Month: December 2020

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Offering a bespoke personal shopping experience is integral to Dolce & Gabbana. The Italian luxury label’s boutiques across the globe are staffed with skilled professionals who guide customers through the glamorous, often gilded world that designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana built. So in a holiday season when its safest to shop online, the brand is committed to offering that personal touch virtually through an innovative digital platform that allows customers to browse select stores from the comfort of their own homes.

“We try to have an emotional and experiential approach, to involve our clients and make them feel part of our projects, to convey positive values that have always characterized us, and, in which, we deeply believe,” explains Dolce. “We are convinced that our clients appreciate and understand, even through digital projects, the love and passion we put into our work.”

Dolce & Gabbana

Dreaming of Paris? Take a stroll, er scroll, through the brand’s Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré flagship. You can also travel virtually to Melbourne, Osaka, and Miami. The brand created virtual 3D replicas of these four outposts so you can enjoy the rush of browsing a rack from your couch and purchase in-store inventory in real time.

Should you need some gifting inspiration, Dolce & Gabbana put together a helpful gift guide. It’s presented through a playful series of videos in which the designers are transformed into mini dolls who take you on behind-the-scenes tours of the brand’s ateliers. The overall vibe is not only festive and luxurious, but shows that the brand has really adapted to our online reality.

Dolce & Gabbana

“We are moving more towards digital, as we feel it’s better for our brand and we know that the world around us is changing,” says Gabbana. “Fashion must reflect reality and respond punctually to the consumers’ needs; the projects we are working on and focusing on at the moment—the virtual boutiques, as well as the DG Digital Shows—allow us to give continuity to our work and maintain a strong relationship with customers.”

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From Bella in 3.Paradis to Sasha Exeter in sweats, here’s some local style inspo.

2020 might be winding down (*finally*) but our favourite fashionistas are still serving the style inspo we need – nay, deserve – as we head closer to 2021. If you’re in the mood for a diversion from this year’s stressors, take a pause to enjoy our favourite Canadian fashion moments this week: Three looks featuring Canadian brands sure to get your winter wardrobe juices flowing, whether it’s for a stroll outside or a WFH vibe.

Bella Hadid in 3.Paradis

The brunette beauty made a statement while taking to the streets of New York City in a decidedly classic look composed of a preppy v-neck sweater, ankle-length jeans and loafers, topping it off with a twist thanks to her artful Dollar Blazer by Montreal-founded label 3.Paradis. Bella’s clearly taking Carrie Bradshaw’s statement of, “I like my money right where I can see it – hanging in my closet” to a whole new level.

Olivia Palermo in Smythe

In more New York minutes, Olivia Palermo snapped a sweet pic of her and her husband, Johannes Huebl, while taking in the pre-snowstorm weather earlier this week. Palermo looked every bit the uptown girl in a roll-neck sweater and classic hair bun, and pulled everything together with Toronto-based brand Smythe’s elegant – and sadly, sold out – Birkin coat.

Sasha Exeter in Tkees & Roots

More casual outfit inspo came our way courtesy of influencer Sasha Exeter, who paired a classic grey sweatsuit by Tkees with Roots cabin socks; she added a bit of oomph to the outfit via a tried-and-true styling trick, the half-tucked top. The monochromatic, laidback look mirrored Sasha’s statement about self-care and what she wishes her younger self knew about boundary setting, the importance of rest and saying “no.”

Style Points is a weekly column about how fashion intersects with the wider world.

To watch Colette, Mon Amour, the new documentary about the beloved Paris boutique, at a time when “going inside a store” and “mingling with other people” both feel like alien activities hits, as they say, different. Watching, I was immediately transported to the last time I walked through the doors of the store on the Rue Saint-Honoré. It was during Paris Fashion Week, and I was there to see a fashion show being held upstairs, but first I had to ford my way through a first floor full of excited elbow-to-elbow shoppers excitedly brandishing their finds.

