The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
PARIS, France — Giambattista Valli spoke about creating harmony from conflict today backstage before his show. That's always been his signature: an integration of sharp and fluttery, rigorous and frivolous. This season, Valli united whitewashed minimalism — the Valli version, of course — with India-hued psychedelia of the Sixties/Seventies variety. He chose Yoko Ono, one of the most polarising icons of our times, to embody his message: a free spirit with a deep soul, as stated clearly on his mood board.
Everything about the collection spoke to effortless encounters between seemingly irreconcilable worlds: the corporate and slightly 70s venue with rustic carpeting, as well as clothing that went from sharp mannish tailoring in cream — think John and Yoko sharing Tommy Nutter wardrobes — to billowy dresses with trains to intensely embroidered denim ensembles.
The action moved from white to intricate prints, and back. Indeed, it felt like a trip. This was Valli doing Valli, with the freshness that's been defining his work of late. This is not a collection to challenge Valli’s world apart but one that consolidates it. What's refreshing about the designer is his contentedness with making clothes that make women feel happy and beautiful. As simple as that. But that's already a lot.
From where aspirational customers are spending to Kering’s challenges and Richemont’s fashion revival, BoF’s editor-in-chief shares key takeaways from conversations with industry insiders in London, Milan and Paris.
BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks and Imran Amed, BoF founder and editor-in-chief, look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Seán McGirr’s debut at Alexander McQueen to Chemena Kamali’s first collection for Chloé.
Anthony Vaccarello staged a surprise show to launch a collection of gorgeously languid men’s tailoring, writes Tim Blanks.
BoF’s editors pick the best shows of the Autumn/Winter 2024 season.