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How did you define your approach to “Louvre Couture”?

It was very precise. The Louvre doesn’t have fashion collections and never will, those collections belong to other institutions like the MAD (Museum of Decorative Arts) next door and the Galliera. But we do have 32,000 art objects, among them 300 works left to the Louvre by Madame Carven, pieces that belonged to Jacques Doucet and a beautiful diamond box that belonged to Yves Saint Laurent.

When you look at that, and the birth of haute couture, and how collecting allowed all these designers to consolidate their social status, there are deep cultural, societal, sociological reasons for us to do this. So our question was: how did designers look at the works in the Louvre, draw inspiration from them, reinterpret them? When you take a step back, fashion is everywhere you look—in Antiquity, in Babylon, in Athens, in Venetian painting and French sculpture, absolutely everywhere.

From left to right: Wool crepe suit with handmade brass bust, from the “Inferno” haute couture collection by Schiaparelli, spring 2023. “Cathedral” dress in copper-plated 3D-printed polyamide (Selective Laser Sintering), Iris van Herpen, spring 2012. Minidress in stretch silk knit with mesh overlay in horn and lambskin, Hermes spring 2021. Blue cotton top with copper wings by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, fall 2023.

Photo: Musée du Louvre / Nicolas Bousser

Could you highlight a few examples for those who aren’t in Paris right now?

The idea was really to follow the chronological order of the collections by blocks, from Byzantine to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 17th and 18th centuries, the Empire, the Second Empire, etc. That way, we could show that, in his final couture collection, Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by an 18th-century blue and white lacquered commode. Sometimes, the interpretations are freer, as with Versace, but you can see that designers are interested in moments in the history of objects. More broadly, it’s interesting to observe how the decorative arts influence them personally: we all know the photos of the interior decor in Lagerfeld’s, Dior’s and Saint Laurent’s homes; with young talents like Blazy or Pieter Mulier, design and photography is always very present.

With the men’s collections in full swing and Couture right around the corner, the Louvre Museum today will unveil Louvre Couture, the first major exhibition to place masterworks of modern fashion—and their inspiration—within the broader context of French history and decorative arts.

Keeping company with tapestries, armour, jewels, enamel, goldsmithing, bronzes, cabinetry, porcelains and other ornamentations that embody the glory of French craftsmanship are looks by 45 houses and designers, among them Balenciaga by both Cristobal and Demna, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior by John Galliano and Maria Grazia Chiuri, Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry, Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton, and pieces from final collections—by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and by Gianni Versace—as well as leading indies like Marine Serre, Erdem, Undercover, Thom Browne and Iris van Herpen.

In all, about 100 pieces of couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories dating from 1949 to the present day are sprinkled throughout the Decorative Objects department on the first floor of the Richelieu wing. “Louvre Couture” will be fêted in grand style on March 4 with the first annual Grand Diner du Louvre, an event sponsored by Visa Infinite. At press time, organisers announced that 30 tables had already been auctioned off, meeting the fundraising goal of 1 million euros.

Star fashion curator Olivier Gabet, the new director of the decorative arts department, spoke with Vogue about the making of the exhibition and what the world’s most famous museum brings to fashion—and vice versa.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

From the Louis Vuitton spring 2018 collection by Nicolas Ghesquière, a sporty, urban riff on 18th century French style, one of several pieces by the designer included in this show.

Photo: Musée du Louvre / Nicolas Bousser

Though we now live on different continents, we persist with our annual ritual whenever we are back home. Each time, I undertake the task of claiming ownership and growing into her clothes. Unknowingly, this has revealed itself to be a practice of slow, sustainable fashion. And the fundamental consequence of this act of borrowing has been the development of my sense of personal style.

Along with the clothes, I have received an appreciation for what I now consider to be the art of putting an outfit together. It has helped me understand how to combine colours, textures, fabrics, and shapes and make them interact with each other. I am no expert at this endeavour, but I do try. It is upon this foundation that I have been continuously learning and experimenting. And it has also enabled me to unlearn certain notions of gender roles and normative binaries that we are boxed into: Yes, I am in fact wearing women’s trousers, and what about it?

The author wears a bag, wide-legged trousers and a navy cardigan. All of them once belonged to his sister.

On this journey of self-fashioning, I have been intentional about being sustainable in whatever ways I can. This newfound interest leads me back to my sister’s wardrobe, thrift stores, and labels that offer more than just a product. Clothes no longer represent something I can hastily put on and head out, but an ensemble of people and experiences that have created them, and lived in them. While they give me a way to express and assert myself, they also root me in a larger community.

