Kors Taps Miguel, Chanel and Saint Laurent, Longoria’s Tequila Toast

MICHAEL AND MIGUEL: Michael Kors is taking advantage of his evening time slot for his fall 2022 fashion show.

Kors will introduce his fall collection live on Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. The show will continue the designer’s celebration of New York City, focusing on its energy and allure at night. The runway show will feature a musical performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel.

Chosen for his style and dynamic stage presence, the 36-year-old R&B singer‘s vocals will provide the backdrop for the brand’s first live evening show.

“I’m a native New Yorker and nothing can beat the excitement and energy of the city at night. I think now, more than ever, no matter where you are, everyone is craving a night on the town and stepping out in style,” Kors said. “This is the first time I’ve ever shown my collection to a live audience at night, and everything from the collection to the venue to the performance are all about celebrating a fabulous night out.”

In tandem with the live show will be a virtual experience that will premiere on the brand’s social and digital channels, including MichaelKors-Collection.com, which will serve as the hub for all fall 2022 Michael Kors content. The programming will also be available to the brand’s international audience across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, as well as on WeChat, Weibo, Line and Kakao. — LISA LOCKWOOD

 

CLEAN SLATE: It appears that Chanel and Saint Laurent have kissed and made up.

Nine months after Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, slammed Saint Laurent for featuring tweed suits similar to classic Chanel styles in its fall 2021 collection, the two houses took out a joint ad in WWD on Thursday pledging their commitment to protecting the intellectual property of French luxury brands.

“French fashion and couture houses are essential elements of the heritage of France. Their creativity, savoir faire and their ability to inspire millions of people around the world contribute to the global influence of French industry. We must protect true creativity and ingenuity from parasitical companies whose business models depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting,” the ad read.

“Chanel and Saint Laurent also have a long history of mutual respect and are aligned and support each other in defending creation against all attempts from actors whose business models undermine or dilute the value of their creations and investments,” it added.

The statement surprised observers, with some wondering whether it was part of a new industrywide initiative, while others noted the similarity in language to Pavlovsky’s original criticism of Saint Laurent in an interview with WWD published on May 4.

“How sad to see a brand like that parasite another brand. Saint Laurent is a magnificent brand. I think it’s such a shame not to write your own history and to have to sponge off someone else. But the customers won’t be fooled. The customers will decide which brand makes the most beautiful tweed jacket. I’m not too worried,” he said at the time.

Asked to clarify the meaning of the joint ad, Chanel said it was not directed at any company in particular. It declined to confirm or deny whether the publication was linked to any legal action.

“Our two houses have a deep respect for their peers and for all the houses that contribute to the reputation and excellence of French and international couture. At a time when many companies are trying to profit from the codes, the image and creations of our historic houses, we felt it was appropriate to reaffirm our willingness to protect what makes French fashion so valuable,” Chanel said in a statement sent to WWD.

“We are not referring to any company with this announcement. We are sharing this statement to express our common commitment to protect creativity and savoir faire from business models that depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting. Both houses are aligned and, where appropriate, will support each other in defending creativity from parasitical business practices,” it concluded.

Consider it case closed. — JOELLE DIDERICH

 

EVA’S TOAST: “I don’t know if all of you knew this, but New York is the number-one tequila market in the world,” said Eva Longoria, addressing the intimate crowd clustered around a dinner table at GoldBar on Wednesday night. “You all drink a lot of tequila!”

“We stay skinny that way,” chimed in a nearby guest.

Longoria, who had flown in from Mexico a day earlier, was in town on official tequila business for Casa del Sol, her spirits brand. The trip culminated with a dinner in collaboration with L’Agence to celebrate the kickoff of New York Fashion Week. Guests included models Josephine Skriver and Sara Sampaio, Jenné Newton-Haydon, Robert Verdi, hairstylist Jennifer Yepez, and a small white dog with a pink box in its hair, peeking out from a handbag. Dinner, which was separated from the bar by a gold chain curtain, kicked off with a tequila tasting of the brand’s three varieties: blanco, reposado and añejo.

