Dior Cruise 2017 Collection

The journey from Paris to Blenheim Palace where the Cruise Collection will be shown in the presence of the fashion community is the point of departure for Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, leading the Christian Dior creative team.

The inspiration was not only the post-war high society’s wardrobes, but also the restlessness and wanderlust that characterized the period: the urge to travel, to discover the new. English country life is expressed via the tradition of the hunt – its reflection in the decorative arts, rather than its reality.

Shots of red are evocative of the hunting pink, rustic tweeds and crisp poplin of country attire, while nineteenth-century equestrian scenes are knitted into intricate pictorial jacquards or fused into English country florals. Those intermingle with rich devoré velvets and silks in Asian and African prints, patterns and embroideries, underscoring a mood of exploration, a curiosity about the world, and a fundamentally English eccentricity in dress – a story told through the cloth on your back.

These inspirations from across the Channel meet the silhouettes and decorative details drawn from Parisian haute couture. The curvilinear form of the Bar jacket is tailored close to the body, and abbreviated at the hip or echoed in grand gestures of cloth – a full sleeve, a gathered peplum or pocket on generous coats. Their volume is Dior, their referent is British, while their spirit is contemporary. The Bar is sometimes bisected, the basque wrapping the hips; other times the shape is transposed to draped tea dresses.

Each detail is drawn from the oeuvre of Monsieur Dior, a reflection of the House’s storied past. Dior’s signature bow is pulled undone, passed through the décolleté or reverse like a foulard, to close and simultaneously embellish, adding a dynamic movement to strict shapes. The conversation between France and England echoes a dialogue between the past and the present, creative exchanges between the two countries.

In the eighteenth century, France adopted English fashions in a craze dubbed Anglomania; in the twentieth, the exchange reversed, and French fashions were exported for fevered consumption in Great Britain, none more so than Christian Dior’s New Look. Monsieur Dior frequently turned to the UK for inspiration: his own

suits were tailored on Savile Row, and he used the masculinity of fabrics like English wools, Scottish tweeds and Prince of Wales check to underscore the femininity of his creations. Male meeting female, France joining England.

Almost seventy years later, the house of Dior pays homage to that ongoing creative and cultural exchange, staging the runway show of the 2017 Cruise Collection in the heart of the English countryside.

The setting is Blenheim Palace, a symbol of quintessential Englishness, in the style the French dubbed Baroque. The birthplace of Winston Churchill, the seat of the dukes of Marlborough, and twice the backdrop for Dior haute couture presentations, in 1954 and 1958, each to a royal audience, Blenheim is steeped in history. Then as now, curiosity about the world leads you on a voyage of discovery, one that is symbolic of looking for the new.

KIEHL'S Introduces Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil

Kiehl’s Since 1851 became a pioneer in the facial oil category when it introduced Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a potent blend of botanical extracts that replenishes skin overnight. Leveraging Kiehl’s chemists’ expertise in lightweight yet highly efficacious face oils, Kiehl’s introduces Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil, a non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic innovation that deeply cleanses while maintaining the skin barrier without leaving an oily residue. It is not only efficiently washes away skin impurities such as dirt, oil and sunscreen, but is also effective on stubborn makeup, eliminating the need for double-cleansing. Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil features the “Midnight Recovery” blend of ingredients - Squalane, Evening Primrose Oil, and Lavender Essential Oil which within the formula provide an effective, soothing, sensorial experience, leaving the skin thoroughly cleansed and hydrated. 

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 Day-Date Chronograph Black Titanium

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the celebrated Chronograph Carrera Calibre 16 has been given a major face-lift: now available in a lighter version thanks to the use of titanium, it is contemporary and elegant in matte black with beige detailing, and paired with a distressed brown leather strap that is sure to please the modern hipster. This sporty watch, 43 mm in diameter and launched in 2007, is TAG Heuer’s best seller and one of the brand’s iconic models. In 2017, the renowned chronograph has been updated in celebration of its anniversary. Firstly, it is now available in titanium, a decidedly modern and lightweight material, appearing here in Grade 2 micro-blasted black PVD titanium, giving the case an elegant and modern look, framed with a black ceramic bezel and beige tachymeter scale.

Various details echo the style of the 60s Carrera: the wide dial opening and its fine bezel, the two chronograph counters located at 6 and 12 o’clock with their applied rings, and finally the faceted lugs that featured on the original Carrera models. Other distinctive features: the minute counter with Arabic numerals in applied black gold with beige SuperLuminova™, the clearly visible Day and Date window at 3 o’clock and the small seconds counter that balances the dial’s overall appearance at 9 o’clock. On the back, the sapphire case back displays the beautiful mechanics of the automatic Calibre 16 movement as well as the weight, decorated with a Côtes de Genève pattern. The watch is finished with an on-trend distressed calfskin strap that will age beautifully. This watch is bound to appeal to the modern hipster.

