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As brands keep looking for new ways to debut collections in lieu of the traditional runway format, Balmain will be debuting its pre-fall 2021 collection via its store windows of their Rue Saint-Honoré flagship. The entire production will be photographed lived and the production of which will be live-streamed. It’s a unique way for Balmain to debut its latest collection, even compared to some of its competitors that opted for more conventional video formats.

Balmain founder Pierre Balmain was known for shooting his collection in front of Balmain’s first ever store in Paris, so this format is historically within the brand’s DNA. Those famous Paris-sidewalk images were recently recreate for the relaunched PB-Labyrinth pattern accessories.

Gucci recently debuted their spring 2021 collection via an episodic video format featuring stars like Billie Eilish and Gucci muse Harry Styles. Chanel recently revealed their Métiers d’Art collection via video. Balenciaga also recently debuted their spring/summer 2021 collection via a video game.

As brands continue to adapt to the new normal of editors, buyers, and stylists not being able to jetset around the world for fashion shows, they have gotten very innovative with how to debut their new collections. Luckily, we live in a digital age.

photo: via balmain.com

Acidic colors, psychedelic patterns, luxurious extravagance of the costume with new proportions, accessorized with slippers or massive boots: Dior unveiled its autumn 2021 men’s collection online Tuesday, opposing joy to the gloom that hangs over this year.

“Joy, happiness and hope”

“When we started the collection, we were coming out of the first confinement and I wanted to bring joy, happiness and hope,” explains Kim Jones, British designer of men’s collections from the French luxury house in a video accompanying the presentation of the collection.

This collection that he wanted “fun and light” plays on the gap between the classic silhouettes of Dior and the world of the American artist Kenny Scharf who, in the 80s, had created connections between the world of contemporary art and that of graffiti like Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring.

“I love the clash of colors – yellow and purple, orange and blue, red and green. When you take the happy and sad opposites and put them together, it creates the tension and excitement that I love,” said Kenny Scharf. The motifs of his works are reproduced on jacquard jackets, sweaters or shirts, like a monkey with flowering nipples, but also embroidered on tambourines, those slightly square berets, Christian Dior’s favorite headwear.

Knot stitch embroidery, one of the oldest techniques in the world, was
performed in China. New on the silhouette side: the abundance of jackets
and coats with belts worn with loose, short pants revealing the ankle
above bright blue or pink “chunky boots” or slippers, a nod to the global
lockdown that boosted loungewear fashion.

The six-button coat revisits the work jacket while the English twill jackets, a fabric used in military uniforms, are decorated with a huge bow at the back.

And the ultimate in luxury, a “double-sided” jacket made up of two pieces
superimposed one on top of the other with a slight offset. The scenography
of the parade broadcast on the Dior website is designed by the French
director Thomas Vanz like a virtual space odyssey. (AFP)

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR, translated and edited to English by Kelly Press.

Credit: Dior menswear AW21, © Brett Lloyd

Mick Schumacher will take over Kevin Magnussen’s car in Friday’s FP1 in Abu Dhabi as the newly signed Haas driver makes his F1 weekend debut.

Schumacher, who clinched the FIA F2 Championship title last weekend in Bahrain, had been due to drive in free practice for Alfa Romeo at the Eifel Grand Prix, but adverse weather led to the cancellation of the Friday morning session.

This week, barring a sandstorm at Yas Marina, Schumacher will enjoy 90 minutes of running with his new team.

“Coming from a weekend like the last one, there’s only very few things to imagine which could be better than winning a championship – but then, having a weekend ahead, being a proper part of a F1 team and getting to drive the FP1 would probably count,” said Schumacher.

“I’m still really excited having won the F2 championship, and that excitement doesn’t stop knowing I’ll be with Haas next year, and that I’ll be driving for them for the first time on Friday.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know all of them, getting to understand how they approach and undergo a race weekend and starting this journey together with Haas here in Abu Dhabi.

Read also: Brawn ‘optimistic’ Schumacher can deliver the goods in F1

“I will soak in everything I can to the maximum, taking this weekend as a preparation for the experience to come next year.

“The good thing is that I don’t have to be concerned about the weather this time, so I am confident I will go out during FP1, and I am very much looking forward to sharing the track with such great drivers.”

