This week, the Met revealed its 2018 gala motif, Kim Kardashian launched her new shopping program and Victoria Beckham teamed up with Reebok. Discover these stories and much more as we show this week’s leading international fashion news.
The New York Met Reveals 2018 Gala Theme
Host to of one of the greatest nights in vogue, the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art just announced the theme for the forthcoming Met Gala in spring 2018. Under the name “Heavenly Figures: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, the exhibition will feature religiously inspired garments by over 150 designers and 50 conventional garbs on loan by the Sistine Chapel sacristy — some of which have never been seen outside the Vatican’s concrete walls that are enormous. It intends to highlight faith’s enduring influence on fashion and the continuous interplay between the two paradoxes. “We’ve got confidence that the exhibition will inspire understanding, creativity and, along the way, constructive dialog, which is just a museum’s function in our civil society,” told Daniel H. Weiss, president and chief executive director of the Met, the New York Times earlier this week.
This time, the exhibition will propagate across three distinct galleries; the Anna Wintour Costume Center, the medieval rooms at the Met’s Fifth Avenue location and the Cloisters museum further uptown. The idea for a religiously influenced presentation comes out of the museum’s own collections on Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. However, upon realisation of the project curator Andrew Bolton tightened the scope of the theme as the majority of Western designers like Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Versace and Lacroix, came from a Catholic background. “The focus is really on a shared hypothesis about what we call the Catholic imagination and the way it has engaged designers and musicians and shaped their approach to creativity, as opposed to any sort of theology or sociology. Beauty has often been a bridge between believers and unbelievers,” explained Bolton. The gala will be co-hosted by modern style icons Amal Clooney, Rihanna and Donatella Versace.
Announcing the Costume Institute’s Spring 2018 exhibition, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” The thematic exhibition will occupy The Met Fifth Avenue’s medieval galleries as well as the Anna Wintour Costume Center, as well as The Met Cloisters. Creating a dialogue between fashion and masterworks of spiritual artwork in The Met group, it is going to analyze fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional customs and practices of Catholicism. Left: El Greco, Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609), ca. 1600, oil on canvas; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929 (29.100.5); Right: Evening Coat, Cristobal Balenciaga for House of Balenciaga, autumn/winter 1954–55; Donation of Mrs. Bryon C. Foy, 1957 (C.I.57.29.8) Digital Composite Scan by Katerina Jebb #TheMet #MetCloisters #CostumeInstitute @themetcloisters #KaterinaJebb #MetHeavenlyBodies
Victoria Beckham Teams Up with Reebok
Before this week Victoria Beckham announced a new collaboration with sportswear giant Reebok. While it is not entirely surprising the trend entrepreneur chose to ride the growing athleisure wave, the more social media posts promoting her new project wearing the Reebok Classic sneaker still look a bit, well, foreign. After all, the designer has at all times been a self-proclaimed high-heel enthusiast. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how Beckham will incorporate her sophisticated, minimalist design to a sportswear aesthetic. According to Reebok, who have made it their mission to empower girls through their brand, there is no better ambassador to project their own message on the world. “She’s a true visionary who possesses a constant urge to help girls become the best version of these,” said Corinna Werkle, Senior Vice President of the Women’s Initiatives at Reebok in a statement.
Thereby, Victoria Beckham is following in the footsteps of other famous influencers like Ariana Grande, Gigi Hadid and Teyana Taylor, who’ve put their signatures on Reebok product in the title of feminine empowerment. With this long term venture, Beckham hopes to “challenge the traditional notions of fitness attire in a fashion context.” She adds that she is “incredibly excited to embark on this venture built on shared values. I’ve always championed instilling confidence in girls and Reebok is a brand that’s been at the forefront of this same message for decades.” The collaboration is scheduled to drop in late 2018.
Fantastic morning Boston! x VB
Topshop Introduces Unisex Changing Rooms
After a wave of complaints against its transgender customer base, Topshop has revised its own chain-wide matching room policy. Customers will then be able to utilize any changing room accessible to them, regardless of gender. “As part of our commitment to equal opportunities and non-discrimination, we felt our policy needed updating. Though typically located in particular product areas like Topshop or Topman, our fitting rooms are now accessible for all clients to use. This was hauled throughout the chain.” The news only bankrupt when UK-based artist Travis Alabanza, who openly lives as a transgender woman, was denied entry into the fitting rooms of a Manchester branch of their brand. On the other hand, the shift had apparently already been executed before then, once the merchant received complaints stating similar episodes. Topshop is after the case of Urban Outfitters, who successfully installed genderless changing room areas several decades ago.
Strokably soft bits perfect for the new year. We don’t mind if we do ✔️#TopshopStyle Click on the link in the bio to shop.
Kim Kardashian Launches New Shopping App
This week, Kim Kardashian launched a new shopping program that will satisfy all of your outfit cravings. Entitled ScreenShop, the app finds any appearance you prefer available for purchase in a manner of seconds. Kind of like Shazam — just for shopping. Users simply have a screenshot of this outfit they’re after on their telephone and then import it to the app. ScreenShop then scans a variety of online stores to get the best matches at different price points. It can not get much simpler than that, can it? “What we’ve found is people are less interested in buying the exact same thing,” shared app cofounder Jonathan Caras using Forbes. “They were interested in being presented a wide array of similar items and through this key insight we clarified the product’s vision.”
ScreenShop cofounder and CMO Molly Hurwitz found the difficulty hiding in her closet, frequently finding herself taking screenshots of appearances that she enjoyed and then later googling the products using different key words. ” I found that process to be really cumbersome and that I couldn’t find a fantastic solution.” And thus, the idea was born. Kardashian functioned in an advising capacity on the app an reportedly created the screenshot component of the process. “Finding the technology of screenshotting anything and within seconds turning it to an electronic store was groundbreaking–I’ve never noticed that before,” she explained. Indeed, it is a pioneering application for the industry.
Screenshot this white-out appearance by @kimkardashian and locate these super cute games! #screenshop #grabthatlook #craze