ALEXANDRA SHULMAN’S NOTEBOOK: Can Pharrell really cut it at fashion’s top table?
It might seem a matter of little relevance to those not involved in the fashion business, but the appointment of rapper and music producer Pharrell Williams as creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear will be watched in many other fields to see whether celebrity and social media reach now out-value experience.
Previously, the hugely powerful LVMH, which owns many luxury brands including Dior and Givenchy, as well as Louis Vuitton, has placed characters with an established fashion design track record in charge.
Pharrell has been a member of high fashion for years – a fixture on the front row, renowned for his personal style, and an ambassador for Chanel. But to date, his design input has been minimal. Yet he replaces Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021, and who was regarded by pretty much everyone as supremely talented.
Although Abloh’s forte was sportswear, his talent was much deeper than simply bringing another wildly expensive hoodie into the Vuitton repertoire.
But in appointing Pharrell as creative director, Vuitton is banking on stardust over expertise. It must be reckoning that in today’s commercial world, where an arresting Instagram post can shift thousands of handbags, a high-profile character like Pharrell will shimmer over the undoubtedly excellent team already installed there, create a publicity buzz and enlarge its appeal to younger, racially diverse shoppers.
Pharrell has been a member of high fashion for years – a fixture on the front row, renowned for his personal style, and an ambassador for Chanel
He knows how to put a great look together, and with the Vuitton machine behind him, that may well be all that is needed. At least in the short term. Whether the approach has longevity will be eagerly watched. Could this be the beginning of the end for experienced, trained designers – people who know the weft and warp of creating clothes – to be given the top jobs? There will be many who hope not.
Renegade Vivienne still calls the shots
A designer who undoubtedly knew the inside and out of fashion design was Dame Vivienne Westwood, who was given a wonderful memorial service last week.
Southwark Cathedral was overflowing with glamour and respect. Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Jarvis Cocker, Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs and Georgia May Jagger were among the crowd gathered to listen to family tributes and performances by Nick Cave and Chrissie Hynde. It was multi-generational and reflected Vivienne’s curious agelessness.
Helena Bonham Carter (pictured) was one of the famous faces at the memorial at Southwark Cathedral
Kate Moss (pictured), Marc Jacobs and Georgia May Jagger were among the crowd gathered to listen to family tributes and performances by Nick Cave and Chrissie Hynde
Although she was already 40 when she showed her first collection, she was always considered a kind of young designer. She was someone who never quite joined the establishment of British fashion and maintained her position as an unpredictable renegade for the whole of her life.
It was wonderful to see her impressive 26-year-old granddaughter Cora Corré in bandage mini-skirt and heels in the pulpit reflecting that her grandmother would have told her to stop wasting time banging on about her and instead use this powerful platform for a better purpose. Small things such as saving the planet. Cora then changed tack and did as she was told, to huge effect.
Jemima’s film has the feelgood factor
Jemima Khan’s directorial and screenplay debut What’s Love Got To Do With It? is tremendously good fun. It is not, though, an autobiographical film about her marriage to Imran Khan.
If you fancy the lovechild of Bend It Like Beckham and Bridget Jones, then this is one for you. Lily James plays Zoe, who is Jemima’s alter ego only in that she has a habit of looking for love in all the wrong places. What makes the movie unusual is that it’s quite simply hugely enjoyable. While it is knowing and intelligent, dealing with cross-cultural mores and misconceptions, and informed by Khan’s years as a wife in Pakistan, the information is lightly worn and all the more effective for that.
What a relief to watch something feelgood. Culturally, we value entertainment of this kind rather low down on the critical scale. More often the plaudits go to works that focus on trauma and misery, racial injustice and disability of any kind. Look at tonight’s Bafta best picture nominations of Tár, All Quiet On The Western Front and The Banshees Of Inisherin. They are all somewhat earnest – What’s Love Got To Do With It? makes its point but with humour and romance.
Liz Truss, the latest joker in the pack
It’s extraordinary, given the way Liz Truss managed to ruin our economy in the brief weeks of her leadership, that anyone would be interested in hearing her thoughts on major matters. But there she is, urging the world to man the barricades against China.
It’s extraordinary, given the way Liz Truss managed to ruin our economy in the brief weeks of her leadership, that anyone would be interested in hearing her thoughts. But there she is, urging the world to man the barricades against China writes ALEXANDRA SHULMAN
It seems that in politics there is no substantive correlation between being handed a position and being any good at the job. You only have to look at our endless Cabinet reshuffles to be baffled by how indifferent or even hopeless Ministers pop up again and again.
And, in the unlikely event of them showing any understanding of the issues, before they’ve had any time to do anything in, say, Health or Education or Culture, they’ve been reshuffled. A most unsatisfactory pack of cards.
My thorny issue with Interflora
THE other day I wanted to send some flowers to a funeral outside London. There was little time, so I turned to Interflora. Big mistake. The florist they contacted for the job called me to check on the order and we discussed how I wanted pale pinks and whites and as many roses as possible. A few days after the funeral, the family kindly thanked me for organising them and sent me a photo of the flowers: a garish bouquet of purple and orange, spiky greenery and a distinct lack of anything resembling a rose.
Time for lights out… but not on the river
The City of London is pondering an initiative to call a light curfew at 10pm, which is an inspired idea. There’s no need for the multitude of towering offices to keep their lights on all night. I hope they go ahead with the plan and that it spreads to the rest of London.
But could an exception be made for the bridges over the Thames? Their illuminated swooping shapes are such a beautiful sight on a dark, wet night.
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