I struggle with the concept of a woman designer, says Scott, because then thats all you are.
Men can be geniuses, but women are collaborative.
I needed to have other voices to speak about femininity, about feminism, about values.
Model Liya Kebede wears Alexander McQueen jacket and pants; alexandermcqueen.com.
HAPPY RETURNSPhoebe Philos backand how.
Yet again, she catches the moment.
NEW YORK GROOVEFrom left:Rachel Scottof Diotima,Gaëlle Drevetof the Frankie Shop,Aurora Jamesof Brother Vellies,Emily Adams Bode Aujlaof Bode, andCatherine Holsteinof Khaite. (Designers and mannequins wear fashion by brands including Diotima, the Frankie Shop, Rodarte, Marina Moscone, Brother Vellies, Bode, and Khaite.) “I struggle with the concept of a woman designer,” says Scott, “because then that’s all you are. Men can be geniuses, but women are ‘collaborative.’ ”
Kebede wears a Phoebe Philo jacket and pants; phoebephilo.com.
But more and more, I find myself rediscovering Coco.
That sense of freedom and modernityit feels like her moment now.
LOOKING BOTH WAYSForMaria Grazia Chiuri, leading a fashion house doesn’t mean anything if you only ever put yourself at the center of it. “From the beginning, the idea was to show how much fashion is a big community,” says Chiuri, seen above in Dior’s Paris atelier. “I needed to have other voices to speak about femininity, about feminism, about values.”
Phoebe Tonkin and Louisa Jacobson both wear Chanel dresses and jewelry; select Chanel boutiques.
I never intended to start a revolution, Kawakubo (seen here in Paris in 2023) once said.
She only wanted to create what I thought was strong and beautiful.
PAINT IT REDLast October,Sarah Burtondeparted Alexander McQueen, the label she oversaw for 13 years, with a show that was a tour de force of scalpel-sharp tailoring and exquisite artisanal effects. Model Liya Kebede wears Alexander McQueen jacket and pants; alexandermcqueen.com.
It just so happened that my notion was different from everybody elses.
Yet her philosophy hasnt changed since her Spice Girls days.
As she once toldVogue:We showed it was okay to be who you are.
HAPPY RETURNSPhoebe Philo’s back—and how. It’s fashion (and a business approach) on her terms: Make it special and unique, and in smaller, more sustainable numbers. Yet again, she catches the moment. Kebede wears a Phoebe Philo jacket and pants; phoebephilo.com.
And thats what this is aboutempowering women through fashion.
What got them there was their own look and attitude projected with confidence on to their clothes.
Doetzen Kroes wears a Victoria Beckham jumpsuit; victoriabeckham.com.
CAFÉ SOCIETY“Where women are today,”Tory Burchsays, “they’re coming into their own idea of their own sexuality, their individuality.” Stopping for a coffee at Square Diner, model Emily Ratajkowski wears a Tory Burch dress, earrings, and bracelet; toryburch.com.
Liya Kebede wears an Isabel Marant jumpsuit; isabelmarant.com.
All designers have different strengths, she says.
For me its about a strong and confident point of view.
HOUSE RULES“Of course Karl raised me,” says Chanel’s artistic director,Virginie Viard, of her longtime friend and mentor Karl Lagerfeld, with whom she worked for 32 years. “But more and more, I find myself rediscovering Coco. That sense of freedom and modernity—it feels like her moment now.”
CLOSE COVERYou likely wont know HermessNadege Vanheebecauseas always with the storied French housethe team comes first.
But her impeccably made clothes resonate with intimacy and intelligence.
Doutzen Kroes wears Hermes jacket, top, and pants; Hermes boutiques.
Phoebe Tonkin and Louisa Jacobson both wear Chanel dresses and jewelry; select Chanel boutiques.
Kroes wears an Another Tomorrow jacket and pants; anothertomorrow.co.
WALKING THE WALKChemena Kamaliwas appointed creative director of Chloe last October.
Kebede wears Alberta Ferretti; Neiman Marcus.
TWO FOR ALLGilda Ambrosio(left) andGiorgia Tordiniwere best known for their street style when they launched The Attico in 2016. Eight years later, their line—comprised of everything from vintage-inflected party frocks to tomboy cargo pants and sweeping duster coats—is stocked in 250 stores worldwide.
Kroes wears Gabriela Hearst; gabrielahearst.com.
Doutzen Kroes wears a Carven parka and shirt; carven.com.
Kebede wears The Row; therow.com.
LONDON’S FINESTPhoebe Philo,Stella McCartney,Supriya Lele,Simone Rocha,Grace Wales Bonner,Martine Rose, andRoksanda Ilinčićnumber among the rich list of women designers working and showing in London.
Kroes wears We11done shirt; we11-done.com.
Its very slow, but I know what I want.
FROM LAGOS, WITH LOVELisa Folawiyowas working as a barrister in 2005 when she founded her womenswear label.
