Angels Are Go

Updated Friday July 13, 3.16am: Victoria's Secret Angel Miranda Kerr has confirmed that the brand's first UK store will open on July 24 at Westfield Stratford - in time for the Olympics - with the New Bond Street flagship opening "a couple of weeks later - the exact date is still a secret".
"I'd love to be in London for the opening - we passed through on the way to France for the wedding of Orlando's cousin last week, so I hope to make it back," says Kerr, who married actor Orlando Bloom in July 2010 and had a son, Flynn, in January 2011. "But these days it's complicated to work the schedules: mine, Orlando's and the baby's - and then of course all the other Angels. The only time the girls are all definitely together is the Victoria's Secret show which is booked so far in advance, but it's hard to say which of us will definitely be in London for the launch just yet."
SEE MIRANDA KERR'S STYLE IN PICTURES
The best thing about being an Angel, says Kerr, is that "we are actually treated like angels - we get to work in the most beautiful places in the world, wearing the sexiest underwear in the world - and the whole team becomes like a family."
SEE THE LATEST VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOW
Updated Tuesday July 10, 8.03am:  Victoria's Secret has postponed the opening of its two London stores. The US lingerie giant had planned to open a store on Bond Street and another in Stratford's Westfield Shopping Centre just in time for the Olympics' opening ceremony, but it seems that sports fans visiting the city for the event won't be able to catch a glimpse of the Angels after all.
SEE THE LATEST VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOW
No date has as yet been confirmed, but a spokesperson for the label has revealed that the stores won't open during July.
SEE VICTORIA'S SECRET ANGELS IN VOGUE
Updated Monday May 21, 8.27am: Victoria's Secret will open its first UK store, on London's Bond Street, on July 25. The following day will see the launch of the brand's Westfield Stratford store, just in time for the Olympic opening ceremony on July 27. The Angels will almost certainly be in town en masse for the launch - with even new mother Alessandra Ambrosio hoping to be there.
SEE THE LATEST VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOW

"I only have a few more jobs to do before I have the baby - all editorial, no more catwalk now - and then I hope to be back in London for the opening of the Victoria's Secret store in July," Ambrosio told us earlier this year, before the birth of her baby son, Noah. "I should definitely be back for the next Victoria's Secret show - I have quite a while until then."

SEE VICTORIA'S SECRET ANGELS IN VOGUE

Updated Friday August 19, 2011, 9.17am: Victoria's Secret is coming to the UK next summer, with a store on New Bond Street. The company, currently enjoying healthy sales in its native US, plans to open two or three new stores in the London area, before considering a nationwide expansion of "mall stores".

SEE THE LATEST SHOW HERE

"The mall-based stores will be large box units with full assortments, but they're in the UK, not the US, and we have to learn," Martyn R Redgrave, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, told WWD. "That's what we're looking to do as we expand, in the UK in particular, and those will be company-owned and operated."

The brand, who has recently launched a new sportswear collection named VSX Sexy Sport, is most famous for its catwalk show featuring its supermodel Angels - who have included Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman, Lily Donaldson, Lily Aldridge, Karolina Kurkova, Candice Swanepoel, Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley over the past few years

Dolce's Girl

BRIT girl Lara Mullen was one of the models chosen by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana to showcase their label's debut couture collection in Sicily earlier this week. Here, the Vogue favourite - who also walked in the Dolce & Gabbana ready-to-wear show in Milan in February - tells us her experiences of the momentous fashion event.

SEE INSIDE THE D&G COUTURE SHOW

"It was such a privilege to be involved in Dolce & Gabbana's couture debut, and definitely a story to tell the grandchildren."

"The clothes were exquisite; beautiful fabrics with flower detailing and hand-painted dresses. The cage skirts were probably my favourite. The show setting was incredible; it was so intimate with a live opera that added to the ambiance and the brand's Sicilian heritage."

SEE LARA MULLEN'S LATEST CATWALK APPEARANCES

"It was also so nice to spend three days in Taormina, Sicily, with all of the other girls; swimming in the hotel pool until the early hours and going out for dinner. All the local people would stare and ask if we were models. To which we would reply 'no'."

Lara Mullen is represented by Premier Models.

YOU SHOULD SEE: Lara Mullen on the Dolce & Gabbana catwalk...

