empire.
“From my earliest days working as a makeup artist on shows and editorial, I have seen for myself the transformative power of makeup to help everyone feel and look like their most confident selves, and it has been the honor of my life to share that mission with the world through my brand. I truly believe that when you feel your most confident, you can change the world,” she added.
The awards will have a definite British accent this season with the likes of Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, Maximilian Davis and Kim Jones among the nominees.
Meanwhile, designer Valentino Garavani will receive the Outstanding Achievement prize at The Fashion Awards for his “groundbreaking couture creations” and red carpet gowns.
Pandora is becoming principal partner of the awards. — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
YOUNG AT HEART: One can never be too young to embrace some New York cool.
Buzzy womenswear brand Khaite is collaborating with Bonpoint, offering sweaters, leggings and voluminous tops for babies, toddlers and children up to age 10.
The collection drops this week at Khaite and Bonpoint locations, and on their respective online stores. Wholesale partners for the launch include Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Harrods in London, Le Bon Marché in Paris and Mytheresa.com. Items retail from $110 to $730 for a limited time.
Catherine Holstein, founder and creative director of Khaite, birthed the collection while she was about to become a mother. Designing the collection while pregnant “was very meaningful. It is exciting to be able to offer our customer something special, and personal, like this collaboration,” she said.
Pierre-André Cauche, chief executive officer of Bonpoint, called Khaite “the ideal fashion partner as they share our commitment to quality and design.”
“The cross pollination between an accomplished American luxury brand with our French established luxury childrenswear house resulted in a unique collection willfully modern and timeless,” he added.
The collection comprises 11 styles, including a Fair Isle sweater with a side-button closure, a long-sleeve onesie with a contrasting collar, a pleated skirt, a cardigan, a cotton top with a ruffled collar, a structured blazer, and corduroy pants.
For the campaign, Holstein conscripted photographer Hanna Tveite, who also recently welcomed her first child. It features Holstein’s newborn son, “capturing the essence and heart of this collaboration,” according to Khaite. — MILES SOCHA
CRYSTAL WINNERS: Baccarat announced the winners of its first scholarship program on Wednesday night, launched in partnership with the New York School of Interior Design. Six current students at the school were tasked with designs spaces that utilized Baccarat products, which were judged by interior professionals Courtney McLeod, Marshall Watson and Elizabeth Lawrence.
The winners were celebrated during a cocktail held at Baccarat’s Madison Avenue flagship, hosted by Adam Banfield, president and chief executive officer of Baccarat North America. NYSID president David Sprouls and Ellen Kravet, chairman of the school’s board, were also in attendance.
First prize winner, fourth-year NYSID student Bridget Lee, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship. The second and third place winners, Peter Ibarra and Jason Win, who are both in the school’s MFA program, were gifted Baccarat gift cards.
“Baccarat, for years now, has had the pleasure of being the trophy purveyor of NYSID’s annual gala in the spring,” said Banfield in his opening awards ceremony remarks. “It is our honor to give back to the students of NYSID in a truly meaningful way, and to bring together this incredible group of designers, partners, and friends of the brand — into the House of Baccarat — and create a lasting legacy between our institutions.” — KRISTEN TAUER
First-prize winner Bridget Lee.
TRICK OR TREAT: Boo! Annabel’s, the private members’ club in Mayfair in London, has unveiled its annual Halloween facade ahead of the weekend festivities.
This year’s facade takes cues from Venetian carnivals with a masked installation with lit up red eyes and a feathered decoration hung above the famous black doors on Berkeley Square.
The club has previously celebrated Halloween with facades titled “Invasion Planet Earth,” “Circus of Horrors” and a “Game of Thrones” iteration based on the George R. R. Martin books.
The Birley Clubs, which owns George and Mark’s Club in Mayfair, organized back-to-back parties during London Fashion Week.
At Mark’s Club, ES Magazine, the supplement to the British newspaper Evening Standard, hosted its annual London Fashion Week party with guests including Lennon, Gene and Molly Moorish Gallagher; Mia Regan, and Harris Reed, with a DJ set by Honey Dijon.
A more intimate gathering took place at the Hound Bar at George, known for its mahogany bar and paneling, as well as velvet sofas.
The club reopened earlier this year and has the largest outdoor terrace in Mayfair.
In September, Annabel’s celebrated its annual facade for World Amazon Day featuring plants, flowers and birds of the Amazon.
“The Annabel’s facade this year draws attention to our beautiful rainforest being engulfed by flames to depict the reality of what the Amazon is facing, it serves as a stark message that it is in great danger,” said Patricia Caring, co-executive chairwoman of The Birley Clubs and cofounder of The Caring Family Foundation, in an interview.
