Balenciaga launches skiwear, Gucci unveils its first vegan handbag with Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz performs at the LACMA Art+Film Gala presented by Gucci and Clarins creates a microforest in Calabasas.
Balenciaga Debuts Its First Skiwear Collection
Ski season started officially this week and Balenciaga is ready to make its debut on the slopes with its first ever skiwear collection for men and women, launching November 15th.
The collection, which includes technically advanced ready-to-wear, accessories and gear, is designed for visibility, insulation, aerodynamism, and protection, and is offered in a palette of black, grey and red. The clothing selection includes parkas and cargo pants in membrane-bonded technical Ripstop with integrated snow shirts, battery-life-saving pockets and ski pass holders; jackets and vests in quilted matte nylon, ski pants in bonded stretch nylon; and close-fitting fleece jackets.
Accessories range from faux mink snow boots and beanies to sunglasses and belt bags. Ski equipment meanwhile comprises a snowboard and skis crafted with mirror-polished Titanal for added precision, responsiveness and high-speed stability; ski poles; hiking poles; and a helmet made in collaboration with Briko that all bear the brand’s logo.
For those who prefer après-ski to snow sports, fear not – you can still take on the season in style thanks to the outsized puffer jackets, waterproof, fleece-lined ski jeans and iconic 3XL sneakers (upgraded with removable footwear chains) that will look just as cool off-piste.
LACMA’s Art+Film Gala Honored Judy Baca and David Fincher
The stars turned out in force last weekend for the 12th annual LACMA Art+Film Gala honoring visual artist Judy Baca and filmmaker David Fincher.
The event, co-chaired by Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, and presented by Gucci, kicked off with cocktails in the courtyard for a high wattage crowd of notables from the art, film and fashion world.
Artists including Catherine Opie, Kenny Scharf, Glenn Ligon and Ed Ruscha were joined by Ava DuVernay, Greta Lee, Halle Bailey, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, Colman Domingo, Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield and Jodie Comer among others.
The gala was the first for newly appointed Gucci Creative Director Sabato De Sarno, who was joined by Gucci President & CEO Jean-François Palus and LACMA Director Michael Govan for the evening.
In a new twist, Gucci also brought the runway to the museum with the introduction of Gucci Ancora Notte, De Sarno’s first eveningwear collection which was worn by models Mariacarla Boscono, Vittoria Ceretti, Kirsty Hume and Abbey Lee for the night. A$AP Rocky, Elliot Page, Andrew Garfield, and Pedro Pascal meanwhile were outfitted in the luxury Italian fashion house’s formal menswear.
Guests were treated to a dinner prepared by three-time Michelin Star Award Winner Chef Mattia Agazzi of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura in Beverly Hills during Eva Longoria’s tribute to Judy Baca, whose first solo exhibition at the museum, Painting in the River of Angels: Judy Baca and The Great Wall, is currently on show, while Brad Pitt did the honors for filmmaker David Fincher. The evening concluded with a special performance by Lenny Kravitz.
Proceeds from the annual Art+Film Gala go toward underwriting LACMA’s initiative to make film more central to the museum’s curatorial programming, while also funding LACMA’s broader mission. This includes exhibitions, acquisitions, and educational programming that explore the intersection of art and film.
Christie’s Beverly Hills Fetes Designer Sami Hayek
Christie’s gallery in Beverly Hills hosted a reception to celebrate Sami Hayek’s new show Frequency last week. Hayek and his wife, jewelry designer Daniela Villegas, were joined by a crowd that included his sister Salma Hayek and her husband, Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault, Demi Moore, Anthony Hopkins, Dree Hemingway and Sofia Vergara, to toast the reveal of his most recent work–an exploration of intimacy between materials and patterns, sacred geometry and the physical representation of Solfeggio sounds (a range of frequencies that are believed to promote mind and body wellness).
The Mexican-born, LA based designer is known for integrating his multicultural perspective into a wide range of creative endeavors, including contemporary sustainable furniture collections, commercial interior design projects, and a variety of home accessories while drawing inspiration from diverse cultural sources. “My work has always been about how to charge objects with intention and make people feel a specific way,” says Hayek. “I am convinced that objects are capable of emanating such intention into the spaces they live in and towards the people they interact with.”
Frequency will be on view until December 7th at Christie’s Los Angeles.
The Gucci Horsebit 1955 Bag Goes Vegan
As part of Gucci’s ongoing commitment to a more ethical fashion future, the Italian luxury fashion house unveiled an animal-free iteration of its heritage Horsebit 1955 bag in collaboration with LA’s own Billie Eilish last week. The Academy Award winning singer-songwriter, who has been vegan since 2014, is the face of the campaign, which includes a video set to her song What Was I Made For?
The legacy piece has been updated with an asymmetrical silhouette and is made from Demetra, a next-generation material composed of 75% plant-derived raw material sources including responsibly sourced viscose, wood pulp, and non-GMO corn-based plastic. The leather alternative is the culmination of two years of research and development by Gucci’s own technicians and artisans, is produced in Gucci’s own factory in Italy, and exposed to the same tanning process as its leather goods. The horsebit hardware is made from recycled metal.
“I am honored to be part of Gucci’s evolution in rethinking tradition,” says Eilish. “It’s a new understanding, and one that isn’t afraid to evolve in a new direction, that truly matters to me.” The house also made a significant donation to Support+Feed, an intersectional nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by Eilish’s mother Maggie Baird that is dedicated to combating climate crisis and food insecurity by working toward an equitable, plant-based food system.
Katherine Schwarzenegger Creates a Capsule Collection with Cleobella
Katherine Schwarzenegger has unveiled her holiday collection with ethical and sustainable womens and kidswear brand, Cleobella. The collaboration includes mommy and me ready to wear and loungewear, along with kitchen essentials including oven mitts, aprons and napkins made from hand woodblock printed Indian cotton.
“The collection is inspired by my favorite family memories and stems from the places where they are made, the home,” says Schwarzenegger, who married actor Chris Pratt in 2019. “From decorating holiday cookies in the kitchen with my girls, to heartfelt conversations around the dinner table, my favorite moments are the ones spent with loved ones. This special holiday collection features neutral colors and textures that can transition easily from season to season. I hope each piece can be shared, loved, and cherished for generations.”
1% of sales from Cleobella x Katherine Schwarzenegger Collection will be donated to The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Clarins Returns to Town For its Annual Replant Love Environmental Initiative
Heritage French beauty brand Clarins was back in LA for the their annual environmental initiative, in partnership with The Malibu Foundation, Replant Love. The weekend kicked off with a dinner at Nobu Malibu on Friday night attended by Jennifer Morrison, Abbey Cowen, Paris Brosnan, Brittny Button, Talia Jackson and Armani Jackson.
On Sunday the partners hosted a planting event at Juan Bautista De Anza Park in Calabasas with the aim of creating a Miyawaki microforest: a hyper-local ecosystem that increases native biodiversity to support local flora and fauna and serves as a carbon sink.
A-listers including Orlando Bloom turned out to help plant the microforest – the second in Los Angeles County and the first in the Santa Monica Mountains – which will also serve as a seed bank for subsequent microforests around Los Angeles County.
Since the devastating Woolsey wildfires of 2018, Clarins has worked with the non-profit organization to revitalize and regenerate the Santa Monica Mountains. The collective efforts have yielded remarkable results, with more than 22,000 trees planted to date.
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