Simone Rocha’s Ascendance and the Alaïa Effect

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1:14Leah Chernikoff:Hello and welcome to Fashion People. I'm Lauren Sherman, writer of Puck's Fashion and Beauty Memo Line Sheet. And today with me on the show is Harper's Bazaar Executive Editor, Leah Chernikoff. We're talking London Fashion Week, what to look forward to in Milan, the business of aging gracefully, balloon pants, and so much more.

1:38Leah Chernikoff:Happy Tuesday, everyone. I am recording this super early because I'm flying all day on Monday. Not sure if you knew this, but there is no direct flight from Los Angeles to Milan. I thought there might be one. Leia and I discussed this later. I thought there might be one on like an airline that I don't normally take because it's not beneficial to me points wise, but actually there's not one and it's completely insane. Let's change this. There's enough going on between the entertainment industry and the Italian economy that I feel like there needs to be at least one. I don't know. It's upsetting.

2:13Leah Chernikoff:Anyway, I'm traveling all day on Monday. I thought for a minute I would record this intro from JFK during my layover but decided that would be ill-advised even if that means you don't get my Burberry take but not to worry it's in Monday's line sheet as are my first thoughts on Demna's first collection plus for Gucci obviously plus the requisite scoops chatter and analysis on Tuesday Sarah Shapiro has an interview with the great Claire Hornby from me and Em. Claire has done something most Brits have failed at. She has mastered the opening retail in America and selling to Americans, I guess, en masse, like to a lot of people.

2:54Leah Chernikoff:They make a lot of money. Even Philip Green couldn't do it in the end. He did okay for a while, thanks to some help from Nordstrom, but we all know what happened there. So enjoy that conversation. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens this week and seeing a bunch of you out and about and I hope you enjoy the new designs and the new concepts too and send me your feedback your thoughts what you want me to write about there's so much going on and I am open

3:27Leah Chernikoff welcome back to fashion people hello Lauren thank you for having me back it's

3:33Leah Chernikoff:so nice to be here as always thanks for being here did you lighten your hair since I saw you a week ago? No, but it just like it really looks light right now. Yeah. I have my hair blown out. That I think that's why it's the blowout. It's the blowout makes it look it's like very light up front. Very light. I like it. I know. It's whatever we got to do to cover the grays. I'm not I'm not ready to embrace them yet. So there we are. No, I think, you know, honestly, not going to do that for a long time. Some people look very elegant with gray hair. I don't think I would personally, so I'm not going to engage.

4:14Yeah, it's just a personal preference for me as well.

4:18Leah Chernikoff:Did I tell you that I looked at an old photo of my hair pre, so I've been covering the grays, let's say for about a year and a half. I looked, it was probably December 2022. Yeah. Oh yeah. You mentioned, I think your hair looks really dark. It was so dark and it looked like a wig. Your hair never looks like a wig. It was strange though. It was just so dark. And I was talking to my colorist about it. And she said that the older you get, the darker your hair gets. The hair that's not gray gets like darker and it becomes very inky. Wow. So I was like, I'm never going back. Isn't getting older a bitch?

5:04Everything conspires against us. And what a privilege and a joy as well.

5:10Leah Chernikoff:Truly. And we're going to discuss this a bit today through one of our topics. but yeah thanks for joining me we are recording this on Sunday because I'm going to be flying all day on Monday which thank you to the airline industry for not doing direct flights from Los Angeles to Paris I'm sure there is one there might be one on Delta but I am not I'm in a different alliance so it wouldn't help me but I'm going at 7 a.m. to New York and then I get off the plane at 3, 3.30 and then I fly at 7 to Milano and I get there at 9 a.m. in time for the diesel show and the Gucci event, which is like, I think at this point, a sort of open secret, but I am not going to spoil it for people.

6:06Leah Chernikoff:So you'll have to check out my coverage. I've heard things as well. Yes. I mean, it's going to be, I think it's going to be fun. And by then we will be able, I wish this was a little later so we could talk Burberry, which is happening on Monday night. But I was just curious. We're in the middle of London Fashion Week. I've been kind of checking the runway images. Is there anything that you have seen that you've really, really liked so far? I really I always love Simone Rocha yeah and I thought her collection looked beautiful as always I thought um Richard Quinn's show looked really dramatic and fun and what an amazing cast and scene and drama so those two have stood out and I think Chupova looked very cool as they usually do, but it seemed like there was like a pep rally and just like a good time.

