With preparations under way for the house’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2018, Sonia Rykiel’s women’s lib roots were alive and well in this covetable “wild and free”-themed wardrobe combining function, form and fun.
“It’s about the pieces, the way she wears them, the attitude,” said Julie de Libran, showing how a fluid tailored men’s jacket in an aged-blue dégradé check tucks into a cargo pant to create a new jumpsuit. Or how a matching leather T-shirt and skirt in “streets-of-Saint-Germain” gray — also in a signature, snug, satin-backed crepe version — forms a dress silhouette when cinched with a belt.
Leather minis and a trans-seasonal mink blouson with removable black leather sleeves sported utilitarian snapper closures, while a new spin on the house’s iconic lip print on a green and blue skirt and top in a Lurex knit created the illusion of a leopard print from afar.
Highlights included a patchwork mini (another twist on the Rykiel stripe); a checked duffel with urban leather patches and a lightweight bonded jersey lining, and a young-at-heart, Sixties-flavored, two-tone indigo-blue corduroy dress coat that can be worn with pants or just a pair of boots, depending on the mood. The navy jacquard fil coupé dress coat edged

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With the approach of a three-year anniversary, Kobi Halperin was feeling a sense of nostalgia — for his homeland, Israel, and for his namesake line’s founding principles. The designer is focused on timeless design with signature embroidery; he’s never felt inclined to splash his name or a logo across his designs, opting to let the craftsmanship speak for itself. It’s a traditional practice of the Bedouin people in the Israeli desert, as well, who have created a cultural identity for themselves with tonal black-on-black embroidery on robes. Halperin was drawn to the parallel use of thread work in creating identity, along with the strong visual imagery the desert implies.
His pre-fall collection came in a muted palette culled from the desert, along with a capsule of leopard prints. “I’m passionate about movement,” Halperin said. “This is the most elegant animal that exists.” His lineup was all about softness, motion and comfort. Nowhere was that more apparent than a jumpsuit cut with harem pants. Long tunics and printed silk pajama sets hammered home a notion of ease. Halperin’s signature embroidery came in a variety of applications — “x” contrast stitching on featherweight blouses and maxidresses; subtle tonal embroidery on a bright orange

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Amanda Wakeley had an urbanite in mind, but one who’s not too fussy and who likes a fluid shape and a punchy bright here and there.
The designer described her woman’s taste as “gloriously eclectic,” and said her vision was to mix old and new, vintage and modern, masculine and feminine.
She paired an emerald oversize ribbed sweater with fluid dark green trousers, and slipped a herringbone boyfriend blazer with a laid-back feel over taupe tuxedo-style flares.
A long cashmere ribbed cardigan gave a dark green printed crepe de chine slip dress a blast of warmth while mannish tailored coats in tweed or plaid were paired with black cashmere track suit bottoms or wide-leg satin trousers.
Fur played its part, too, in the form of a leopard-printed coat and deep green fox scarf and a lineup of shearling gilets and jackets some of them layered over sexy, deep V-neck knits.

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FUR REAL: As the fashion world increasingly turns its back on fur, the French Fur Federation is fighting back with the creation of a dedicated center for providing information on the fur industry called Le Centre National d’Information sur la Fourrure, or CNIF, and even a help line for victims of antifur violence.
In response, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Tuesday released a statement declaring that it is “time for compassion.”
“Today, most consumers do not want to wear the skin of animals that have been abused in this way, and for something so unnecessary, considering the number of cruelty-free vegan alternatives that are winning over the fashion world,” said PETA.
“As long as there is clothing made from animal skin in shop windows, PETA, and other associations and activists defending the cause, will continue to defend the interests of the animals that are tortured and slaughtered to make them. We also encourage consumers who are concerned about animal welfare to call for a ban on fur production in France.”
As reported, real fur was thrust under the spotlight during the spring collections season, where antifur protesters made their presence strongly felt. In New York, protesters disrupted a presentation of

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MILAN — The Italian trade show White, which focuses on men’s and women’s contemporary ready-to-wear and accessories collections, unveiled a new project here Tuesday.
Set to debut during White’s June edition in the Ex Ansaldo industrial venue, the White Street Market will be a new area of the fair to showcase a selection of sportswear and streetwear labels. For the first time, the dedicated space will be accessible not only to buyers but also to consumers, who will have the opportunity to buy the fashion items shown at the location.
“I realized that sportswear companies need and search for a direct contact with final costumers and the trade show environment, as of now, represents an outdated [business] model,” said White’s founder and president Massimiliano Bizzi, who also added that the new format will represent an event for the whole city, as it will offer a “B2C channel, in addition to a B2B platform.”
“I believe it will perform well, as it will fuel and bring energy to the fashion industry,” Bizzi said, adding that the goal of the show’s organizers has always been “to open our industry to the people and get them involved.”
A range of exhibitions, concerts and workshops will be staged concurrently

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SHOW BUSINESS: The fashion show shuffle continues with Australia’s Ellery moving its show in sync with the Paris couture calendar — though the brand is still keeping one foot on the city’s ready-to-wear schedule.
The brand’s runway show in January — scheduled for Jan. 25 in an undisclosed location, though not part of the official couture calendar — will also coincide with the launch of a new commercial strategy, according to the company. The plan is to design two main collections each year, instead of four, which will be released in four drops. Sales will take place during the couture weeks. The brand will also stage an event and present a selection of new designs during the Paris rtw weeks, though the format is yet to be confirmed.
“I want to rediscover the feeling that I had 10 years ago, when I started Ellery. I want to bring back the dream. As an independent, self-financed growing brand, it is too difficult to chase after a schedule determined by vertical super brands,” said Kym Ellery, who founded her brand in 2007 but has been showing in Paris since 2015 and moved to the city in early 2016. “As we all know, the system needs to

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Like birds, New Yorkers travel south for the winter — to SoHo, that is, where the deals are now on. Manhattanites made the most of the weekend’s colder weather by throwing on their overcoats, puffers and bombers and heading downtown for some holiday spending. Plaid, camouflage and pops of red and blue stood out among the typically black garb. Sneakers and boots were the shoes of choice, fulfilling practical purposes of both comfort and traction.

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Jeffrey Rudes has put his luxury men’s wear collection on hold.
In May, the Los Angeles-based Rudes closed his 5,800-square-foot store at 57 Greene Street in SoHo. The store opened in July 2015 and was home to his eponymously named collection. It was his only freestanding store and had also served as the setting for his men’s wear presentations during New York Fashion Week: Men’s. 
At the time of the store closing, Rudes said he planned to focus on the brand’s more lucrative online business and select wholesale accounts.
Last week, an eviction notice was pinned to the door of the shop, citing nonpayment of rent and a return of the empty retail location to the landlord, 57-63 Greene Realty LLC.
Reached via e-mail, Rudes said he “gave the store back to the landlord last month.” At the same time, he addressed a line on his former e-commerce site that read: “Coming back soon.”
Rudes wrote: “I put the business on hiatus for a while. I am reworking the business model to enter into the luxury designer market from another point of view.”
Rudes is best known as the founder of J Brand, a business he created in 2005. He resigned as chief executive officer in May

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Robb Report shares video taken while touring at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Inter Scaldes first won a star in 1977, and a second in 1984. Then it waited 34 more years.