Rabanne’s collaboration with H&M, released earlier this month, brings back the spirit of the ’60s. Some of Paco Rabanne’s space age designs have returned amongst all of these, but what doesn’t come with them is the shock value, since the theme is now historical.
They’ve also had to tone things down to make the garments more wearable, since H&M is about mass-market sales and not making customers uncomfortable with metal paillettes attached by wires.
In the 1960s, the space race was on, and space seemed a mysterious destination. The wonders of the universe haven’t ceased to captivate us, but it doesn’t seem impossibly unreachable to get into the black beyond, especially if you have enough bucks to board Virgin Galactic.
We’re more down to earth about our expectations, too: we’re not living in an age when it seemed human-made technologies (think plastics! Rockets!) will conquer all. They haven’t. We have a planet to look after, and that’s more a priority than escaping into space.
André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne were optimistic about the space age and futurism, not something that’s in the Zeitgeist right now.
Still, the Rabanne H&M collaboration is worthy and worthwhile since it allows wearers, many of whom weren’t around in the ’60s—or even the 20th century—to experiment and enjoy something novel. The way the designs have been reinterpreted for 2023 encompasses our more earthbound and earthly mode right now. The geometry of the space age fashion has given way to something softer. It’s not just about being wearable and more mainstream: the designers recognize just where in the trend cycle we are.
In our ‘Living’ section is our review on Anna Shilling’s début novel, All in Monte Carlo. It’s a wonderful read, and anyone who has been to Monaco, not to mention the surrounding area on the Riviera, will find it very familiar—right down to the personalities of its dramatis personæ.
It’s a part of Europe I’ve always enjoyed, and even though Monaco might get more crowded than it did in the first jet-set era, it still holds a charm, especially around Casino Square. Maybe it’s being in a spot that you’ve seen so often on television and film, and feeling, even for a moment, that you’ve just bombed around the Moyenne-Corniche and reached the principality with Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent performing ‘Gotta Get away’ in the background. I’d still avoid the Grand Prix myself—some locals do—just to enjoy Monaco as close to the way that everyday Monégasques do. Shilling (really the nom de plume for four different women) capably brings all this to life with the wildest of plots, worthy of a screen treatment. This novel deserves to do well. It’s available in the US at Barnes & Noble and Wal-mart; in the UK at W. H. Smith, Waterstones, Blackwells, and Hive; and in New Zealand at Paper Plus, Whitcoulls and Mighty Ape. It is also available online at Amazon.
I see some colleagues at another firm have got into trouble because they posted about the conflict in Gaza, and companies are putting up directives on what their staff can and can’t do on social media. Interesting that such directives didn’t come up with Ukraine or Sudan.
I’m always going to err on the side of peace and not killing civilians. I trust our crew to post, comment and like based on their conscience and if I’ve chosen well enough, then they’ll do what’s right.
Considering this title’s imprints have Jewish and Arab names, not to mention many other peoples’, it would be foolhardy and wrong to take any side other than one that values human life. The minute you start separating people out based on their creed, then you’re heading for trouble.
Our sister title Lucire Rouge has a couple of new-release stories on Blithe Cosmetics and Pyrrha sustainable jewellery. The latter is of particular interest to me, given Lucire’s stance in support of corporate social responsibility for the last 21 years. It’s nice to see a brand take things seriously, emphasizing independent certification.
Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.
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