More Fashion Musical Chairs
– 2 min read
It wasn’t all that long ago that there was a series of designer swaps among luxury fashion houses. Matthieu Blazy left Bottega Veneta for Chanel. Jonathan Anderson went from Loewe to Dior. Alessandro Michele went to Valentino from Gucci. Demna is at Gucci now after leaving Balenciaga. Pierpaolo Piccioli took over at Balenciago after Valentino.
And now, for the second time in the space of a month, another major shakeup that might result in more musical chairs. Back in October, Anthony Vaccarello stepped down at Saint Laurent after a decade as creative director. Now it’s Pierpaolo exiting Balenciaga after just a year and a half. Puck was the first to report this two weeks ago, that PP was on his way out and would be succeeded by Martine Rose, in part because PP doesn’t do menswear and Balenciaga wasn’t doing well in that stream since Demna left and also because Balenciaga under Demna made so much money from a younger market and PP wasn’t hitting with that demo. Martine Rose can definitely meet those expectations. Seems like it’s only a matter of time before she and Balenciaga make it official.
As for where Anthony Vaccarello and Pierpaolo Piccioli will end up, there are now vacancies at Saint Laurent, McQueen, and Calvin Klein as all three, in addition to Balenciaga, are currently without a creative director. Pierpaolo is known to be one of the sweetest people in fashion. People adore him. Whe he left Valentino in 2024, the NYT described his “generosity of spirit” and made mention of how he always credited his couture atelier at his shows. He just posted on Instagram after the Balenciaga news broke today – there’s nothing meanspirited in his message, in fact it’s pure grace, but you can also tell that he’s disappointed by the business decisions that continue to disrupt the art.
What else happened today…
I LOOOOVE this skirt on Naomi Watts. Her press tour wardrobe for All’s Fair has been amazing. (Go Fug Yourself)
Russell Brand was found guilty. It’s been a rough week for the manosphere. (Pajiba)
If you’ve seen You Can See Everything, I’m sure you are totally shocked that Elizabeth Holmes’s husband is on a promotional tour right now. (Celebitchy)
Hudson Williams is modelling underwear and the people have theories! (Out)
Brittany Packnett Cunningham on how the blue wave was really a Black tsunami. (The Cut)
