Plus Jacques Marie Mage and Nick Fouquet collab on accessories fit for the French Riviera
Words by MAX BERLINGER, MARTHA HAYES, and ELIZABETH VARNELL
Loewe Marks a Creative Milestone
The world’s second-oldest fashion house, whose name is derived from the German word for lion, is marking its 180th anniversary this year with a capsule of heritage-celebrating ready-to-wear and bags. LOEWE, helmed by creative directors Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, has come a long way from its early days as an artisan collective in Madrid, and its spirit of experimentation is charging ahead. Must-have leather goods headline the collection, from the new Amazona 180 (first introduced in 1975) to featherlight Puzzle bags (with a 2015 debut) to Flamenco purses (dating to the 1980s). Lion motifs abound — some beaded, some screen-printed or made into leather charms — and there’s even a leather intarsia lion face on an Amazona 180’s inside front compartment. loewe.com. E.V.
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Alaïa Advances a Jean Theory
Curve-hugging cuts are an ALAÏA staple. Now that the French house is launching denim — following a year of research and refinement — the jeans are as sculpted as the maison’s dresses. Rope-dyed indigo fabric is made in Japan, and the hand-washed and overdyed effects are precisely crafted and meant to acquire a worn-in patina over time. There are six styles, each constructed with a defined waist and hip-hugging shape. The deep-sea blue Bootcut is elongating, while the Fit-and-Flare is stonewashed, the dock-blue Palazzo is wide and fluid, and the Round style in hand-sanded fabric clings to contours. A light blue Skinny cut also references the house’s bodycon roots, and the vintage-wash Straight is meant to endure. 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, 657-205-5822; maison-alaia.com. E.V.
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A New Look at Ralph Lauren in Motion
Thames & Hudson’s Catwalk series has staked a claim stateside with the publication of its 11th volume featuring RALPH LAUREN as its subject. Penned by fashion journalist Bridget Foley, Ralph Lauren Catwalk ($90) is the first to feature an American designer and includes more than 1,300 runway photographs, with a focus on the vast range of refined and rugged elements that make up his distinctive looks combining masculine and feminine influences, from his debut Fall 72 women’s runway looks to Fall 25. ralphlauren.com. E.V.
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Etro and Globe-Trotter Create Trunks of Character
The tyranny of the little black suitcase is giving way to cosmopolitan luggage sets for those whose belongings are an extension of their personality and style, courtesy of ETRO’s new collaboration with heritage British travel case maker GLOBE-TROTTER. Arnica Gold cases in micro, carry-on, and check-in sizes — with the Italian house’s beloved paisley pattern upholstering the stronger-than-steel and environmentally designed structured vulcanized fiberboard — have brown leather detailing and brass hardware, while Arnica Black designs pair the pattern with black leather and black detailing throughout. Inside, multicolor stripes nod to Etro’s vibrant spirit. A special edition includes enchanted visuals by artist Tabby Booth. etro.com. E.V.
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Michael Kors’s Côte d’Azur Days
It’s no accident if MICHAEL KORS’s summer capsule transports you straight to Saint-Tropez — it’s precisely the destination the brand had in mind when collaborating with artist Christina Zimpel. “I love that her work has such a strong sense of place. It instantly transports you,” Kors says of the Australian-born, Brooklyn-based artist. “This summer felt like the right time for a wardrobe filled with that sunny, uplifting aesthetic.” Zimpel created two original artworks: a vibrant, sun-drenched beach scene and a stylized rendering of the town’s iconic bell tower, awash in forest green, hot pink, and citrusy orange. The motifs play out across an easy, escapist wardrobe — sarongs, shirt dresses, and breezy short sets — alongside accessories like canvas totes and bucket hats. “I tried to conjure up the pleasure of sitting at the perfect vantage point on a perfect evening,” Zimpel says, “and the joy that brings.” And what could feel more Saint-Tropez than that? michaelkors.com. M.H.
