 |
 |
| Hi, and welcome back to Line Sheet. Still in Paris. I slept! Sorry I missed the party last night. Really.
I’m wrapping this issue from tonight’s reception for the LVMH Prize, and forwarding Rachel Strugatz your responses to yesterday’s deeply compelling Hailey Bieber piece. Feel free to hit her up directly at rachel@puck.news. I sense another character ascending into the Line Sheet cinematic universe.
Speaking of cinematic universes, I’ve got all the news and notes from the past few days of shows, both blockbuster and indie, plus a scoop on a startup founded by former Farfetch and Pangaia executives, and a few details on what’s happening back in Los Angeles around Frieze. And then, for the main event, a crucial development regarding the repackaging of Meghan Markle.
Mentioned in this issue: Meghan Markle, Jamie Mizrahi, Farfetch, Maria Grazia Chiuri, LVMH, Delphine Arnault, François-Henri Pinault, Frieze, Courrèges, Nicolas Di Felice, Another Community, Jun Takahashi, Dries Van Noten, Undercover, Wim Wenders, Peter Do, Vakhtang Akirtava, Meryll Rogge, Montecito, Prince Harry, Jessica Mulroney, Clare Waight Keller, Danielle Goldberg, Jeremy Allen White, Riley Keough, Chemena Kamali, and many more. |
|
|
- Six guys, a girl, and a reasonably questionable business plan: A bunch of ex-Farfetch, New Guards Group, and Pangaia people are starting yet another brand incubator, according to a deck I viewed that was sent out last week. It’s called Another Community, and the goal is to build “exceptional brands in partnership with creative visionaries.” Oh boy…What I gleaned, after reading the mission statement and everything else: They’re trying to create a more world-weary New Guards Group, 2.0. by applying the cautionary tales and horror stories from their previous lives. The promise is that they can take brands from ideation (their kinda word, not mine) to the distribution center. Besides servicing established brands, they also plan to launch two owned-and-operated brands this year: one resort line fronted by a “well-known Latin American creative director,” and a collection that fuses “streetwear with cinematic sexiness to create bold Resort and Swim styles.”
The co-founders are C.E.O. Vakhtang Akirtava (Farfetch, Pangaia), growth person Firat Akcal (Farfetch, NGG), supply chain expert Alex Karpenko (Pangaia), and tech guy Andrey Kovalev (Farfetch, Pangaia). Ida Petersson, who just launched the consulting firm Good Eggs with Ramya Giangola, will advise on retail and distribution, while Alessandro Pane (ex-Kering and Richemont) is head of operations. Supreme’s Alwyn Martinesz is head of finance.
This type of strategy has indeed worked in the past—as I said last week, New Guards Group was once a very profitable business. But you need an Off-White–level great idea, and those are few and far between. Another red flag is the use of sweatpants label Pangaia as a proof of concept. Sales went from essentially nothing in 2019 to $75 million one year later, but that was during the sweatpants-forever era of the pandemic. Over the next two years, the company’s sales slid. In 2022, Pangaia lost $37 million on $50 million in sales, according to filings on the British registrar. It seems like the Another Community people associated with Pangaia are only taking credit for the good part—not sure if they were around for what happened after.
And then, of course, remember what happened to New Guards Group when Farfetch bought it. The competition in this category is tougher than ever—this sounds a lot like American brothers Max and Xander Ritz’s business, The Loyalist—although this deck is indeed stacked with ex-Farfetch employees ready to get their revenge. Maybe it’ll work!