The 2020s have been all about the alternative. When a pandemic hit at the end of the decade, it didn’t just deracinate the world order, it also rearranged it. The world as we knew it—and its structures—changed. And relationships were no exception.

An OECD study found that marriage rates declined by an average of 20% across 32 OECD countries in 2020. For dating singles in India, a 2023 Bumble survey found that about 60% of single Indians view ethical non-monogamy (including open relationships and polygamy) as the way of the future. At the heart of the shift away from traditional relationship structures has been female agency—financial, emotional and sexual. And with their powers combined emerges the Captain Planet of relationship trends for 2025: solo polyamory.

A solo polyamorist, by the simplest definition, is someone who has multiple intimate relationships with people, but with an independent lifestyle. They essentially do not live with partners, share finances or have a desire to reach the traditional relationship milestones that make their lives more enmeshed with their partners’. It can be a permanent or temporary lifestyle choice, but when you’re in (regardless of how many partners you have), you are, at your core, ‘independent’.

It took some degree of trial and error for Poorna T, 37 and divorced, to find her way to solo polyamory. She married her high school sweetheart when she was 23, and after nine years of growing discomfort in monogamy, she realised she wanted out. “I like having my own life and I always felt it had to be one or the other—be single or be in a ‘serious’ relationship,” she says. Poorna didn’t even realise she was a solo polyamorist until a friend in an open marriage pointed it out. “She said it so casually one day over brunch, back in 2021, when I mentioned feeling guilty about dating two people. Monogamy was so deeply programmed in me that I hadn’t even considered the idea that multiple relationships could work in a healthy way.” Four years later, with two partners in her city and one long distance, Poorna has managed to carve out emotional fulfilment as well as her own space.

Amira G, 26, is new at this. Both polyamory and solo polyamory are fairly nascent concepts in her life but she finds herself taking to them. “My friends have always called me a serial monogamist because, until last year, I hadn’t been single since I was 15.” But after her last relationship ended (“on good terms”, she hastily adds, lest we think of this as a recoil reaction), she decided to explore other structures. “I currently have just one primary partner and I’m casually dating. But wherever this relationship or any new ones that form go, I like the independence of this structure.” Her life is busy with work, friends, boxing training thrice a week and her cat Bingus. “I tend to lose myself in my relationships. This has helped that not happen.”

In a somewhat unprecedented move, Justin Baldoni’s team has upped the ante in his ongoing disagreement with Blake Lively over what happened on the set of It Ends With Us, what transpired leading up to the release of the film, and what, if any, public relations manipulation occurred after it hit theatres: They’re launching a website.

On the same day that Baldoni’s team released raw video footage from the set, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, and associates told People, “Justin Baldoni and team…have the right to defend themselves with the truth…This is what we will be continuing to show with the upcoming website containing all correspondence as well as relevant videos that quash her claims.”

Instances of sexual harassment, retaliation and other forms of subtle or overt abuse of power are often difficult to prove. However, in this case, both sides have claimed to have concrete evidence to back up their accusations and defences, so it will be interesting to see what, exactly, Baldoni believes will “quash” Lively’s allegations.

As of this writing, Team Lively has not responded to the leaked footage or the threat of a website; our last public statement from her side is in reaction to Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, to which her lawyer responded, “[They] are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni…while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”

That statement also promised, “The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony’s cut of the film.” So, more evidence is supposedly forthcoming.

Now the question is, Will it end with this? Yeah, probably not.

This article first appeared on Glamour.com

For Khanna, this collaboration was at once about the spirit of Mumbai and Starbucks’ growing omnipresence as it was about a creative process that resonated with her emotionally.

“The most interesting thing about working on a collaboration like this is that it challenges you to the core. I get to step out of my comfort zone—beyond the conventional fashion space, venturing into something completely different. For me, everything is an emotional journey and if I can’t resonate with something, whatever the rewards might be, I just won’t do it.” Rightly so, Khanna’s far-from-minimal flair perfectly channels an infectious energy, a sliver of impeccable design transformed into slice-of-life collectables, meant to be worn, withered and generously valued. Owe it to Khanna’s preferred almond milk cappuccino or Starbucks’ mercurial local presence, this association of seemingly far-off worlds only feels natural.

Ahead of the launch of Anamika Khanna + Starbucks, Vogue India speaks to the designer about the joyous process behind capturing Mumbai’s spirit.

