Hello, Open Thread. Happy end of fashion month! Happy Jewish New Year. This is the first time in years that the High Holy Days have not conflicted with the shows, and that in itself is a sweet thing for me. Anyway, it was quite a final week of fashion. LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, made a series of major moves:
I doubt LVMH is done yet, especially given the number of rumors circulating last week about brands that still have designers in place, like Fendi and Dior. The latest: Jonathan Anderson, fresh off a triumphant Loewe show, could be heading to Dior, and Maria Grazia Chiuri (currently at Dior) could go to Gucci. It's the LVMH-Kering version of designer cha-cha-cha. That was one of my takeaways from fashion month. Here are five more:
For more news from fashion month, catch up on all of the reviews here. If you've had enough, though, and are desperate for some counterprogramming, consider the value of the boring old suits at the vice-presidential debate, assess the television version of Nantucket style in "The Perfect Couple" (that was my fashion week binge), and check in on how Levi's exploited its Beyoncé moment. Then have a good, safe weekend. Shanah Tovah.
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Your Style Questions, AnsweredEvery week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader's fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
I see big bags everywhere, but I never actually see a powerful woman carrying one. Is it smarter to go smaller? — Sarah, ChicagoRemember that famous scene from Season 4 of "Succession," in which Cousin Greg brings a date to Logan Roy's party and she's carrying what Tom calls a "ludicrously capacious bag"? It pretty much sums up the situation. "What's even in there?" Tom says. "Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail?" Fashion loves a ginormous bag, and there were lots of them on the runways at the recent spring 2025 shows — Ferragamo, Khaite, Proenza Schouler and Dries Van Noten, among others. But power players? Not so much. Indeed, you could say there is an inverse relationship between handbags and authority. The truth is, the bigger the job, the smaller the handbag — if a handbag comes into play at all. Think about it. The last female world leader to make handbags part of her signature was Margaret Thatcher, who turned her structured box bags into a personal totem, like her pussy-bow blouses. (She often carried Launer bags, also a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II.) Since then, it has been hard to think of a female head of state with a handbag. (To be fair, it's hard to think of a head of state of any gender with a bag, which is the point.) You never saw Hillary Clinton carrying one. Kamala Harris is never pictured with a purse. Images of Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's newly elected and first female president, don't include a handbag. Giorgia Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister, doesn't appear to tote them. And it's not just politics. Anna Wintour never takes her front row seat with a bag; the sole accessory she carries during the collections is her phone. There are no pictures of Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, who was recently crowned the most powerful woman in business by Fortune, with a bag. So what gives? A few things. There is a human tendency to fill up space that is available. Maybe it has something to do with our hunter-gatherer past; maybe it's a just-in-case/be-prepared-for-anything mind-set. (Mothers who are still discovering gummy snack packs in their bags years after their children are grown will understand.) Generally, the bigger the bag, the more space you have, the more you will stuff into it: water, wallets, pens, wet wipes, notebooks, extra batteries … This creates a situation in which you are toting around a giant lump of a thing that gets in the way and is bad for your posture. Not to mention that it puts the bag-person in the position of someone who serves other people, rather than someone being served. Carrying a smaller bag demands choices and selectivity. Thus, "Succession" and Tom's extremely snobby but trenchant point. Not carrying a bag at all is, in many ways, a sign of success. It suggests that you have other people to deal with the schlepping. It suggests that you can leave all of that stuff in the car or at the office. It suggests focus on the tasks at hand. It suggests liberation and efficiency. It's a power flex. And at the very least, it's better for your back.
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Friday, October 4, 2024
Open Thread: LVMH, Hedi Slimane, Celine, Jonathan Anderson, Dior, Rick Owens, Rabanne, Anrealage, Cardi B
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