Jill Biden’s inaugural wear to go on display at Smithsonian
WASHINGTON — First ladies typically donate their inaugural ball gowns to the Smithsonian Institution for its collection. Jill Biden on Wednesday gave up two clothing ensembles, and neither one included a gown. The first lady parted with the ocean blue tweed dress and matching coat that she wore to her...
Monumental animal art infuses Chanel, Armani sports lozenges
PARIS — Art returned to a glittering Chanel couture universe Tuesday with monumental animal sculptures gathering in the center of the runway-in-the-round like a surreal zoo for its Paris Fashion Week show. Designer Virginie Viard collaborated with contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan who used a bestiary in house founder Coco Chanel’s...
Paris couture season kicks off with frivolity, seaborne life
PARIS — Schiaparelli kicked off haute couture season Monday with plenty of glamorous frivolity and exaggerated silhouettes ahead of the highly anticipated show by powerhouse Christian Dior. Schiaparelli Schiaparelli also offered surreal takes on classics harking back to the 1930s heyday of house founder Elsa Schiaparelli. The mood at the...
Gucci opens new store in Ross Park Mall
Gucci on Friday opened a new store in Ross Park Mall. Spanning more than 5,000 square feet, the shop showcases men’s ready-to-wear, men’s and women’s shoes, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, jewelry and eyewear, the company said in a statement. Shoppers will also be able to explore Gucci’s Cosomogonie collection....
Louis Vuitton menswear channels digital age in Paris show
PARIS — Singer Rosalía stunned guests at Louis Vuitton’s digital age-themed menswear show in Paris on Friday with a surprise reveal in shades and hooded jacket atop a vintage 1980s yellow sedan. The boundary-breaking Spanish star delivered an electrifying vocal performance, delving in and out of a childhood movie set...
Paris Men’s Fashion Week goes psychedelic and globe-trotting
PARIS —Paris Men’s Fashion Week was in top form Wednesday for its first full day of runway collections that touted a dynamic season showcasing brands such as Dior, Vuitton, Loewe and Givenchy, which have roared back from the pandemic. Here are some highlights of fall-winter 2023-24 shows: A tale of...
Gucci recasts itself during Milan Fashion Week
MILAN — Gucci offered another January surprise to kick off Milan Fashion Week menswear previews on Friday, taking a new direction after Alessandro Michele’s exit as creative director. Very much like Michele’s low-key debut eight years ago heading an in-house team, the Gucci runway show heralding the new post-Michele era...
Vivienne Westwood, influential fashion maverick, dies at 81
LONDON — Vivienne Westwood, an influential fashion maverick who played a key role in the punk movement, died Thursday at age 81. Westwood’s eponymous fashion house announced her death on social media platforms, saying she died peacefully. A cause was not disclosed. “Vivienne continued to do the things she loved,...
Holiday parties are back, but how to dress?
NEW YORK — The season’s triple-virus threat notwithstanding, parties are back, and they’ve brought with them the potential for some dress code chaos. White tie, black tie, black tie creative/festive, semiformal: It might take some extra re-entry energy to figure out these pre-pandemic guidelines in an exhausted world more used...
Pricey pants from 1857 go for $114K, raise Levi’s questions
RENO, Nev. — Pulled from a sunken trunk at an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina, work pants that auction officials describe as the oldest known pair of jeans in the world have sold for $114,000. The white, heavy-duty miner’s pants with a five-button fly were among 270...
Artist’s hand-painted dress to match her work goes viral
PONCHATOULA, La. — Louisiana artist Mandy Poche needed something to wear to her exhibit opening the next day. Instead of making a last-minute dash to the store, she turned to her creative skills and painted a white off-the-shoulder cocktail dress to match one of her artworks. The result has been...
Milan Fashion Week hears calls for more designer diversity
MILAN — The Milan Fashion Week that opens Wednesday is showcasing collections by perhaps its most ethnically diverse lineup of designers, including the debuts of the new creative directors of Salvatore Ferragamo and Bally and the return of Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean after a two-year hiatus. But Jean and other...