On the other side of Haas’ garage, Pietro Fittipaldi will enjoy his second race with the US outfit, filling in for Romain Grosjean whose final season in F1 will have ended prematurely unfortunately for the Frenchman following his horror crash in Bahrain last month.

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Lando Norris will start his Sakhir GP from the back row following McLaren’s tactical decision to change two engine elements on the Briton’s MCL35.

Norris qualified P15 on Saturday, but the lowly start has compelled McLaren to fit a new ICE and turbocharger to provide its driver with fresh components for the final two races of the season, a tactical switch intended to help the papaya squad defend its crucial third place in the F1 Constructors’ standings.

Ahead of Sunday’s penultimate round, McLaren holds a 17-point advantage over Racing Point, with Renault 27 points behind.

As Norris has exceeded the limits of the two replaced components, the McLaren driver will join Haas Pietro Fittipaldi on the back row of the Sakhir GP grid.

Read also: Norris thwarted in qualifying by timing and unperfect lap

The Brazilian has taken over Romain Grosjean’s car but also the Frenchman’s power unit elements allocation. After receiving a new energy store and control electronics that also surpassed the authorized limits, Fittipaldi was also handed a grid penalty.

However, the rookie’s original P20 qualifying position means he will start behind Norris on the final row of the grid.

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Levi’s is going digital this holiday season. The denim brand has
teamed with Snapchat to create a line of clothing for Bitmoji.

Snapchat users can now customize their avatars using Levi’s styles,
across jeans, jackets and shirts. Users will be able to see their
Levi’s outfits across in-app features and mobile games integrated with
the app, including Chat, Snap Map and Bitmoji Stories.

“Inspired by real Levi’s apparel, Snapchatters and Bitmoji users
everywhere will be able to choose from classic Levi’s looks, from the
popular Sherpa Trucker Jacket to the 501 Original Fit Jeans,” Snapchat
explained in a press release.

Additionally, customers can purchase real life Levi’s pieces to
match with their on-screen avatars. The Levi’s x Bitmoji collection is
currently available through the brand’s ecommerce site.

AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat will start this evening’s Sakhir GP from the third row thanks to a strong and tidy effort in Q3 that the Russian says was his “best lap of the year”.

The result was a season-best for Kvyat and only his third top-ten shootout of the year but also perhaps one of the last for the 26-year-old who will be replaced next season at AlphaTauri by Japanese F2 charger Yuki Tsunoda.

“I enjoyed the lap today, he said after qualifying. “A good lap in Q3 especially, consistent, strong. Happy. I think it’s the best qualifying lap of the year for me. Very tidy, very good.

“It’s so easy to make one small mistake, break the rhythm then you maybe lose a lot on the straight if you have a bad exit, so it was about driving to what the car has and the grip.

“You tried to track the track conditions at the same time and not go over it, but at the same time take a bit of risk as you need to be faster than the others.”

Kvyat said he isn’t expecting any free passes – literally – in Sunday’s race in which congestion will be a factor.

“I think we will see a big train of cars tomorrow, very close but like he [Perez] said it will be difficult to overtake,” he added.

“It’s going to be tight and narrow, and everyone will be trying hard. It will be a very interesting race tomorrow, very long.”

Read also: Perez says ‘old engine’ could weigh on race performance

Kvyat’s teammate Pierre Gasly who qualified ninth was obviously disappointed not to be higher on the grid, lamenting Sakhir’s “quite aggressive” track.

“After what we showed in FP3, it’s a bit disappointing to only be P9 in the end,” said the Frenchman.

“We showed strong pace all weekend but considering all the damages to the car, I don’t think there was much more we could do today.

“Overall, I think we have a good package, I’m a bit more worried about not breaking other parts on the car tomorrow as the track is quite aggressive, but as for the rest I’m quite confident that we can have a strong race.”

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Chanel has revealed its Metiers d’Art 2020/2021 collection at the
Château de Chenonceau in France’s Loire Valley in what was a filmed
spectacle sans audience due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The cast, predominantly dressed in black, made their way down the
castle’s grand gallery with their black and white checkered sequin
miniskirts matching the pattern of the chateau’s expansive floors,
reminiscent of a life-size game of checkers.