Vogue India: What were some of the initial ideas that birthed life into this collaboration?

Anamika Khanna: The whole idea was based around Starbucks’ 100th store milestone in Mumbai. It is a connection over shared belief to tell stories, create memories and connect in ways that eventually reach the heart. It was not just about collaboration or creating a product. It was more of a conversation that deeply delved into our strengths and what we stand for to arrive at an idea that aptly celebrated Bombay, its hyperlocal energy, and its layered localities to provide everyone with a piece of the city.

Ritik Mehta

When Jayant Soni, 95, announced that he would be running the senior citizen marathon at the Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, nobody in his family batted an eyelid. They’re used to this. Ever since he started running at the age of 85, Soni has diligently participated in Mumbai’s premier marathon. This annual custom began when his friends at the Lions Club decided to participate in the event a decade ago. “I thought, ‘Why not join them?’” he says with a twinkle in his eye. What began as a nonchalant dare between friends soon became a personal mission for Soni to test his own strength and endurance.

The nonagenarian’s relationship with fitness began long before his marathon years. Born and raised in Mandvi, a coastal town in Gujarat, he learned to swim at the age of ten. “We had a lake nearby but it was too dangerous to swim in. So I learned to swim in a well, which was quite common back then.” Even as a child, Soni understood the importance of physical activity, inspired by his father, a contractor, and his mother, a hands-on homemaker, who pursued an active lifestyle despite being busy with work.

I was chopping an onion in the kitchen the other day when a thought came to me, sudden and unbidden. I turned to my partner. “If we had a kid,” I asked hypothetically, “where would we put it?” My partner looked around and then pointed down the hallway to the living room. “Over there?” she replied. I tried to imagine it. A small, screaming being, wedged somewhere between her guitar collection and the books we couldn’t fit in the bedroom. And then another question arose in its place. “What about work? How would we do that?” I pictured hiding the baby under the desk while I wrote Vogue articles, like in one of those anxiety dreams where nothing is quite right. My partner said what she often says, which is nearly always correct: “We’d figure it out.”

We’re both women, so for us, having a baby wouldn’t just involve someone going off birth control (there would be admin). But that’s not really my concern (plenty of queer couples manage it). My concern is that, despite being fully grown and then some, I just won’t be adequately equipped. What if we can’t afford the nursery school fees (I’ve heard they’re astronomical)? What if one of us has to give up work for longer than we intended to? Does the fact we’re not homeowners put us in a precarious position? And then there are the more irrational concerns: what if the baby comes out and doesn’t like me? What if I turn into a grouchy person because it’s too messy all the time (I don’t like things being in the wrong place) and then I get known as “grumpy mum” or something. What if, what if, what if.

In some ways, these worries feel absurd. My mum had me when she was a teenager. She was a single parent, and we never had much money. By the time she was my age, she had a hormonal teenager living in her house (can you imagine?) I grew up in London, where it’s not exactly cheap. And look, I turned out fine. More than fine: I love my life, and treasured my upbringing. But maybe those were different times. We’re in the midst of a major cost of living crisis. The UK’s birthrate is at a record low, with more than a quarter of millennials saying they can’t afford to have kids. Since the ’90s, house prices have risen from roughly four to eight times the average national income. None of my friends have kids, even the straight ones. They can’t afford it, or they don’t feel prepared. How would a baby fit into a five-bed Clapton Pond house share sublet that doesn’t even allow pets anyway?

As a fashion savant, the Kanchipuram, or its colloquial sister, the kanjeevaram, are revered wardrobe staples, often restricted to valued occasions. With roots traversing the history of our country, the sartorial genre crafted out of pure silk is known for its intricate borders, often featuring delectable florals, ancient temple scenes and significant emblems from Indian mythology.

For this boardroom-turned-political outing, Mrs. Ambani donned opulent jewels in her signature style. The suite included a 200-year-old South-Indian parrot-shaped pendant encrusted with emeralds, rubies, diamonds, and pearls set in gold Kundan technique, a kadha and a cocktail ring.

From Vogue‘s fashion desk:

“For an opulent yet refined approach to wearing handlooms, start with a rich Kanjeevaram sari in darker, jewel-toned hues. If similar to Mrs Ambani’s dual-toned metallic weave, opt for a black Chantilly lace blouse, with a built-up neckline and cap sleeves to create an elegant, structured silhouette. Try modern jewellery like statement cuffs and simple pearl drop earrings. An old Hollywood wave hairstyle could complete the look,” guides Vogue India‘s Associate Fashion Editor, Divya Balakrishnan.

