Front Row at Paris Men’s Fashion Week With Taeyang, Jared Leto and More
Weird Is the New Cool: Do you want a light? Rick Owens gave guests several as he let loose a popping firework show over the Palais de Tokyo, which resulted in guests being covered in ash. It made for an ethereal runway effect, if a smoky front row.
It was quite the start to the day for Teyana Taylor, who was suffering from jet lag and woke up just 30 minutes before the show was scheduled to start. It set her into a bit of a fashion frenzy. “He’s one of the main reasons I’m even here. I was like, ‘I gotta come,’” she said. “Everybody who knows me knows how much I love Rick. I’m like a Day One loyal.”
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The actress is making a pit stop before the Taormina Film Festival for the screening of her new film, “A Thousand and One,” and then she is stepping behind the camera and designing as well.
“I’ve been doing a lot of creative directing for other artists,” said the multihyphenate. “My sneaker just dropped and sold out in three minutes,” she said of the Air Jordan collaboration that was released June 1.
Singer Eric Nam is dipping his fingers in many creative pies, too. He’s prepping his new single, “House on a Hill,” that will drop June 28, as well as starring in the upcoming film “Transplant,” shooting a new YouTube series that premiered June 1 and planning an 80-city concert tour that will be announced soon.
But first there’s a new album in the works for later this summer. “I’m just trying to get this album out. We are putting all the final pieces together,” he said of the pending release. “This time we were really ambitious and pretty much shot a short film to tie all the music videos together. It’s probably the most ambitious project that I have done to date. It’s been taking a lot of time, creative energy and effort,” he said.
The YouTube show, “Happy Hour,” in which he drinks with other celebrities, is also rolling out new episodes over the summer. “It can go really good or really bad. There’s a lot of things that are said and done that we’re like, ‘Oh, we were a little drunk here,’” he joked. “But it is a lot of fun.
“I’m just sprinting through it all,” he added of juggling multiple the projects at once.
Offset chatted with Michèle Lamy on the sidelines of the stage before securing his hooded mask and taking his front row seat. Despite the zipped lips, he was game to talk — albeit in muffled tones.
“I love him, and I couldn’t make the last one, so this time I had to make sure that I was right here,” he said of attending Owens’ show. “His clothing is more than design, it’s art. It should be in a museum.”
The rapper declared Owens’ creative ethic as the them of the season: “He inspires me to not be normal. Weird is the new cool.”
As if to prove the point, singer Tommy Cash arrived dressed as a mime, and stayed in character for the duration of the show. He would only answer questions with gestures, all while eating a baguette, riding a penny farthing bicycle and wearing a pair of the MSCHF x Crocs big boots.
Just a normal day at Paris Fashion Week. — RHONDA RICHFORD
Fans of the Show: The long cobblestone walkway and grand arches of Paris’ Invalides museum make for a pretty dramatic entrance. Jared Leto, Noomi Rapace, Jack Harlow, Paul Dano and Taeyang were among the celebrities who made the walk at the Givenchy show Wednesday.
Leto is attending his favorite fashion week shows — he’s a Givenchy regular — before taking a week or so off. Then it’s back to work, first on the filming of the “Tron” remake and then on to Lollapalooza in August with his band 30 Seconds to Mars.
“It’s a film I loved as a kid,” he said. “It’s beautiful to enter into that world. I mean, it’s a childhood fantasy for me. It’s gonna be a good one.” He plays an engineer who is sucked into the digital world he created. His film about Karl Lagerfeld is still in the works, he added.
Leto has attended the Givenchy show for several seasons. “It’s incredible all the hard work that goes into this 15 minutes. It’s absolutely stunning.”
Dano, who just served jury duty at the Cannes Film Festival, arrived at the show minutes after the trailer for his next film, “Dumb Money,” dropped. He talked about how he prepared for the role of the YouTuber Keith Gill, aka “Roaring Kitty,” behind the trading frenzy of the Game Stop stock drive.
“It’s a true story so there was a lot of fact to look into and a lot of research to be done, but I think my main attraction to the character was that guy’s spirit — ‘Roaring Kitty’ — a super beautiful, spirited guy who was making videos on YouTube. So I spent a lot of time meeting his virtual self,” he said.
