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27th May 2019

They are the public staging of a private joy, a strangely clamorous occasion when all that is most intimate in life is paraded in front of the world in a ritual of celebration that is both deeply traditional and unmistakably modern: the palace announcement on the easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, the tweet proclaiming the birth, the forest of photographers’ ladders outside the hospital.

Royal births: we can’t get enough of them. And little wonder, for they mark the moment when our common humanity, our natural inclination to celebrate the arrival of a new human being on the planet, collides with the celebrity gaze and, from the Royal Family’s point of view, the sense of quiet relief that the dynastic succession has been secured for another generation. Even if, in this case, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby is only seventh in line to the throne.

The script can usually be written in advance. The latest cast member in the royal soap opera makes their first appearance on stage (usually asleep), the world beams with approval, and someone somewhere says that the little mite looks just like its father, or elder sibling, or the Queen. All nonsense, of course, but it is what we do. And even avowed republicans cannot help having a quick glimpse, just to check and say, reluctantly, that yes, the baby does look quite nice.

It is at times like this that one has the greatest sympathy with modern royal women. They have just been through the most physically demanding experience of their life, and their overwhelming desire is to do nothing other than to spend time with their new baby, and rest.

Instead they have to leave hospital in the harsh glare of the public spotlight, knowing that a billion people around the world will be able to see them in high-definition close-up at a time when, just possibly, they might not be looking their best. The Duchess of Cambridge was the mistress of this miraculous transformation, managing on more than one occasion to pose for pictures on the steps of the Lindo Wing just a matter of hours after giving birth, looking so immaculate that one wondered whether a body double might not have been involved. It was, one might argue, something of a disgrace that the list of distinguished medics whose signatures adorned the palace announcement on that golden easel did not include the name of the make-up artist.

Royal childbirth as public performance is, of course, a modern phenomenon. Prince William was the first direct heir to be born in a hospital: the Queen had all her children at home, as did generations of royals before her. There were no cameras to bother them.

Princess Diana set the standard in 1982 for the well-groomed appearance outside the Lindo Wing, offering a bashful smile as she stood there holding the day-old Prince William.

Behind the scenes, however, it had been a different story. Diana was not happy with the way her officials told her that they had to come to the hospital to keep the public up to date. According to her biographer Sarah Bradford, she was furious and told them: “What’s that got to do with you?” Good question, perhaps, although it was one battle she was always destined to lose.

Her labour was long and difficult and at one point the gynaecologist George Pinker considered performing an emergency caesarean operation. In the end it was not necessary, and she gave birth naturally.

The following day there was that other ritual of royal childbirth, indeed, of any birth: the grandparental visit. The Queen arrived, took one look at the tiny bundle and said: “Thank goodness he hasn’t got ears like his father.”

Charles, reflecting the style of modern fathers, was present for William’s birth. He later wrote to his godmother Patricia Brabourne: “I am so thankful I was beside Diana’s bedside the whole time, because by the end of the day I really felt as though I’d shared deeply the process of birth and as a result was rewarded by seeing a small creature which belonged to us, even though he seemed to belong to everyone else as well!”

A generation earlier it was a very different story. Prince Philip was not present to see Charles being born: instead, waiting around in the equerry’s room with the rest of the Royal Family for news of the birth (he had been so distracted that he had to be taken off for a game of squash with his private secretary, Mike Parker). Once the baby was born, he rushed into the room to greet his new son, still dressed in his flannels and open-necked shirt. When Princess Elizabeth came round from the anaesthetic – she had had a caesarean, a fact which, thanks to the prudery of the age, did not emerge until some time later – he presented her with a bouquet of red roses and carnations that had been provided by Parker.

By the time Edward was born in 1964 – some 16 years after Charles – fashions had changed, and Philip was invited to attend the birth by the Queen, who had been much taken with the new idea that fathers should be more involved in the birth. Her confinement took place in the bathroom of the Belgian Suite in Buckingham Palace, which had been converted into a delivery room. According to writer Ingrid Seward, Philip’s jocular asides helped lighten the mood when spirits waned. As he walked into the bathroom and saw all the glum faces, he remarked: “It’s a solemn thought that only a week ago, General de Gaulle was having a bath in this room.”

By then – much to the relief of all concerned, no doubt – the tradition had ended of the Home Secretary having to attend the royal birth. The last Home Secretary to have witnessed the birth of a future sovereign was the Conservative Sir William Joynson-Hicks, who was waiting in the next room while Princess Elizabeth was born in 1926 and was said to have conveyed the news by special messenger to the Lord Mayor of London.

Four years later the Labour Home Secretary, John Robert Clynes, a former organiser of the Lancashire Gasworkers’ Union, had to travel to Scotland to witness the birth of Elizabeth’s younger sister Princess Margaret at Glamis Castle. With Margaret two weeks late, Clynes had to be put up nearby at Airlie Castle, a telephone line was set up between the two castles and a motorcycle and dispatch rider were also employed in case the wire broke.

While such traditions might seem extraordinary to modern minds, the Royal Family was used to having witnesses present at all important occasions, no matter how private. Even by the standards of the time, however, the birth in 1688 of James Francis Edward, the son of James II, was a rum affair. James’s wife, Mary of Modena, was Catholic, and public concern at the prospect of a Catholic heir to the throne fuelled rumours that she was not really pregnant. To quell doubts, more than 40 people were summoned to witness the birth at St James’s Palace. That did not stop the gossip, however, and the talk in the coffee houses was that the baby who emerged had been smuggled into the bedchamber in a warming pan. The child never became king: by the end of the year James II had fled to France, and the throne was handed to William and Mary.

Nowadays we don’t have coffee-house gossip: we have Twitter. And we don’t have all those doctors, priests, Lords of the Privy Council and Ladies of the Bedchamber summoned to witness the birth: instead we have to make do with 100 photographers and camera crews sandwiched together on the pavement outside. But the fascination and excitement of a royal birth remain unchanged.

The Times of London

This article appears in the 2019 Vogue Royal Special, on sale now. Buy it here.  