A Banarasi Saree, sometimes referred to as a Benarasi Saree, relying on your chosen spelling, is an ethnic garment that symbolizes the grace and splendor of Indian brides.

The town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India, is the birthplace of this first rate sort of silk. These wonderful Banarasi sarees, which can be very well-favored in India, are woven via the usage of great silk.

What gives the Banarasi Saree its Timeless Appeal in India?

The popularity of Banarasi Sarees in India can be explained by a few fascinating facts. The items come from the Buddhist texts and the Mahabharata, where Banarasi has attained enlightenment and grandeur. The origins of Banarasi silk sarees may be traced back to India`s wealthy cultural past. At the period, every Banarasi saree was made with authentic gold and silver threads and turned into crafted with majesty. Making a single item took the artists almost a year.

As a result, it is among the most desirable saree materials that women desire to own. And there are tales of owning a handcrafted, authentic Banarasi saree all around the world, not just in India. But first, we’d need you to talk about a number of the little-recognised and difficult to understand data about Banarasi sarees which you ought to be aware of whilst you purchase one online.

Banarasi sarees are lovely works of artwork that show off many years of craftsmanship, tradition, and cultural records; they may be more than simply clothes. Banarasi sarees are precise withinside the style enterprise due to their complex designs and the ability of the weavers who make them. 

8 Fascinating facts approximately Banarasi sarees and the thriving network that makes them up are as follows:

1. Banarasi Silk sarees have its origins withinside the superb Mughal Dynasty, whilst the Mughals added this tremendous artistry to India. Banarasi sarees have since come to represent royal style and wealth.

2. Banarasi silk is well known for its extraordinary qualities in addition to its beauty. Its exceptional water absorption and high tensile strength were acknowledged even by the ancient Inca society, who wore Banarasi Silk.

3. Banarasi sarees are made from a variety of fabrics, such as Georgette, Shattir, Organza (Kora), and Pure Silk (Katan). Each variety demonstrates the diversity of this beautiful skill by being differentiated by the cloth used, the threads utilized, and the embroidery styles used.

4. Banarasi sarees, which had been to begin with made handiest for royalty, are the top of beauty and grace. A wealthy tapestry of records and way of life is pondered by their design, that’s prominent with the aid of using a mixture of Persian affects and Indian inventive culture.

5. Making the ideal Banarasi saree is no easy task. Three or more artisans must collaborate well and pay close attention to detail in order to complete this task. To guarantee that each saree is a masterwork of talent and artistry, one person weaves the saree, another does the elaborate needlework, and a third helps with border design.

6. Heavy embroidery, frequently with actual gold and silver threads, is a hallmark of Banarasi sarees. The saree is a treasured asset for centuries to come because of the elaborate zari embroidery, which increases its weight while also enhancing its opulence.

7. Silk for Banarasi sarees was previously imported from China. But as India’s silk industry has developed, the majority of the silk used to make Banarasi sarees now comes from the country’s south, guaranteeing sustainability and quality.

8. A flawless Banarasi saree has over 5600 thread wires, which is evidence of the elaborate weaving methods used by talented craftspeople. Every thread adds to the saree’s superb quality and sumptuous feel.

9. Expert artisans still weave Banarasi sarees on handlooms in spite of technological breakthroughs. The livelihoods of numerous weavers and craftspeople are supported by this traditional production process, which also maintains the authenticity of the skill.

Read more – https://blog.indianweddingsaree.com/stylish-blouse-patterns-for-banarasi-silk-sarees

Among Indian traditional weaves, banarasi sarees are without a doubt the pinnacle of elegance. They have a significant position in both our cultural heritage and our clothes. Banarasi sarees are a valuable investment and a must-have for every collection.

Beyond being worn for day by day purposes, Banarasi sarees have captured the eye of celebrities who feel the craftsmanship of every design. Celebrity endorsements have substantially progressed the popularity of Banarasi sarees and cemented their function as an vital object for any woman`s closet. Those who wear these classic sarees exude elegance and delicacy.

Banarasi sarees are acknowledged for his or her pleasant weaves, sophisticated designs, and complicated colors. The Banarasi silk saree might be precious for many centuries to return back because it has remained an image of undying splendor over time. The selection of pure silk sarees offered by Indian Wedding Saree is exquisitely designed and exudes a beautiful luster.