“The Batman”‘s Riddler was asked what he would do if he ever came into some “dumb money” himself. “I would hope that I would also do my part to be a good Samaritan,” he said.
Chinese pop star Fan Chengcheng was being a bit of a fanboy, asking Leto and Harlow to pose for pics with him. The fellow front row attendees happily obliged.
As is common practice for Asian fan clubs to raise a star’s profile or celebrate their achievements, Fan’s fans sent a billboard truck to circle the venue before the show. “I did see it,” he said. “And I am so thankful for my fans for doing everything for me. It’s nice to see it, and I love it.”
“It was fantastic, he brought style for [the] gentleman and hip hop all together,” Fan added about the show.
Tyga is also a Williams fan, and was dressed in head-to-toe Givenchy from past seasons. “It was definitely a different style than some of the previous shows, but I like the tailoring of the suits. It was more formal, and I like that. A little more classic,” he said. The rapper is working on new music but won’t have any releases before the end of the year, he added.
Evan Mock has done away with his pink hair this season, and said he only plans to attend the one show this week.
“He’s a master at what he does and he treats everyone with kindness, and that’s all that matters to me,” he said of Williams. The Hawaiian-born Mock has been working on his own line, Wahine, for the past year. The first release brought varsity jackets, graphic T-shirts and hoodies, but he envisions it moving beyond contemporary skate-inspired clothing.
“It’s everything. I just wanted to make a brand that I could create anything I wanted to, like a tea set or a toothpick. Anything. It could be clothing, it could be accessories, it could be something you use every day,” Mock said. The skateboarder pulls in inspiration at the shows, he said. “I’m around a bunch of amazing artists and friends.” — R.R. and JOELLE DIDERICH
SHORT ORDER: Those hankering for an American eatery during Paris Men’s Fashion Week can have their dream turn to reality Friday, thanks to Billionaire Boys Club’s first pop-up diner, nestled in Dover Street Market’s 3537 cultural center.
There, the brand has conceived a retro diner, replete with red vinyl seats, a black-and-white checked floor, indoor/outdoor seating, plus and a menu including baked goods, such as whoopee pie and homemade pop tarts, plus hotdogs and coffee. (American caterers were brought in for the fare.) The sign atop a glowing wall clock reads: Satellite Diner — eat in, take out. Even the woodgrain here feels authentic.
“The brand’s roots are from this mid-century inspiration, with Googie architecture and Americana, but through a Japanese vision when Pharrell [Williams] wanted Nigo to initiate the brand, so there’s always been this ‘good old days’ America with the vision, the graphics and stuff that we reference,” explained Ross Westland, creative director of BBC and Icecream Europe.
“So now is just a perfect time with our 20th anniversary being able to celebrate the roots of the brand, but in a more contemporary way,” he continued, adding BBC generally has a showroom in Paris, but this time the idea was to offer something more experiential. The showroom will be right next door.
Last June, Westland was in a diner in Washington, D.C., working on another project, and thought it would be cool to bring that vibe to Europe.
For the Paris diner, he referenced a number of artists in the graphics, such as Claes Oldenburg, who once created an exhibition called “The Store.” Nodding to that, Westland conceived accessories that look like food, such as leather key pouches resembling ice cream sandwiches.
Those are sold in the “gift shop” area, alongside other exclusive merch for the event, such as baseball caps and traditional diner waiters’ shirts.
BBC, which helped shape the streetwear market into what it is today, remains a leading force in the sector. It’s been busy. BBC Europe, for instance, just launched its first kidswear line.
“There’s a huge collaboration this year with Moncler that releases in August,” revealed Westland, adding the campaign for it was shot in Paris this past Monday. “It’s a full collection.”
That will be sold through Moncler, BBC’s flagships and e-tail platform, plus some other partners, including Selfridges and Ssense.
Last year, BBC signed a Hong Kong-based partner, and subsequently there have been a number of pop-ups in Asia. A new store, designed by Snarkitecture, opened in Miami last fall and is setting the tone for how BBC’s retail will look, especially in the U.S.
“We definitely want to make more of a mark in continental Europe,” said Westland, explaining that will entail opening more owned stores — maybe evening comprising diners.
