There’s nothing like a carefully plated delicious meal that will get conversation started at the dinner table. Food generally brings families and friends together, and like food, fashion tends to gather hungry crowds just the same. A room full of thirsty appetites, whether desiring a glass of shiraz or craving a fresh take on classic silhouettes is all digested best with a dose of sustenance.
   Flow, a burgeoning fashion label founded by two sisters, Victoria and Veronika, understands how to design in harmony. Their Belgian–Ukrainian label, not to be confused with the Malaysia-based clothing retailer of the same name, embodies the art of creating just the right amount of what the Swedes call lagom, and it shows throughout their collections.
   Pieces are not overly designed. Instead, garments are braised predominantly in pure silk and cotton, then enriched by colour or finishing shape. The sisters experiment with volume, whilst using the unconventional as an undercurrent in designing. The result is a pensive (spring–summer 2015) collection full of playful prints with child-like embraces, Japanese-inspired shapes, and a modern perspective on sportswear.
   The designing pair has managed to produce a smörgåsbord of distinct and charming garments to satiate fashion palates, especially if it favours edgy, artful, and quirky styles. Nonetheless, the pleasant appeal of a Flow garment might also be the fact that it can be worn by diverse women. ‘The most essential is to have that “special something” inside of you. That feminine, sensitive and elegant, yet kindly ironic thing that is very Flow. It is more about chemistry and common wit,’ the designers said, regarding the Flow woman.
   So, what’s the secret to the flourishing brand? Well, their approach to design is much like a gourmet recipe, using key ingredients to craft a tasty and well balanced dish to savour. Their main course is just also served with a side of passion, meticulousness, and confidence. And, like your grandmother’s recipe secrets, when it comes to the artful process, they prefer to keep it close to home.
   In fact, the sisters are involved in all aspects of the design process. However, having just under a dozen people in their design team certainly helps. ‘When we seek new co-workers, we primarily seek professionals who can become new members of the family. Creation of a collection is a group process and mutual understanding has great influence on the result,’ the designers confessed.
   In their spring–summer 2015 collection, you will see a palette of red, white, and blue with accented colours that look as vivid as a fresh floral bouquet. Pieces like the pyjama-esque silk garment with kookaburra bird drawings are eye-catching. The line is full of sprightly, sophisticated sportswear with a contemporary gracefulness that’s hard to ignore. But, that’s mostly because of the designer’s underlining influence, including the œuvres of Niko Pirosmani and Ivan Semesyuk. ‘The spirit [of the line] is childish and patrician at the same time,’ the designers said.
   Flow’s offerings come in a range of styles, with pieces that can easily be translated into workwear, or casual elegance for the avant-garde art enthusiast. There are silhouettes for the classic fashion darling, as well as separates that exemplify opulence at its very core. The designers have fused a nourishing concoction of culture and art, creating a smart fashion paella, all which seems to give them a discerning compound of depth and simplicity.
   The young brand’s maturity in execution and outlook is well seasoned. And, with only a handful of collections under their belt, there’s much that they have already learned from having a fashion business. ‘It requires lots of time and enormous sources of energy … true fashion is always about the dream, the feeling, and the humanly approach,’ Flow said.
   You may view Flow’s upcoming autumn-winter collection at the BeNext showroom during this Paris fashion week, and at the Tranoï exhibition shown in Milano.
   For more information, visit www.flowthelabel.com.—Tamara Madison

