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FASHION

No capes at Armani show after Madonna tumble

You could forgive fashion king Giorgio Armani the absence of capes at his Emporio show Friday, after pop diva Madonna blamed one of his creations for her fall at the Brit Awards this week.

No capes at Armani show after Madonna tumble
Giorgio Armani, the white-haired grandfather of fashion looked unrepentant as he took his bow for a lively autumn/winter 2015 collection. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

The white-haired grandfather of fashion looked unrepentant as he took his bow for a lively autumn/winter 2015 collection based on a palette of soft blues, vibrant pinks, reds and purples, rounded off with a host of bewitching black looks.

Those cursed with unshapely ankles are in trouble: this winter it's all about slim-cut trousers which stop short, leaving a glimpse of bare skin – no cheating with tights mind! – before the masculine, patent leather shoe below.

Red or black butterfly bows adorned shoulders on high-waisted jackets and the front of full-waisted coats, or were transformed into earrings. Bags were tiny, closed with a metal clasp and worn on long chains under furry gilets or with long frill straps, with classic clutches for the evening.

Among the trends emerging at Milan fashion week is the bedroom look, with Gucci producing furry slippers and Fendi showing off a duvet dress – and Armani did not disappoint, unveiling a pink coat with dressing-gown overtones.

The fat effect is also going large, though Armani took a softer approach, offering just two short-sleeved blue and red dresses in fur and wool, which hung out from the frame down to the knee.

Shoes were shiny in electric reds, purples and blues, with only a pair of sensible wide-heeled high heels for special events – which should rule out any further stumbles by celebrities dressed by the 80-year old fashion lord.

Madonna blamed her Armani cape for her tumble off the stage at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, after she was unable to untie it during an act. "Armani hooked me up! My beautiful cape was tied too tight!" she said on Instagram.

The Emporio collection may have been free of dangerous garments, but with the Giorgio Armani show still to come on Monday, there is time for perilous capers yet.

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FASHION

Paris exhibition celebrates 100 years of French Vogue

A new exhibition in Paris will tell the story of 100 years of French Vogue - from the post-war 'New Look' of Christian Dior through the sexual liberation of the 1960s to the dangling-cigarette waifs of the 2000s.

French Vogue celebrates 100 years
French Vogue celebrates 100 years. Photo: Thomas Olva/AFP

But as well as celebrating the magazine’s storied history, the exhibit comes at a time of turbulence for the publication.

Just last month, it was confirmed that its editor of 10 years, Emmanuelle Alt, was out and wouldn’t be replaced.

She was not alone.

Looking to cut costs, owner Conde Nast International has axed editors across Europe over the past year, and put international Vogue editions under the direct control of global editorial director, Anna Wintour, in New York.

New York-based Anna Wintour now has overall control of French Vogue. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Like much of the media industry, Vogue is struggling with tumbling sales and ad revenue in the digital era.

But the latest twist is also part of the endless push and pull between New York and Paris going back to its early days.

“The whole history of French Vogue is one of back-and-forth with Conde Nast in New York – growing more independent for a while, then being reined back in,” said Sylvie Lecallier, curator of the new exhibition, “Vogue Paris 1920-2020″, which opened this weekend after a year’s delay due to the pandemic.

The Paris edition was often the loftier, more bohemian sibling to its more hard-nosed New York version.

But it was also the hotbed in which much of 20th century style and womenhood came to be defined.

“Paris was the place to hunt out talent and content and bring it to New York,” said Lecallier.

The exhibition charts the evolution from art deco drawings of the 1920s through the erotic image-making of photographers like Helmut Newton in the 1960s and 1970s.

Its last peak was under editor Carine Roitfeld in the 2000s, who brought back a provocative Gallic identity by ridding the newsroom of foreign staff and becoming a fashion icon in her own right.

Her successor, Alt, was a quieter presence, though she still oversaw key moments including its first transgender cover star, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio, in 2017.

But internet culture has created “a perfect storm” for Vogue, says media expert Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis.

“The first 80 years of Vogue’s life, it had the market to itself, it was the bible for fashion,” McCabe told AFP.

“But online today, there are so many other ways to get your information. Influencers, Instagram, YouTube — everyone’s a threat.”

In a world where new fashion trends can blow up around the world in seconds, it has become much harder for a monthly magazine to set the pace.

“It’s not that they can’t survive for another 100 years — but they will be differently sized,” McCabe said.

Vogue has tried to branch out into different areas, including events.

“I used to work for a magazine, and today I work for a brand,” Alt said on the eve of French Vogue’s 1,000th issue in 2019.

But the big money was always in print, and Vogue Paris sales are dropping steadily from 98,345 in 2017 to 81,962 to 2020, according to data site ACPM.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the new top job in Paris, redefined as “head of editorial content”, went to Eugenie Trochu, who was key to building the magazine’s online presence.

She declared herself “thrilled to be part of Vogue’s international transformation”.

For the curator of the exhibition, it is ironic timing.

“We had no idea it would end like this when we started work on the exhibition,” said Lecallier.

“Who knows where it will go from here.”

The exhibition Vogue Paris 1920-2020 is at the Palais Galliera in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. The gallery is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. Tickets for the exhibition are €14 (€12 for concessions and under 18s go free) and must be reserved online in advance. 

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