In “Christian Dior, Couturier du Rêve,” the lavish exhibition installed in Les Arts Décoratifs to mark the house’s 70th anniversary, Maria Grazia Chiuri’s work stands up well alongside that of three of the greatest designers to ever live — Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano. Yet her runway continues to perplex.
Chiuri is a brave fashion soul, boldly addressing two of fashion’s current causes — one external: How to express a socially conscious point of view on the runway; the other, the giant question (one of them, anyway) facing luxury: How to woo the Millennial customer.
Chiuri is at the forefront of the former movement. The “We should all be feminists” T-shirts from her debut ready-to-wear collection for Dior, shown prior to the U.S. presidential election, ignited a pan-industry signage craze a season later, in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory. On the Millennial front, since arriving at the house, Chiuri has often stated her interest in speaking to a powerful young generation.
Admirable points of focus, for sure, and, at least regarding the second issue, essential, as Millennials will one day age into luxury’s primary consumer base. Yet those two preoccupations seem to cloud Chiuri’s showtime perspective at Dior, at least if one thinks

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Christian Dior’s legacy — and that of the designers who succeeded him at the helm of the house he founded in 1947 — has inspired numerous books.
There is no facet of the couturier’s life and work that hasn’t been examined. Celebrated photographers such as Richard Avedon captured his work through the bold personalities of the women who wore his clothes from the Forties to the Seventies.
Artists such as Mats Gustafson have illustrated some of the brand’s most recognizable pieces, from Raf Simons’ interpretation of the Bar jacket to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s sold out logo kitten heels.
Most recently, to mark the house’s 70th anniversary, Maison Assouline began releasing a series of monographs devoted to each of the seven designers who have held the reins at Christian Dior.
The first book, which is dedicated to Christian Dior and was released last December, tells the couturier’s story through images of pieces he designed during his tenure, from 1947 to 1957.
Spanning 504 pages, the book features still images of the archival designs shot by Laziz Hamani, including the first Bar jacket created by Dior, the Caprice dress and a series of standout gowns.
“A ballgown is your dream, and it must make you a dream,” is among

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OH, BOY: Natalie Massenet has become a mother for the third time, announcing the birth of her son, Jet Everest Torstensson, on Instagram.
The baby boy is Massenet’s first child with her partner, Erik Torstensson.
Massenet, founder of Net-a-porter, is chairman of the British Fashion Council. She also serves as non-executive co-chairman of Farfetch, and is an independent investor. She has two daughters with her former husband, Arnaud Massenet.

“Erik and I are so proud and happy to welcome to the world our much longed for addition to our family and our first son — Jet Everest Torstensson,” Massenet wrote.
“Jet was born September 15 in Los Angeles and came into our lives with the most generous help from our surrogate. We are grateful to our friends and family for their incredible support and affection.”
Torstensson is the cofounder of Frame Denim with Jens Grede. The two are also founders of Saturday Group, a multimedia fashion marketing agency.

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MILAN — One of Milan’s biggest commercial events during fashion week takes place on Via Tortona at White Milano, a showcase that unites hundreds of women’s wear brands in one district during the frenzy of the ready-to-wear shows. And despite the closing of retail chains worldwide and the shuttering of concept stores like Colette, the fair grew 20 percent in terms of visitors and 31 percent in terms of buyers year-over-year.
“The world is in a phase of political and economic tension and I can’t help but hope our sector will prove resilient despite this tension,” said White organizer Massimiliano Bizzi, noting that political tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, as well as the strong euro, are currently weighing on the minds of many Italian exhibitors. “The euro will definitely impact exports,” Bizzi noted.
The fair, which ran between Sept. 22 and 25, one day more than past editions, hosted a record 26,611 visitors and 532 brands, up from 511 brands in January 2017, during the men’s and women’s fair. Some 164 brands were from abroad.
This season, White expanded its physical parameters with a new area dubbed 31/Archiproducts, a space dedicated to showcasing architectural and sculptural lines like sartorial rtw brand

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Guests of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s eponymous Fiji resort can learn to dive alongside the acclaimed oceanographer this winter.

Check in to give your skin an anti-aging boost with treatments that harness the power of the ocean.

Sotheby’s to hold its first stand-alone sale in New York.

Denizens of the Bay Area have gotten a seriously stylish new place to shop.

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