Wight Elephant Boutique owner dresses Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu
The Wight Elephant Boutique in Greensburg has been enjoying some unexpected global exposure. Owner Victoria Piekut’s ties to the pageant world have given her an opportunity to dress the current Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu of India. Sandhu recently sported outfits provided by Wight Elephant on a trip to South Africa...
Pleasant Hills mother and daughter to compete in national pageant
Minutes after Susan Fancsali was born, she was having trouble breathing. “When her color was looking so bad and her breathing was labored, the nurse wrapped her up with the blanket covering her that I didn’t even get to see her,” her mother, Kim Bennear Fancsali, said. “They told me...
Billy Porter teams with Phipps Conservatory for summer flower fashion show
Actor and groundbreaking fashionista Billy Porter is teaming up with Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for a new show that will feature elaborate costumes inspired by Porter’s iconic looks and roles, along with his hometown of Pittsburgh. “Billy Porter Presents: A Summer Flower Fashion Show” will run run May 6...
Fox Chapel Area High School grad on a modeling mission in New York City
When Chase Osthoff of Fox Chapel told his friends he was going to pursue a modeling career after high school, they thought he was joking. His friends now know he was a man on a modeling mission. “They’ve all been very supportive,” Osthoff said. “I’m absolutely planning to do this...
FashionAFRICANA launches a summer/resort capsule collection
It could be viewed as wearable art. The limited edition capsule collection recently launched by FashionAFRICANA features a collaboration between a painting by internationally known artist Karl Mullen and Squirrel Hill-based stylist and producer Demeatria Boccella, one of Pittsburgh’s fashion experts. Mullen and Boccella collaborated on the pieces – a...
Using their heads: Fox Chapel sisters create hats with bows and memories
Sarah Shelby was bundling up for a wintry day. She threw on a bulky warm coat and reached for her baseball hat. But something was missing. “I just didn’t feel feminine,” said Shelby, who is known for wearing signature bows in her hair. “I thought, ‘what if this signature baseball...
Pittsburgh partners with CommonWealth Press to sell official city merchandise
The city of Pittsburgh is partnering with CommonWealth Press to sell the city’s first officially licensed merchandise. Officials with the Peduto Administration announced in September that they were looking to partner with a company to create branded Pittsburgh merchandise. On Wednesday, City Council approved a measure to partner with Pittsburgh-based...
‘Spring Stroll Downtown Boutique Crawl’ an opportunity to sip and shop in Pittsburgh
There are bar crawls to sample beer and spirits, and art crawls to see paintings and drawings. And from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday in Downtown Pittsburgh there will be a Spring Stroll Downtown Boutique Crawl — to try on clothing and accessories. The idea came from Marissa...
Fashion designer Kiya Tomlin adds style and support to Etna
The decorative drains along Butler Street in Etna have a locust leaf design and are displayed in a winding path. Their purpose is as a water feature that collects rain and keeps it out of the sewer system. It’s not surprising Kiya Tomlin noticed them when she first visited the...
Pittsburgh Earth Day’s Ecolution Fashion Show to highlight style sustainability
Cheryl Capezzuti was in her brother’s industrial metal fabrication shop when she looked down. She realized she had found the material for her next art project. “I saw shiny pieces of aluminum scraps on the floor that looked like glitter,” said Capezzuti, of Brighton Heights, an artist known for her...
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh unveils fashion exhibit
Imagine a dress that senses when someone next to a person is not socially distanced. Technology designer Anouk Wipprecht created that and other state-of-the-art fashions. Her work is being displayed at the “How You Wear It” exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s Museum Lab on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The...
Diamond run: After more than 80 years in business, Pittsburgh’s Schiffman’s Jewelers closing Saturday
At 3 p.m. Saturday only the sparkling memories will remain. Schiffman’s Jewelers, a staple in the Clark Building in Downtown Pittsburgh for more than eight decades, is closing. “In the words of King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is ‘A time to be born and a time to...
Onyx & Ivory boutique brings Shadyside vibe to Ligonier
Robin Brunton says she is bringing a little taste of city shopping to Ligonier with her new Onyx & Ivory Boutique. “It has a modern, rustic, chic Shadyside feel,” said Brunton, who opened the shop Nov. 12 at 209 E. Main St. Onyx & Ivory offers a curated collection of...