Karl Hab

A few months after I made that visit, in December 2017, Colette closed its doors after 20 years, and in the film celebrities and designers mourn its passing, their distress shown via cutesy animated tear emojis. Virgil Abloh, Kanye West, Sacai’s Chitose Abe, and Kith’s Ronnie Fieg are among those giving their eulogies. “When I heard about the closing, I was in disbelief,” says Pharrell Williams. “I’m still in disbelief.” West sums it up: “Colette was the internet before the internet.”

Marc PiaseckiGetty Images

Directed by Hugues Lawson-Body, Colette, Mon Amour has enough talking heads to fill a CNN one-hour block, but it doesn’t stint on showing the parts of the store that were more removed from the celebrity buzz cycle: the kids and tourists lined up around the block, streaming in every day at 11am as if into a theme park, a brace-faced kid whose parents named her after the store, and the diverse cast of cool kids working there, tenders of the Colette temple who helped make the store what it was.

Foc KanGetty Images

Of course, at the heart of the Colette magic are Colette Rousseaux, the store’s namesake, and her daughter Sarah Andelman. “We never tried to create this cult,” Andelman swears when I reach her on the phone. The two convinced brands to do collaborations back when those were a novelty, working with everyone from huge fashion houses like Hermès and Chanel, to street artists, to fashion-industry insiders like show producer Alexandre de Betak, sound designer Michel Gaubert, and publicist Lucien Pagès. “Any creativity deserves space beyond just the limited fashion world,” was her reason for incorporating them, she says, pointing out the number of formerly behind-the-scenes fashion personalities who have since come front and center, like runway hairstylists and makeup artists with their own lines.

Marc PiaseckiGetty Images

The celebrity quotient was “never something we wanted to use to make us more famous,” Andelman insists. Still, the store played host to starry events like an Apple Watch launch with Colette fanatic Karl Lagerfeld in attendance. (“Mr Lagerfeld used to come in every Saturday,” like clockwork, she says.) One night, Andelman says, the store drew Catherine Deneuve and Travis Scott on the same night. But it wasn’t all Kimye and Posh & Becks (although both super-couples did make appearances there.) “I remember, one day, seeing a guy with a parrot on his shoulder. Another day, the guy who cleans the streets came in for some sneakers.” Colette was inclusive when fashion prioritized exclusivity, democratic before the much-vaunted “democratization” of fashion, experiential before retail became an “experience.” While the shop sat on a hoity-toity corridor in the first arrondissement, everyone was welcome there. “That was really our philosophy from day one, to be open to everybody and to have a mix of items” in a range of prices, Andelman explains. At first, she says “people were scared to come in because they thought it would be too luxury.” But soon enough, the crowds found them.

Karl Hab

Looking at it now, the Colette phenomenon feels both deliriously ahead of its time, for all the reasons mentioned above, and wonderfully old-school, evoking the temporarily lost joys of being in a space with other people and feeding off their energy and excitement about fashion. Andelman tells me she has “no regrets” about the closing. Since then, she’s been busy with her consulting and curation business Just an Idea, which she founded in 2018. Despite fashion’s fondness for reboot culture, she has no plans to reboot Colette, in any form, she tells me. Formerly a regular at fashion shows, she now describes her relationship to the runway as “much more distant. I still go to a few [shows] every season, because they are friends. One part of me really doesn’t miss the wait, and all the da-da-da. And then sometimes, it’s just ten minutes which is worth a year of your life, because it’s so extraordinary. You never know in advance.” The serendipity she’s describing is the same quality that Colette itself had—the one that makes fashion worth putting up with despite all the da-da-da.

Colette, Mon Amour will premiere December 20th on colettemonamour.com

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This is Texture Talk, a weekly column that deep dives into the dynamic world of curly hair, from crowns of curls that are free flowing to strands that are tucked away in a protective style.

We’ve said it once, twice and we’ll keep on reiterating it: Styling curls and achieving ample definition truly begins once you step into the shower – not when you get out. This is why being picky about the selecting the right shampoo and conditioner that work in tandem to leave you with a head full of healthy, bouncy strands is one of the most important things you can do for your hair routine, no matter your curl type.

For years, it has been well documented and understood that curly and straight hair are essentially polar opposites in terms of the shape of the hair follicle (the biggest determinant on whether hair strands grow round or straight from the scalp). It’s these structural differences that cause curls and coils to naturally be much drier, coarser and not as resistant — aka a recipe for being more prone to breakage — compared to straight strands. And the tighter the curl pattern, the more fragile the hair becomes.

