Collection

Watch, Hublot Big Bang One Click Steel Full Pavé 33MM; blazer, top, Bottega Veneta; gloves, Mrs Keepa. Photo: Amer Mohamad
Born a decade and a half ago, this very special Swiss luxury timepiece by Hublot has never gone out of style. With a superpower to elevate even the most ordinary outfit, the Big Bang watch series still continues to command a strong sense of attention regardless, of occasion or wearer. Blending the most contemporary designs with state-of-the-art machinery and a revered elegance, Hublot showcases a beautiful dance between traditional craftsmanship and world-class technology.
One particular stunner that never disappoints from the collection is the Big Bang Integral Titanium Pave, which is carefully put together with satin-finished and polished titanium, and embellished with 120 sparkling diamonds. This sophisticated case, which has earned itself thousands of fans around the globe, is delicately held together by a bracelet strap that features a whopping 828 diamonds, all beautifully fitted throughout its length and breadth. For those who are into warm shades and amber hues, this timepiece also comes in a striking gold, bound to make anyone fall in love.
Another vibrant piece that’s cropping up on trending charts is the Big Bang Unico King Gold white. An elegant fusion of rubber, metal and gold, this timepiece flawlessly captures the attention of any spectator. For watch enthusiasts who like their pieces to stand out with a personality of their own, Hublot presents to you the Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Orlinski King Gold Pave. A bold combination of rubber and gold, this timepiece champions the ‘Art of Fusion’, making Hublot a master of futuristic timepieces.
Watch, Hublot Big Bang Integrated Titanium Pavé 42MM; blazer, top, pants, Fendi; gloves, stylist’s own. Photo: Amer Mohamad
Watch, Hublot Big Bang One Click Steel Full Pavé 3 MM; dress, gloves, Mrs Keepa. Photo: Amer Mohamad
Watch, Hublot Big Bang Integrated Yellow Gold Pavé 42MM; dress, gloves, Balenciaga. Photo: Amer Mohamad
Top watch, Hublot Big Bang One Click King Gold White Full Pavé 33MM; middle watch, Hublot Big Bang One Click King Gold White Pavé 39MM; bottom watch, Hublot Big Bang Unico King Gold White Pavé 42MM; dress, Sportmax; gloves, Bottega Veneta. Photo: Amer Mohamad
Available at Hublot Boutiques: The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Galleria Mall Abu Dhabi 
Photography: Amer Mohamad Style: Mohammad Hazem Rezq Production: Rama Naser Hair: Ivan Kuz Makeup: Kasia Domanska Model: Asia Piwka from Art Factory Production assistant: Leen Naser

London’s many shrines to art, culture and history became homes away from home for Erdem Moralıoğlu while working on his spring/summer 2023 collection, through which he explores the world of art restoration. Below, five things to know about the show.

Erdem immersed himself in the world of art restoration

Erdem and his studio team met with restoration experts and conservations at the British Museum, Tate Britain, the National Gallery and the V&A while working on the spring/summer 2023 collection, which draws on the painstaking work involved in protecting cultural property. “We looked broadly at painting, historic costume and sculpture,” explains the designer, who adds that the restoration experts he met can spend 20 years working on an individual piece. “It became apparent to me that the forensic dedication applied to their subjects walks the line between care and obsession – this collection explores that space. I loved the idea of becoming the material that you are restoring.”
The venue was particularly apposite

Where better to present a collection inspired by the preservation of items of cultural importance than the British Museum? “To have the collection come alive amongst the colonnades of the museum feels so fitting,” says Erdem, who spent days in the conservation department at the landmark building. “I spent so long studying behind the scenes and working with the conservators.”
Erdem became obsessed with the obsessive nature of restoration

“I was thinking about obsession and the boundless pursuit of preservation,” he says of his approach to the collection. A series of photographs taken behind the scenes in the costume department at the V&A became a particularly rich source of inspiration. “Looking at the team restoring an 18th-century gown, I became obsessed with the complex under-structures built in order to save the garment,” he says. “There was something so interesting about the scientific, almost forensic intervention.”
The detail is forensic, but the mood is undone

The “knowledge, skill and obsession” that goes into restoring individual pieces of cultural importance informed the truly special gowns in the show’s finale, which were created using fragments of different fabrics. “The finale gowns are so important to me,” Erdem says. “They were really inspired by the tulle under-structures that we saw at the V&A… the idea of creating something in order to restore and save something else,” he adds. “To me there was something so interesting in the idea of the fragments, it was fascinating to cut up different garments and morph them together. There is a sense of the undone in this collection.”
It’s a season of solidarity in London

For his spring/summer 2023 collection, Carolina Herrera creative director Wes Gordon turned to his favorite childhood novel, The Secret Garden, for inspiration. Here, fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen breaks down the romantic details of note from the show.