Frédéric David/Chanel

Olivier Saillant/Chanel

Paris editor Lola Cristall will have her report from the Paris haute couture shows shortly in Lucire. Among them, Chanel showed its spring–summer 2015 collection beneath the dome at the Grand Palais, in one of the most memorable.
   By way of preview of Lucire’s upcoming piece, here are glimpses of a very delicate, light and airy collection from Karl Lagerfeld, shown in front of a celebrity audience that included Chanel ambassadors Kristen Stewart, Vanessa Paradis and Alice Dellal (who have all been chosen to be the faces of the Chanel handbags’ campaign to be released in April), Anna Mouglalis, Gaspard Ulliel, Clotilde Hesme, Alma Jodorowsky, Anne Berest, G-Dragon, Dylan Penn and Stacy Martin.
   The greenhouse setting was intentional as a bouquet appeared, with orange, red, pink, blue, yellow and green as Chanel’s colours for spring. Short tops, jackets and blouses, long coats, dropped waists, both full and pencil-cut skirts, wide brimmed hats and tweed jackets with three-quarter-length sleeves contribute to the vintage garden look. Embroidered flowers, tulle and sequins sparkle for the evening.

Olivier Saillant/Chanel

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Cara Delevingne’s status as one of the celebrities of our era is further confirmed with TAG Heuer selecting her to be one of its new ambassadors. Calling her ‘the most disruptive “it girl” of the moment’, TAG Heuer has tapped into the model’s social media following (9 million on Instagram, 2 million on Twitter, 1·7 million on Facebook) to promote its range to a new audience.
   She was welcomed into the TAG Heuer family at the Salle Melpomène at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, posing with a lion cub, in front of an audience of 150 VIPs and journalists. Tying in with the lion cub, the new TAG Heuer campaign will be hashtagged #Dont­Crack­UnderPressure.
   The lion is a symbol that Delevingne identifies with, and she had one tattooed on her right index finger in mid-2013.
   Delevingne wore a Karl Lagerfeld jacket at the event.
   Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of LVMH Watches Worldwide, presented her with a TAG Heuer Formula One Steel and Black Ceramic Chronograph set with diamonds.
   Biver said, ‘The TAG Heuer family is not just an idea, it is a team, with true team spirit. We needed someone disruptive yet elegant like Cara to open our minds to the brashness and boldness of today’s youth. TAG Heuer has set its sights on “it-ness”, and Cara is just the person to help us get there.’
   The Daily Mail reported concern from Dr Neil D’Cruze of World Animal Protection, who told the newspaper, ‘Lion cubs are not photo props. Their health and well-being should not be compromised.
   ‘They belong in the wild, not draped over a celebrity just to sell a designer watch.’

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Lola Cristall

The March for Unity that took place today in Paris was announced as the largest demonstration in the history of France, with an estimated 1·5 million to 2 million on the capital’s streets. The interior ministry believes that there had not been so many since the liberation of Paris in August 1944. A number of people from around the world, politicians and celebrities walked the streets throughout the afternoon.
   Lucire’s Paris editor Lola Cristall took these photographs as she joined others to commemorate and celebrate the victims of Paris’s terror attacks last week.
   The deaths included staff at the satirical Charlie Hebdo, where cartoonists Charb, Cabu, Tignous et Wolinski (the pen names for Stéphane Charbonnier, who was also editor, Jean Cabut, Bernard Verlhac and Georges Wolinski) and police officers Franck Brinsolaro and Ahmed Merabat were slain in a massacre on Wednesday. Police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe was killed the following day in a related attack, and four civilians were killed in a siege on Friday.
   ‘While my domain is predominantly the luxury and entertainment sector, the pictures might be of interest to some people to see how so many came together in the city to support the innocent journalists, artists and victims,’ said Cristall.
   ‘The city is coming together as one. They were phenomenal artists,’ she added.
   Those in the march chanted, ‘On est tous Charlie’ (‘We are all Charlie’) and ‘Charlie Charlie Charlie,’ holding up banners and placards, reading everything from ‘Je suis Charlie’ (‘I am Charlie’), which began trending on the day of the massacre on Tumblr and other social media, and ‘Nous sommes Charlie’ (‘We are Charlie’) to ‘Je suis Muslim’ (‘I am Muslim’). French flags, hearts and Charlie Hebdo covers were also seen in the march.
   World leaders also participated in the march, including French president François Hollande, HM Queen Rania of Jordan, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, British prime minister David Cameron, Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Këita, Polish prime minister Ewa Kopacz, Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, US attorney-general Eric Holder, European Council president Donald Tusk, and UK opposition leader Ed Miliband were also present.
   Reporters sans frontières were critical of the presence of Davutoglu and Shoukry, as their countries had restricted press freedoms.
   Public transport was free in Paris to discourage private car use for the march.
   Earlier in the week, Jean Paul Gaultier and his staff posed for a photograph where they held up ‘Je suis Charlie’ print-outs, showing unity with the fallen journalists.

