Uma Wang may have switched cities, after having shown in Milan for the past four years, but there was no shift in vision in this textured, romantic collection focused on her classic, enveloping cocoon shapes.
But why mess with a good thing? For her serene, regal silhouettes edged with a little grunge, the designer mixed classicism and the avant-garde, while the line’s earthy palette was shot with vibrant moss, lapis lazuli and mustard tones.
Pajama silhouettes and robes came layered over black cotton shirts with ruffle flourishes and pretty brown lace tops with ruffle necks. Looks tumbled together rumpled cottons, men’s wear stripes and velvets printed with dusty florals recalling vintage bed linens and wallpapers. Other interesting texture treatments — Wang’s forte — included a cream quilted coat patterned with abstract stripes traced with blue mohair, while the long velvet gowns evoking Grecian dresses were also lovely.
 

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PROJECT RUNWAY: Alicia Keys, Emily Ratajkowski, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn and Caroline de Maigret figured among a noticeably bulked-up VIP contingent at the Isabel Marant show on Thursday night. There were also the power couples, including show producer Alex de Betak and his wife, Argentinian style icon Sofia Sanchez de Betak, who mingled with the guests.
In the countdown to lights down, de Betak chatted about a company he’s cofounded called Bureau Future, a digital creative atelier that develops contents for events produced by Bureau Betak as well as special projects. “This season, we did a soft start, which has been very successful, from projects for Alexander Wang to YSL to Yazbukey, with a few more fun things coming out for the end of the week,” he said.
Sanchez de Betak, who is working on the launch of Chufy, a travel-inspired brand working with artisans around the world, said the first collection will be dedicated to her homeland, with gaucho pants, riding boots and the like. She’s also releasing a book, published by Assouline, next month. “It’s a travel book about off-the-beaten-path special destinations like private houses.”
Keys, who had her other half, music producer Swizz Beatz, in tow, was more coy about what’s coming next. “Nothing to reveal yet,” she

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CONNECT THE DOTS: Kendall Jenner rolled up at Off-White’s show in a dapper red ensemble with wide-lapel blazer and track-inspired trousers. Enormous rectangular earrings and white patent heels rounded out the look.
Jenner has a family connection to the house via her brother-in-law, Kanye West, for whom Off-White’s designer Virgil Abloh has long worked as creative director.
Jenner perched near Alicia Keys, who told WWD she was a fan of the way Off-White’s clothes fused masculine and feminine elements. “I love to to mix it in with my world,” she said. The singer also has a Kanye connection — her new single “That’s What’s Up,” released in January, samples a song by the rapper.
A bench of LVMH bigwigs also took in the show: Louis Vuitton chief executive officer Michael Burke; Alexandre Arnault, ceo of Rimowa, and Kim Jones, men’s style director at Vuitton.
All three men met Abloh via West as well.
Burke recounted that when he was ceo at Fendi, West and Abloh came to work at the Rome studio for a few months. “He always liked wolves,” he said of Abloh as he surveyed the Off-White show set of barren trees and fallen leaves. “That’s what he drew when he was in Rome. He

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LUCKY BLUE: Guests were singing the blues at the Dior show on Friday, with an army of high-profile friends of the house descending on the event including Rihanna, Kate Moss, Uma Thurman and Sienna Miller.
“I love blue, but I like mysterious blues like navy and blue-black, when it’s very strong and dark,” said British actress Rosamund Pike, who has just wrapped three films including Cédric Jimenez’s “The Man With the Iron Heart.”
“Blue, that’s the theme? I love blue! Do you like blue?” laughed Ruth Wilson, adding: “Blue is melancholy, blue is the sea, blue is the color [of] my eyes.” The actress said she hopes to be heading to the Cannes Film Festival in May with the John Cameron Mitchell-helmed “How to Talk to Girls at Parties,” costarring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. So how exactly does one talk to girls at parties? “I don’t know, I tend to do it over a glass of Champagne,” shrugged Wilson before elaborating on the film’s plot. “It’s set in Croydon in the Seventies, and it’s aliens versus punks. Guess which one I am?”
“Blue? Yeah, I quite like the color blue. This is quite cool in here, isn’t it?” said Lottie Moss before plunging

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The mall will never be the same.

Luxury lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has been sold to Four Holdings, an investor group backed by Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley, in a deal reportedly worth around GBP25m (US$30.6m).

Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has unveiled a new sustainable collection in partnership with responsible fibre and fabric producer Thread International, which recycles plastic bottles from the streets and canals of Haiti, to make performance fabric.

Hong Kong-listed YGM Trading has signed an agreement to sell its UK luxury brand Aquascutum to Chinese textiles major Shandong Ruyi Technology Group in a deal worth US$117m.

US apparel retailer American Eagle Outfitters has revealed plans for new-look stores, designed to highlight its “leading” jeans business, alongside plans to grow its Aerie lingerie brand. 

After breaking the EUR1bn (US$1.07bn) revenue barrier for the first time in a single quarter, Berlin-based fashion e-tailer Zalando  has revealed a series of investments for the year ahead, including the acquisition of multi-channel basketball retailer Kickz and plans to create more than 2,000 jobs.