“It’s no mistake we’re launching this tequila here in New York during fashion week, because fashion is a big part of our brand,” said Casa del Sol cofounder Steph Sebbag.

Longoria noted that while she had been approached many times to do a tequila brand, Casa del Sol was the first one to reach out that was Mexican-forward — and female-forward, employing local Mexican women and paying homage to the agave goddess Mayahuel.

“When you’re in a bar, it just feels good to order Casa del Sol because you know that it’s a brand that’s not white and male,” she added. “If one more white male comes out with tequila…! If you want Champagne, don’t you want to buy it from a French person?”

While she was leaving town before fashion week truly ramped up, Longoria’s schedule rivaled that of a seasoned showgoer. “We had nine meetings today,” said the actress before dinner, outfitted in an off-the-shoulder L’Agence sweater dress (also worn by several others in the room) and sipping tequila in a rocks glass with a splash of soda. “We went to the Bronx, we went to Brooklyn, we went back to White Plains.” The next morning, she was headed back to Mexico for three months to shoot “Searching for Mexico” for CNN, and then after that will head to Europe to film another project.

This week marked her first time back in New York since well before the pandemic, and although brief, the actress was reveling in the city’s energy.

“I feel great that [the city] is finally opening back up and it feels like the worst is behind us,” she added. “I’ve missed people. I miss talking to people without a mask. Coming to an event to celebrate something. I’m a social creature, so for me to be able to get dressed up and go out and see people I’m like — what? What’s happening? I forgot how to do it.” — KRISTEN TAUER

 

TWINNING FOR THE PLANET: Dean and Dan Caten are making a move to contribute to a more responsible fashion industry.

The Dsquared2 creative directors will launch a capsule collection developed with a focus on its environmental impact.

Dubbed “One Life One Planet,” the range is to bow in April and will include apparel separates and accessories crafted with certified organic cotton as well as recycled materials.

“We started with the creative process, looking at fabrics which reduce, for certain aspects, their environmental impact and at innovative ways to process and finish products,” Dan Caten said.

In particular, materials deployed in the collection include GOTS-certified organic cotton for T-shirts and sweatshirts, GRS-certified recycled nylon for bomber jackets, as well as jersey blending organic and recycled cotton. The denim fabrics in the line are made from an innovative stretch yarn spun with more than 50 percent of recycled content.

The accessories will encompass sneakers, espadrilles, bucket bags and totes as well as belts, baseball caps and bandanas.

Design-wise, all items carry the name of the project and the brand’s logo. The capsule will also include a section featuring a smiley face and Dsquared2’s signature maple leaf motif.

Offered in summery shades of pastel pink, green, sky blue and red, the smiley section will include sweatshirts, T-shirts, joggers and shorts for both men and women also crafted in recycled and organic cotton.

Priced between 170 euros and 950 euros, the “One Life One Planet” range will be available in all Dsquared2 brick-and-mortar stores as well as e-commerce, in addition to select retailers globally.

The project adds to the “Black on Black” capsule collection codesigned by the Catens with A.C. Milan soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović, which was teased last month and will bow in August. — SANDRA SALIBIAN

 

YSL TAPS INDYA: YSL Beauty has tapped Indya Moore as its latest U.S. brand ambassador.

The news comes as the second part of the brand’s 2022 plan “to celebrate individuality and modernity through unique, empowered talent in the U.S.”

“Bigger. Bolder. Better. That’s my philosophy in life and what I will carry into this partnership with YSL Beauty,” Moore said in a statement. “We share a passion for superior beauty products that let a person express themselves powerfully and authentically, and I’m thrilled to take on this new journey and participate in this new wave for YSL Beauty.”

Moore will kick off their new ambassadorship with a series of campaigns premiering YSL Beauty’s new Lash Clash Mascara, which features the brand’s biggest mascara brush to date and is said to deliver more than 200 percent more volume to the lashes.