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Image credits: Getty Images 

May is undoubtedly the best month in terms of the red carpet. The Met Gala and Billboard Music Awards have come and gone with great aplomb, and now, our attention has turned to the South of France. Hollywood’s finest have, once again, shown us how it’s done, this time at the annual Cannes Film Festival.

Set to run for a total of two weeks from May 14, this year’s showcase marks the event’s 72nd season, and remains standing as one of the world’s most publicised film festivals. Known for championing extravagance, the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet rarely disappoints, this year being no exception.

Many of the film industry’s biggest and brightest have already graced the steps (and will continue to do so) of the Palais des Festivals to promote their new projects. Eva Longoria appeared in custom Alberta Ferretti, a Gucci-clad Elle Fanning (above) posed dripping in Chopard jewels, and Victoria Secret Angel Romee Strijd wowed in a plunging white lace Etro Couture gown.

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The night also saw one of our favourites, singer-cum-actress Selena Gomez, return to the red carpet in a satin Louis Vuitton two-piece complete with a high-high slit. The star’s polished up-do let the show stopping diamond Bulgari necklace that was draped across her chest take centre stage.

This marks Gomez’s first appearance on the Cannes red carpet and is certainly the biggest event she has attended this year. Before making her debut in France, Gomez attended Coachella, We Day California and the Hollywood Reporter’s Empowerment event, however skipped out on the annual Met Gala last week, choosing to spend that night at Disneyland on the West Coast instead.

This year’s event is set to feature a number of highly-anticipated films, including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Dead Don’t Die, which sees Gomez star alongside the likes of Adam Driver and Tilda Swinton. To see what each star wore, scroll on for a look at the best red carpet looks at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, below.

Selena Gomez wearing Louis Vuitton at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Romee Strijd wearing Etro Couture at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Longoria wearing Alberta Ferretti at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Tilda Swinton at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Julianne Moore wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Caroline de Maigret at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Angele attends the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Barbara Meier and Klemens Hallmann at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chloë Sevigny at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Araya Hargate at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Gong Li at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Natalia Janoszek at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Andreea Sasu, Jeremy Meeks and Adam Abaida Atarshi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Louise Bourgoin at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Hofit Golan at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Victoria Bonya at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Alessandra Ambrosio at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Estelle Lefebure at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Izabel Goulart at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Virginie Ledoyen at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Melita Toscan Du Plantier at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Golshifteh Farahani at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Julien Dereins and Anouchka Delon at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Deborah Francois at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Malgosia Bela at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Designer Agnes B at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Guest at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Guest at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Guest at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Marina Fois at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Nieves Alvarez at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sririta Jensen at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Melissa Satta at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anne-Elisabeth Bosse and Monia Chokri at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Silvia Braz at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning wearing Maison Valentino at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Julianne Moore wearing Louis Vuitton at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Amber Heard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Alessandra Ambrosio wearing Julien X Gabriela and Boucheron at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Nadine Leopold at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Carla Bruni wearing Celine and Bulgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Araya Hargate at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Rocio Munoz Morales at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lison di Martino at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Ola Farahat at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Jessica Kahawaty at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Sampaio at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Bryce Dallas Howard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Richard Madden wears Dior Men at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Taylor Hill at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Selena Gomez wearing Chanel at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Taron Egerton at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sir Elton John wearing Gucci and David Furnish at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Izabel Goulart wearing Zuhair Murad at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Longoria wearing Alberta Ferretti at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Isabeli Fontana at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Daria Strokous at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Maria Borges at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Taron Egerton at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Sampaio at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Herzigova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Ellen von Unwerth at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Julianne Moore at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chloe Sevigny at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Deepika Padukone wearing Giambattista Valli at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sririta Jensen at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Herzigova wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Bella Hadid wearing Christian Dior and Bulgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Blanca Padilla wearing Bulgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Shailene Woodley wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Kiddy Smile at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elsa Hosk wearing Etro Couture at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Toni Garrn at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Diana Penty at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Aishwarya Rai wearing Jean-Louis Sabaji at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anja Rubik wearing Saint Laurent at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Taylor Hill wearing Ines Di Santo at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Amber Heard wearing Elie Saab at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Emily Beecham at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dita Von Teese at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning wearing Vivienne Westwood at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sui He wearing Atelier Versace at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Penelope Cruz wearing Chanel at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Miles Teller at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Li Chun at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lea Mornar at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Bella Hadid wearing Roberto Cavalli and Bulgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Martha Hunt at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dame Helen Mirren wearing Elie Saab at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Isabeli Fontana at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Andie MacDowell wearing Toni Maticevski at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Josephine Skriver at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Monica Bellucci wears Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sui He wearing Ralph and Russo at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Xenia Tchoumitcheva at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Ming Xi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Delphine Wespiser at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Giulia De Lellis at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lena Meyer-Landrut at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Iris Berben at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Toni Garrn at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Priyanka Chopra wearing Georges Hobeika and Nick Jonas wearing Berluti at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Maeva Coucke at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Marica Pellegrinelli wearing Etro Couture at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Camila Morrone wearing Miu Miu at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Leyna Bloom at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Heidi Lushtaku at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Rodica Lazar and Catrinel Marlon at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anja Rubik wearing Saint Laurent at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Coco Rocha at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Julianne Moore at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Nattasha Bunprachom at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Legge at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Huma Qureshi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lady Victoria Hervey at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Min Pechaya at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Ming Xi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Petra Nemcova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anja Rubik wearing Saint Laurent at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Alina Baikova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anais Demoustier at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Valerie Pachner and August Diehl at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Jessica Kahawaty at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dame Helen Mirren at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Praya Lundberg at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Abbey Lee Kershaw and Mica Arganaraz at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Camila Coelho at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Charlotte Casiraghi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Anja Rubik at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Toni Garrn at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Longoria wearing Atelier Zuhra at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Salma Hayek wearing Alexander McQueen at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Maimouna N’Diaye at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Wu Kexi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Josephine Japy wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Fernanda Liz wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Neelam Gill at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Hailey Clauson wearing Bvlgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Natalia Vodianova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dakota Fanning at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Léa Seydoux at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Longoria at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chloe Sevigny at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Natalia Vodianova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Marion Cotillard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Michelle Rodriguez wearing Rami Kadi and Piaget at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Leomie Anderson wearing Rami Kadi at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Josephine Skriver wearing Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Karolina Kurkova wearing Etro and Chopard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Coco Rocha wearing Elie Saab at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Hana Cross and Brooklyn Beckham at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Winnie Harlow wearing Jean Paul Gaultier and de GRISOGONO at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sasha Luss at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Sampaio wearing Giambattista Valli and Oliver Ripley at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Soo Joo Park at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Duckie Thot wearing Vivienne Westwood at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning wearing Christian Dior at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Luma Grothe at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dakota Fanning wearing Giorgio Armani Privé and Chopard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Doutzen Kroes wearing Tom Ford and Valentijn de Hingh at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Margot Robbie wearing Chanel at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Madison Headrick at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Camila Morrone wearing Miu Miu and Bulgari at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sonam Kapoor wearing Ralph & Russo at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elizabeth Sulcer at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Brad Pitt wearing Brioni and Leonardo DiCaprio wearing Giorgio Armani at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Tilda Swinton and Honor Swinton Byrne at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chiara Ferragni wearing Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Betty Bachz at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Tatiana Navka at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Karolina Kurkova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Nina Dobrev at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Michelle Rodriguez at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Camila Morrone at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Winnie Harlow at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Adriana Lima at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Hana Cross and Brooklyn Beckham at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Pixie Lott at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Valentijn de Hingh and Doutzen Kroes at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chloe Sevigny at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Patricia Contreras at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chang Hyae-Jin, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam and Lee Jung-Eun at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Brad Pitt at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Leonardo DiCaprio at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Margot Robbie wearing Chanel at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Marion Cotillard at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Maimouna N’Diaye at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Adriana Lima at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elodie Bouchez at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lana El Sahely at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Noel Capri Berry at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Stacy Martin at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Winnie Harlow wearing Ralph & Russo at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lorena Rae at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Izabel Goulart at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Josephine Skriver at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Alina Baikova at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Natasha Poly at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Leila Conners and Leonardo DiCaprio at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lea Seydoux at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Martha Hunt wearing Monique Lhuillier at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Catherine Brunet at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Forestier at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Lea Seydoux at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Marta Lozano at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Jasmine Tookes wearing Zuhair Murad at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Stella Maxwell wearing Atelier Versace at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Jasmine Tookes wearing Georges Chakra at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Eva Longoria wearing Alberta Ferretti at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Pamela Anderson wearing Ingie at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Cindy Bruna wearing Balmain at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Izabel Goulart wearing Julien MacDonald at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Karolina Kurkova wearing Gabriela Hearst at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Winnie Harlow wearing Richard Quinn at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Andie MacDowell at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Shanina Shaik wearing Georges Hobeika at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Milla Jovovich wearing Celine at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Dua Lipa wearing Maison Valentino at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elsa Hosk wearing Redemption at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Natasha Poly wearing Atelier Versace at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Sara Sampaio wearing Armani at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Carine Roitfeld at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Luka Sabbat at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Adrien Brody at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Rebel Wilson wearing Sachin and Babi and Nigora Tabayer at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chiara Ferragni wearing Giambattista Valli X H&M at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chris Lee wearing Giambattista Valli X H&M at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Kendall Jenner wearing Giambattista Valli X H&M at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Kimberley Garner at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Catrinel Marlon at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Shanina Shaik at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Patricia Arquette and Harlow Olivia Calliope Jane at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elsa Hosk at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Milla Jovovich at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Stacy Martin at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Olivia Culpo at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Chloe Sevigny at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Elle Fanning at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Malgosia Bela at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Nadine Labaki at the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival, 2019.

