Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 29 - Fall 2022 i L'OFFICIEL USA

Amanda Wall knows what you’re thinking. She’d think it, too, were the shoe on the other foot. “I have an art career because of Instagram; I can admit that’s why people saw my paintings for the first time,” says a monotone Wall, cracking into a La Croix while surrounded by pieces for her second solo exhibition at Almine Rech. “I know what [they] see; it is a hard transition to make.” The former beauty executive still operates in hesitance, struggling with the word “artist” despite a gallery roster appearance next to James Turrell, Richard Prince, Julian Schnabel, and Kenny Scharf. “It’s a big word, it’s a tiny word, and it has the entirety of art history behind it,” she shrugs. “I still get tripped up when people ask what I…

Architect and interior designer Charles Zana inherited a passion for building from his father, who was a real estate developer. But from a very young age, Zana was interested primarily in art. This can also be attributed to his father, who was fond of the painter Georges Mathieu and artists of the 1950s such as Jean-Michel Atlan, and collected ceramics by Georges Jouve, Jean Lurçat, and Pablo Picasso. Even before beginning his studies, Zana soaked up as much knowledge as possible about art and culture. He was also quite good at mathematics and geometry—architecture seemed to bridge the gap between these two disciplines. Zana studied at Saint Germain des Prés, and would travel by bus from his parents’ home in Saint-Mandé. “I loved Saint-Germain for its architecture, its proximity to…

What does it mean to be French? Everyone will have their own opinion, but, historically, certain ideas and images, places, and people, have had a profound influence on the sense of national identity. Among these are the city of Paris and the idea of Paris as the capital of fashion, revolution, and modernity. For over one hundred years, L’OFFICIEL has contributed significantly to the creation of this “aura,” which belongs uniquely to Parisian fashion. Founded in 1921, L’OFFICIEL was the official publication of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. By enhancing the prestige and profitability of couture, a halo was cast over all French fashion and luxury products, not to mention tourism to France. Thus, a central theme in nearly every issue has been the assertion that Paris is…

While trends move at lightning fast speeds and the TikTok generation causes makeup products to go viral in a flash, Peter Philips’ approach to beauty is rooted in timelessness. It’s apparent in his work on the Dior runways, where the Creative and Image Director of Dior Makeup has focused on stunning beauty looks that remain fresh season after season. Philips has led Dior’s makeup team for over eight years, staying aesthetically classic, but innovating when it comes to product formulations, where performance drives his creations—like with the latest Rouge Dior Forever Lipstick. Likewise, Dior Men Jewelry Designer Yoon Ahn—who also helms her own brand, Ambush—balances longevity and innovation in her own work, taking Dior’s house codes and remixing them for modern heirlooms. Storytelling is an important component for both creatives,…

With its latest collection, Tiffany Lock, Tiffany & Co. features 18-karat yellow, rose, and white gold bracelets, and takes design cues from the brand’s functional padlocks of the early 20th century. In the 1950s and ‘60s, Tiffany’s once-utilitarian padlocks began to take on an ornamental quality, popping up on everything from necklaces to money clips. When looking at the archival pieces, one is transported back to a time of engraved makeup compacts and metal cigarette cases: an era in which utility was imbued with quality and sophistication. Despite the decades between them, a thread of elegant practicality connects these designs with today’s Tiffany Lock. “Tiffany Lock is an elegant interpretation of an archival functional design,” says Alexandre Arnault, Tiffany’s Executive Vice President of Product and Communication. “Defined by modern, clean…

Thank Gene Kelly for the cliché of an American in Paris. The moniker was also a 1951 movie, inspired by the music of George Gershwin, in which Kelly plays a WWII vet pursuing his craft as a starving artist who unknowingly falls in love with the girlfriend of his French singer pal. Today, American Daniel Roseberry finds himself following his love of fashion and art in different circumstances as he helms one of the most famous French haute couture houses, Schiaparelli. While navigating both his professional and personal life in the French capital since 2019, Roseberry has gracefully managed to eschew most stereotypes associated with the condition of being an American in Paris or, for that matter, a Frenchman in Paris. But even the poised, thoughtful, handsome, and well-spoken designer…

ALEXANDRE MATTIUSSI, AMI L’OFFICIEL: How is your work emblematic of our time? ALEXANDRE MATTIUSSI: Each era has a distinct style; as such, the AMI silhouettes—pragmatic but made of high-quality materials—fit perfectly into ours. I also create my collections according to the expectations of the time; people want to wear clothes they like and feel good in. L’O: In what way is Paris once again the center of fashion? AM: Paris mon amour, Paris pour toujours! I’m not sure that Paris has lost its luster on the international fashion scene. However, for the past two years, post-COVID, I have the feeling that there is a new energy, a new dynamism, and a desire to celebrate French fashion together. More than anywhere else, Paris welcomes as it has always welcomed this creativity which is so unique…

Los Angeles. Valentine’s Day, 2018. A Marilyn Monroe lookalike is cruising around Hollywood in her car. Could it be a celebrity impersonator en route to deliver an awkward in-person candygram? Perhaps. The less obvious guess would be Ana de Armas, in a cheap platinum wig, driving herself to her first audition for the lead role in director Andrew Dominik’s Blonde. A makeup-artist friend had helped her to get into character. “We got the makeup as close as we thought it should be,” de Armas recalls with a chuckle. “Of course, it was so far off from what was [eventually] created for the movie. But it did help, I guess.” Dominik had been trying to make Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates’s historical novel of the same name, for a decade.…

After two years of work, a former fire station in Paris’ 10th Arrondissement has reopened as sustainable fashion accelerator and community space La Caserne. For the next three years, 40 ready-to-wear and accessory brands will be in residence, including Benjamin Benmoyal, who has developed a weaving technique to make his own fabrics using recycled audio and video cassette tapes; Meryl Flambert, founder of Bleu Chose, which uses only GOTS certified or deadstock materials; Lillian Thibault, whose brand Awake creates watches from recycled materials; and Ronja Nielsen, founder of Bags Affair, which provides vegan business bags for women that are made from cork. The designers will have access to weekly master classes on the impact of the use of raw materials, traceability, and production volume. La Caserne also provides the designers…