They will be featured in a series of campaign content that will be used across their own social media channels, YSL Beauty’s digital platforms and in U.S. media campaigns.

Earlier this week, “Euphoria” star Barbie Ferreira was named as a U.S. ambassador for YSL Beauty in the brand’s efforts to reach a larger Gen Z audience.

Moore, who identifies as nonbinary, is best known for their role as Angel Evangelista in FX’s hit show “Pose,” which has received critical acclaim since it premiered in 2018. Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez also starred in the show, with both of them winning awards for their performances. — CONCHITA WIDJOJO

 

BTS CAPSULE: BTS is leveraging some of its hit songs for its latest fashion collection.

The popular K-pop group is releasing a new merchandise collection later this month at Nordstrom. The collection takes inspiration from some of the band’s most popular songs, including its recent English language hit “Butter.”

The BTS fashion collection includes a range of apparel items such as T-shirts, fleece sweatpants, jackets, hoodies and other outerwear, as well as accessories like stickers, face masks, snow globes, key chains, bags and more.

Many pieces feature BTS’ popular song titles, such as “Butter,” “Mic Drop” and “Boy With Luv.” For apparel, the collection’s hoodies and sweaters are inspired by a collegiate style with the song lyrics featured on the garments to represent college names. Many of the hoodies are made with contrasting fabrics juxtaposed on each other.

BTS’ seven members — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — also appear as cartoon figures in the merchandise collection for the snow globes and coffee mugs.

The K-pop group’s collection with Nordstrom is just its latest merchandise collection the band has released since it formed in 2013. Last summer, the group teamed with McDonald’s on two merchandise collections after previously working with the fast food chain. The collections took inspiration from the band’s song “Butter” and many of McDonald’s menu items.

BTS has been a formidable force in the fashion industry, known for their matching high-fashion style. The group was tapped last April by Louis Vuitton as the design house’s latest brand ambassadors, where they’ve helped drive online audiences for its fashion shows.

The group has worn several custom Louis Vuitton looks for their recent appearances, including at last year’s Grammys. Their looks, which consisted of coordinating yellow, orange, white and black suits, later went up for auction for the MusiCares Charity Relief Auction hosted by Julien’s Auctions in January. The suits were estimated to sell for between $30,000 to $50,000, but ultimately were sold for $160,000.

BTS’ fashion merchandise collection will be available at Nordstrom starting Feb. 25. Pieces range in price from $9 to $133. — LAYLA ILCHI

 

CHEN WEARS VERA: Nathan Chen cruised to his Olympic gold medal win in serious style.

For both his figure skating events at the Beijing Winter Olympics this week, the short program on Tuesday and the long program on Thursday, Chen wore two custom looks by Vera Wang.

On Tuesday, he wore a tuxedo-inspired, two-piece athletic stretch ensemble. In the event, he set a new world record in the men’s short program by receiving a score of 113.97, a score that would later help propel him to the gold on Thursday.

For the long program event, Chen wore a custom two-piece athletic stretch ensemble featuring an engineered galaxy print and black knit rib accents. The outfit complemented his routine perfectly on Thursday, as he performed a nearly faultless skate to a medley of Elton John songs, with particular emphasis on his hit song “Rocketman.”

After he finished, the 22-year-old was awarded a score of 332.60, combined from his 113.97 short program score and 218.63 free skate score. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama and Yuzuru Hanyu scored 310.05 and 283.21, respectively, taking second and third place.

Last week, he kicked off the figure skating team events in the men’s single skate by taking the number-one spot after his nearly flawless performance, scoring a personal best of 111.71. At the start of the games, Chen looked to redeem himself after placing fifth overall in the men’s singles at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 when he was 18.

With Chen’s win, along with snowboarder Chloe Kim — who defended her title on the women’s halfpipe — and Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld who won the inaugural mixed team aerials event, the U.S. has four gold medals under its belt so far at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. — C.W.