Photographer: Foxtel

American Crime: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

“For the last year I’ve spent every working day trying to figure out where a high school kid was for an hour after school one day in 1999.” So began
, the 2014 podcast with a seemingly simple premise narrated by journalist and public radio host Sarah Koenig. A Maryland-set murder mystery, it told the true story of the disappearance of high schooler Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, who was accused of strangling her. Through phone calls with Syed, conversations with their friends and clips from the original trial, Koenig unpicked the case week by week, casting doubt on the state’s key witnesses, scrutinising their timeline and raising more new questions than answers. It made for addictive listening, launched countless conspiracy theories and Reddit threads, and had on average 2.2 million downloads per episode, a podcasting record.

Key to
’s success was the scale of the story it told. On one hand, it was a relatable small-town drama that played out in an ordinary school, but the overarching themes resonated far beyond those cultural and geographical confines. Koenig described the narrative as “a Shakespearean mash-up [with] young lovers from different worlds thwarting their families, secret assignations, jealousy, suspicion and honour besmirched.” Underneath this epic universality, there was also a sense of urgency and timeliness, with the show touching on issues like racial bias, Islamophobia, the fallibility of investigative journalism and the flaws of the criminal justice system. It was a slice of suburban American life that reflected a national unease, exposing our increasingly shaky and uncertain relationship with the truth.

The podcast was part of a sea change within the true crime genre that provided highbrow alternatives to the grisly potboilers that have always loomed large in our public consciousness. After all, there were 16th century oil paintings depicting the murder of martyrs, crime pamphlets detailing gruesome attacks throughout the 17th century and salacious newspaper coverage of Jack the Ripper in the 1880s. Then came prestige-laden literature in the form of Truman Capote’s
and Norman Mailer’s
, and with the advent of TV a slew of documentaries chronicling everything from the trials of Ted Bundy and OJ Simpson to the killing of child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey.

Photographer: Getty Images

Serial.

In this oversaturated marketplace, what set
apart was that it offered the adrenaline rush of its predecessors but remained at its heart an intellectual exercise and, crucially, an unresolved one. Other programmes had also identified this appetite for thoughtful analysis over sensationalism. In 2015, HBO’s six-part documentary
examined the cases against New York real estate heir Robert Durst. Linked to two murders and a disappearance, Durst was acquitted of one and awaiting trial for another when he spoke to filmmaker Andrew Jarecki. After several candid interviews and an accidental confession, Durst was arrested just hours before the finale aired.