7:13What have you?

7:14Leah Chernikoff:Yes, I noticed Chapova also and thought that it looked just really tight for what they do. What they do is not tight, but it felt very tight in like the silhouette. And there was like an idea there. I loved I I'm just really I went to my first Simone Rocha show last season because I hadn't been to London Fashion Week in ages and I was just really impressed by the level of work that she does it's super a it's a very successful company her father was a very famous designer for a long time is a very famous designer and her operations were sort of embedded within his company so she just has a really tight operation and I was just amazed I'm shocked that she I'm sure she talks to uh the bigger companies all the time about jobs but I'm shocked that she hasn't maybe she hasn't wanted one or just that it hasn't worked out because she is there's like a real uh level of talent and professionalism there that I totally there's consistency you know it just always always hits and commercial viability I just there's and a little bit of the something for everyone feeling that a big mass designer needs so I was totally I was super impressed by that honestly and and I also noticed the Richard Quinn which I didn't I only went to I think three shows when I was in London because I was only there for two days and really wanted to see people I went to Simone, I went to Burberry and and to Amelia Wickstead, kind of like a good market survey.

9:06Leah Chernikoff:But I was sad I missed Richard Quinn last season. And I do think it was a really strong collection. And this is a place in the market where people are still spending money on formal dresses. and it's like if you're going to spend money on clothes, you're going to buy something really special that is potentially custom. And he just does something that's like really forward and bold and, you know, it can be a little tacky in a good way. I just, I really loved it. I loved all the black velvet. I thought the casting, as you said, was just really spot on. Obviously, Naomi Campbell opening a show always means something, But I think with him, it feels like very real.

9:49It doesn't feel like they hired her just to hire her.

9:53Leah Chernikoff:And that is exciting. Yeah, for sure. The other thing at London Fashion Week was not a show, but a party at Chiltern Firehouse, which I don't know. Obviously, tragically, there's a big fire there and it had to close for an extended period. It's still closed and they like reopened it for a night. And this party, Perfect Magazine covered it. This party was like Kate Moss, Madonna. And it was just all like cool British people and Kate Moss and Madonna. And I was like, that is a party I'd actually want to go to. Well, they're cool British people. Madonna's British at this point, isn't she? I guess.

10:40Sure.

10:41Leah Chernikoff:In the same way Gillian Anderson is British. Exactly. Yeah. But it looked really fun and it's been interesting. There have been a few good parties this fashion month so far. And it feels like people are going to fewer parties, but the ones that they're going to are better. It's more bang for your buck. Make your time worth it. Fewer, better parties. Okay, so what I would say with Burberry, I'm very curious to see, and we will know by the time y 'all listen to this, what Daniel Lee's proposition was. I have a feeling it's going to be similar to what it was last season because that went over so well.

11:21Everyone loved it last season, right?

11:23Leah Chernikoff:Yeah, yeah. I felt like it looked like it was designed for Anna Wintour. And I mean that in a good way. And yeah, it was just optimist. optimism. And I think the way that they are sort of re-engineering that business is exciting and is like a bright spot in that industry, which is challenged right now. So we'll see. I'm excited for that. What are you excited for with the Milan shows? Because we have a lot of debuts coming up. It's obviously not as long as Paris, but there is, I feel like something new almost every single day. I know well you're gonna have to kind of like help remind me of how many there are like 15 debuts to keep track of but in Milan obviously Bottega right yeah there is a baker's dozen now there were 15 including some of the New York stuff but um right because we had Rachel at Proenza and yes uh the new area area yeah um but so it starts with Demna at Gucci at Gucci which there's also a thing in New York too.

12:34Yeah.

12:34Leah Chernikoff:Yeah. It's not a runway show. We can't say anything more than that, but they have said it's not a runway show. So we can, we can say that. And then on Wednesday's Jill Sander, which obviously I'm very excited for. Of course. We'll see how that is. I feel like I was thinking about this collection and the designers, Simone Bellate. And And the Bali fave, the Bali fave. So the interesting thing I was thinking about, like, what if people actually bought in the last. I don't know, three, two years and in the industry, like when when Alessandro Gucci came out, everybody got Gucci loafers, that type of thing.