The collection was based on a book

In the press notes for his Carolina Herrera show, Wes Gordon wrote: “And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles.” The quote was from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, the designer’s favourite book growing up. Knowing Gordon’s love for romance, you could see why. He credited its whimsical depiction of nature as the inspiration for his spring/summer 2023 show.
The show took place in the Plaza Hotel

As the Upper East Side nature of the Carolina Herrera brand prescribes, Gordon chose the sacred halls of the Plaza Hotel as his venue. Herrera – who was on the front row – staged a show there herself in 1984, and true to Gordon’s approach to the legacy he’s been entrusted with, this collection was an exercise in looking to the future while remembering the past: giving the classic codes of Herrera a contemporary resonance.
It was effortless glamour

Granted, effortless glamour is essentially Herrera’s tagline, but it’s easier said than done. Demonstrating his skill for purified drama, Gordon opened the show with a voluminous striped blouse styled with a floral ball skirt, and not much else but a big pair of earrings. The minimal approach to grandeur continued in wrapped mini dresses that burst out in majestic trains at the back, and clean-cut gowns presented with naked necklines and wrists – all, of course, adorned in Gordon’s romantic flowers.
It wasn’t all ballgowns

In Gordon’s garden of pretty floral prints and volumes, a cinched suit emerged in all-black. It paved the way for tailored silhouettes like a little tweedy shorts suit and a little black jacket neatly sheathed in translucent fabric, as well as a black bustier styled with tapered black trousers, adding a certain realness to the ballroom glamour that underlined the brand’s appeal to a modern audience.
Gordon exercised his ateliers

From London’s key workers to the stars of the Royal Opera House’s ballet company, Michael Halpern’s muses are always eclectic. The London-based New Yorker’s latest leading light? Barbie. “I always played with them growing up, but I was more interested in their incredible hair than their clothes,” laughs the designer of the collaborative component to his spring/summer 2023 collection, which brought some ostentatious, optimistic oomph not only to a sombre city, but to Mattel’s Dreamhouse.

The opening look honored the Queen

A couple of years ago, Halpern was lucky enough to speak with Queen Elizabeth II, as part of an audience with London’s most exciting design talent. Halpern divulged his love of ostentation to Her Majesty – an aesthetic evocatively conveyed in the opening commemorative look of his spring/summer 2023 show. The first exit, presented in total silence, featured a breathtaking, floor-trailing cape in cornflower silk taffeta, paired with a mint headscarf. “It was our way of respectfully paying tribute,” Halpern explained.
Home comforts just got glamorous

Halpern is soon to gain his British citizenship and permanent residency in the UK, and he found the process of opening the final box of his belongings shipped to London particularly poignant. Inside, he discovered old photographs of his mother sporting outré house gowns, more suited to chic soirées than slouching on the sofa. A hooded gown in sumptuous leopard print velvet was inspired particularly by a kaftan Halpern’s mother owned, which to his horror, she did not hold on to. “Hosting at home is the most glam thing,” he said. “Growing up I felt completely safe to be creative in my house. There was no restriction.”
Halpern is embracing escapism

The designer has never been one for restriction. “When I see ruffles and texture, it brings me complete joy,” Halpern said with a smile. In idiosyncratic fashion, his spring/summer 2023 collection embraced escapist volumes and unabashed ostentation, from bustiers in pastel “jellyfish” flounces to gowns exploding with cloud-like sleeves, disco flares in hand-painted flocked tulle and minidresses in kaleidoscopic chevron sequins. A series of looks, imagined in blue velvet and embroidered with a sparkling nighttime sky, recalled the neon stars Halpern stuck to his bedroom walls as a child. “They’re about building these worlds, checking out and going to another planet,” he explained. “Fashion being harnessed to create fantasy.”
Accessories went XL

The collection featured super-sized accessories, like huge hoop earrings and “tacky gold” headbands dangling with Hellenic metal leaves. Like other embellishments in the collection – including huge bows swathed in crystals – they were dramatically scaled up. “Doll proportion is a thing!” Halpern laughed.

Barbie took to the catwalk

The Barbie Dreamhouse celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, and its doll residents were keen to celebrate. Barbie has partnered with a host of fashion labels, including Comme des Garçons, Versace and Moschino, and as part of Halpern’s collaboration, a section of his show was inspired by the doll’s decade-spanning archival looks. Think ’80s power gowns and Barbie’s first swimsuit, which debuted in black and white stripes in 1959. Halpern first worked with Mattel in 2019, when he dressed a Barbie Role Model doll made in the likeness of Adwoa Aboah in a sequined minidress and turban. A cascading asymmetric gown in glittering orange polka dots will also be scaled down for the Dreamhouse’s most extravagant occupants.
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
Read next: 5 Major Fashion Moments to Remember from the SS21 Couture Catwalk

Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
Blue and calm yet valiant and powerful, water has more than just one facet. Portraying the source of life in its full glory, the new collection by Chaumet is dedicated to every wave in the sea. Named Ondes et Merveilles, which translates to ‘waves and wonders’, this high end jewelry collection takes its wearer on a journey through the deepest and bluest of waters.
Testimony to the maison’s unique style, the ‘On the Water’s Surface’, ‘Gulfstream’ and ‘Breaking Wave’ jewelry lines start as a ripple in the vast sea as a true ballad to the song of life. The ‘On the Waters’ collection effortlessly arrests the fierce strokes of the sea, one precious stone at a time. Weaved into existence by floating diamonds attached to detachable necklaces, head jewels that transform into brooches, and pendant earrings and rings, the diamonds and white gold used in Chaumet’s latest launch work together beautifully to create a line of must-haves.
Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
Borrowing its name from the warm Atlantic wind is the ‘Gulfstream’ line, which effortlessly captures lucid sentiments, subtly changing from warm to cold. From green and blue to orange and blue, the clever color combinations of this section of jewelry pay tribute to the Maison’s love of vibrant hues. This alluring set features two necklaces, alongside two rings, a bracelet, a brooch, and earrings. Lastly, blending the innate sophistication and elegance of Chaumet’s creations with their bold character, ‘Breaking Wave’ accomplishes the task of capturing the beauty of crashing waves in full motion to bring life to creations made entirely of white gold and diamonds.
Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
With each stone in this collection comes a different story that highlights the subtle nuances of the sea, and together, the new launch conveys a strong emotion arising from an encounter with the maison’s gemologists. Through the Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet collection, the artisans of the 12 Vendôme workshop are yet again paying tribute to the jewelry craftsmanship of which they are both the keepers and the transmitters. Their finesse, which is illustrated in the art of capturing these nautical facets in all their manifestations, expands the close ties uniting the Maison to the sea.
Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
Vogue Arabia, September 2022. Photo: Philipp Jelenska
Photography Philipp Jelenska Style Raphaël Nicolas De Castro Hair Fidel Fernández at MMGMakeup MeylooNails Amandine CauvasSet design Arnaud Laurens Casting director Tasha Tongpreecha Producer Sammy Robinson at MMG Model Natalia Castellar Calvani at Next Style assistant Anja Pancaldi
Read next:Ambassador Hend Al Otaiba Marks History in Arab Designers and Patrimony Chaumet for the First Visit of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to France

Photo: Shutterstock
Whether it’s a rare ’80s Jean Paul Gaultier piece or a ’90s Chanel coat in bubblegum pink, it’s no secret that Rihanna is a vintage obsessive. That certainly applies to her vast handbag collection, which is packed full of rare gems that only the keenest of eyes will have picked up on.
Case in point: the megastar stepped out with a Tom Ford-era Gucci bag from spring/summer 1996 earlier this month, which was sourced from archivist Lab2022 and covered in the designer’s iconic python print. It’s not the first time RiRi has sported Tom Ford’s Gucci designs either, with her ’90s velvet monogrammed bag being a wardrobe staple.
Rihanna with a Tom Ford-era Gucci bag slung over her shoulder in August 2022. Photo: Getty
Vintage Dior is another favorite. Rihanna has several of the French fashion house’s iconic saddle bags in her collection, including one in camo print that she sported with a maternity crop top earlier this year, as well as a Noughties tie-dye version. Rather than just sticking to classic styles in easy-to-match neutrals, the singer gravitates towards rare collectors’ items, such as the brand’s bowling bag, again in a camo print, dating back to the early 2000s.
The same can be said for Rihanna’s growing assortment of vintage Fendi bags, too. In March, the beauty mogul added the brand’s rare Squirrel Spy bag in velvet to her collection, which also includes the iconic Croissant shape, sourced from Vintage By Misty. She’s also been spotted with a number of limited-edition Louis Vuitton bags, such as the LV X Stephen Sprouse Pochette bag, as well as the brand’s 1998 soccer ball-shaped purse created to commemorate the World Cup.
Rihanna carrying a Tom Ford-era velvet monogrammed bag dating back to the ’90s in July 2021. Photo: Getty
The megastar with a vintage Fendi Croissant bag in April 2021. Photo: Getty
Ensuring she’s got all bases covered, RiRi owns a number of vintage Chanel accessories too, including a tangerine terry-cloth camera bag dating to the ’90s, as well as a rare velvet quilted box bag that she was first spotted with back in 2012.

It just goes to show, you don’t have to stick to the classics to build an impressive vintage bag collection. Keep an eye out also for the rarer, collectable pieces that show off your knowledge of fashion history, and – like Rihanna – make you stand out from the pack.

At the UEFA Champions League in 2019 with her vintage Louis Vuitton soccer bag, first made to commemorate the 1998 World Cup. Photo: Getty