BBC’s Paris diner opens to the public Friday and serves between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Its showroom kicks off Sunday. They both run through June 30. — JENNIFER WEIL
DRESS REHERSAL: For Maison Lesage artistic director Hubert Barrère, the June 21 premiere of “Zémire et Azor,” the opéra-comique — a genre of French opera with dialogue as well as sung segments — will be culmination of a childhood dream.
“It’s something I always wanted to do,” he told WWD ahead of June 21 premiere of this performance for which he designed the costumes and décor at the invitation of Opéra Comique director Louis Langrée.
Written by 18th-century composer André Grétry, the story loosely follows the plot of the Beauty and the Beast and was adapted to Queen Marie-Antoinette’s tastes, with Zémire as the daughter of a merchant from Ormuz, Iran, who picks a rose from the garden of cursed prince Azor, setting the story in motion.
It appealed to Barrère because he recalled hearing a 1960s rendition featuring French opera singer Mady Mesplé over the radio as a child, already sketching dresses and for the constant transformation of ugliness into beauty.
“In embroidery, we are illusionists, we make you believe things through sleights-of-hand using materials and designs,” said Barrère, who served as scenographer and costume designer for the performance.
For the backdrop, Barrère imagined a surrealist maze in a French garden, which he described as being organized somewhat like the structure of a palace, as the home of the cursed prince, while Zémire’s family home is set in an interpretation of the Iranian city.
Another reason why Barrère accepted Langrée’s proposition is that it came as a carte blanche. Even for the Lesage head, “it’s not every day you get offered that,” he said. As such, there was no need to go into period-drama territory.
Beyond powdered wigs worn for the performance and Zémire’s Lesage-embroidered dress that nods to the sack-back look of its original era, the play’s other characters are clad in more contemporary fare. Take her sisters, clad in corseted outfits rooted in the ’50s fuller-skirted look.
For Barrère, such projects are important to the Chanel-owned embroidery specialty atelier as a representative of a craft “plural in its quality and richness” that he considers “a cultural crossroad that dates back 400 years and stems from intercultural exchanges.”
“It doesn’t matter if you want to work on medieval designs, hyper contemporary or even in the far-flung future. Nothing is impossible in embroidery,” he continued. “We follow what creators ask but as embroiderers, we are free to adapt our know-how to the tools and techniques of the times. Only keep in mind that you have to be doing ‘today’ in all its multifaceted reality.”
“Zémire et Azor” will be performed at the Opéra Comique, also known as the National Theater of the Opera Comique, in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, from June 23 to July 1. — LILY TEMPLETON
THE NIGHT OF THE DIVAS: The Victoria and Albert Museum in London’s South Kensington hosted its annual summer party with support from Net-a-porter and a preview of its latest exhibition, “Diva,” celebrating the performers who defined, subverted and embraced the phrase.
From the 19th century to today, “Diva” will exhibit the colorful world of the men and women who used their platforms to entertain, educate and inform, from the world of pop, including Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross, to opera’s legendary singers Maria Callas and Adelina Patti.
The showcase features more than 60 looks with many rare pieces, such as Marilyn Monroe’s fringed black dress worn in “Some Like It Hot”; a red Christian Dior gown made for Vivien Leigh in “Duel of Angels”; Tina Turner’s Bob Mackie flame dress from 1977; Sandy Powell’s Louis XIV costume with a towering powdered wig and train for John’s 50th birthday party, and Shirley Bassey’s couture pink gown designed by Julien MacDonald for Glastonbury in 2007.
“Diva is everything. It’s the way you feel, it’s an attitude. It’s the way you express yourself. Bassey is the ultimate diva, who wore my dress for her closing performance at Glastonbury,” MacDonald told WWD in the green John Madejski Garden of the V&A.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that she performed in the pouring rain. She called me asking for a special kind of shoe, she said, ‘Could you do me a pair of crystal wellies? Because it’s so muddy, I can’t put my heels on,’” the Welsh designer added.
He took a pair of Hunter wellies and customized them with Swarovski crystals that spelled out DSB (Dame Shirley Bassey).
Powell was also in attendance in a beautifully bright dress featuring brushstrokes in yellow, blue, red and green.