YOU SHOULD SEE: The highlights from Dolce & Gabbana's couture debut...

Angels On Hold

Victoria's Secret has postponed the opening of its two London stores. The US lingerie giant had planned to open a store on Bond Street and another in Stratford's Westfield Shopping Centre just in time for the Olympics' opening ceremony, but it seems that sp

orts fans visiting the city for the event won't be able to catch a glimpse of the Angels after all.
SEE THE LATEST VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOW
No date has as yet been confirmed, but a spokesperson for the label has revealed that the stores won't open during July.
SEE VICTORIA'S SECRET ANGELS IN VOGUE

Updated Monday May 21, 8.27am: Victoria's Secret will open its first UK store, on London's Bond Street, on July 25. The following day will see the launch of the brand's Westfield Stratford store, just in time for the Olympic opening ceremony on July 27. The Angels will almost certainly be in town en masse for the launch - with even new mother Alessandra Ambrosio hoping to be there. 

SEE THE LATEST VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOW

"I only have a few more jobs to do before I have the baby - all editorial, no more catwalk now - and then I hope to be back in London for the opening of the Victoria's Secret store in July," Ambrosio told us earlier this year, before the birth of her baby son, Noah. "I should definitely be back for the next Victoria's Secret show - I have quite a while until then."

SEE VICTORIA'S SECRET ANGELS IN VOGUE

Updated Friday August 19, 2011, 9.17am: Victoria's Secret is coming to the UK next summer, with a store on New Bond Street. The company, currently enjoying healthy sales in its native US, plans to open two or three new stores in the London area, before considering a nationwide expansion of "mall stores".
SEE THE LATEST SHOW HERE

"The mall-based stores will be large box units with full assortments, but they're in the UK, not the US, and we have to learn," Martyn R Redgrave, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, told WWD. "That's what we're looking to do as we expand, in the UK in particular, and those will be company-owned and operated."

The brand, who has recently launched a new sportswear collection named VSX Sexy Sport, is most famous for its catwalk show featuring its supermodel Angels - who have included Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima, Chanel Iman, Lily Donaldson, Lily Aldridge, Karolina Kurkova, Candice Swanepoel, Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley over the past few years.

Karl In London

KARL LAGERFELD will celebrate the opening of Selfridges' new dedicated space of his signature brand - the second collection from his Karl line, launched this year - by attending the launch in person on July 24. The legendary designer will host a private cocktail party in honour of the event.
SEE LAGERFELD'S STYLE IN PICTURES

As well as the Karl launch, the store will debut the Chanel creative director's new premium line, Karl Lagerfeld Paris Man, and will also host a womenswear pop-up store housing an Olympic-themed collection of apparel and accessories named Team Karl. The range will feature his recent collaboration with London-based company I Love Dust - a selection of limited edition T-shirts.

Vuitton And Kusama

Ella Alexander

09 July 2012

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LOUIS VUITTON has finally unveiled its Yayoi Kusama collection in its entirety, ahead of its store landing date tomorrow, and we have it here to show you.

SEE THE COLLECTION IN FULL

Bold, playful and not for the faint-hearted, the offering features the artist's signature bold spots - which cover every item, from bags to dresses. The range is the house's most significant artist collaboration since it teamed up with Steven Sprouse in 2001 to create his now-iconic graffiti bags. Highlights from the Kusama collection include a yellow drop-waisted dress with a frill skirt; cropped trousers in red and black; classic trench coats, given a surreal twist with the artist's vibrant spots; and silk scarves - which offer a more subtle way to buy into the collection.

SEE THE COLLECTION HERE

Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs first met 83-year-old Kusama in 2006 and became enraptured by her "endless energy" and her ability to create, through her work, a " world that never ends".

WATCH JACOBS' FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MEETING KUSUMA

YOU SHOULD SEE: What Jacobs thinks of the collection...

YOU SHOULD SEE: Yayoi Kusama's best-known work...

An Olympic Opening

OPENING CEREMONY has revealed its new collection in collaboration with Adidas Originals, created in celebration of the London 2012 Olympics - which starts on July 27.

SEE THE COLLECTION HERE

One of the most stylish Olympic-inspired collections that we've seen to date, the range offers a sporty twist on the New York-based label's urban, fresh, youthful signature aesthetic. Highlights include neoprene dresses and skirts covered in vibrant prints (as pictured left); bandeau bikinis with knotted detailing; zip-through, sleeveless jackets and and hi-tops with hidden wedges.