Later that year Netflix dropped
, the story of Steven Avery who served 18 years in prison for a wrongful conviction, was later exonerated and after filing a civil lawsuit against Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, was arrested again under separate charges. The show became embedded in popular culture and led to a White House petition demanding Avery’s pardon that gained over 500,000 signatures. The power of true crime programming, to expose perceived injustices and shape ongoing investigations, was undeniable.

There was a rush to meet the audience demand for more cold cases. The Australian podcast
studied the disappearance of mother-of-two Lynette Dawson;
reviewed different unsolved crimes each season; and
scrutinised the life of conman John Meehan (it was later adapted into a Netflix series starring Eric Bana). There was no shortage of true crime documentaries on the streaming platform either – from
, about the murder of nun Sister Cathy Cesnik who suspected a priest at her school was guilty of child abuse, to
, which looks at possible false confessions that led to convictions.

Photographer: Netflix

Making a Murderer.

While the ability to binge watch these shows online formed part of their appeal, primetime TV proved an equally effective platform for true crime. Ryan Murphy’s
delved into the trial of the former NFL star, set against the backdrop of fame, racism and police corruption in LA in the 1990s. Its release coincided with a new factual miniseries on the subject,
, which won the 2017 Oscar for Best Documentary. The following year, Murphy’s
told the story of the designer’s murder in reverse chronological order, focusing on the motivations of serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

One criticism they all faced, and one the genre often contends with, is the marginalisation of victims and the moral dilemma that comes with dredging up old memories that could upset their families. The Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg was keen to address this issue in her recent four-part HBO documentary
. A reappraisal of the investigation first discussed on
, it examines fresh evidence but also seeks to put Lee at the centre through the use of animated vignettes and readings from her diary. “In some ways it was a risky choice,” she tells
. “But I wanted people to get a better sense of who Hae was and hear about her life, her friends and her family. The final product had to be sensitive to Hae.”

Photographer: supplied

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Joe Berlinger had similar concerns. The director of
– a new crime thriller about the life of Ted Bundy starring Zac Efron – Berlinger wanted to retell the story from the perspective of Bundy’s girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (also known as Liz Kendall). Played by Lily Collins, Kendall fell victim to Bundy’s manipulation and refused to believe he was guilty until the evidence became insurmountable. “I wanted the audience to have the same experience as Liz,” Berlinger explains to
. “Bundy duped her like he duped the media who made him a perverse star, like he duped the justice system that gave him such latitude that he was able to escape twice and represent himself at trial even though he was just a law student. He was allowed to prance around because he was a good-looking white guy in the patriarchal 1970s. If that had been a person of colour, you can bet he would’ve spent the entire trial in an orange jumpsuit and chains.”

The director explores this further in his Netflix documentary
. After it landed on the streaming service back in January, Berlinger remembers being on a flight back from Sundance where
had premiered. “I was walking to my seat from the back of the plane and every third person I saw had the documentary playing on their laptops,” he says. “Even I was surprised by how popular it was.”

Photographer: Getty Images

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So, how does he explain our compulsive consumption of true crime? “It’s something people have always been obsessed with and I think there will be an endless appetite for it,” he replies. In his view, we haven’t reached peak true crime – we’ve simply reached peak content. “There’s a lot of true crime out there at the moment because there’s more production as new players like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple and Facebook figure out what works. It’s a popular genre and so of course it’s going to incrementally benefit.” Alongside Berg and Berlinger’s projects, 2019 has already seen a controversial new documentary series about Madeleine McCann and two films about Charles Manson (
). Still to come is Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries
about the Central Park Five and Quentin Tarantino’s Manson-era
.

While stories about prominent figures like Bundy, Simpson and Manson indulge our voyeuristic impulses and offer insights into troubled minds, the resurgent interest in unsolved cases suggests a different motive. “We like to put pieces together in our mind,” says Berg. “I think it’s the search for justice that drives most people to unpick cases like Adnan’s and when things don’t line up, when the witness changes their story six times, when there’s no physical evidence, we feel helpless as people who are dependent on the criminal justice system and need to discover the truth.” In an age of public disillusionment with politics, police, the press and the legal process, true crime allows us to take up the mantle for ourselves and try to find the clues that others have missed. Those observations could then become the catalyst for campaigns, petitions, reexaminations and retrials. “Otherwise we’ll always wonder,” she adds. “What if they missed something?”

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27th May 2019

Who: My Chameleon
What: warehouse sale
When: Thursday May 30, 12pm – 7pm; Friday May 31, 9am – 6pm; Saturday June 1, 9am – 4pm
Where: 17 Oxford Street, Paddington, NSW 2021 

Who: H Brand & Theron
What: pop-up sale
When:  Thursday May 30, 9am – 5pm; Friday May 31, 9am – 5pm; Saturday June 1, 10am – 5pm; Sunday June 2, 11am – 4pm; Monday June 3, 10am – 5pm
Where: Shop 4, 53 Cross Street, Double Bay 2028

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Who: Running Bare
What: warehouse sale
When: Thursday May 30, 9am – 5pm; Friday May 31, 9am – 5pm; Saturday June 1, 9am – 3pm
Where:Running Bare Warehouse, 1/26-34 Dunning Ave, Rosebery NSW 2018

Who: ELK
What: warehouse sale
When: Wednesday May 22, 10am – 4pm; Thursday May 23, 10am – 7pm; Friday May 24, 10am – 4pm; Saturday May 25, 10am – 4pm; Sunday May 26, 10am – 2pm
Where: 24 Henty Street, Reservoir, VIC 3073

Who: Kowtow
What: mid-season sale
When: ends Monday, May 27 
Where: enter code MIDSEASON online here.

Who: Parlour X
What: end of season sale
When: for a limited time only
Where: in store at Parlour X The Church, 261 Oxford St, Paddington or online here.