- Los Angeles Friezes over: There was so much happening in Los Angeles this past week around Frieze. Staud did a pre-Frieze dinner with Jeffrey Deitch. (Endeavor, the company run by designer Sarah Staudinger’s husband, Ari Emanuel, is a significant investor in Frieze.) Stefano Tonchi hosted a party for the launch of TheWrapBook. Vans hosted an open-air party with Sterling Ruby to celebrate their collaboration. Jil Sander is opening a store on Friday and hosting a dinner. And that’s not half of it. It all feels like a warm-up for the Oscars, which are next week, but also a testament to how important the fair has become to the Frieze organization, especially since the Endeavor investment, and Los Angeles itself. I love art.
|
| A MESSAGE FROM AKRIS |
 |
| Discover the new ANNA HOBO collection in a range of hues. Crafted with the same impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail that has made AKRIS the fashion world’s best kept secret. |
|
|
|
|
| I met with a new friend earlier this week, a longtime journalist, now doing other things. We got to talking about Pharrell at Louis Vuitton, which we both think looks good, and makes sense. She compared Louis Vuitton to a Marvel franchise, an analogy I’ve made in my head many times, largely because larger-than-life comic book franchises started to take over Hollywood a couple decades ago, around the time when conglomerates began to rule fashion. And while Hollywood’s risk aversion (and the rise of the platforms) hasn’t quite obviated independent film, it’s made them harder to finance. The same phenomenon, of course, is true with independent fashion labels.Similarly, even the biggest studios and houses aren’t always infallible. Earlier this week, Saint Laurent and Dior, two of this era’s most successful blockbuster brands, were tested. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri turned out the requisite fan-service collection, a range of low-slung trousers, double-breasted trenches, and straight skirts—all immaculate, some gussied up with the words “Miss Dior” scribbled across the side. Chiuri often gets obliterated by online critics for her simple takes, but the clothes are well-made, and for many years, well-sold. I suspect LVMH and Dior C.E.O. Delphine Arnault will stick with Chiuri as long as she wishes to stay. But she doesn’t strike me as a sentimental person.
Both Dior and Saint Laurent, which also showed its latest collection on Tuesday, employ the popular method of sending out multiple, very similar looks. The next day, I ran into a friend, who said that “all the women” were hating on Saint Laurent. Is that true? Sure, everyone is growing tired of see-through, and the 1980s shoulders. But I like the last few years of Anthony Vaccarello collections, and I admire how dedicated he is to upholding the brand. Was this collection full of clothes women want to wear? Either way, the store will be.
The shows on Wednesday were certainly for women. Courrèges, backed by François-Henri Pinault’s family office, is having a moment at retail with its ski turtleneck. I thought that this was designer Nicolas Di Felice’s strongest collection to date, directly addressing sex in a way only a young, fearless designer could: by inserting a kangaroo pocket on the front of several pieces. (The models walked with one hand tucked inside.)
At Undercover, Jun Takahashi sent out gorgeous, everyday clothes tuned exactly right, with airy handkerchief details throughout. Like many moms in the audience away from their children, I was struck by filmmaker Wim Wenders’ narration of his poem “Watching a Woman,” written expressly for this runway. Wenders has a new film out, but a colleague recently sent me Notebook on Cities and Clothes, his 1989 documentary on Yohji Yamamoto, whose men’s show he walked in this past January. Anyway, Wenders is in the air, quite literally, at Takahashi’s show. Like most good art, his piece was so specific that it was universal, a better monologue for life as a mother, or a woman, than the one in Barbie. The line about closing the door before turning on the light… I hope they publish it online.
Takahashi almost seemed in conversation with Dries Van Noten, who is also designing for women in a way that doesn’t feel put on or objectifying. There are so many things to love about Van Noten—a true survivor who kept making indie films when he was certainly pushed to go the blockbuster route—but one of them is his humility. I thought the sweatpants made out of rough wool, and the straight trousers made out of sweatpants jersey, were the perfect dichotomy.