SEE THE RANGE IN FULL HERE
The range will be available from the brand's pop-up store, which opens in Covent Garden on July 19.
READ THE LATEST OLYMPIC FASHION NEWS
YOU SHOULD SEE: The best Olympic fashion campaigns...
YOU SHOULD SEE: Fashion's Olympic ambitions

The August Issue

VOGUE pays homage to autumn/winter 2012-13's key trends in its August issue and, more specifically, the return of the trouser suit - a look seen on the catwalks of Haider Ackermann, Stella McCartney and Giorgio Armani. But, if you still aren't swayed, the Vogue View supplement provides a veritable feast of new season inspiration - from the oversized silhouette to the colour to be seen in (purple in case you were wondering).
SEE INSIDE THE AUGUST ISSUE HERE
Trends aside, Emma Stone makes her Vogue cover debut and talks to Alexa Chung about sex scenes, suffering from anxiety and the problems with fame. Fellow actor Gary Oldman opens up to Guy Adams about his "kitchen-acting" and why Christopher's Nolan's new Batman film will be truly unmissable, while Vogue fashion director Lucinda Chambers recalls her life in fashion - from making "hideous" jewellery in her bedroom to working with Mario Testino, Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford.
SEE ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST ISSUE
Kathleen Baird-Murray finds out why more and more French women are moving to London, while Vogue deputy editor Emily Sheffield meets cosmetic heiress Aerin Lauder to talk about her new lifestyle brand, proving herself and her famous late grandmother.
YOU SHOULD SEE: Emma Stone's style evolution...
YOU SHOULD SEE: Next season's key trends...

Couture Update

Updated Wednesday July 4, 5.04pm:  Elie Saab  gave us the elegant, feminine, shimmering gowns that he is known and loved for at his couture show today, but this season they were more restrained that we have seen in the past. These were dresses destined for the red carpet - whether in  black,  nude,  pale pink or    powder blue. Washed lace panelling  and  delicate embroideryadded a vintage, antique effect.

SEE THE ELIE SAAB SHOW HERE

Updated Wednesday July 4, 8.39am: Dark, powerful and strong were the buzzwords of Givenchy's autumn/winter 2012-12 couture collection. Held at the Place Vendôme yesterday, Riccardo Tisci's latest offering was inspired by a fusion of the gypsy world and "the pure lines of the Sixties" - as its presentation notes read. Intricate embroidery gave a hand-crafted, artisanal feel, while rich fabrics - from leather to silk velvet - gave an air of heightened luxury.  Giorgio Armani's Privé collection was an altogether more feminine affair, with a pastel-based colour palette and floor-length gowns that shone with sparkle.

SEE THE LATEST COUTURE SHOWS

Updated Tuesday July 3, 8.53am:  Karl Lagerfeld showcased an homage to  Coco Chanel this morning with a collection that was elegant, relaxed and feminine, as well as modern and playful. Diane Kruger and boyfriend Joshua Jackson, Clémence Poésy, Sofia Coppola, Alexa Chung and Lou Doillon watched as models hit the catwalk wearing tweed suits teamed with woollen beanie hats and silver evening dresses worn under oversized jackets.

SEE THE CHANEL SHOW PICTURES
READ THE CHANEL SHOW REPORT HERE
Updated Tuesday July 3, 8.53am: Now into his second season as an official member of Paris' Fédération Française de la Couture, Giambattista Valli delivered the mouth-wateringly beautiful gowns we have come to expect from him. The full-skirted silhouettes mirrored those that we saw at Dior yesterday afternoon, this time covered in flowers and feathers. There were plenty of the designer's signature ruffles too, adding a whimsical, romantic feel.
SEE THE VALLI SHOW HERE
Updated Monday July 2, 5.19pm: The show we've all been waiting for - Raf Simons' debut collection for Dior - took place this afternoon and it didn't disappoint. Some of the fashion world's biggest names, including Alber Elbaz, Stella Tennant, Natalia Vodianova, Donatella Versace, Charlene, Princess of Monaco, Jennifer Lawrence, and Diane von Furstenberg, watched as the designer's delicious new offering hit the catwalk - from  chic, black suits and cocktail dresses to dreamy gowns with full-skirts decorated with embroidery.
SEE VOGUE'S DIOR SHOW VERDICT
SEE ALL THE SHOW PICTURES HERE
Updated Monday July 2, 8.35am: Versace attracted an eclectic mix of stars to its couture show held at The Ritz in Paris yesterday, including Pierce Bronsan, Christina Hendricks, MIA, Jessica Alba and Milla Jovovich. In terms of clothes, there were show-stopping, floor-length, glittering gowns ( modelled by Karlie Kloss), as well as sculpted, body-con mini dresses that oozed with the house's signature sexiness. Today's big show is unarguably Dior - with Raf Simons making his debut as the label's new creative director.
SEE THE ATELIER VERSACE SHOW

