10 STYLE

The Global Edition of The New York Times ****

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Architects
Victoire de
Castellane’s
f luorescent
f lower ring

fashion
for Dior.

A Dragonf ly

a new
brooch from
Buccellati with
Baroque pearls
and rose-cut
diamonds.

geometry
Chanel’s Camélia
Paraiba brooch in
white gold with
1,098 diamonds. A Peacock
ring from
Boucheron, By Suzy Menkes
with sapphire
and emerald

S
PARIS MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA
feathers. harp angles and circle shapes
made the haute couture season
more about architects than
decorators. From Chanel’s organ
pipe effects through Valentino’s egg-
shaped skirts, the new winter looks
were drawn on firm lines.
Chaumet’s But in another way, the events last
Spider ring, with week created a new geometry for
diamonds, a ruby fashion. For the relentless advance of
The Amentha clip and garnets. show dates and of the importance of
from Van Cleef & inter-season collections has created a
Arpels with confusing calendar. VALENTINO
sapphires, rubies On Tuesday, Gucci will close the
and diamonds. ‘‘cruise’’ season by showing in Rome a
collection designed for a super-early
Spring 2009 delivery, before the end-
of-the-year festivities. These shows
have been popping up across the world,
mostly in the United States, where
Dior showed in New York and Chanel

Surf
in Miami. Buyers increasingly say that
most of their budget now goes on the
so-called ‘‘precollections’’ — and that
deliveries must be early to launch

and turf
designer clothes in an increasingly
saturated market.
On the designer side, L’Wren Scott,
selling discreetly last
week in Paris the CHANEL
collection she will show
By Suzy Menkes camellia with diamonds tracing the edge of sapphire and in New York in
emerald petals was a new addition among intriguing September, said that
PARIS revivals of Coco Chanel’s original inspirations. everything had to be as