“I am not working at the moment. My summer plans are very boring,” said the British costume designer.
“Unfortunately most people think of the misogynistic definition of diva, which is a woman who makes a fuss and is demanding. I think diva is a person, usually a woman, who is at the top of their game, knows their worth and true value,” she added.
Throughout the soiree, fried chicken with caviar and Champagne jelly, spinach and ricotta tortellini and olive brined bass were served by waiters in blue velvet suits and waitresses in metallic jumpsuits. The catering was prepared by Last Supper.
Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, took to the glittery disco stage to introduce British girl band Sugababes, performing their hit singles, followed by a DJ set by Shygirl.
Guests from the art, fashion and entertainment industries mingled in the sunshine, including Emma Weymouth, Marchioness of Bath; Erin O’Connor; Dame Joan Collins; Bob Mackie; Grayson Perry; Maxim Baldry; Giles Deacon, and Gwendoline Christie.
“Emma and I are trying to coordinate our children for a playdate,” said O’Connor standing in a white Sharon Wauchob suit with Weymouth, who was wearing a baroque print Roberto Cavalli dress.
The two friends plan to take their children to Longleat, the English stately home and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, to enjoy the safari park, cakes and scones.
Fresh off her masterclass on summer skin at the Corinthia London, Dr. Barbara Sturm was in all white.
“By summer it’s quite crazy traveling for business. I haven’t had a summer like this for a long time where I had to go to so many different places for launches and events. So I combined the fun with the work,” said the German doctor, who just launched her sun drops.
“Keep your hydration going and use hyaluronic serum. After time in the sun use an aloe vera gel that’s calming [followed by] a face mask,” she added.
Sturm believes that a “diva is the ultimate form of luxury.” — HIKMAT MOHAMMED
ADDITIONAL CHARGES: A 33-year-old man, Kenwood Allen, who has been indicted for a drugging, robbery and larceny spree, is facing three new murder charges, including one for the death of fashion designer Katie Gallagher.
Announcing the indictment Thursday, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. said there were 21 victims in total, including the deaths of five people between March and December 2022.
According to court documents and statements made on the record, between March 18 and Dec. 18, 2022, Allen committed a series of robberies and other crimes throughout lower Manhattan, sometimes alone and sometimes with other individuals. In most of the incidents, Allen drugged his victims with fentanyl and other opioids in order to steal their credit cards, watches, phones and other personal identifying information. Many of the victims were later found unconscious on the street. He would then withdraw cash from ATMs and use the stolen credit cards to make purchases and transfer money.
Last month, one of Gallagher’s sisters Lara said her family had been working closely with the district attorney’s office and New York Police Department officials. She and her sister Marlee did not respond immediately to a request for comment Thursday. The Gallagher family held a memorial for Katie Gallagher last month in New York City.
The 33-year-old fashion designer had been found unconscious and unresponsive in the bedroom her Eldridge Street apartment on July 24 of last year. There were no signs of trauma, according to a NYPD police report. The New York City chief medical examiner’s office later determined that she had died of acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl and ethanol.
NYPD deferred any comment Thursday to Bragg’s office.
The suspect Allen was first indicted in December for two of the murders. The additional three crimes were allegedly committed on July 22, July 23 and Aug. 6.
Charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment, Allen faces 10 counts of murder in the second degree, 13 counts of robbery in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the second degree, 11 counts of assault in the second degree, two counts of attempted robbery in the first degree, three counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree.
Bragg said in a statement Thursday, “These alleged pernicious drugging and robbery schemes have left far too many families mourning the loss of their loved ones. The careful and meticulous work of our prosecutors and the NYPD has led us to charge this individual with a spree of criminal conduct that now includes five murders — four of which took place over a mere 15 days last summer. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to aggressively uncover and investigate these incidents.”
Bragg’s office has “a distinct ongoing investigation into a pattern of robberies and druggings in Hell’s Kitchen,” which had led to a separate murder and conspiracy indictment in April, according to a press release issued Thursday. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
Golf Guy: Former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush has signed on as an official ambassador for the TravisMathew golf and lifestyle brand.