SEE COUTURE'S MOST STYLISH GUESTS

Updated Friday June 29, 8.32am:  Last season's couture shows were certainly an eventful bunch: Jean Paul Gaultier showed his controversial Amy Winehouse-inspired collection; Bill Gaytten presented what would (although he didn't know it yet), be his final couture collection for Christian Dior; Karl Lagerfeld took us on Air Chanel, complete with Chanel trolley dollies and illuminated numbered seats; Donatella Versace brought her Atelier line back to the couture schedule for the first time since 2004; Giambattista Valli made his debut as a fully-fledged couturier (after appearing as a guest the season before); Stéphane Rolland enlisted Yasmin Le Bon as his show's "bride";  Alexis Mabille painted each of his models' faces a different colour; and Riccardo Tisci took his Givenchy girls to unfamiliar fashion territory - the basketball court.

So what to expect from this season? Raf Simons debut at Dior, surely the most talked-about fashion ascension ever, will fittingly be for couture; where the brand's founder made his name. Simons is a couture rookie - although his final show for Jil Sander proved he's got what it takes - but the fashion world is holding its breath to see what the new age will hold. It's all change at Versace too, where Donatella will not only present her couture collection via a show for the first time since 2002, but will also debut the label's brand new Atelier Versace jewellery collection.

The Week begins with Atelier Versace on Sunday night, then Monday sees Simons' Christian Dior debut followed by others including Alexis Mabille and Giambattista Valli. Tuesday brings Chanel, Stéphane Rolland, Giorgio Armani Privé and Givenchy to the catwalk, before Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino and Maison Martin Margiela bring proceedings to an end on Wednesday.

Click back on Monday for all the latest show pictures and reports from Couture Week.

YOU SHOULD SEE: All last season's couture shows... 

YOU SHOULD SEE: All the action from the menswear and pre collections...

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The New Diana

NAOMI WATTS may have landed the role as Diana, Princess of Wales, in a new film made about her life, but Vogue cover girl Agyness Deyn would have loved to have been considered for the coveted part. The model is currently pursuing a career in acting, with her next film, Pusher, due out later this year.

"Princess Diana was a wonderful woman and I'd love to play her," Deyn told the Telegraph. "I know Naomi Watts has obviously been given the role, but if it came up, again, I don't think I could say no."

SEE OUR FAVOURITE MODEL CAMEOS

Last month, Deyn hit the headlines after marrying Friends star Giovanni Ribisi. The couple, who managed to keep their relationship a secret, were spotted in the queue - before their wedding - at the Los Angeles County Registrar's office.

Couture Latest

Updated Tuesday July 3, 8.53am:  Karl Lagerfeld showcased an homage to  Coco Chanel this morning with a collection that was elegant, relaxed and feminine, as well as modern and playful. Models hit the catwalk wearing tweed suits teamed with woollen beanie hats and silver evening dresses worn under oversized jackets.

SEE THE CHANEL SHOW PICTURES

READ THE CHANEL SHOW REPORT HERE

Updated Tuesday July 3, 8.53am: Now into his second season as an official member of Paris' Fédération Française de la Couture, Giambattista Valli delivered the mouth-wateringly beautiful gowns we have come to expect from him. The full-skirted silhouettes mirrored those that we saw at Dior yesterday afternoon, this time covered in flowers and feathers. There were plenty of the designer's signature ruffles too, adding a whimsical, romantic feel.