Jean Paul Gaultier

Above Jean Paul Gaultier and his staff with ‘Je suis Charlie’ banners, showing solidarity with the fallen at the massacre at Charlie Hebdo. Below More scenes from Paris on Friday and during the March for Unity on Sunday.












Lola Cristall

David M. Benett/Getty Images

Above Candice Swanepoel was the most-searched professional model in Lucire’s online news pages this year, coming in sixth.

In 2012, Keira Knightley was the most searched-for celebrity in the news section of the Lucire website. In 2013, that honour went to HRH Princess Madeleine of Sweden, followed by Knightley and Penélope Cruz. They are, largely, what you would expect from a fashion magazine.
   The 2014 rankings were a surprise when we began crunching the data before Christmas. In first place, talk show host and selfie queen (or was it talk show queen and selfie host?) Ellen DeGeneres: this year, everything from the Oscars to a homeware line meant she was on the consciousness of readers the most.
   Showing you can’t keep a Doctor down, Matt Smith surprisingly leapt into second place, after showing up at Cannes post-Doctor Who. Smith has plenty of fans out there, and Whovians apparently form a good part of the internet, getting the Eleventh Doctor this unexpected honour.
   Camille Cerf, the new Miss France, found herself in third place, which is not a huge surprise given that our article on the subject is the first one online. Our former cover girl, and the new Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot came in fourth, while HRH Princess Madeleine, still getting plenty of press attention, was fifth.
   Candice Swanepoel, was the most searched-for professional model, finding herself in the second half of the top 10. Clémence Poésy came seventh, showing that France remains firmly on the radar when it comes to fashionistas. Rio de Janeiro-born model Camila Alves found herself in eighth place.
   Honor Dillon, now Honor Carter, has plenty of admirers, and might net herself a few more with the signing of her husband Dan to a rugby club in France. The sole Kiwi in the top ten found herself in ninth spot this year. Rounding off the top ten was Mădălina Ghenea, the Romanian-born, Milano-based actress and model.
   Our biggest surprise was that Lupita Nyong’o did not appear—we even called her our ‘Woman of the Year’ on our Tumblog.
   Pageant news was top, since we were the first to announce both Miss France and Miss Universe New Zealand—Camille Cerf and Rachel Millns—while the Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art Awards was the third-most-read news article of 2014 here (another news outlet beat us to it, thanks to a WordPress glitch). An advertorial for the Sports Illustrated Air New Zealand safety video was fourth, which perhaps is no surprise given that the cover announcement, historically, is well read. A “proper” fashion article, on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York’s fall–winter 2014–15 collections, came fifth. Matt Smith, along with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and Gemma Arterton, helped get an article from the Festival de Cannes into sixth place.
   Overall, traffic for the top 10 was down due to regular Wordpress glitches that prevented some articles from being picked up properly—highlighting how online publishers can now find themselves at the mercy of software.
   Hard data aside, pop over to the main part of the site where we name our news-makers of 2014—Ellen DeGeneres is in there, but there are some surprises, too.

A Lucire special promotion

Above Clémence Poésy.