Key looks included a long skirt in a fringed geometric tweed
patchwork worn with a black and white jacquard sweater; a jacket with a
wide lapel featuring floral embroidery inspired by Diane de Poitiers
and Catherine de’ Medici; a long coat in black velvet which opens to reveal
a suit-body in pale tweed; and a warm-hued tweed cape echoing the renowned
tapestries of the castle.

The French luxury label’s creative director Virginie Viard described the
location as an “obvious choice” for the show, which in previous years has
taken place further afield in cities like New York and Moscow.

“It was designed and lived in by women, including Diane de Poitiers and
Catherine de’ Medici. It is a castle on a human scale. And Catherine de’
Medici’s emblem was a monogram composed of two intertwined Cs, just like
that of Chanel,” said Viard, who took over the creative reins of the label
last year following the death of Karl Lagerfeld.

“We don’t know if Coco was directly inspired by her, but it is highly
likely because she so admired Renaissance women. Her taste for lace ruffs
and the aesthetic of certain pieces of her jewellery comes from there. Deep
down, this place is a part of Chanel’s history.”

Photo credit: Juergen Teller

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, France’s governing fashion body, has announced the guest designers for Paris Couture Week. Sterling Ruby, AZ Factory, and Charles de Vilmorin will join the Paris haute couture schedule. Paris Couture Week is set to run from January 25 to 28.

The twelve other designers showing at Paris Couture Week include Aelis, Aganovich, Azzaro, Christopher Josse, Georges Hobeika, Imane Ayissi, Julie de Libran, Rahul Mishra, RVDK Ronald van der Kemp, Yuima Nakazato, Ulyana Sergeenko and Zuhair Murad.

AZ factory is Alber Elbaz’s new fashion venture backed by Richemont. Charles de Vilmorin is a new label that launched in March. Sterling Ruby previously showed on the Paris Fashion Week calendar in September. Sterling Ruby is based out of Los Angeles.

Paris began staging runway shows again in fall, while in the summer they took a digital approach to showing the Paris Men’s shows in an effort to curtail any rising coronavirus numbers. While France just went through another lockdown period, it is scheduled to open on December 15, and some shops have begun reopening. Paris Couture Week is currently planned to continue as scheduled.

photo: via charlesdevilmorin.fr

Red Bull says it will wait until the end of the 2020 season, after next week’s Abu Dhabi GP, to make a final call on Alex Albon’s future.

Albon’s seat with the Milton Keynes-based outfit is in jeopardy as a result of the British-Thai racer underperforming teammate Max Verstappen this season.

However, Albon’s podium finish in Sunday’s Bahrain GP – while lucky as he benefitted from the late retirement of Racing Point’s Sergio Perez – did no harm to the 24-year-old’s chances of retaining his top-level drive.

“I think Alex drove a good race today,” Horner said after Sunday’s race. “Sergio was unlucky, Alex benefitted from his misfortune, and I think that’s what we’re needing to see from Alex.

“His recovery from Friday was strong. Obviously after the off that he had, he qualified fourth, he was there to capitalise on Sergio’s misfortune, and he’s finished on the podium.

“It’s our first double podium since Japan 2017. It’s our first podium in Bahrain since 2013. So I think today’s been a good day for Alex.”

Read also: Verstappen would ‘kick out’ an F1 driver who refuses to race

Ahead of this week’s second round of racing at Sakhir, Horner reiterated that Red Bull wanted to give Albon every opportunity to retain his drive for 2021, although Perez remains the team’s most likely plan B choice.

“No decision will be made until after the final race,” the Briton said.

“We’re giving him every opportunity, we want him to succeed. I think we’ve been clear with that all along and days like today help him, but there are still two further races.

“Sergio is doing the best possible job that he can to ensure that he remains under consideration, and today was Alex’s good fortune with that podium.

“But Alex had a good day today, and of course there are still two further races to go.”

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Romain Grosjean will remain under observation in hospital overnight in Bahrain, the Haas driver saying he “feels good” in the wake of his miraculous escape from Sunday’s horrendous crash.

Grosjean was initially treated at Bahrain International Circuit’s medical center before he was airlifted to Manama for a more thorough examination.

Haas provided an update on Grosjean’s condition on Sunday evening:

“Following medical evaluation by doctors at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital, Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean will remain in hospital overnight to be treated for burns sustained on the back of both hands after his opening lap incident at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“All X-rays performed on Grosjean came back clear of fractures.”

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