SEE THE VALLI SHOW HERE

Updated Monday July 2, 5.19pm: The show we've all been waiting for - Raf Simons' debut collection for Dior - took place this afternoon and it didn't disappoint. Some of the fashion world's biggest names, including Alber Elbaz, Stella Tennant, Natalia Vodianova, Donatella Versace, Charlene, Princess of Monaco, Jennifer Lawrence, and Diane von Furstenberg, watched as the designer's delicious new offering hit the catwalk - from  chic, black suits and cocktail dresses to dreamy gowns with full-skirts decorated with embroidery.

Sidra Iqbal Hosts The Prestigious IIFA 2012 In Singapore

Sidra Iqbal has the honor of being the only media person of Pakistan to host the prestigious IIFA 2012 held in the Lion City, Singapore.

Pakistani anchor Sidra Iqbal set the Global Entertainment Arena on fire by hosting the Official Digital Platform of the annual Bollywood Bonanza IIFA 2012 in Singapore.

This year IIFA marked the 100 year legacy of the Indian Cinema and for which, the prominent anchor person of Pakistan Sidra Iqbal also joined the grand celebration in Singapore. Her bubbly looks and friendly style made her a favorite of all Bollywood celebrities quickly and she got opportunity to interact with all A-List Bollywood stars.

As Sidra recalls “My last project with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan was Pakistan’s biggest ever fashion & lifestyle trade show showcasing in India namely Lifestyle Pakistan (April 12-15). It took me to Delhi where I led the Public Relations and turnkey media management for the 4-day exhibition, the TDAP and our 100 plus exhibitors!!  I believe the hard work put in that event  paid off in a splendid manner.

I reconnected with my friends at Wizcraft and was eager to learn more about IIFA hands on, it is the most marvellous PR & entertainment case study of this region. That’s when Viraf Sarkari, the Director of Wizcraft suggested the digital hosting opportunity, landing me with a chance to experience Bollywood at its best and have such close interactions with the stars we see on the silver screen”.

Sidra Iqbal covered the Green Carpets for IIFA Rocks and IIFA Awards 2012 in Singapore and talked to Indian film and media personalities very closely.

Famous Bollywood director Nikhil Advani has hunted seven major Pakistani stars for his upcoming secret film D-Day which is about a group of RAW agents.

After Chandni Chowk To China and Kal Ho Na Ho, Nikhil Advani has geared to do something daring in his ‘Dawood’ film that is to be made on India’s most wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim. The film will include some cast from Bollywood such as Irrfan khan, Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, and Naseeruddin Shah and the hot Pakistani actress Humaima Malick along with six other actors.

Major part of the film is set in Pakistan due to the need of Pakistani actors whereas other actors include from Afghan, Turky, Egypt, America and Britain.

Some part of the Nikhil Advani’s film ‘Dawood’ will be shot in Kutch region of India. Let’s see who will be our luckiest Pakistani artists to signed for the movie!!