C de Cartier New Handbag Collection

Five new colours have been added to the perky palette of the C de Cartier bag. The SS2017 collection gleams in jewel tones of green beryl, purple sapphire, blue tourmaline, lemon magnesite, and coral. Popping with colour and finished with saddle stitch detailing, the leather accessory range now features new mixed material models in calfskin and niloticus crocodile.

REDValentiono Spring 2017 Collection

REDValentiono Spring 2017 collection is a flair of subversive daring mixed with ingenue spontaneity and a firm will to use fashion as individual expression is what REDValentino stands for. The collection is a repertoire of possibilities that can be interpreted in many ways, free from conventions and impositions. Constant self-reinvention is what the REDValentino girl seeks and enjoys, in fact.

She is her own storyteller, writing an endlessly renewed fable through the many images she projects onto the world. The world is surely a stage for her, but the story is authentic just as much as it is theatrical, witty, funny and even a tad anarchic. The REDValentino girl never gives up dreaming. She is a realist, however, knowing that reality is the product of the imagination. For spring, she enjoys a back n’ forth dialogue with opulence and preciousness.

  

The theme is evident yet the interpretation is unexpected : fresh and fragile, up to a point. Keeping an eye on her mom’s couture pieces, the REDValentino girl makes them her own, unafraid to get her hands dirty and delve into the concrete jungle clad in tapestries, embroideries and transparencies.

There is a sense of irreverence and eccentricity to the tale: a fearless mix ‘n match of impalpable dresses and opulent coats, of jeans, glitter and brocades, animalier motifs and lingerie nods. Following an idea of clothing that melts with the environment, tapestry textures are everywhere, contradicted by an innocent use of transparency in the tiered dress and airy skirts.

In the game of appropriation of couture tropes, even the pragmatic trench-coat gets a ladylike shape, while denim shorts and skirts swarm in intricate intarsia patterns.

To-the-calf lengths and demure jumpers convey an air of graciousness. Petite bags, studded shoulder bags and roomy sacks mix with sandals, clogs and studded loafers.

Colors are neutrals, with dashes of denim blue and shots of black. Ultimately, the apparent properness heralds a sense of total freedom: it’s about playing off-center couture to bring poetry everywhere.

Jaeger-LeCoultre @ The Atelier Reverso

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Atelier Reverso makes the relationship between a man and his watch even more exclusive. By personalising the reverse of this iconic model and choosing one or several interchangeable straps, every man has a number of options for creating the watch of his dreams. In 2017 the Grande Maison introduces six new men’s dials, available in two sizes, so devotees of this reversible classic will love it all the more. The Atelier Reverso is a playground for expressing yourself through a palette of dials – lacquered, for instance, or made of stone – that will adorn the reverse of this watch. In 2016, five dials were designed to enhance the Reverso Classic Large Duo. In 2017, the Atelier Reverso gains six new dials. Three variants in masculine colours make an appearance: a subtly nuanced red, an electric blue of refined tones, and a carbon fibre-effect shade of grey. What’s more, three new stone dials are unveiled: one in grey meteorite, a military-influenced dial in green marble, and lastly, a dial in tiger's eye – a gemstone that gleams with an especially pleasing amber warmth.

Altogether, an array of vibrant colours intended to embellish a new men’s model in the Reverso Classic collection, the Reverso Classic Duo Small Second, available in sizes Medium and Large. This new timepiece, driven by a manually wound mechanical movement, is dedicated to tradition and watchmaking know-how. Its front face presents a guilloché and brushed dial with a small seconds indicator. A second time zone in an opaline finish is revealed on the reverse, where a day/night indicator is set into the Clous de Paris-patterned guilloché design at 6 o’clock. Since 2016 the Grande Maison has sought new ways of sharing its watchmaking culture, its thinking, its moments of joy and suspense. Jaeger-LeCoultre offers every lover of Fine Watchmaking the chance join in the adventure of their Reverso by choosing the design of the dial on the reverse.

When the watch is completed by the artisans at the Vallée de Joux Manufacture in the heart of the Swiss Jura, their hands turn an imagined ideal into reality. This experience, which can be deeply emotional, is possible with the Reverso Classic collection’s Duo, Duo Small Second, and Duetto models. The Atelier Reverso also allows you to choose your strap from a multitude of refined shades, in materials such as calfskin, alligator leather, ostrich leather, and satin. One simple hand movement releases the strap so it can be replaced with another, giving the watch a whole new appeal. Even the buckle is easily interchanged.