All the Fashion News You Need to Know — Dream Collaborations, a Virtual Gucci Wonderland and Tom Ford’s Scent

With a number of Fashion Weeks in the books and Fall officially in full swing, it’s easy to see designers capturing the essence of the season. As new looks and fashions make their marks, we’re also catching glimpses of vintage styles, modestly modernized for the standards of today.

Here’s a rundown of the fashion trends and moments you need to know:

The Season’s It Bags

Celine introduces two new bags: the Tambour and 16 Chaine. The Tambour is a drum-shaped bag with a refined metal triomphe and is constructed of canvas and leather. Celine also made some exciting updates to its iconic 16 bag for the Spring ‘21 collection. Named for the house’ Parisian address at 16, Rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement, the 16 was sketched by Heidi Slimane on his first day at the fashion house and takes its inspiration from classic house codes, featuring a cropped flap and rounded and belted effect that give it a slightly retro feel.

This season also sees the introduction of the Celine Strap. A removable wool strap with smooth leather trim and two ‘Celine’ engraved hooks available in either 45cm and 52cm sizing that allow the bag to be worn more casually across the body. Available in both solids or combinations, the strap retails for 290 euro for the short version and 320 euro for the longer.

Alexander McQueen’s Tall Story gets a refresh with seasonal colors. The sculptural bag with optional contrast colored lining holds all essentials including a laptop. Finished with modern metallic handles, it’s available in black quilted leather, black croc or with a handmade patchwork finish.

Designed by Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci, the Pocket is the brand’s new signature handbag. Inspired by an archival Burberry bag, it’s reinterpreted with a front pocket and leather taping and is handcrafted in canvas and leather.

Tom Ford’s New Scent

Perfume is all about personality. In 2006, Tom Ford launched his first fragrance, Black Orchid, and it was a game changer. Far from being a wallflower, it burst with personality and a definitive point of view. Earthy, velvety, yet sweet, the fragrance became a mainstay in the Tom Ford collection.

For 2020, Tom Ford has launched a new version, this time a parfum rather than an eau de parfum. It retains a similar profile to the original but adds notes of rum and black plum, fusing the earthiness with a more masculine scent. Presented in a gold flacon, the updated Black Orchid is available in 50 millimeter and 100 millimeter versions, as well as travel size.

Both x Monse

Footwear maker Both Paris has launched a new collection of boots designed by fashion house Monse’s co-creative directors, Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. Both uses the latest rubber-shoe-making techniques alongside leather and other experimental materials to create unique footwear.

The five-piece collection takes cues from Monse’s Fall/Winter 2020 Happy Punk collection, inspired by tartans, velvet, deconstructed wool, and trench coats. Included are new versions of Both’s signature boots, The GAO thigh-high and The GAO high boot.

Timberland Goes Glam

Jimmy Choo has partnered with outdoor heritage brand Timberland to recreate Timberland’s classic six-inch hiking boot — picture the boot having a spa day followed by a red-carpet appearance, and you get a sense of things. Available in four colorways with Swarovski crystals and glitter embellishments, the collab allows Jimmy Choo “to get together with different creative minds to create a beautiful and surprising product,” says Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi.

“Timberland’s outdoor work heritage, combined with our high fashion sensibility, creates something really exciting and unique.” The new kicks range from $595 for black nubuck leather with gunmetal glitter to $5,500 for the golden suede and crystal version.

A New Creative Takes on Fendi

After a year-long search, British fashion designer Kim Jones has been named artistic director of Fendi haute couture, women’s ready-to-wear, and fur collections. Jones’ appointment fills the void left by Karl Lagerfeld, who held the position for 53 years until his passing in 2019. Jones joins Simona Venturini Fendi, who will continue her work with accessories and menswear.

Heralded for his deft touch in blending streetwear with couture, Jones was a menswear designer at Louis Vuitton for seven years prior to joining Dior. His recent collections at Dior received rave reviews and included collaborative efforts with celebrated street and surf designer Shawn Stussy, formerly of the Stüssy brand.

Prada x Adidas

Prada continues its collaboration with Adidas with The Superstar, a sneaker that’s been an Adidas classic since 1969. The Prada makeover sees the sneaker crafted at Prada’s workshops in full-grain leather in three new colorways (black, white with black, and chrome silver with white) with Prada and Adidas Originals logos.

Balmin x Trudon

Details matter. Those seeking the ultimate combination of French fashion history and Parisian scent need look no further than the collaboration between Balmain and Trudon. The fashion house and Maison Trudon have meticulously crafted a limited-edition candle (only 1,000 will be sold in the United States) — the result of a longstanding admiration between the two houses. Trudon provides a unique scent, playing off the Ernesto candle — a favorite of Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing, who relies on it both at home and in the studio.

For the collaboration, Trudon used Ernesto as its guide, starting with Atlas cedarwood, gunpowder, and cigar, then adding black rose. The meticulous approach to craft can be seen in every step of the process, from the hand-application of gold leaf, to the gold foil label printed on black velvet and the final packaging with the Balmain and Trudon logos.

Gucci Garden Goes Virtual

The Gucci Garden in Florence is an awe-inspiring landmark, with fashion, design, art and food living harmoniously under one roof, encompassing all the things we associate with great Italian fashion and design. Unfortunately, Gucci Garden has been closed due to COVID-19. To recreate the magic, Gucci recently launched virtual tours, where visitors can explore the groundfloor boutique and bookstore, as well as the upper-level exhibition spaces.

While nothing beats experiencing Gucci Garden in person, this virtual tour highlights the attention to detail and curatorial process of Alessandro Michele and his team.

Classic Dior Maison

Dior Maison has released a classically beautiful set of dinnerware designed by Cordelia de Castellane. Taking its cues from the earliest days of the house and crafted from extra-fine white Limoge porcelain, Cannage Provence is an interpretation of house founder Christian Dior’s fashion shows — from a time when the designer would seat guests on elegant Napoleon III-style chairs decorated in canework.

The canework pattern would become house code, which de Castellane has artfully interpreted into a stunning series of plates, glasses and carafes as part of the permanent collection.

Baccarat’s Animal Attraction

Spanish designer Jaime Hayon first collaborated with Baccarat in 2011 for Baccarat Zoo, a three-piece set of crystal-and-porcelain animals launched at the Milan Furniture Fair. Now the designer and crystal maker explore the theme further with Faunacrystopolis, a capsule collection of tumblers and limited-edition objets. A four-piece tumbler set pairs Baccarat’s iconic Chateau design with Hayon’s characters — part human, part animal — engraved into the base.

Of special interest are the three limited-edition collaborations: Animal Heads, a six-piece set that took more than two years to complete; the hand-gilded Maneki Neko Cat figurine; and the Faunacrystopolis Ring Pop, which marks the designer’s first foray into jewelry.

Shooting Star

Nothing thrills us more than a new men’s fragrance — and Météore, the latest scent from Louis Vuitton, is a worldly addition. Created by master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud at his atelier in Grasse, the scent promises to “arouse fascination all along its path” and transform space into time to reveal new horizons. Heady stuff.

The sixth scent in the Parfums Louis Vuitton collection, it’s a mix of Calabrian bergamot, mandarin, Sicilian orange, and neroli with a trio of peppers, cardamom, nutmeg, and an earthy finishing note of Java vetiver. This is exactly what I — a lover of both fine fragrances and the study of the cosmos — have been missing in my life.