Simons Starts Triumphantly at Dior

The hardest thing to realize in fashion is that the future lies in the past. The second hardest thing is to forget the past.
That precise turn of mind is what Raf Simons showed on Monday as he took control of Dior. And there is no other term for it. He took command of the house, only the fifth designer since Christian Dior founded the company right after World War II.
His debut collection was beautiful, modest in its approach to femininity, and thoroughly engaging from the chic tuxedos and cigarette pants that opened the show to the last outfits: long organza and tulle dresses with their backs embroidered with delicate flowers in one color and the fronts in a more intense, Futurist tone.
In almost every one of the 54 outfits, in almost every detail, Mr. Simons made a connection to the first decade of the house, when Dior himself was at work. He then put those ideas — among them an architectural purity in construction, a preference for pockets, a sense of femininity but also ease — through his own filter.
It’s probably an exaggeration, though not much of one, to say that Mr. Simons swept aside much of the fashion story of the last 15 to 20 years, not least postmodern irony. In any case, he was bold to try — and before an audience that included some of the most respected names in fashion. Among the designers who came to see his debut were Pierre Cardin, Azzedine Alaïa, Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz, Donatella Versace, Riccardo Tisci and Diane von Furstenberg. That number is surely a first in fashion. Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH, who is his boss, was seated between his daughter Delphine and Charlene of Monaco. The audience included the actresses Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence and Sharon Stone.
There was an extraordinary sense of anticipation before the show. “I haven’t been this excited to see a show in a long time,” Emmanuelle Alt, the editor of French Vogue, said. “Today I’m going to see something I’ve never seen before.”
Ms. Versace, seated a few places away, shared her feeling. Ms. Versace, who got to know Mr. Simons when he worked in Milan at Jil Sander, said: “Raf’s so shy. Sometimes I don’t think he realizes how good he is.”
Mr. Simons succeeds John Galliano, who left his own mark on Dior, but was fired in February 2011.
The show on Monday was held in a private house on the Avenue d’Iena. The design of the rooms also reflected Mr. Simons’s ability to draw what he needs from the Dior legacy and invigorate it with his own ideas. Each room was lined, from floor to ceiling, in a solid tapestry of fresh flowers: blue for one salon, white for another, a mixture of yellow roses and pink peonies for still another. Christian Dior loved flowers and cultivated them in his country garden. Mr. Simons loves intense color.
And those colors provided the background for a superbly plain coat in bright red wool, its sides gathered in two or three discreet folds and pockets set slightly back. Dior thought the position of the pockets gave the wearer a more flattering line. Mr. Simons interpreted Dior tweeds, for gray coats and a strapless dress, by updating the pattern with a more geometric feel. The Bar jacket appeared throughout the collection, but the most stunning rendition was in black wool crepe with the base embroidered in thousands of dangling black beads tipped in electric blue. The beads were worked so closely together that the surface resembled fur. A full-skirted gown in white organza evoked Pointillism with tiny frayed ribbons, while another was embroidered all over in pale blue and pink feathers.

At a time when much of high fashion is highly influenced by image, whether iconic photographs from 1950s couture or new manipulated digital images, Mr. Simons’s debut essentially asks people to trust their own eye. His clothes are often so simple that you have to look at them for a while before you see the small gesture or the magisterial way of sleeveless black crepe falls over the body. He gets the most and the best out of couture, and this is just the start.

Raf, Irreverent: The Designer On His Dior Debut

Raf Simons has been remarkably upbeat all week. You might imagine the pressure of a debut on Christian Dior’s haute couture stage would weigh heavy on someone who made his rep as the shaman of modern menswear, but he was in fist-pumpin’, high-fivin’, kid-in-a-candy-store form when we crossed paths at Dior HQ the other day. You dream, and you have the elves to turn that dream into crystalline reality. Who wouldn’t feel good? Still, I thought it was charming that Raf brought Cris Brodahl paintings from his Antwerp, Belgium, apartment to make his post-show interview room feel a little more like home. Oh, and about those interviews…

—Tim Blanks

You’ve never done interviews on camera before. That’s a big change of heart.
I guess so. It’s been 17 years, and it’s fantastic to come in a place where you’re finally well understood. That’s probably a huge difference. Plus the possibility to have ideas realized almost automatically—I’ve never experienced that before.

It was a wonderful show, but I can’t say I’m surprised. There was something so purely logical about it.
I think so, yes. I’ve been very much involved with the period that Christian Dior defined, 1947 to 1957, and it seemed to me very normal to jump into it and work with that, to work with the archive and see how it can be modernized. And also to change the psychology of people who are interested in couture. The way I’ve been looking at it so far is as a still image, something you look at for that moment. I think lots of people see it as a still, an image from the red carpet. I want to make it more dynamic, appeal to a person who has a different energy. A younger person, in mind, not necessarily in age. And I think couture is very much about curating something unique for women. Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft.

What struck me in the show was the tension between classic couture tropes and a new take on them.
I’m attracted by both. Take things from the archives, then reenergize them in acid yellow or electric blue, colors that weren’t part of the Christian Dior aesthetic. I like to juxtapose elements.

In a way, it’s a paradox. You need to be reverent, but also irreverent, to move forward.
It’s mind-blowing when you start investigating what is done here. But I want to approach it with a new energy. I’m interested to see how people will pick up on it.

How important do you think it is that you’re an outsider?
I don’t really know. I know I was seen as avant-garde. Maybe that’s why I look at it a little more differently. I’m not frozen by it. I make suggestions. My challenge is to find a beautiful balance: to make women beautiful, to make a woman dream to wear a beautiful outfit. The show was about beauty in a natural way. It was very freeing; it offered a lot of possibilities. That’s why I didn’t want it story-based. Think of it as a blueprint