Month: May 2020
People who struggled with leaving the house before COVID-19 are coping with a potent mix of anger, fear, and relief.
NO GALA THIS YEAR: After months of speculation that this year’s Met Gala would be canceled, museum officials on Tuesday confirmed there will be no event in 2020.
The decision is part of an overall plan that includes the cancellation of talks, tours, concerts and events at The Met through the end of this year. The nixed plans are in line with the need to provide an environment that provides social distancing. The Met Gala and the other events are expected to be resumed by the museum next year. That will include a belated celebration of the museum’s 150th anniversary, according to a statement.
The 2021 gala will be focused on next year’s exhibition at the Costume Institute, which has not yet been revealed, according to a Met spokeswoman. In March, organizers indicated that they hoped to hold the 2020 Met Gala at a later date.
There is also the likelihood of reduced museum hours when the Met reopens. In accordance with New York state’s phased plan for reopening the city, the Metropolitan Museum of Art now plans to reopen in mid-August or perhaps a few weeks later. When the public returns to the museum, The Met will debut “Making the Met: 1870-2020.”
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Virgil Abloh has a new award under his belt.
The Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director’s book, “Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech,” has won 2019 AIGA’s 50 Books Award, a competition that identifies the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the year.
The title, produced by Abloh and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, is in a three-books-in-one format, with a catalogue section by Michael Darling, who gives an overview of Abloh’s work, and features essays and interviews from Taiye Selasi, Rem Koolhaas and other experts in art, fashion, design and architecture. The book also has an archive section of more than 1,800 images from Abloh’s personal collection.
“Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech” is a blue hardcover that features an image of Abloh holding a special edition copy of the book with a plain cover and the word “Artwork” across the top. The back cover has the name of the MCA Chicago exhibit from 2019 and the book’s ribbon marker is a gold measuring tape. In addition, the book is designed with Swiss binding to show the spine of the book and the raw boards that encase it. When opened, the front cover lays completely flat and is not attached to the
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Fila is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G’s famous debut album, “Ready to Die,” by creating a special collection.
The sporting goods brand partnered with the Christopher Wallace Estate on the six-piece Fila x Biggie Collection, which includes a T-shirt and visor from the Fila archives as well as a new sneaker model, each offered in two colorways.
The collection will be sold beginning today on the Fila web site and on May 21, in honor of the late rapper’s birthday, it will be expanded to select specialty retailers.
“We created this exclusive collection to honor a groundbreaking album, artist and pop culture icon who has left a lasting impact in the music world and beyond,” said Louis W. Colon 3rd, vice president of heritage and trend for Fila North America. “The era’s most iconic hip-hop stars embraced the Fila brand, with memorable looks. In 1993, Biggie took the stage in Philadelphia wearing the T-shirt and matching visor that are part of the collaborative collection today.”
The graphic T as well as the visor, both of which retail for $25, are available in white and aqua as well as cream. The T-shirt features a scribble design inside an enlarged Fila “F.”
The sneaker,
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SHANGHAI — Italian minimalist luxury house Giada is opening a concept that steps outside the cookie-cutter retail format. This October, it plans to open a space encompassing a fine-dining restaurant, bar and boutique inside Beijing’s China World Hotel.
The venue will be located in the five-star hotel’s west wing, with a total area of nearly 1,000 square meters. The first floor will be a 353-square-meter Giada boutique, while the 645-square-meter second floor includes a dining room serving fine Italian cuisine and a bar area, along with a sky garden.
“The Giada Club will combine the elegance of Italian design with Beijing’s historical and modern charms,” the brand said. “The fusion of these two cultures is set to offer urban elites a unique social space, showcasing Giada brand ethos of luxury lifestyle.”
The club’s architecture will echo Giada brand’s core values of minimalism, modernity and elegance, and will be designed by Mr. Claudio Silvestrin, known as the master of minimalism architecture in Europe,” it continued.
Silvestrin previously designed Giada’s global flagship on Via Montenapoleone in Milan.
A Giada boutique.
Courtesy Photo
Located in Guomao, the city’s CBD, China World Hotel is surrounded by Beijing’s most landmark buildings, and links directly to China World Mall just next door.
Women’s wear
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ETERNAL SUMMER: Dior is betting on a pickup in European summer travel, as countries prepare to gradually reopen their borders amid signs that the coronavirus pandemic is easing.
The French luxury house will begin to roll out its Dioriviera collection across resort towns next week. The beach line will land at the Dior boutiques in Portofino and Capri on May 25, and in Cannes, Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Marbella on June 4. Porto Cervo will follow on June 15.
In addition, products including bathing suits, pareos, espadrilles and even a deckchair will be available in pop-up stores, beginning with the Nammos Village location on Mykonos on June 12, to be followed by another new space in the Greek resort on June 19.
Summer pops-ups will return to Forte dei Marmi on June 13 and Ibiza on June 30, and new temporary locations will open in Capri on June 27, and in Cortina as well as at the Yalikavak Marina in Bodrum on July 1.
Dior said the collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri will feature prints evoking “imaginary travels,” with motifs including a tropical take on the house’s signature Toile de Jouy; sailor stripes bearing the names of sunny destinations, and pieces from the Dior Around
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Kylie Jenner’s colorist weighs in.