Who: ELK
What: warehouse sale
When: Wednesday May 22, 10am – 4pm; Thursday May 23, 10am – 7pm; Friday May 24, 10am – 4pm; Saturday May 25, 10am – 4pm; Sunday May 26, 10am – 2pm
Where: 24 Henty Street, Reservoir, VIC 3073

Who: Stylerunner
What: warehouse sale
When: Thursday May 16, 8am – 6pm; Friday May 17, 8am – 6pm; Saturday May 18, 10am – 4pm
Where: 55 Doody Street, Alexandria, NSW 2015

Who: Wear for Success
What: clearance sale
When: Friday May 17, 10am – 3pm; Saturday May 18, 10am – 2pm
Where: 149 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205

H&M’s annual designer gig is one of the loudest chimes of the fashion clock. Striking as significantly as the Victoria’s Secret fashion show and the Met Ball, the high-street hotshot’s designer collaborations, from Comme des Garçons (above) to Lanvin, are high profile and haute property. Prince performed for Versace; Baz Luhrmann directed Erdem’s campaign film and “Balmainia” broke the internet.

If Erdem Moralioglu was the “poetic” addition to the Swedish retailer’s label lineage in 2017, and 2018 brought Jeremy Scott for Moschino’s riot of colour into the fold, then Giambattista Valli’s edition will raise the stakes once more. With Kendall Jenner, Chiara Ferragni, Bianca Brandolini, Chris Lee [Li Yuchun], H.E.R., and Ross Lynch debuting the first drop of the collection on the amfAR red carpet – and a full collection launch scheduled for November 7 – it’s already had a cracking start.

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H&M hysteria first kicked off in 2004 when Karl Lagerfeld (above) cruised in to create a capsule collection in his own stately image. Sales surged for £15 (AU$28) Lagerfeld silhouette T-shirts, stiff-collared shirts, skinny jeans, black ribbon chokers and sequin jackets. Between 1,500 and 2,000 pieces sold every hour in New York’s Fifth Avenue store, according to , and the whole global collection sold out almost entirely in a day. “To be honest I thought it was a one-off,” H&M’s creative advisor, Ann-Sofie Johansson, told about the Lagerfeld collaboration in 2016. “We wanted to do something special for Christmas, so that’s why it came about, but then it became such a huge success that we thought well maybe we should do it one more time and it just kept going.” H&M subsequently rolled out two designer collaborations a year until 2013, when it was pared down to one.

Hunting for cut-price designer cuts, queues of customers snake around stores from London to Tokyo, hoping for the chance to own a piece of  Stella McCartney (2005), Viktor & Rolf (2006), Roberto Cavalli (2007), Comme des Garçons (2008) or Lanvin (2010), to name a few of H&M’s collaborators. “I decided to give H&M our Lanvin secrets, the patterns, everything,” Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz told of the collaboration (above)“In the end, you really only have what you give away.”

Then the frenzy died down; consumers were suffering from “collaboration fatigue”, due to Topshop and Target also launching designer diffusion lines. Hit, too, by the financial crash of 2008, Jimmy Choo’s 2009 H&M collaboration (above) saw then-designer Tamara Mellon’s steep stilettos and caged boots totter through the high-street store comparatively quietly. Matthew Williamson made a few waves the same year, but with his Sienna Miller-endorsed kaftan days behind him, his bias-cut butterfly dresses made little buzz.

Versace’s 2011 collection (above) – with its shiny gold minidresses, black latex bandanas, tropical-print trousers and belted leather macs – was so successful, however, it crashed the H&M website within minutes, and earned itself a second season.

Some lines were simply fashionable, appealing only to a niche market: Marni’s graphic prints and statement jewellery for 2012 (above), for example, and Maison Martin Margiela’s ripped jeans and trompe l’oeil bodysuits the same year. Isabel Marant’s line in 2013 was as understated as one of the French label’s laissez-faire, ultra-cool customers, with her simple grey sweatshirts and fringed suede boots.

Alexander Wang whipped things up again in 2014 (above), with a timely athleisure collection of hoodies, baseball shirts and boxing gloves. His launch party saw Missy Elliott live-streamed across the internet. And then came the Balmain army. Kylie Jenner and Rihanna championed Olivier Rousteing’s collection of ornate, high-octane dresses from the social-media sidelines – and Gigi Hadid walked the 2015 show.

Kenzo’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon were quick to follow in the gold-toe-capped Balmain boots that came before them. For 2016 – with a new purchasing limit and timed queuing system in place – their rollout saw zebra-print leggings, tiger-print sweaters and leopard-print rara skirts – and a campaign featuring Iman (above) and Chloë Sevigny. The site crashed the first morning.

2017’s Erdem collection (above) was a romantic collection of Victoriana white blouses, silk dresses and wildflower blooms. What persuaded the designer to step out of his east London atelier and on to the high street? “I said I never would,” he told at the time. “It was kind of a rite of passage for all of the designers that I started with that you worked with high-street brands. I just never found the reasoning to do it. I never felt that I would learn something from it.” But then he changed his tune. “There was something that felt wonderfully democratic about being able to able to reach 70 different countries and create something that’s accessible to so many different people.” A designer can also reportedly earn in excess of $1 million per collection and benefits from global exposure.

Jeremy Scott’s Moschino [tv] H&M collection last year saw Gigi Hadid front the advertising campaign and Naomi Campbell hit the runway. “I hate the idea of exclusivity in fashion,” said Scott. “I’m all about the democratisation, about reaching people who can’t normally afford this stuff.”

"I have said in the past that I would never do a mass-market collection, but what intrigued me was the idea of H&M going luxury rather than Lanvin going public,” Alber Elbaz told Vogue of the collaboration (above).

It’s not always a match made in heaven, though. Lagerfeld accused H&M of snobbery for only producing a limited amount of product (a marketing ploy labelled “massclusivity”). “This was supposed to last two weeks and it’s over in 25 minutes,” he told . “I’m sorry for the clients because I like the idea that everyone could wear Lagerfeld.”

Above: Roberto Cavalli for H&M, 2007

Others see it as a path to even more exclusivity. “It will make the Balmain customer see how everyone wants Balmain but can’t have it,” Balmain’s then CEO Emmanuel Diemoz prophesied to ahead of the launch of the label’s line (above). And he was right. H&M’s website crashed and Rousteing’s £399.99 (AU$739) embellished minidress later sold for a bruising £3,300 (AU$6,094) on eBay.