W
ith an evening of festivities at Place Vendôme, Van Cleef & Arpels attracted clients to its L’Atlantide early as possible for her
high jewelry encroached on haute couture’s turf range and to the contrasting charm of lacy open-work fledgling label. Unless
during the collections season. And ‘‘surf and flowers and gem-set fish, while the house’s Alhambra she orders the unique
turf’’ — including all kinds of flowers, insects, fish and clover-shaped pieces have now reached iconic status. laces and fabric effects RM BY ROLAND MOURET
crustaceans — was the creative theme. ‘‘It’s good for visibility — and all our major clients are that give her collection a
Boucheron celebrated 150 years, by lifting the lids of here for fashion week,’’ said Béatrice de Plinval, speaking unique stamp before the
jewelry boxes to reveal a wondrous display of organic both as the curator of the Chaumet museum and as the branded powerhouses
jewels. The curvilinear pavé work turned a necklace into a head of the Vendôme event, where clients were buying, as do, Scott finds herself at
leafy glade of diamonds and emeralds; a snail shell, well as surveying, this spirit-of-summer jewelry. the end of the line for
gleaming with gemstones, covered a diamond-studded It was at Dior where fantasy flora and fauna popped, as fabric and store
body across the arch of a ring; and on a different ring, a the designer Victoire de Castellane had applied vivid delivery.
peacock spread its sapphire and emerald feathers. fluorescent pinks and greens to enamel. In a witty display, Other designers from
Another peacock, this time fanning out from a rare pearl, she put her latest ‘‘babies’’ in transparent cribs, the better Dior to Nina Ricci have
was one of the treasures at Buccellati, which will display 147 to see gleaming stones, from diamonds to spinels, and to taken the opportunity of
historic pieces from the Italian house in the Assumption watch them tremble as she rocked the bassinets. haute couture to sell to
Belfry at the Kremlin museum in Moscow in September. buyers. For Lanvin, the
For Chanel, the Vendôme fair last week was a chance to iht . com/style designer Alber Elbaz
give a glimpse of jewels that will be on exhibit at the Salon A slide show of jewelry from the top houses has for several seasons
des Antiquaires from Sept. 11 to 21. A mighty sculpted at Place Vendôme. staged an intimate show
to introduce his
thoughtful luxury-with-
a-comfort-zone clothes.
He can then explain
fabrics and show how
bright and graphic
pieces — such as this Images from Chris Moore/Karl Prouse
season’s pink colors and
polka dot patterns — can be
incorporated into a woman’s wardrobe.
The event then becomes a mirror of the
American client trunk show, but for
editors and buyers.
For Roland Mouret, a collaboration
with Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment
group has enabled the designer to step
outside the fashion box and its rigid
dates. The RM collection last week
therefore got a jump on everybody by
presenting the spring/summer 2009 line.
For Mouret, it was an emotional
moment as he remembered the recent
THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE AND ITS FASHION EDITOR, SUZY MENKES, loss of his father, a butcher by
ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE IHT’S 2008 LUXURY INDUSTRY CONFERENCE profession. The designer had thus
WILL BE HELD AT THE IMPERIAL HOTEL IN NEW DELHI ON DECEMBER 3 & 4. turned the meat worker’s apron into a
motif for geometric dresses, with lines
THEME: SUSTAINABLE LUXURY - KEEPING UP GROWTH WITH RESPECT FOR THE
laid at an angle to create asymmetric
GLOBAL UNIVERSE
hemlines and one-shoulder slices. Tied
THE OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS WILL BE GIVEN BY with a bow at the neckline, these off-set
H.E. KAMAL NATH, MINISTER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, INDIA* dresses had a stylish look. Yet Mouret’s GIVENCHY
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS AND TOPICS INCLUDE: skill with folds and drapes, within a
FRANÇOIS-HENRI PINAULT, CHAIRMAN & CEO, PPR slender silhouette, did not produce a
new star to add to his famous 1940s-
ALAIN DOMINIQUE PERRIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMPAGNIE FINANCIÈRE
inspired ‘‘Galaxy’’ dress. Maybe
RICHEMONT S.A., AND PRESIDENT OF THE CARTIER FOUNDATION FOR JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
CONTEMPORARY ART
more research into fabrics — to
add to the striking computer-
CHRISTIAN BLANCKAERT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HERMÈS INTERNATIONAL enhanced tracery of leaves —
DOING BUSINESS IN INDIA would give an extra fillip to
ANIL CHOPRA, ADVISOR - BEAUTY & FASHION, HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LTD. Mouret’s signature style.
JOHN HOOKS, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR & GROUP COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR The couture season closed
GIORGIO ARMANI S.P.A. with a tribute to Giorgio
Armani by President Nicolas
MOHAN MURJANI, CHAIRMAN, MURJANI GROUP
Sarkozy of France, who, in a
HANS-KRISTIAN HOEJSGAARD, PRESIDENT & CEO, TIMEX GROUP witty and personal
PASSIONATE ABOUT INDIA address before he
ELIZABETH HURLEY, ELIZABETH HURLEY BEACH presented the Italian
BOLLYWOOD V. HOLLYWOOD designer with the Légion
ROBERTO CAVALLI, DESIGNER d’Honneur, said that he
would be happy to look
GREEN IS GOOD
like Richard Gere in
ANNA ZEGNA, IMAGE & STORE PLANNING DIRECTOR, ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA GROUP
‘‘American Gigolo,’’ one of
LUXURY WITHOUT LOGOS Armani’s stepping stones to fame.
TOMAS MAIER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BOTTEGA VENETA The actress Claudia Cardinale was a
BUILDING AN INDIAN DESIGNER BRAND joint recipient at the Elysée Palace.
MANISH ARORA, DESIGNER But despite several mentions of the
SUSTAINING CREATIVITY FROM PAST TO FUTURE president’s personal ‘‘Italian
NICOLAS GHESQUIÈRE, DESIGNER, BALENCIAGA connection,’’ his wife, Carla Bruni
Sarkozy, was not at his side for this
WORKING WITH INDIA
fashion celebration.
DRIES VAN NOTEN, DESIGNER
CHRISTIAN DIOR
JUST SAY NO! – TO FAST FASHION
VIKTOR & ROLF: DESIGN DUO VIKTOR HORSTING AND ROLF SNOEREN
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
LAPO ELKANN, PRESIDENT, ITALIA INDEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT IDEAS
EVOLVING INSPIRATION FROM INDIA
PIERRE RAINERO, IMAGE, STRATEGY & HERITAGE DIRECTOR
Zipping up luxury in denim
CARTIER INTERNATIONAL
DUBAI/MUMBAI: A NATURAL MATCH
PATRICK CHALHOUB, CO-CEO, CHALHOUB GROUP
S hirts and shoes, jackets and jewels,
dresses and purses — and of course
jeans — are available in the latest mass/
that clearly incorporates the unique
vision of Elbaz.
So what did this mean in terms of
DEEPER LUXURY class fashion partnership. This time it is clothing? For one thing, all of the codes
JEM BENDELL, DIRECTOR, LIFEWORTH between the Swedish company Acne of the Lanvin house found their way
CRAFT AND CONSCIENCE IN INDIA Jeans and the luxury brand Lanvin. onto the durable jean fabric. Big
PETER SIMON, CHAIRMAN, MONSOON ACCESSORIZE PLC. What began as a meeting between blouson sleeves on dresses, large-collar
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: bhagerty@iht.com Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and Jonny trench coats and rolled-up cuff pants
Johansson, the creative director of Acne made the cut, while the now iconic
Jeans, to make one pair of jeans led to Lanvin industrial zippers, oversized
SPONSORED BY the creation of a wardrobe of denim chunky jewelry and big brass buttons
designs that will be sold in the stores of were part of almost every look.
both brands. For Elbaz, a designer who has built
Without a pair of acid washed or his success on creating clothing that
distressed jeans in sight, the mini- works for modern women, this was the a
compilation entirely constructed from smart next step: hearty denim outfits
dark denim outfits avoids fashion joint- made with a design heart.
*SUBJECT TO FINAL CONFIRMATION Lanvin venture pitfalls to create a quality line — Jessica Michault