13:19Leah Chernikoff:It really has been Bali, which obviously the distribution was quite limited. but I think among like fashion industry people and I see Michael Ryder, Celine this happening with too, because there's like, I already, I know I want to get one shirt. I feel like a lot of people are already pre-ordered the bags, things like that. But there hasn't been a lot of everybody going and buying something type thing, except for Bali where during Milan fashion week, everyone was going and getting boat shoes, shoes. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Or they had a lot of the ready-to-wear there. It just felt like the one sort of uniting new thing.

14:01Leah Chernikoff:Obviously, people are always buying Chanel flats and things like that. And Phoebe. And Phoebe. I'd say, and this is obviously specific to me also, but the thing that everyone was going to Charvet, everybody was getting something from Phoebe, and everybody went to Bali multiple times usually to try on like 15 different things. So I am it'll be interesting. Like, yeah, that sounds like the circuit for sure. Yeah. And Jill Sander is a much bigger company. It's owned by OTB, which is a big group. It has a lot of distribution and he's just going to have more opportunity. And so I'm really excited for that, obviously, as like a personal fan and consumer of his stuff.

14:41Leah Chernikoff:But also, I just think it like signals a big opportunity for OTB on the end. And and and all of their obviously Glenn Martins and Margiela and Meryl Roge at Marnie. But she's not I don't think she's showing till next season, but it's it's an exciting time. And then obviously, yes, Bottega and Louise Trotter. How do you feel about that? I've really liked so far the, you know, we've been getting all these hints on red carpet of what's to come with these designers. I've really liked what she's presented so far. and in the kind of the imagery campaign imagery she's been putting out too feels really thoughtful and cool and considered um so yeah i'm very excited i was thinking too with like with bali and simone bilotti uh about distribution like i'm sure part of what made it seem like the kind of thing everyone wanted to go by is because you it's you know it's hard to get It's something you can't get everywhere.

15:47Leah Chernikoff:Yeah. And that is part of the appeal. Right. But when I think of ballet, I can't think of like an aesthetic as much as I do like accessories. And obviously with Jill Sander, there's a really clear stylistic legacy. So I think it will be interesting to see how he plays with that. Like that's my favorite real, real search term is vintage Jill Sander. So that should be cool. And Louise, what are you looking forward to about her? Well, I think I agree that the campaign that they ran this past season was just really excellent. And I think they've just done a good job with the transition and made it feel, I don't know if compassionate is a good word.

16:38Leah Chernikoff:But like that these transitions that are very compassionate feel less fraught or or stressful. And I also think, you know, I've I really admire her. I think she's a she's just a smart person. I'm I'm only met her at length once. But I and this was when she was at Joseph and I just really was impressed by her as a human. and was like, wow, this is like a grown-up woman who knows what she's doing and takes responsibility for herself in some ways. And also just like a professional. It didn't feel very ego-driven for her. And I think that's sort of what Mattu instilled at that brand too, was like, it's not about me, it's about the brand.

17:24Leah Chernikoff:And obviously he was so talented that Chanel decided that he could take over for Karl Lagerfeld, which, you know, I think a lot of that has to do with how well he treated the Bottega brand. And I think she has a similar way of being. And I'm also just excited. You know, she's always been all three of her gigs, Joseph Lacoste and then Carvin have been at places with like not unlimited funds. And it's not that she is. I'm sure her funds are limited in some ways or what she's done. I'm sure there are some guardrails, but the reality of it is, is this a giant leather goods house with a budget. And that's the shining star in the caring portfolio at this moment.