Diving deeper into the science, all hair, whether curly or straight, is made up of a tough protein called keratin and keratin is made of up amino acids. Still with us? Good. Keep on reading.

Hair scientists have long thought that all hair types were made up of the same type of keratin protein, and that its distribution via the hair follicle down to the hair shaft is what also determined how each strand is structured: In a straight-haired follicle, keratin is evenly distributed down the centre and in curls and coils, keratin accumulates more on one side. But haircare brand Nexxus has some pretty game-changing news.

Through the power of proteomic science (the study of proteins), Nexxus discovered that it’s not just the structure of the hair follicles that’s different in curly vs straight hair, but the actual proteins inside differ greatly as well.

“Curly hair and straight hair have different keratin proteins.” says Dr. Fraser Bell, science insights leader for Nexxus, adding that those specific curl proteins are richer in key amino acid building blocks, glycine and serine, which appear at a frequency of two to six times greater than in straight strands.

Plain and simple: Curls and coils require more protein. With this knowledge, Nexxus spent two years formulating, testing, and rejigging its first-ever range exclusively for curls and coils – from curl type 3A up to 4C – called Curl Define.

Landing on shelves in February, Curl Define is powered by silk protein to keep curly hair on its best behaviour. “Silk protein is rich in the same building blocks as curls and coils,” says Bell. Another star ingredient is marula oil, which has been proven to deeply penetrate curly hair and boost curl shape and shine. As for specific products, you’ll find a non-stripping, sulfate-free shampoo, a moisture-locking rinse-out conditioner, and a leave-in conditioner ideal for in-shower detangling that controls frizz and leaves curls soft, defined and ready for whatever styling products you reach for next. Bonus: Thanks to its lightweight texture, you don’t have to worry about any pesky build up, either.

“What I love about this line is that I can add whatever product I want into my an existing regimen to match a client’s needs. It’s not designed that you have to use it as a full range,” says celebrity hairstylist and Nexxus consulting stylist Lacey Redway. And if you’re a fan of co-washing your curls in between a good shampooing like Redway, the rinse-out conditioner is prime for that, she says.

“I’ll also sometimes leave it in [for a few minutes] as a deep conditioner with a shower cap or Saran wrap and let the natural heat from the scalp heat the product up for better detangling.” Donning a braid or twist-related protective style? The hair pro has a Curl Define multitasking tip for that, too. “Put a little bit of the leave-in conditioner into a spray bottle, add some water and mix it up. The fine mist will penetrate [the hairstyle] and moisturize your hair inside.”

Valentino is diving deeper into the virtual realm. This week, the Roman luxury brand launched Valentino Insights, an immersive experience that invites fans to walk around a digital 3D replica of a modernist Mediterranean villa inspired by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s own home in Nettuno, Italy. It comes on the tails of other innovative digital initiatives that Valentino debuted this year including #ChezMaisonValentino, a series of IG Live musical performances, and a dreamy fall 2020 couture collection streamed from Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios.

Using VR platforms to engage communities of socially isolating individuals has been a big industry trend in 2020. Balenciaga showcased its fall 2021 collection via a fantasy video game found on its website. And Dolce & Gabbana recently launched shoppable digital replicas of its stores. Valentino Insights follows the same kind of single-player, exploration-style format, but instead of taking audiences on a journey to a space-age realm or a boutique, it lets them experience Piccioli’s lifestyle.

Valentino

Created by Vertual, the video game-like experience is situated in an expansive, open-floor plan villa inspired by Piccioli’s residence in the coastal town an hour outside of Rome, where he was raised. High ceilings and large windows give the space a sense of grandeur, while the decor—’60s-style chairs and center tables—are cast in warm, inviting colors. The villa also contains interactive items: a red phone with a voice recording, a record player with a curated Spotify playlist, and, of course, Valentino accessories, including the new Roman Stud Chain Bag that can be purchased with a click.

