Mellerio dits Meller, the jeweller that was founded in 1613 and continues to be in the family, has released its latest collection, named Color Queen. The colourful series of rings is one of the most exclusive, with prices beginning at €20,800 for the Rose Garden design, rising up to €60,400 for the Midnight Blue.
   The latter has a 5·16 ct unheated Ceylon oval sapphire and 100 tsavorites totalling 3·13 ct, on yellow gold. And in case you’ve made the wrong choice after spending €60,400, Mellerio has an easy return and exchange system if you do it within 30 days.
   Mellerio says the story behind the latest collection begins in 1515, when François I became King of France. The king brought in Italian artists who ushered in the Italian Renaissance movement in France, and it was at this time the Mellerios came over. Color Queen, designed by Laure-Isabelle Mellerio who currently directs the house, is a homage to this period of artistic development.
   More on the collection can be found at Mellerio’s website.

There’s been a tremendous amount of interest in Diana, Princess of Wales of late—especially around the time of what would have been her 40th wedding anniversary to HRH Prince Charles. The Crown has added to interest in the People’s Princess, and the latest encroachment on her memory is Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, a biopic with Kristen Stewart in the role of Diana. Larraín had made Jackie (with Natalie Portman) and Neruda, both released in 2016.
   In Spencer’s poster, Stewart, a Chanel ambassador, wears a beige organza evening gown embellished with gold and silver round, oval or leaf-shaped sequins forming floral branches from the Chanel spring–summer 1988 haute couture collection. It was re-created entirely by hand for the movie by Chanel, requiring 1,034 hours of work (700 hours for embroideries) by five full-time seamstresses.
   Chanel notes: ‘This strapless, boned dress has a straight neckline trimmed with a delicate pleated tulle ruffle and a frieze composed of ovum and florets, an appliquéd satin belt with a bow at the front, a skirt fitted down to the hips then gathered and longer at the back, as well as multiple tulle flounces mounted on an organza petticoat. Embroidery by Lesage and Pleating by Lognon.’
   Spencer premières in competition at the Biennale di Venezia, the Venice Film Festival, on September 3.

We can see MoEa’s bio-based sustainable sneakers, made from fruits and plants, being the next big thing in footwear. Fully vegan, fully recyclable, PETA-audited and approved, and handcrafted in Porto, Portugal, each MoEa pair is made from one fruit and one plant that have been turned into wearable materials.
   The first batch comprises designs where the colour is based on the buyer’s choice of fruit and plant. You can select from pairs made from apple or grape fibre (from waste juice), pineapple fibre (from waste pineapple leaves), or cactus and corn fibre (from skins).
   The lining is made from 70 per cent recycled bamboo, the soles from 40 per cent recycled rubber, and the insoles from recycled wood fibres.
   To stabilize the waste, the fruits and plants are blended with organic cotton, bio-PU or recycled plastic, depending on the plant. On average, 49 per cent of MoEa’s bio-materials are composed of plants or fruit, and emit 89 per cent less carbon dioxide than leather. The recycled materials have been tested to ensure they have the same comfort and durability as leather.
   Wearers can even send back their old pair to be recycled into up to 40 per cent of a new sole.
   The producers are certified, with the materials either USDA bio-preferred or comply with global recycled standards. MoEa donates 1 per cent of its gross sales to WWF and its forest protection programme.
   The shoes can be pre-ordered via MoEa’s Kickstarter, with deliveries commencing September 2021. Prices begin at €89.