To date the foundation has planted 1.75 million trees and is on track to hit 2 million seedlings by March 2024. — H.M.
KNITTING TOGETHER: Sitting down to collaborate, Sat Hari and Nick Fouquet had a ritual.
“We’d call in the light and say a little prayer,” revealed Sat Hari, the God’s True Cashmere cofounder and holistic healer.
“He goes, ‘I’ve never done that before,’” she went on, of Fouquet. “I said, ‘I just really want it to be super intentional, that everything that we do is very inspired, that there’s loving in it, and that we do this with joy. As long as there’s joy and there’s love, I know we’re gonna succeed.’ So each time he was really open to it and said his prayer and set his intention. And we’d sit there and just have fun with it, drink tea and pick different colors and figure out how to do it. And I just really enjoyed it. Then I’d take it to Brad and be like, ‘What do you think?’ And he put in his input.”
Brad Pitt, that is, her partner in the fashion endeavor, which soft launched in 2019. Fusing their brand know-how in gender-neural cashmere work shirts and Fouquet’s craftsmanship in hat making and ready-to-wear, they’ve unveiled a five-piece capsule. Centered on a woven tartan patchwork cashmere, with the material coming from Italy, the line features a button-down shirt and accessories. There are two hats, a bucket style and fedora made with cashmere, crystals and Fouquet’s signature matchstick detail. There’s also a blanket and talisman necklace. Each piece is one of a kind, bringing together a bohemian California sensibility, true to the birthplace of both brands.
“Every shirt is completely different,” Fouquet said. “So, it’s one of 150, and they’re all labeled. For me, it was really important to bring the uniqueness with every garment.”
The designers, with Pitt MIA, threw a party at Just One Eye (where the capsule is available exclusively now) to celebrate the launch, bringing out a laid-back fashion crowd and Hollywood set. Among them were Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amber Valletta, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Olivia Wilde, Langley Fox Hemingway, Colton Underwood, Tasya van Ree, Derek Luh, Tracy Anderson, Monet Mazur, Louise Hazel Oly, Jeanne Yang and Warren Baker. Guests sipped on cocktails before being surprised with a dance performance. Wearing the top from the capsule, two dancers from the L.A. Dance Project took the floor.
“I work a lot with L.A. Dance Project,” Fouquet said. “I’m on the host committee. I thought it’d be great to do something more interactive.”
Priced between $290 to $2,790, on Nov. 8 the collection will enter Bergdorf Goodman and select international retailers — Selfridges in the U.K., Antonia in Italy, Apropos in Germany, Joyce in Hong Kong, Trois Pomme in Switzerland — as well as online at nickfouquet.com and godstruecashmere.com. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
CELEBRATING STEFANO: Ed McVey, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Amir El-Masry and Jourdan Dunn came out to the Fendi store on New Bond Street in London on Wednesday night to celebrate Kim Jones’ next collaboration with Stefano Pilati.
Collaborations have become a part of Jones’ tenure at Fendi, where he signed on as artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women in September 2020.
In September 2021, he unveiled a full-scale brand swap with Versace followed by a collection with Marc Jacobs for spring 2023 Fendi women’s collection last year and a special Baguette handbag collaboration with Tiffany & Co.
At the London event, the room was filled with actors wearing head-to-toe Fendi who remained mum as part of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes as spicy chicken canapés were served and Champagne glasses were filled.
Writer, director and producer Holly Stevens took the night off ahead of her upcoming play “Pimms & Piety” that runs from Nov. 8 to 12 at The Etcetera Theatre.
The play follows the events of Nicole Sacks’ life at college as a Jewish student whose life is turned upside down after a night out with her Jewish friends. She begins to question her place at her college, where she’s on the brink of being kicked out.
Stevens tackles what it means to be Jewish in today’s society and the perception of religion.
Other guests at the event included Bree Runway, Cora Corre, Detox, Digga D and Reece Clarke.
Pilati’s collection launched in Fendi boutiques and online Thursday, backed by in-store events in London; Dubai; New York; Tokyo; Seoul; Singapore; Chengdu, China; and Hong Kong.
WWD broke the news of the collaboration on Sept. 14.
“He is a friend, an inspiration and a designer for modern times — always looking to the future, asking questions and proffering solutions,” said Jones in an interview.
Pilati added in the same interview with WWD that he “wanted to celebrate the Fendis — as I always celebrate women. I asked myself, ‘So what now? What is my heritage?’ All of these women are beyond and it was logical for me and Silvia to talk about them, to talk about our shared heritage of women. I love Silvia and Delfina. I love the way they move, speak and discuss. You learn and you respect.” — H.M.