Valentino Insights will be continuously updated with products, activities, and news from the brand. By opening the doors of the maison (albeit virtually), the platform is fostering a sense of kinship between the label and its customers.

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“I felt like this process was meant to be.”

“I’m looking forward to romancing people with my designs,” says Kakra Juma-Nuamah, founder of the newly launched Toronto-based label, Outnumber. Juma-Nuamah – who previously worked for Ssense, where she honed her appreciation for the art of e-commerce and luxury design – introduced her brand with a selection of sultry apparel and lingerie items, as well as a bold, boxy, made-in-Italy bag called the Mini Firma.

“I always thought that if I’m going to [start a brand], I want it to be of high quality,” Juma-Nuamah says of her pieces. “One of the places in the world where that exists, to me, is Italy.” After digging in to finding suppliers and makers to help her realize her dream of launching Outnumber (“I’m a research queen,” she affirms), Juma-Nuamah connected with an artisanal family business and it proved to be a match made in handbag heaven. The Mini Firma currently comes in five colours and features a bamboo handle with alligator-embossed leather; it’s a timeless scene-stealer that, if street style were still thriving, would surely be seen on the arm of a fashion show attendee or three.

Juma-Nuamah says she’s driven by a pursuit of perfection when it comes to her work. “I want to create something that means a lot and would stand the test of time,” she says. Perhaps that’s why the iconic designs from Tom Ford’s tenure at Gucci resonate so deeply with her; and you can see the ‘90s influence in Outnumber’s selection of apparel that includes a halter-style dress and top. “I’m really into a refined, empowered look,” Juma-Nuamah notes, adding that she was inspired to design the brand’s tops after creating a dustbag for the Mini Firma; the effect is a cheeky garment that would make a surrealist artist proud.

In this way, creativity has always been an outlet for Juma-Nuamah, who says that the process has carried her through tough times. “I turned to creating and designing things when I was little; that was my escape and way to feel whole in the world despite the outside world being very chaotic for me. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be.” She notes that she admires Virgil Abloh and Mowalola Ogunlesi’s contributions to the design landscape, the latter in particular for her “fearless and authentic” approach.

Juma-Nuamah hopes that now her own presence on the fashion stage will inspire others who need it. “I wanted to show people that you don’t have to come from anything to make a big dream happen,” she says. “My upbringing wasn’t the easiest, and that’s why I’m determined to pave a path of my own.”

This tenacity is perhaps no more evident than in Juma-Nuamah’s decision to launch Outnumber this year (albeit later than her initially-planned March release). “I had friends worry about me launching, saying that maybe it isn’t the right time,” she recalls. “I thought, I’ve been working on this for about three years and I just had a gut feeling to go for it. I feel like sometimes fear prevents people from doing things, and my understanding is that you don’t really know what’s going to happen – tomorrow isn’t promised.”

She adds that when the pandemic hit in early spring, it gave her a moment of pause to reflect on how she wanted to continue and finesse her brand before putting it out into the universe; and she continues to ideate, saying that she’s working on a tote bag as well as footwear styles.

“I felt like this process was meant to be,” Juma-Nuamah says when highlighting how pleased she is with the look of her website, which was inspired by a restaurant in Florence, Italy that she visited while there on a business trip. “It’s sleek, cool, simple.” And because of that, it’s a perfect extension of her designs.

If you’re reading this, there are nine or fewer days left until Christmas. This is a gentle reminder that you need to get your holiday shopping done like, now. Good news for procrastinators, though: if you’ve haven’t bought anything for the label-loving, fashion-forward person in your life yet, the SSENSE sale is on now.

This is your opportunity to get gifts that looks way more expensive than they actually are from brands they’ll know and love. Think: phone cases from Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, T-shirts from Danish cool-girl brand Ganni, Converse sneakers, status totes from Museum of Peace and Quiet, loungewear from Nike, Reebok and Adidas and earrings from Martine Ali and Maria Black – all for less than $100.

FYI, if you’re looking for fancy lifestyle gifts from homeware, technology, activity, pet wear and self-care brands, check out SSENSE’s recently launched “Everything Else” category.

Click through the below slideshow to see our picks of the best fashion items currently available on sale from SSENSE.