REI’S WAYWhen Comme des Garçons’Rei Kawakuboburst upon the scene in 1981, her clothes employed fabrics—rumpled and frayed, some glowing with the sheen of cheap polyester—entirely new to the Paris runway. “I never intended to start a revolution,” Kawakubo (seen here in Paris in 2023) once said. She only wanted to create “what I thought was strong and beautiful. It just so happened that my notion was different from everybody else’s.”
Images of Kebede and Kroes: Hair, Soichi Inagaki; makeup, Celia Burton.
Produced by Holmes Production.
Set Design: Roxy Walton.
STRONGEST SUITVictoria Beckham—above, taking a quick runway turn in 2018—is the rare celebrity whose second act has eclipsed her first. Yet her philosophy hasn’t changed since her Spice Girls days. As she once toldVogue:“We showed it was okay to be who you are. And that’s what this is about—empowering women through fashion.”
Manicurist: Adam Slee.
Tailor: Carson Darling-Blair.
Photographed at Waddington Studios.
THE GOOD FIGHTVictoria Beckham andIsabel Marant: One is a former pop star turned designer; the other is a rock star of a designer. What got them there was their own look and attitude projected with confidence on to their clothes. Doetzen Kroes wears a Victoria Beckham jumpsuit; victoriabeckham.com. Liya Kebede wears an Isabel Marant jumpsuit; isabelmarant.com.
GOLD STANDARDBeyoncé in sculpted chain mail at the premiere ofRenaissance;Amal Clooney in glittering bronze paillettes at the Fashion Awards in London; Anne Hathaway, seen here in a liquid gold tank dress (versace.com): Nobody understands evening glamour quite likeDonatella Versace. “All designers have different strengths,” she says. “For me it’s about a strong and confident point of view.”
CLOSE COVERYou likely won’t know Hermès’sNadège Vanheebecause—as always with the storied French house—the team comes first. But her impeccably made clothes resonate with intimacy and intelligence. Doutzen Kroes wears Hermès jacket, top, and pants; Hermès boutiques.
SUIT YOURSELFFor New York–basedVanessa Barboni HallikandElizabeth Giardinaof Another Tomorrow, there can be no style without serious consideration of ethical and environmental concerns. Kroes wears an Another Tomorrow jacket and pants; anothertomorrow.co.
WALKING THE WALKChemena Kamaliwas appointed creative director of Chloé last October. When the Düsseldorf-born Kamali, 42, was interviewing for the job, she told the people at Chloé: “I’d really like to bring back the feelings I had when I fell in love with the house in the first place—and I strongly believe that there’s a lot of women around the world that share that longing, because Chloé really is an emotional brand.”
MIXED MEDIAUnstoppableis the word that describesAnna October, the Ukrainian designer (seen at left, in the Red Hook, Brooklyn, studio of her artist friend Yelena Yemchuk) who has been working with a growing team between Paris and Kyiv.
DIVIDE AND CONQUERThey might seem like poles apart—the romantic (Alberta Ferretti) and the realist (Gabriela Hearst)—but where they meet is the strongly held belief to always put women first. Kebede wears Alberta Ferretti; Neiman Marcus. Kroes wears Gabriela Hearst; gabrielahearst.com.
OPEN SEASONForLouise Trotter’s 2023 debut for Carven, she played to her own strengths and that of the house: fashion and functionality, writ large. Doutzen Kroes wears a Carven parka and shirt; carven.com.
RED NOTICEWhether they’re feeling minimalist or maximalist, what’s always right aboutMary-Kate and Ashley Olsenis their instinct to make it chic—and to do it with conviction. Kebede wears The Row; therow.com.
WEARING IT WELLDami KwonandJessica Jung’s Seoul-based label We11done is pronounced “well-done,” and that’s certainly true of their streamlined look, with its au courant whiffs of both the ’90s and the noughties. Kroes wears We11done shirt; we11-done.com.
PURE IMAGINATIONThe Shenzhen-born, Shanghai-basedCaroline Hu(seen above, at left, with model Fanjing Han) established her label in 2018 following studies at Central Saint Martins and Parsons and stints at Jason Wu and Tory Burch. Her family would still prefer that she found more traditional (and stable) work —“but I have my own plan,” Hu says. “It’s very slow, but I know what I want.”
BEACHY KEENIn Zimmermann, the Australian-bornNicky Zimmermannhas launched a behemoth of a women-centric brand—with the help of her sister, Simone, who is now COO—that appeals to those craving gorgeously light and fluid clothing loaded with color, ruffles, guipure lace, and embellishment wherever they are in the world.
FROM LAGOS, WITH LOVELisa Folawiyowas working as a barrister in 2005 when she founded her womenswear label. Today, the designer is known for modern tailored separates in maximalist prints and opulent embroidery—all made in Nigeria, from Nigerian fabrics. “It’s celebrating the culture, the way that we tell our own stories,” she says, “because these fabrics are part of who we are.”