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Giorgio Armani Mare Ventures to Villa Cimbrone
The unique terrain of the Amalfi Coast, blending natural beauty and cultural hotspots, inspired the fluid silhouettes and weightless fabrics in GIORGIO ARMANI’s Mare 2026 collection. Taking as inspiration Villa Cimbrone — the historic villa and gardens in Ravello restored by Ernest Beckett as a sanctuary for intellectuals and creatives that has drawn Vita Sackville-West, Virginia Woolf, Jackie Kennedy, and others — the collection pieces have an understated elegance and sense of escape that define the region. Garments come in colors resembling the Mediterranean light, from deep pink swimsuits and light blue hemp shirts and trousers for her to patterned silk twill shirts in shades of navy or white linen-canvas jackets and trousers for him. The refined, yet relaxed looks evoke the villa’s architecture and the region’s slow rhythms. 436 Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-271-5555; armani.com. E.V.
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A Match Made Through French Cinema
The latest chapter in the ongoing collaboration between JACQUES MARIE MAGE and NICK FOUQUET, two creative houses devoted to made-by-hand craftsmanship, is here. Jérôme Mage and Fouquet tapped the American West for their first launch. Now they’ve looked to French film noir, screen idols such as Alain Delon, and films of the 1960s and ’70s, plus the faded grandeur and decadence of the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. recording sessions. Limited-edition felt Le Jasper hats trimmed with French grosgrain ribbon and brushed white brass lapel pins with inlaid gemstones and a signature matchstick are here, as are made-in-Japan beta titanium Nellcôte Obscura sunglasses with Armorlite lenses in dark orange, vintage green, or Tuscan red. Deauville acetate frames with deeply beveled eye rims are another polished, sophisticated take on the era. In a Delon film, they’d be paired with a suit. jacquesmariemage.com, nickfouquet.com. E.V.
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Chinos Become a Blank Canvas at Miu Miu
White cotton shirts and khaki cotton drill chinos are getting the MIU MIU Upcycled treatment this summer. Trousers become abbreviated bustiers, oversize jackets, or skirts, while shirts are transformed into apron tops and dresses — all derived from clothes sourced through experts in vintage clothing. Pieces are completely disassembled and hardware is removed before pattern cutters start the work of reinventing house looks. Embellishments come next, with crystal flowers embroidered and aged leather collars added — always with an eye to the contrasting masculine and feminine modes of Miu Miu. Khaki backpacks and purses round out the accessories offering, as do chino sneakers layered with laces. miumiu.com. E.V.
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Americana Illustrations Grace Veronica Beard Classics
The art of summering, as imagined by illustrator Pauline de Roussy de Sales, is emblazoned across a 10-piece VERONICA BEARD capsule collection complete with skirts, tops, swimsuits, and even a hand-beaded shoulder bag. The New York–based artist, a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, created motifs depicting snapshots of vacation visuals from sunbathing and fishing to Wild West motifs. The line’s Fynnley midi skirt and Beasley pareo are patterned with complete sun-drenched illustrations created in de Roussy de Sales’s studio. The designs, including bikinis with images of palm trees and umbrellas, comprise the artist’s debut collaboration with a clothing line, and her Americana-inspired visuals translate seamlessly onto the classic silhouettes created to suit women’s everyday needs championed by the cofounder sisters-in-law who dreamed up Veronica Beard. veronicabeard.com. E.V.
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Expansive Ambitions Sealed With a Kith
KITH has expanded into a space that matches founder Ronnie Fieg’s sizable ambitions. The expanded store allows Fieg to introduce two new concepts: an apothecary stocked with fragrances and wellness finds, plus a VIP Studio with panoramic Downtown LA views. Feeling peckish? Ronnie’s Pronto, Fieg’s eatery, is a New York deli with a salubrious SoCal slant. 8500 Sunset Blvd., L.A.; kith.com. M.B.
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Graff LG Signature Collection Enters Its Golden Era
Inspired by the facets of diamonds, the Laurence Graff Signature collection shows off the house’s goldsmithing expertise with a series of designs carved from single pieces of solid gold. The light-catching unisex necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and ear cuffs, as well as rings and more, are designed to be infinitely wearable according to GRAFF design director Anne-Eva Geffroy. And the sparkling new collection was shot by Steven Klein at one of L.A.’s modernist masterpieces, the Sheats-Goldstein residence, its angles playing up the geometric jewelry. Golden hour light radiates from a bold yellow gold necklace, while rings layered with pavé diamond-encrusted versions offer a personal take on Southern California glamour. graff.com. E.V.
Portions of this story originally appeared in the Spring 2026, Fashionable Living 2026, and Summer 2026 issues of C Magazine.
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