Ethiopia Element

Long before she launched Zaaf Collection, a handbag business headquartered in Ethiopia, Abai Schulze spent her earlier years in Wollo Province and then in Addis before entering an orphanage at age four, then moving to America seven years later. “It had naturally shaped me in a dynamic way,” Abai recalls of her childhood in Addis. “Being adopted

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Triangle Theory

Most leather day bags are either square, rectangular or curved, but why not triangular, too? I didn’t realize I had yet to see Balenciaga‘s Pre-Fall 2017 collection until I saw it staring at me as a new addition to the runway section of Vogue UK’s website, but like several other brands—Chloé and Céline among them—have

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House of Z

In the fashion world as in cinema, the only thing more exciting than a spectacular crash-and-burn is the ensuing comeback, and “House of Z” diligently adheres to that formula in detailing the up-and-down career of famed American designer Zac Posen. A wunderkind whose Icarus-like flight to the industry’s greatest heights was soon followed by a

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Dior Rodeo

The Resort world tour continues with Dior’s show in Los Angeles. Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri brought the fashion pack to the Santa Monica Mountains Nature Preserve—in ATVs, no less!—to present a collection of midi dresses, utility jackets, and chunky knits fit for the rugged, laid-back setting. Chiuri’s unlikely inspiration? The primitive wall paintings in

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Penning Perfection

It’s been a weekend of art between The Met and Frieze Art Fair here in New York City. Irving Penn: Centennial, the first big retrospective of the photographer’s work since his death in 2009, was a delight and education in lighting. Career-spanning exhibitions of any artist’s work are always illuminating—years ago, one such show taught

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Art of the In-between

Impossible to define, pigeonhole - or even actually interview…the inscrutable genius that is Rei Kawakubo…the world’s most uncompromising designer. The most inscrutable. The most influential. Often the most controversial. And certainly the most revered. Other designers have called her the Mother of Fashion Creation – for her visionary catwalks that show no clothes, her staggering

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Place your Bet

The Run for the Roses, also fondly known as the greatest two minutes in sports, is fast approaching. If you have yet to pick a clutch to accompany your bet placing, here are a few picks you can go pick up today at Target or Saks, yes, hi-lo choices. Also, a few tips if at the

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Let’s Play Ball!

“I love that idea of straddling fashion as a designer and fine art as a painter,” said artist Andrea Bergart, who this month launches a line of basketball handbags. Bergart’s work “draws a lot of inspiration from streetwear and sports. I make art based on a lot of fashion street patterns and my experience playing

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Grecian Goddess Galore

Under Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel has made a habit of taking its Cruise collections on the road to fabulous destinations, from Cuba to Seoul, and drawing inspiration from the local culture and style. But if Lagerfeld can stage a rocket launch in the Grand Palais, as he did for Fall 2017, maybe he can also conjure

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