18:14Leah Chernikoff:So I am excited to see what she can do with with more resources. So I'm I'm super pumped for it. Yeah, yeah. I was just looking back over that campaign and to use like to think of that word compassion and I said thoughtful before but the cast that she featured I think you know like that says a lot about, you know, how she's thinking about the brand and who she envisions in it and that kind of audience she wants to reach like really literary like and um just artistic like you know sadie smith barbara chase reboot like really kind of like a lot of if you know you know um but very revered figures so yeah yeah it feels it actually feels very in line you don't have to comment on this but um what sort of what you all do at Harper's Bazaar and the kind of people that that Samira and you and the rest of the team are interested in which is yeah is looking at at people in contemporary culture who are maybe not on TikTok always but who are making like a real imprint and so that's it's it's interesting um I can't wait to see when and if you all profile her, how you approach it, because I think it'd be really, as you said, very thoughtful.

19:55Leah Chernikoff:I also wanted to talk to you about a couple sort of less fashion weeky things, because we are, this is a sort of the calm before the storm. it's really going to be insane in the neck for the next couple of weeks for all of us whether we're at the shows or not but one thing that kind of came across my radar on social media this past weekend and I posted about it and you and I were discussing it was the pit star Catherine Lanasa and her husband Grant show so they were in the Emmys together someone did a video of them And yeah, somehow it just became a thing on my little corner of the Internet. You and I were discussing what I was like taken aback by is a I liked I really liked The Pit.

20:51Leah Chernikoff:I know you watched it. I thought it was a great show. I liked her in it. I knew I had seen her somewhere before, but I had no idea where. And I was kind of like, how did this woman she's in her 50s? how did she sort of skirt by fame? And then seeing them together. And the thing is, like I posted something about them aging gracefully and looking great doing it or something. And someone responded to me, well, he's obviously, he's in his 60s. He's obviously had something done. Look, I don't know what they haven't had done, but what I think is interesting about this couple, and I'm curious what you were thinking, but is that their faces look like they did 20 years ago.

21:35Leah Chernikoff:Like you Google her or you Google him and their faces, obviously they've changed with age, but their faces, it still looks like the same human, which I think the reality is most people who are acting, who are, and especially women, but like men too, who are in, you know, over the age of 50, they've had incredible transformations for good and bad. And obviously, like, all anyone talks about right now are these facelifts and et cetera, et cetera. But what I really took, I was taken aback by in this video was, like, they both have, like, a lot of wrinkles. And they're both obviously extremely gorgeous.

22:17Leah Chernikoff:But I just thought it said something about the state of our culture that people were so obsessed by them. Yeah. Well, there's something obviously nostalgically appealing. She registered for you. She's one of those character actors where you know you've seen her somewhere.

22:42Every character on The Pit, I think, gave you a reason to be obsessed with them. But she was nominated for good reason. She was just so outstanding. And then he's obviously got a nostalgic pull for, you know, those of us who are our elder millennial age and ex for Melrose Place. So did you watch Melrose Place? A little bit. Like, I just like have a little too young. We were. But I remember it feeling like a little like I would watch a little and it was like, I don't really get it. But it feels like naughty in a fun way. And like, I just remember they all lived around a pool. and like bodies would end up there.

23:23Yeah.

23:24Leah Chernikoff:The funny thing is there are a lot of these apartment complexes in Los Angeles. There's one called French Hills that a lot of fashion people live at, which they're going to be mad now that I've outed them. But it's like that. It's like Melrose Place. Like they all like go and ask for a cup of sugar. Not that anyone's eating sugar in Los Angeles, but a cup of protein powder or something. But, you know, it's but yeah, I I remember I was very I I feel like I watched a lot of films at too early of an age. I was allowed to watch a lot of movies that were inappropriate, like from very young, like six, seven years old, watching cocktail stuff like that.

24:10Leah Chernikoff:But with TV, I just remember I watching 90210 and being mad at the episode where I think Kelly steals something from a store or something and being like very upset about it. I think I was nine. And those shows felt wrong to me. Like, it's interesting given like how exposed I was to stuff. I was like, I'm not it's not OK that for me to watch these shows. Yeah, I knew it wasn't OK. But the other thing I was going to say, food for thought, which our beauty director, Jenna Rosenstein, brought up the other day is like, there are good wrinkles. Yeah. And wrinkles people don't want, you know, like there are crow's feet and like, you know, some lines that feel like very desirable because they're.

25:03Yeah. Yeah. I love who doesn't love crow's feet. And then there, you know, there are ones that we all wish we didn't have.