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27th May 2019

Rihanna’s current quest for world domination means she needs a good team by her side. And believe it or not, there are a lucky, hard-working few out there, who have been plucked from obscurity and placed into the world of Fenty by the singer herself.

Hector Espinal, is one such human.

A former Sephora Pro make-up artist, Espinal worked his way up from the cashier to Global Artist for the beauty giant. Eight years later, Espinal found himself at Paris Fashion Week, where he met Rihanna and the rest, as they say, is beauty history.

“We met, and it was a crazy connection, and from there I was asked to do Fentybeauty.com on a super confidential contract, because nobody knew Fenty was coming out,” Espinal tells Vogue from inside Bondi’s Hotel Ravesis, where the brand launched its Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer into the Australian market.

Espinal’s relationships with Rihanna snowballed from there, auditioning for the role of Fenty Beauty’s Global Makeup Artist, being hand-picked by Rihanna herself in 2017 after a grueling selection process.

“Then I auditioned for her position, and that was truly the one moment where I felt like I was a make-up artist, because I’m like, ‘how did I: one, get here, and two, I can’t believe that I auditioning to be Rihanna’s make-up artist!’”

The last hurdle in the auditioning process was to paint Rihanna’s face and interpret her signature look, the ‘Fenty face’.

The ‘Fenty face’, for those keen to emulate Rihanna’s signature look, involves Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Instant Retough Primer, Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer, Match Stix Matte Skintick and the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder.

 

But on that fateful day, Rihanna also wanted the artists to include a classic red lip and then “on top of that, you had to do your signature look, like ‘who are you as an artist’,” Espinal recalls, adding, “Just the fact that she let us play with her face was rewarding at that, and that was it.”

Espinal’s red lip was a success with the singer choosing him, alongside fellow make-up artist Priscilla Ono, for the role of Global Makeup Artist. And now, Espinal has, quite literally, got skin in the Fenty Beauty game, having been deeply involved in product development.  

“I think what makes it important is because as artists, we understand what the woman needs, or the client in general,” Espinal says of his role in product development.

“For me, it’s one of the best parts of my job, especially when I see it coming alive I’m like anxiously waiting for the reveal,” Espinal says of the process, noting he often hops online to read reviews straight after a product is launched. 

And how involved is Rihanna in her game-changing beauty brand? 

“She’s extremely one-hundred and a thousand-percent involved in this brand, so when we did the bronzers, one of the reasons why we kept on sending them back was because she didn’t feel like the formula was perfect, or she thought it was too red, or too neutral, or whatever the case was,” Espinal reveals, adding the whole process is all about teamwork.

 

“She would always give her honest feedback. She’s heavily involved in everything!”

It’s this attention to detail and yearning to give her Fenty acolytes only the most perfect product that meant the brand’s first bronzer took two years to get right. 

“Two intense, long years in the making and I’ll tell you why: one, because we really wanted to master a formula that did not show up muddy, or blotchy. Two, the colour range,” Espinal divulges, adding it’s impossible to produce 50 bronzers to match the brand’s foundation offering.

“How can we target the four families: light, medium, tan, deep? So we created two bronzers per family, one on the neutral side, one a little bit warm. It took two years because we needed to stabilise a formula, make it easily buildable, and then transfer-resistant, and make the tones right so that anyone could find a bronzer,” Espinal reveals.

Thoughtfully, Rihanna has also produced two new brushes to sculpt and dust on the Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer – she’s really thought of everything. 

“After I got the job, she’s always said like, ‘I love how precise you are’,” Espinal recalls of his boss, Rihanna. 

And if Rihanna thinks Espinal’s hands are the best to be involved in creating Fenty, then we do too. 

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Photographer: Getty Images

Buy One, Get One Free isn’t the sort of sales incentive you’d expect to find in a luxury fashion boutique. Yet in the last few years, one would be forgiven for thinking there are bargains to be found in the form of two-for-the-price-of-one luxury goods that bear the branding of not one, but two monolithic brands.

Fashion – or luxury, rather – has caught the collaboration bug. Look no further than Louis Vuitton and Supreme, which sold out at eight dedicated pop-ups around the world and has rocketed in resale value on platforms such as Grailed and eBay – you can currently buy a red keepall for just under £14,000 on the latter, almost six times the original retail price. Elsewhere, there’s also been the unexpected combinations of Fendi and Fila (above), Polo Ralph Lauren and Palace, JW Anderson and Converse, Burberry and Gosha Rubchinskiy, and Vetements and just about everyone.

In February 2018, Moncler launched a dramatic new business structure entirely centred on multiple collaborations with a diverse range of designers, such as Valentino’s resident couturier Pierpaolo Piccioli, lauded London designers Simone Rocha and Craig Green, buzzy streetwear label Palm Angels, and cult Japanese designers Hiroshi Fujiwara and Kei Ninomiya. The Italian brand put its 27 per cent jump in revenue in the first half of 2018 down to its Genius project, which has already lived up to its name.

Tod’s has also launched a similar initiative titled Tod’s Factory, a non-seasonal collaboration in the form of a capsule collection, the first of which is designed by Alessandro Dell’Acqua. Last year, Burberry dropped a capsule collection designed by Vivienne Westwood – just in time for a collaboration-friendly Christmas.

If it all sounds familiar that’s because it is – albeit at a much more accessible level. Limited-edition collaborations are nothing new. In fact, they’ve always been a mutually beneficial trade-off for catwalk designer and mass-market retailers or sportswear giants.

Just look at H&M’s ambitious partnerships with just about every monolithic fashion designer – from Karl Lagerfeld and Martin Margiela to Rei Kawakubo and Donatella Versace. This year, the Swedish fashion label’s buzzed-about partnership is with Paris-based couturier Giambattista Valli. The collaboration was announced at the 26th annual amfAR Gala, with Kendall Jenner, Chiara Ferragni, Bianca Brandolini, Chris Lee [Li Yuchun], H.E.R., and Ross Lynch turning the red carpet into a veritable runway. For the first time, the retail giant will do a double drop: a limited edition collection launching in stores on May 25, and a second (larger drop) in November, as per tradition.