Designers like Takahashi and Van Noten provide a blueprint for the younger generations showing in Paris, including Americans Peter Do and the team behind Vaquera, who both did well this season. Do’s collection, especially the gowns, looked more sophisticated than ever—he just needs to make sure his voice is not lost in the shuffle. Vaquera was fun—I could see someone wearing it, which is news. I enjoyed checking out Meryll Rogge, a designer who works on some beauty projects with Van Noten. She makes great coats. And I was sad to miss Marie Adam-Leenaerdt on Monday, whose skewed proportions poke fun at the patrician way people like to dress these days. |
 |
| The Fresh Princess of Montecito |
| Some news: Meghan Markle is teaming up with Jamie Mizrahi to revamp her look, and probably her reputation, and presumably create some new optionality around her post-Spotify future. |
|
|
|
| Did you know that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex or whatever these days, is working with Jamie Mizrahi, expert celebrity friend-turned-expert celebrity stylist? For now, everyone is keeping mum, and perhaps they’ll never speak of it. Mizrahi was en route to Paris when I messaged her about Markle. She didn’t reply. (Good girl.) The Markle camp didn’t respond to my queries. But I believe the new partnership—presumably forged in Montecito, where they each have homes—marks a turning point for both parties when it comes to their respective myth-making.Markle is actually not much of a subject of fascination for me, perhaps because I have P.T.S.D. from my mother’s Princess Diana obsession. But I am, of course, interested in the way she presents herself. For the past few years, people connected to her have claimed she doesn’t work with a stylist. And it was believable, given all the wrinkled clothing and slightly off tailoring. In the early days of her Prince Harry era, she relied on friend Jessica Mulroney, whom she met in Canada while working on Suits. At some point, though, they split. Markle called upon U.K.-based Maria Means Cote, an ex-Prada P.R., for a while, but they stopped working together as early as 2021.
In her California life, Markle doesn’t necessarily need a stylist. The dress code in Montecito—a sort of Nancy Meyers movie where Oprah’s house isn’t even the biggest on the block—requires more pull-on linen pants than fitted Roland Mouret shift dresses. (We’re not in Westminster anymore, Dorothy.) Markle makes just a few public appearances a year, and more importantly, her persona is predicated on the idea that she is in control. So it doesn’t matter all that much that her clothes don’t always fit perfectly as long as she’s the one who chooses them. Even her Givenchy wedding gown, designed by the Brit Clare Waight Keller, with whom she was recently seen having lunch, wasn’t quite right. (Not only is Givenchy a French brand, but once again, there were tailoring issues.)
This is all part of her charm. And Markle fans don’t seem to mind: When she first started dating Prince Harry, items she wore sold out almost instantly. Not many celebrities have that sort of pull. You have to be both aspirational and accessible at once, like Taylor Swift.
But if Markle is entertaining a Hollywood relaunch—orchestrated, probably, by the talent agency WME—she may need more support. After all, the fashion industry wants little to do with her. Dior even released a statement last year noting that they had not signed her as a spokesperson. The fact that they even bothered to extinguish a swirling rumor suggests that they were desperate to have it quashed. |
| A MESSAGE FROM AKRIS |
 |
| Discover the new ANNA HOBO collection in a range of hues. Crafted with the same impeccable craftmanship and attention to detail that has made AKRIS the fashion world’s best kept secret. |
|
|
|
|
| Enter Mizrahi (née Schneider), who grew up near the Short Hills Mall and moved to California after she started dating Nico Mizrahi, a hedge-funder from Los Angeles. (She married him in 2016. By all accounts, they are kind people.) Mizrahi has been working in fashion since she graduated from college, but until a few years ago was known more as a socialite and friend-of-celebrities than a hardcore professional. She was “creative director” of Authentic Brands Group-owned Juicy Couture for a while, and launched The Kit, an underwear line that was acquired by competitor ThirdLove in 2022.Then she started styling Adele, and things changed. She got a Louis Vuitton contract. Is she good? The other day, an acquaintance of Mizrahi’s started texting me images of looks she had crafted that bore a shocking resemblance to those another rising star had arranged just a few weeks prior; most notably, Mizrahi put client Jurnee Smollett in a black Proenza Schouler gown that Danielle Goldberg client Ayo Edebiri had worn in cream just three weeks earlier. This person texting me had no idea about Markle, they were just appalled by the perceived copycatry. Perhaps it was a coincidence.
