Fashion & style
fromElite Traveler
5 hours agoThe Brooch Is Back in Style - Here's How to Make It Modern
Brooches are being reimagined as modern art objects, moving away from traditional uses to become integral parts of contemporary fashion.
Clare Vivier and Heather Taylor have perfected the art of hosting by dividing responsibilities, with Vivier focusing on wine and Taylor on flowers and dessert. Their friendship of 20 years has led to a seamless collaboration that enhances the dinner party experience.
I designed this bag in the same way I designed everything else, so largely based on right angles, but perhaps a little more emotionally, more personally. Designing a handbag is undoubtedly different to designing a Braun stereo system, but I applied the same principles. It had to be functional, visually durable, and very aesthetic. Less, but better.
In 1971, Manolo Blahnik created shoes for the designer Ossie Clark's catwalk show in London. Relatively new to shoemaking, the Spanish designer forgot to put steel pins in the heels of the shoes, which meant that models wobbled, unbalanced, down the catwalk.
She was an incredible actress, very powerful. She wasn't frightened. She always went for the risky things in life. This fearless pursuit of risk was manifested in the collection's striking pieces, where dresses featured rough, open seams that twisted and draped unpredictably, creating an intimate yet anarchic fall wardrobe.
People have a lot of ideas of what Chanel is, or rather what it should be. One word that doesn't come up much, though, is rebellious - yet that's exactly what Chanel the woman was and what Chanel the house remains. Rather than rebellion, 'paradox' was the word used by Matthieu Blazy, Chanel's artistic director of fashion collections, backstage after his debut show for the maison in October.
That past is his - it is the 20th anniversary of his label, and accordingly he decided to embrace, engage, even embed himself in his own history. Which, in and of itself, is a history of histories - Moralıoğlu's office is peppered with random 1930s portraits (the ones his husband, the architect Philip Joseph, won't let him keep in their Bloomsbury home) and old, time-warped issues of Vogue, as well as overflows of books on everything from Merce Cunningham to Alfred Hitchcock.
KEBURIA, the womenswear and accessories label meticulously designed and handcrafted in Tbilisi, Georgia, proudly unveiled its Fall-Winter 2026-2027 collection at London Fashion Week FW26. Founded in 2015 by self-taught designer George Keburia, the label showcases a fun-loving spirit and has transformed over the years into a vibrant exploration of modern femininity, characterised by a playful attitude towards exaggerated shapes, colours, and styles.
After his three-year post at Bottega Veneta, the visionary lent his famed technical prowess to the French maison and brought a certain levity to the brand during his debut. Apart from joyous models traipsing down the Paris Fashion Week runway and lightweight fabrics billowing along with them, one of the buzziest highlights of Chanel's S/S 2026 season was an unexpected take on a classic.
Travelling for art can be incredibly virtuous and culturally rewarding, like collecting souvenirs for your eyes (and from the post card rail in the gift shop). Remembering to research what is on before I book flights is a lesson I learnt all too well after I missed the Metropolitan Museum's fashion exhibition in 2016 by one day. As a fashion obsessed 20 something, I did not take this well and have since improved my itinerary planning and exhibition calendar checking.
On the first day of Berlin Fashion Week, Maqu unveiled its Fall/Winter 2026 collection, La Dama del Cacao, a masterful exploration of contemporary Peruvian minimalism. This capsule collection is a testament to material innovation, embodying a thoughtful design philosophy that marries textile memory and regenerative principles. Crafted from luxurious alpaca yarns, organic cotton, and pioneering biomaterials, each piece is a result of meticulous hand-knitting techniques and artisanal machinery.
It's not a multi-thousand pound handbag from Hermes that best captures the new era of It bags, but a 149 tote from John Lewis. Launched this season, it's deeper (45cm) and taller (33cm) than your average handbag, and comes loaded with good intentions. It's able to hold your packed lunch, flask and book, as well at a push as your gym kit.
There wasn't kidswear in this show, but for Vevers his other two, slightly older children played a pivotal role. The wonderment of his five-year-old kids watching The Wizard of Oz for the first time was a trigger for this show - most evident in outfits switching from sepia-dulled monochrome to chromatic brights. Example? Beaten-up black denim shorts, an inky cotton shirt and grey tie, followed by its mirror opposite in - fittingly - red, white and blue jeans.
Continuing its journey of consistent, evolutionary development, the collection embodies Lardini's Code of Making: craftsmanship as a cultural value, an aesthetic stance, and a catalyst for innovation. The intersection of traditional tailoring and technological precision culminates in materials that convey meaning, while process quality emerges as the true luxury. The FW26/27 collection unfolds through four interwoven expressions: Contemporary Tailoring, Iconic Outerwear, Knitwear Layering, and Sophisticated Casual, creating a coherent yet understated aesthetic.
Play Hard captures the essence of growing up surrounded by the echoes of empty arcades, the chill of coastal winds, and fleeting moments of joy found in skateboarding culture. It reflects on personal memories shaped by resilience, freedom, and creativity in an environment where opportunities were scarce. The collection embraces an aesthetic that values imperfection, emphasising the beauty found in fragility and the strength derived from community.