Indeed, making catwalk fashion available to a wider audience is a central tenet to H&M’s approach. Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M’s creative advisor, points out that when the first collaboration (with Karl Lagerfeld no less) was launched, it was expected to be on the rails for weeks, but completely sold out. “The word collaboration is now part of fashion’s everyday language,” she says. “With each of the collaborations, the aim is to pinpoint the essence of the brand. It is all about capturing the designers’ or the brands’ DNA and offering it to the world."

At the height of H&M’s collaborations – which have arguably waned over the years, according to media impressions – it was the blue-chip designers who were in feverish demand. In 2018, the tables have turned with Jeremy Scott’s Moschino [tv] H&M. Now, it’s the cheap-but-cool streetwear and sportswear labels that really matter – and the luxury brands are the ones eager to get in on the action.

For younger designers, collaborations with mass-market retailers can be a lifeline. In New York, designers such as Prabal Gurung, Jason Wu and Proenza Schouler have partnered with Target. In London, runway stars Christopher Kane, Ashish, House of Holland, Charles Jeffrey and the now-defunct Meadham Kirchhoff have relied on collaborations with Topshop to bolster business.

“We have to keep it interesting and keep the momentum going, and I have to keep challenging myself, otherwise I would still be making ruffled shorts,” Jonathan Anderson said at the launch of JW Anderson’s collaboration with Converse (above). “Sometimes you have to change the fundamentals of what you’re into, which takes a lot of energy. You have to question yourself and think of how you keep your brand moving forward.”

Anderson has collaborated with several brands including Uniqlo (above), Sunspel, Topshop, Converse and even Diet Coke, and has acknowledged that collaborating with flagship brands is an essential part of growing a fledgling label. “Converse or Uniqlo serve an incredible purpose to me,” he says. “They are universal and I would love JW Anderson to be that universal, but we don’t have that [production] volume.”

“Collaborations are not going away soon — they are a much needed marketing tool to assist institutions with cutting through the massive amount of noise which is disseminated through owned, earned, and paid-for media every single day,” says Marc Beckman, CEO of DMA United, an advertising and talent agency that has brokered deals with Target for several designers, as well as deals between Jeremy Scott and Pepsi and the NBA. “North of seven digits is not uncommon now,” adds Beckman, who points out that pre-recession a designer could earn as little as US$20,000 to participate in a mass market collaboration. Today, Beckman says that fees continue to increase exponentially. “If properly executed, this can bring [designers] significant brand awareness, exposure to new audiences, and of course, meaningful revenue.”

So why are established luxury brands tapping into collaborations right now? As creative directors continue to play musical chairs, coming and going at an unprecedented speed, collaborations provide a sense of security for fashion executives and allow brands to tap into the non-seasonal ‘drops’ that have been popularised by streetwear labels, such as Palace and Supreme. Collaborations are no longer just celebrity lines for mass-market retailers or designers creating cheaper facsimiles of their most recognisable designs or looks. Right now, it’s about high-low, hype-slow, luxe-street juxtapositions.

“Fashion collaborations are one of the levers that brands are using to surprise consumers, get their attention and drive traffic to stores,” explains Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas. “We are living in an era of abundance, with many brands competing for the consumer wallet. Surprise – with new products, new communication, new stores – is of the essence and that’s the main reason behind pop-up stores and collaborations.”

It’s no coincidence that Off-White, which is known for its relentless collaborations, was named by Lyst as the “hottest brand on the planet” last year, according to the inaugural Lyst Index. Part of the brand’s meteoric success, according to Lyst, is Virgil Abloh’s collaboration with Nike. However, there’s also his hook-ups with Ikea, Rimowa, Levi’s, Dr Martens, Byredo, Jimmy Choo, Kith, Moncler, Warby Parker, Umbro and Champion to name a few.

What once would have been considered brand dilution for a luxury brand is now seen as brand enrichment. If there was ever any doubt, in March 2018, Abloh was named the new artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, a brand that has a long history of collaborations with artists and designers, and recently experienced blockbuster success with its logo-heavy Supreme collaboration, which sold out at pop-up locations around the world.

For the customers who queued and were limited to purchasing only a few items, it all came down to one thing. Well, two things, really.Click Here:

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27th May 2019

It’s the opening night of Sydney’s Vivid and the Opera House has transformed into a shimmering show of colourful projections creating a magical setting for this year’s most anticipated gig, the world premiere of the 30th anniversary of The Cure’s seminal 1989 album, Disintegration. 

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A major coup for the Vivid Festival trumping other major cities to host the anniversary gigs, this show was going to be special, but for devoted Cure fans, the lead up to this moment has been intense.  

A ballot system randomly selected the few who would land a seat in the intimate concert hall venue. Among the disappointed fans who missed out there were frenzied messages: Who secured tickets? Who had a spare? Was there any other way to get a ticket? There was a glimmer of hope when a fifth gig was announced and then another roller coaster of joy and sorrow as less than 10 per cent of over 100,000 hopefuls were allocated a ticket.  

So here we are, the chosen ones, fully hyped and waiting patiently. Through the smoky haze appears the familiar silhouette of Robert Smith, all in black, big teased hair and this supposedly seated gig erupts into a standing ovation before the first note has been played. The audience is committed, devoted and the atmosphere is electric.

Opening with the majestic melancholy of Plainsong, followed by Pictures of You, we are launched into a journey through Disintegration in its entirety, an album that has often been described as The Cure’s masterpiece. Nostalgia takes me back to of a time when we listened to albums from beginning to end, over and over, falling in love with some songs instantly and allowing the growers to gradually embed in our consciousness, often becoming favourites. Today, we are more likely to cherry-pick our top tracks into playlists or lazily leave it to our apps to tell us what we should be listening to. Back then we invested the time to get to know the music and allowed ourselves to be taken on a journey – a wonderfully gloomy journey in the case of Disintegration.

The crowd is standing and swaying as we hear the beautiful simplicity of Lovesong, the churning bass of Fascination Street, the dramatically disturbing Prayers for Rain. Smith’s vocals are powerfully haunting and pitch perfect as if no time has passed.

An encore of rare B-sides heightens the feeling of intimacy, as if the band has invited us back to theirs for a private after-party.