Although TravisMathew has other ambassadors, including actor Chris Pratt, professional golfers Jon Rahm, Sam Burns and Joel Dahmen, NFL quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo and NBA player Alex Caruso, the deal with Bush is more involved. He will be the first ambassador to work with the company’s product and design teams on golf, activewear and lifestyle collections.
In addition, a specific Reggie Bush collection is expected to be launched in 2024, probably in the spring.
“Growing up in Southern California myself, I’ve been a longtime admirer of TravisMathew,” Bush said. The brand’s genuine character and top-quality products perfectly align with my active lifestyle, whether I’m on or off the golf course. This collaboration is set to be refreshingly unique as we work together to create products that reflect my individual style. I am very excited to share my own distinctive aesthetic with the faithful TravisMathew consumers and contribute to the brand’s continued success as the newest member of the team.”
Bush, who was drafted in 2006 and played for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers, was also known for this style off the field and was deemed one of the best dressed players in the NFL during his career. He also dated Kim Kardashian on and off between 2007 and 2010.
The Huntington Beach, California-based TravisMathew started out as a men’s golf brand 15 years ago, was acquired by Callaway, expanded into a variety of lifestyle categories, launched womenswear and operates more than 30 stores. The goal, according to chief executive officer Ryan Ellis, is to grow into a $1 billion brand within the next five years. — JEAN E. PALMIERI
Stepping in Style: Chris Stapleton has his own distinct style.
The Grammy Award-winning country music artist has become highly recognizable for his long hair and scruffy beard, ubiquitous cowboy hat and Lucchese boots.
So it’s no surprise that the Western bootmaker is teaming with the singer/songwriter on a collaboration that will launch Thursday.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Doug Hogue, vice president of product for Lucchese. Although Stapleton had worn the brand for years, it wasn’t until 2013 that the singer visited Lucchese’s El Paso, Texas, factory to see first-hand how his favorite boots were made.
“He had these vintage boots with him that he’d bought online,” Hogue said.
Fast-forward to 2018 when the conversations between the two got more serious and they began to toss around ideas for a collaboration.
“We lost a couple of years with COVID[-19],” Hogue said, “but it’s really been a fun process. Chris is very specific in what he wants and the way he thinks about product and details. He has a very clear aesthetic.”
The Lucchese x Chris Stapleton collection will consist of three boot styles in two colorways each. The first is the Old Friend, a rugged style based on a vintage design made from Italian suede with classic mule-ear pull straps, a Torero side seam and a French toe. The San Antonio is a dressier cowboy boot in black cherry or burgundy with Seville cord patterns and mule-ear straps. And the final is The Original, a reinterpretation of the boot Stapleton had worn to his original meeting with Lucchese. It is made from calfskin with Del Rio cord patterns on the quarters, which have been modified to be shorter than the vintage boot at 11 inches.
“I ran so many miles in that particular boot [The Original],” Stapleton said. “When I think about my journey, Lucchese has been with me every step of the way. It’s very, very meaningful to me to be able to collaborate with them.”
All three of the models are handmade in Texas and feature a replica of Stapleton’s signature inlaid into the pull tab, Hogue said. They will retail for $695 for the Old Friend, $995 for the San Antonio and $1,195 for The Original.
But while the product is paramount, what truly sealed the deal for the collaboration was its charitable component. Under the terms of the deal, a portion of the sales of each piece will be donated to Outlaw State of Mind, a foundation formed by Stapleton and his wife Morgane in 2016 that supports a number of charitable organizations such as Feeding America, ACLU and Habitat for Humanity.
“Collaborations have to be mutually beneficial,” Hogue said, noting that Stapleton was determined to give back through his foundation while Lucchese benefits by gaining a higher profile with the singer’s large fan base.
In addition to Stapleton, Lucchese also has a relationship with Parker McCollum, another popular country artist. Hogue said that McCollum serves more as an ambassador and at this point, there is no product offering with him — although that may change in the future. In McCollum’s newest music video for his single, “Burn It Down,” he sports two different ballcaps with large Lucchese logos on the front.
Returning to Stapleton, Hogue said that while there is no other collection in the pipeline right now, he hopes the relationship will be long term and the two are currently in discussions about the future.
The Chris Stapleton x Lucchese collection will be sold at Lucchese’s 21 retail stores as well as online. — J.E.P.
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