Anyway, originality matters less in this business than effectiveness. Today, Mizrahi works with the likes of Riley Keough, Jeremy Allen White, and most importantly, Jennifer Lawrence. She’s been integral to Lawrence’s rebrand over the past year, which also included hiring a new publicist and releasing a raunchy comedy. I don’t like how Mizrahi dresses Lawrence: There is a prim fussiness to her current wardrobe that feels antithetical to her personality. (She seems like a fun person, and the clothes aren’t.) But most people don’t agree with me. Lawrence has never attracted attention for her fashion choices before; now she does, so it’s working on some level, even if it doesn’t have a long-term impact on how people perceive her.
Can Mizrahi do for Markle what she has done for Lawrence? Markle’s ladylike, jewel-toned taste is closely aligned with Mizrahi’s, so perhaps they could make an even more powerful combination. Regardless, Markle needs to make money, and sharpening her look could be the first step in something bigger: Not only should she be gunning for endorsements, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was keen to develop her own fashion line. (Markle’s old friend Misha Nonoo, currently the chief brand officer of Spanx, would be a good resource in that department.) And Mizrahi might be the best first step, whatever the actual end goal.
This alliance, to me, really comes down to the Montecito of it all. The population of famous people living there swelled during the pandemic, and the ones who remain represent a certain West Coast Slim Aarons gestalt. The area has such a particular allure that Phaidon released a book on it last year. (It even garnered the requisite, two-years-too-late Styles piece.)
Mizrahi, whose Montecito home was featured in Architectural Digest last year, has excelled in fashion because she makes celebrities feel comfortable. They consider her a friend rather than hired help. People who run in the same circles as both women were not surprised when I told them that they were working together. Anyway, it seems like Markle could use a friend these days. |
|
|
|
|
| Bonnie Morrison asks if it’s okay to be apolitical. (A great question for fashion people, many of whom are apolitical but wish they were political.) [Is It Okay?]Macy’s is closing 150 stores, filling several of those retail spaces with Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury (a Sephora competitor). Makes sense, even if the market isn’t responding enthusiastically just yet. Love Tony Spring, the new Macy’s C.E.O. Still think it’s next to impossible for any retailer to survive these days. [NYT]
Me + Em is opening three stores in New York this year (Upper East, Soho, East Hampton) as its U.S. biz explodes. There’s a real appetite among the wealthy at the moment for nice clothes that don’t cost $6,000 per piece (rich people don’t like feeling bamboozled, either). The London-based brand’s clever approach—taking the old idea of modular dressing and making it new—works for American yummy mummies, too. (Year-over-year sales doubled in the region in 2023.) [WWD]
Love Tim, love Lucien, love this lovely ode to a nice person who always tries to help. [BoF]
Chemena Kamali, Chloé’s new creative director, owns an estimated 600 vintage blouses. I need to know where her jeans are from, though. [Vogue]
“Erika Jayne Girardi has lost her bid to strike a lawsuit accusing her and her estranged husband, indicted California attorney Tom Girardi, of bribing a former U.S. Secret Service official to pursue false charges of credit card fraud against a Hollywood costume designer.” This is a truly crazy story about people who live in Pasadena. [Reuters]
Moncler had a good year, with both sales and profits up. A group to watch. [Fashion United] |
|
|
| And finally… Just think, you get one more day this year to shop.Until Monday,
Lauren |
|
|
|
| FOUR STORIES WE’RE TALKING ABOUT |
 |
|
 |
| Johns 3:16 |
| A close look at the post-McConnell succession horse race. |
| ABBY LIVINGSTON |
|
 |
| Godwin’s ABC Blues |
| An insider’s guide to the leadership drama consuming ABC News. |
| DYLAN BYERS |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Need help? Review our FAQs
page or contact
us for assistance. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news. |
| You received this email because you signed up to receive emails from Puck, or as part of your Puck account associated with . To stop receiving this newsletter and/or manage all your email preferences, click here. |
| Puck is published by Heat Media LLC. 227 W 17th St New York, NY 10011. |
|
|
|