Chloé has managed to be ahead of the curve this decade, from signing two up-and-coming actresses at the beginning of the decade—Imogen Poots and Camille Rowe Pourcheresse—and, more recently, Clémence Poésy, all of whom exhibit different facets of the brand when it comes to its fragrances.
   Chloé has managed to be true to its youthful, natural image, while injecting a sense of seduction and modernity. It’s completely in line with the Chloé clothing line—and it’s imperative that the two work side by side.
   The fragrances, which are from Coty Prestige, are distinguished not just by their scents, but by the faces that promote them. Poots, Rowe Pourcheresse and Poésy speak to the younger demographic sought by Coty. Their natural look—the actresses themselves are regularly photographed wearing nude make-up—ties in perfectly with the natural scents of the Chloé fragrances, which are always subtle and never over the top. Chloé, which was a trend-setting brand in 1950s Paris, happily works in its home city in its promotions.
   Chloé Love Story, which was launched in July, is a perfect example, featuring orange blossom, neroli and jasmine stephanotis. The signature Chloé scent, meanwhile, is fresh, floral and smooth, with pink peony, freesia, lychee as top notes, magnolia flower, lily of the valley, and rose in the middle, and cedarwood, amber and honey as basenotes. Roses de Chloé features Damascene rose and magnolia, while See by Chloé has bergamot and apple.
   The range is one of the most youthful and well defined that we know.
   Chloé is having a busy Christmas season, focusing on the messages of love, joy and happiness—wishing you a happy holiday season from Chloé fragrances. The New Year is going to see even more promotions: as Chloé leads up to the 40th anniversary of its fragrances in 2015.

Post sponsored by Chloé

There’s more news from the Kering group as the company continues to shake up its brands: Puma has announced that Rihanna is the creative director of its women’s training line.
   The singer joins Usain Bolt and Mario Balotelli as a global brand ambassador, and attended her first meeting in Germany with the design team on Monday.
   Rihanna says she will be ‘all over it’ when it comes to her involvement with the line. Puma says her influence on the women’s training line will be felt early in 2015.
   Kering wants to boost Puma’s profile alongside Nike and Adidas, and Rihanna’s celebrity status should earn it new adherents.
   Puma CEO Bjørn Gulden said in a release, ‘Signing Rihanna is a fantastic step for Puma. Her global profile, her charisma and individuality, her ambition—all these things make her a perfect ambassador for our brand. She also aligns perfectly with the values Puma strives for: to be confident, brave, determined and joyful. With a strong portfolio in football, running and motorsport, finding an inspiring partner for women’s training was very important. Rihanna was a natural choice for us. We’re delighted to have her as a partner, and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.’
   Adam Petrick, Puma’s global brand and marketing director, said, ‘Rihanna brings joy to audiences around the world but also ignites and awes. Puma admires her for never waiting for the next big thing, but more so for driving what happens next—in fashion, style, music and soon to be—sports. We can’t wait to empower women worldwide with Rihanna—she demonstrates a body confidence and determination that is the exact representation of the Puma Woman.’
   Rihanna has already represented brands such as MAC, Giorgio Armani, Nivea and Renault.

Dita von Teese has unveiled a new collection, called XXXtian, as part of her lingerie range, in collaboration with Christian Louboutin.
   XXXtian, pronounced ‘X X Christian,’ features an exclusive silk toile de jouy print developed by Louboutin for his shoes and handbags in his spring–summer 2011 collection.
   The toile shows von Teese in her gilded birdcage dancing with her feather fans, and being fitted for custom Louboutin fetish boots, says the company.
   ‘Christian and I have been dear friends for years, and he has created many custom pairs of shoes for my burlesque shows. When this toile originally appeared in his shoe and handbag collection, I was honoured to have such a tribute,’ said von Teese. ‘I’m so thrilled that he generously allowed me to offer this risqué print in luscious Italian silk in my Tulip collection, plus a glamorous 1940s style negligée and dressing gown for the ultimate luxury lingerie experience.’
   Louboutin said, ‘The Toile de Jouy is the essence of French 18th-century feminine sophistication. No one can be closer to a modern Marie-Antoinette than Dita, her curves and wit celebrated on a canvas dedicated to adorn either a shoe or divine lingerie.’
   The XXXtian collection comprises an underwire bra, corselette, garter belt, thong, bikini, a high-waisted brief and, for the first time, two chemises and a robe.
   It is available at Myer.com.au and glamuse.com.