After some speculation, Violette Serrat is officially the new creative director of make-up for Guerlain.
   Serrat, who goes by her first name only professionally, is a self-taught make-up artist who studied fashion design and art. Hailing from France, she moved to the US on a whim in 2015, and has collaborated with Dior as a make-up designer, and with Estée Lauder as its global beauty director. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, T Magazine, Dazed, Teen Vogue and Elle. She also launched her own make-up range in April 2021, called Violette_FR, and has a healthy 400,000 Instagram followers. She also has a popular YouTube channel on make-up.
   She said in a release, ‘My story with Guerlain is really the story of my femininity … As a little girl, Météorites with its little pastel-coloured pearls for the complexion had a real æsthetic impact on me. I’d stare at the box fascinated, I couldn’t wait to become a woman … I pictured myself at my dressing table putting on lipstick, perfume and dipping a brush into these incredible Météorites. Today, I’ve been invited to write the next chapter in Guerlain’s history as director of make-up. That’s the magic of beauty.
   ‘Guerlain is a woman! A modern empress … and a Parisienne, right down to her fingertips. I’m so happy to be joining an iconic house with such a rich heritage, where I can pass Guerlain’s values in make-up on to a new generation and share it with those who, no matter their gender, celebrate beauty today and will celebrate it tomorrow.
   ‘As a pioneer, the Guerlain house must show commitment by becoming environmentally involved and engaging with femininity in broad and diverse way.’
   Serrat succeeds Olivier Echaudemaison, who has held the post for 21 years.

Dave Benett/AmFAR; Andreas Rentz/AmFAR; Samir Hussein

The AmFAR gala is always the social highlight of the Festival de Cannes, though this year’s, the 27th, was far more low-key, with guest numbers at 400 rather than the usual 900, and strict COVID-19 protocols in place.
   Global campaign chair Sharon Stone (in custom Dolce & Gabbana) played host, while Alicia Keys (in Chanel prêt-à-porter and Chanel haute joaillerie) performed live, at the outdoor affair held at the Villa Eilenroc in Antibes.
   Carine Roitfeld curated a live fashion show as part of this year’s charity auction.
   Guests included Stella Maxwell (in Atelier Versace), Kat Graham (in Nicolas Jebran), Nina Dobrev (in Mônot), Regina King (in Schiaparelli), Bella Thorne (in Miu Miu), Nicolas Maury (in Chanel), Rachel Brosnahan (in Vivienne Westwood), Lyna Khoudri (in Chanel), Vicky Krieps (in Chanel), Marina Ruy Barbosa (in Mônot), Dylan Penn (in Chanel), Lola Nicon (in Chanel), and stylist Jenke Ahmed Tailly (in Chanel).
   Prior to the 2021 event, the Cannes gala had raised over US$235 million in the fight against Aids.
   Photocalls and premières as the 2021 Cannes Film Festival closed saw Jeanne Balibar and Vicky Krieps in Chanel on day 11; Sharon Stone in Dolce & Gabbana, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Gucci, Gemma Chan in Oscar de la Renta, Leila Bekhti in Dior, Rosamund Pike in Dior, Mati Diop and Lyna Khoudri in Chanel, Adèle Exarchopoulos in Jacquemus, and Tilda Swinton in Schiaparelli, on the final day.
   Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or for her movie Titane, and wore Chanel as she accepted the honour. She is only the second female director to take home the prize.

Dave Benett/AmFAR; Andreas Rentz/AmFAR; Samir Hussein; courtesy AmFAR

Andreas Rentz; Pascal le Segretain; courtesy labels

Marc Piasecki/Getty Images; Dominique Charriau

Vicky Krieps dialled up the glamour as she walked the red carpet for Mathieu Amalric’s Serre moi fort, wearing a black silk dress from Chanel’s haute couture spring–summer 2018 collection.
   Scots actress Honor Swinton Byrne also wore Chanel, from the cruise 2021–2 collection, at the première of Jacques Audiard’s Les Olympiades, Paris 13e (Paris, 13th District), while her mother Tilda Swinton chose a white shirt dress with oversized sleeves and navy blue wool pleated trousers from the Schiaparelli prêt-à-porter spring–summer 2021 collection. Mélanie Laurent wore custom Balmain, namely a white crop top with skirt, with a Cartier necklace, to the première. The film’s star Lucie Zhang wore a navy A-line dress from the Lanvin spring–summer 2021 collection, and her co-star Noémie Merlant wore Louis Vuitton, from its resort 2022 collection.
   On day 10, Tilda Swinton was back in Chanel as she was spotted in Cannes, and changed into a white silk dress from the house for the première of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria. Jeanne Balibar also wore Chanel, from the both the cruise 2021–2 and Métiers d’art 2020–1 collections. Honor Swinton Byrne wore a Gucci organza pleated embroidered gown.

Dominique Charriau; Pascal le Segretain; Virgile Guinard