In the fashion world, few collaborations have created more beauty and magic than that shared between photographer Steven Meisel and the supermodel Linda Evangelista.

The photographs speak for themselves – born of this magical creative collab.
All photos courtesy of Phaidon.

A perfect soccer storm frenzy, with a strong magnetic pull is connecting the dots, putting Able Made, UMBF, and Suzanne’s big heart in the heart of it all.

Suzanne McKenzie, Founder/COO of Able Made, the “Original Off Pitch Soccer Style brand and Founder of the Ucal Breakaway Foundation (UMBF) has earned her rightful spot smack in the middle of the whirlwind of fresh interest in the world’s favorite game – soccer – here in the U.S.

OFF PITCH SOCCER STYLE – TOTALLY ON POINT.

The Gucci video comes out in a moment of important transition for the Italian label. After seven years as creative director, Alessandro Michele left his position late last year leaving behind stellar sales and a remarkable style legacy for the brand. He is being replaced by Sabato de Sarno, who will show his first Gucci collection in September, one of the most anticipated shows of next season. The celebration of a decade of the Chime Campaign could not be coming at a more opportune moment, when Gucci needs all the good will it can get.

Beyond marketing or commercial considerations, the socially-conscious campaigns of luxury brands are serving a purpose and are making a difference. A big difference, in many cases. And that is great news.

Suddenly, older icons are everywhere. Shortly before dying at 87, writer Joan Didion posed in dark sunglasses for Celine. (The sunglasses sold later in auction for $27,000). Legendary model Carmen Dell’Orefice, who started her career at 15 in 1945, just appeared on the April cover of Vogue Czechoslovakia, photographed by Albert Watson. She is now 91. A few weeks ago Saint Laurent launched a new campaign- “Director’s cut”- with four famous film directors-Abel Ferrara, David Cronenberg, Jim Jarmusch, and Pedro Almodovar-, all in their seventies and eighties, as models of cool and style.

We are living longer and better - and culture is taking notice.

A few days ago, Christie’s auctioned around 400 items from the collection of André Leon Talley, the famous Vogue editor at large who passed away in January last year. After stops in Paris and Palm Beach, the items arrived in New York to be exhibited at Christie’s headquarters in Manhattan for a few days during the online sale and before the February 15th live auction. Like bread crumps in the road, many items auctioned in the sale revealed a privileged but complicated life; the life of a fantastic traveler that carried in his Vuitton and Prada bags deep and complex feelings about race, religion and sexuality.

Few people knew about Alvin Baltrop and his work until 2008, when Art Forum published a long article about him. Fashion Designer Joseph Altuzarra read the story and the photographer and his haunting images got his attention.

The fashion crisscrossing between the most disparate brands and names continues, responding, perhaps, to a cultural moment where high and low, elitist and democratic, couture and urban, traditional and revolutionary, and expensive and not so much go hand in hand to build not only inventive business and marketing joint ventures, but also a surprising and exciting conversation.

“ For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it”. Ah, her words! Amanda Gorman is a poet, of course, and uses her writing as a tool to fight for the issues causes she cares about- social justice, racial and gender equality, the protection of Democracy-, which makes her also a powerful activist determined to impact change through her voice.

The Spring 23 men’s shows were a good sign of where things seem to be going; the continuation of the gender fluidity trend, in fashion, that started almost a decade ago, now finally landing a new kind of masculinity. Seeing a man in a flowy candy-colored top (Dries van Noten), a soft shouldered pink suit (Zegna), or a double-breasted cocktail vest without a shirt (Alexander McQueen) or stepping out in strapping bold and playful layers (Thom Browne) suggest today more virile confidence than feminine flirt.

Besides being fashionably chic and irresistible, Lingua Franca has a social and political spirit that is literally stitched into its heart. Under the slogan “Give a Damn!” the company, created by Rachelle Hruska McPherson, has raised over a million dollars for equity awareness and social causes that range from Marriage Equality to Peace for Ukraine.