Looking at the joy-filled faces in the crowd bellowing out Smith’s elaborately poetic lyrics, it’s clear that The Cure still mean so much to so many. Their unique brand of gloomy pop is profoundly moving, almost hypnotic. It seeps deep into your heart and bones and tonight’s performance of Disintegration is a triumph.

While the music conjures a slightly confused feeling of being sadly uplifted, one thing is clear – it is a true privilege to be in this room.

The Cure’s final Vivid Live show on 30th May 8pm (AEST) will be streamed live on The Sydney Opera House Facebook page and YouTube channel for fans worldwide.

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27th May 2019

Less than 12 months after 24-year-old Hayley Raso, a winger for Brisbane Roar in the W-League and Portland Thorns in the NWSL, broke three of her vertebrae in an on-field collision, the Australian footballer is gearing up to represent the country at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France this June.

The injury that left Raso questioning whether she’d ever be able to walk again, let alone play football, occurred during a game in Washington while playing for Portland in August 2018. The impact of the high-speed knee to the back left the winger confined to a hospital bed for weeks and in rehab for months. 

“That was obviously the lowest point in my career and I think in my life in general. It was really tough and it was a really hard time for me,” she told Vogue. “I was in hospital for a month and then I rehabbed for six months, learning to walk again, to basically do everyday activities.”

Six months after the incident, Raso made a triumphant return to the pitch for the Matildas in the Cup of Nations, scoring a goal against New Zealand just minutes after making her long-awaited debut.  

“When I ran for the first time and played for the first time it was pretty overwhelming for me and so exciting after everything I’d been through,” she explained, enduring what was nothing short of a gruelling rehab and recovery process. 

“I’ve had a lot of setbacks and a lot of people who said I wouldn’t make it,” Raso continued. “It’s just about continually proving yourself and working hard. If you have a dream you can reach it,” she added.

Raso joined Australia’s national women’s football team in 2012. While she did in fact travel with the Matildas to Canada in 2015 for her first world cup, she enthuses that she’s eager to represent the country at her second in France this June, given that she didn’t get the chance to play any minutes on the pitch. 

“It’s a dream for most people to represent their country so, to me, living it, it’s just an incredible experience really,” she told Vogue. “I think being a part of a team and working as a team makes it that extra bit special. Having your friends around you with training and playing week in, week out, just makes it a lot more enjoyable.”

As for how Raso managed to go from rehab to representing Australia in less time then we’d imagined physically possible, the sports star explains it’s all about rest, recovery and remembering to put in the hard work in order to reap the benefits. 

“It’s training every day, it’s recovering right, it’s making sure your body is fuelled with the right foods so you can train and perform at your peak,” she says. Emphasising the importance of setting goals, she adds, “even on those bad days you know you’re working towards something that’s going to be so big and so special.”

Raso is also studying to be a paramedic, a profession she’s aspired to since she was a child. “For me, playing soccer that’s a dream, but then knowing that once my soccer career is over I have something to look forward to and a job that I’ll be set up with, it’s great,” she shares. 

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With the FIFA Women’s World Cup around the corner, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics firmly in her sights, and a rewarding career as a paramedic in her incredibly bright future, we’re pegging Hayley Raso as one to watch. 

For more, catch up on all you need to know ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup here. 

Image: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Instagram.com/tomarcherphoto

One of the most rewarding things about travelling is stepping out of your comfort zone, experiencing an entirely foreign landscape and community. However, too often, travellers are unknowingly disrespectful in their approach to people and the environment. Responsible travellers should consider skipping all-inclusive resorts and support local-run businesses instead, as well as consider the environment when commuting short distances, and respect local customs and traditions. For those seeking an education in awareness, try a tailored tour with the aim to support communities and the environment. Tours that give back – such as those listed below – will benefit the destination you’re visiting, while simultaneously showing you remarkable parts of the world.

Image: Luang Prabang, Laos. Instagram.com/johan_drone_adventures

Teach English to disadvantaged women in Laos
The ancient city of Luang Prabang in Laos is an UNESCO World Heritage Site full of Buddhist temples and stunning river scenery – but it’s also a place where many women have hard lives and limited educational opportunities. Responsible Travel offers programs where you can help by teaching English, among other subjects (like health and small business).

Visit: responsibletravel.com

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Image: Gunlom Falls, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. Instagram.com/elliotgrafton

Kakadu & Arnhem Land safari
Embrace the indigenous culture of Australia on a tour of Kakadu and Arnhem Land, with permission from the traditional owners. The tour involves visits to arts and crafts centres owned and operated by local artists. You will also have the opportunity to discover Australia’s wildlife, including native birds and saltwater crocodiles.

Visit: lords-safaris.com

Image: Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand. Instagram.com/mllevalomolo

Environmental conservation in New Zealand
Experience the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand while helping to conserve them. The program includes costal restoration, tree planting and surveying of flora and fauna.

Visit: twac.com.au

Image: Flamingos, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Instagram.com/daveburnsphoto

Travel with purpose in Tanzania
Embark on a humanitarian journey through the heart of Africa. The tour starts in the pretty town of Arusha, where you will meet disabled workers who created recycled glass products, before moving to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti. Throughout the tour you will interact with local villages (including the famous Maasai village), while being educated on conservation and community development in the region.

Visit: andbeyond.com

Image: Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa. Instagram.com/andbeyondphinda

Wildlife conversation in South Africa
Guests will experience the scenic landscapes and wildlife of South Africa including Phinda Game Reserve, Cape Town and Hermanus. The tour has a focus on wildlife conservation, giving travellers the opportunity to help park management individually notch, tag and collect DNA from rhinos in the wild whose livelihoods are under threat due to habitat loss and poaching.

Visit: andbeyond.com

Image: Caye Caulker, Belize. Instagram.com/ninifeh

Marine conservation in Belize
For travellers wanting to take their philanthropic journey to new dimensions, consider a diving experience in the Caribbean. This tailor-made tour is open to all volunteers interested in diving and caring for the environment, and is a step towards helping conserve the Belize Barrier Reef. Throughout the tour you will join a marine conservation team observing whale sharks, conducting reef health checks and hunting invasive species.

Visit: responsibletravel.com