Features

“A Star Alone”: Shailah Edmonds’ Fashion Journey

November 12, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Instagram

Shailah Edmonds is one of those top model voices that should be heard louder. We should be shouting from the rooftops her name and her model story. In a world where models achieve fame from being on reality television and shows and from the reach and depth of their social media proliferation, Shailah Edmonds is one of those rare black models that achieve her success and enduring presence through dogged hard work and perseverance.

Though her beauty is a given, and her height 6`0 was a revelation in the 1970s, her fashion career did not come easy. And her short film, “A Star Alone,” based on her best-selling bio From Wild Child to Couture Style, currently playing at the New York Short Film Festival through Thursday, November 13, gives a small glimpse into her model journey.

Discovered in the early 70s by a black model agent, a career in fashion as a model was not on Shailah’s radar, especially with two small children and a husband. But Shailah took the challenge head on, walking in fashion shows in Washington, DC before heading to New York City.

Image courtesy of fashionreverie.com

After failing to get representation in New York City, on the advice of a photographer friend, Shailah headed to Germany and quickly found success. Milan, Paris, and Tokyo were the next fashion conquests with Shailah riding the wave for several decades, walking for Yves Saint Laurent, Nina Ricci, Givenchy, Dior, Valentino, Versace, Armani, and many others.

“A Star Alone” gives a brief sneak peek into Shailah Edmonds’ fashion journey from an adventurous teenager to a glamorous top model. What an exciting trajectory!!

William S. Gooch

Dippity Don’t Says: November 2025

November 6, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of cnn.com

Fall is in full swing, and Fashion Reverie hopes you enjoyed the Halloween weekend. Next up is Thanksgiving, so it’s time for turkey, pie, and stuffing. Before you start planning your Thanksgiving menu, come knock on Fashion Reverie’s door and stop by for some tea? It’s only been a month since Fashion Month, but the industry has seen shake-ups with job changes and scandals that have the tea pot piping hot. Without further delay, prepare your teacups.

Image courtesy of nytimes.com

Condé Nast has shut down Teen Vogue and will merge its youth-oriented coverage into Vogue. This has led to the departure of Teen Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Versha Sharma, along with layoffs of several Teen Vogue editors. Notably, Teen Vogue was praised for its political coverage, which was very liberal, and it seems that coverage will be discontinued. Many believe this relates to Jeff Bezos’ influence on Condé Nast after Lauren Sanchez was featured on a digital Vogue cover before their wedding. Losing a left-leaning news outlet in today’s political climate is very telling.

Image courtesy of fashionista.com

Olivier Rousteing is no longer at Balmain. This news shocked many in the industry as he was considered the epitome of Balmain, but the brand has struggled financially for quite some time. After the designer shuffle, there are no comparable major creative director roles available. He might be enjoying a long vacation until the next designer shakeup.

Image courtesy of people.com

The investigation into the death of Mango founder Isak Andic continues. Andic died from a fall during a hike, and investigators are examining whether he was pushed by his son, Jonathan Andic. There were inconsistencies in Jonathan Andic’s statements, and he was known for having a strained relationship with his father. This is starting to resemble a soap opera plot.

Image courtesy of usatoday.com

Not much has been heard regarding the sexual assault case against former A-list designer Riccardo Tisci. However, here’s the latest update: it has been moved to federal court, and slander and libel claims have been added by his accuser, Patrick Cooper. This could become very complicated for Tisci. It wouldn’t be surprising if he tries to settle out of court.

Mr. Dippity Don’t

Breaking Fashion News: Olivier Rousteing Leaves Balmain

November 6, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of fashionista.com

After 14 years at the helm of French luxury brand Balmain, Olivier Rousteing is stepping down. This announcement came out today, November 5.

“Today marks the end of my Balmain era,” Rousteing, 40, wrote on Instagram. “What an extraordinary story it has been—a love story, a life story … I will always hold this treasured time close to my heart.” “Throughout his remarkable 14-year tenure, Olivier’s visionary approach and creative brilliance propelled Balmain to unprecedented heights,” the label said.

Rousteing took over the helm of Balmain at the age of 25, and now at only the age of 40, much lies ahead. Rousteing revived the once-sleepy luxury fashion, making it once again a force in the fashion industry. He accomplished this feat by bringing unparalleled craftsmanship and a modern approach to fashion.

Under his helm, Rousteing established a Balmain community, called the “Balmain Army”—a loyal circle of models and stars including Rihanna, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian. With his inclusive casting, under Rousteing, Balmain’s runway shows become major entertainment events.

Olivier Rousteing was born in Bordeaux, France who he later learned to Ethiopian and Somalian parents. Adopted early in his life, Rousteing moved to Paris to study at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode. He began his career at Roberto Cavalli in 2003, where he worked as the head of the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear collection for five years.

Image courtesy of fashionmagazine.com

Once Rousteing became the creative director of Balmain, he became the first Black fashion designer to helm an iconic luxury fashion house. During his tenure, Balmain injected African themes and culture into his collections. He increased Balmain’s revenue from €30.4 million in 2012 to an estimated €300 million last year.

“Like every story, this one also has an ending,” Rousteing wrote on Instagram Wednesday. He thanked his team and colleagues, but did not say what his next step will be.

—William S. Gooch

Why are Black Models Ruling the Runway?

October 23, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

One of the most highly anticipated runway shows for this past Fashion Month was the Chanel spring 2026 show. Chanel’s spring 2026 runway collection marked the debut of fashion designer Mathieu Blazy, who took over from the brand’s previous artistic director, Virginie Viard. Blazy was known for his work at Bottega Veneta and is considered one of the brightest young stars of his generation. Still, he had big shoes to fill, as many consider the artistic director role at Chanel one of the biggest and most coveted design jobs in the industry.

Images courtesy of vogue.com

Blazy’s first collection was met with applause, great reviews from critics, and social media approval. One of the most notable moments of the Chanel spring 2026 show was the finale runway look: a classic white tee shirt paired with a multicolored, maximalist feather skirt, modeled by Awar Odhiang. Closing the Chanel show quickly helped further cement Odhiang’s status as the model of the moment.

Odhiang’s Paris Fashion Week season included an impressive résumé of shows, such as Alaïa, Hermès, Balenciaga, Chloé, and Sacai. In 2024, models.com nominated her as Model of the Year. Recently, Odhiang walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Odhiang’s story is a true rags-to-riches fairytale. The rising star was born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia to South Sudanese parents. Eventually, her parents immigrated to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, before moving to Calgary, where she was discovered as a model. Since then, she has taken the fashion world by storm, and she is just one of many Black models currently ruling the runway.

In the wake of backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion, and many companies doing away with their DEI efforts that brought more diversity and more Black employees, fashion, in some ways, is seemingly ignoring much of the anti-DEI sentiment. Many companies, like Macy’s and Ulta, are still committed to their DEI efforts.

Faith Johson in Chanel spring 2026 show image courtesy of vogue.com

While Odhiang had a season that many models would die for, other Black models who are even newer to the industry also had their breakout season. Faith Johnson was ranked as one of models.com’s breakout stars of the season, and not only was she one of the many Black models who strutted their stuff for the Chanel runway with Odhiang, but she also walked the runway for Celine, McQueen, Dries Van Noten, and Saint Laurent.

Kathia Nseje in McQueen spring 2026 show and Marylore Heck in Sacai spring 2026 show images courtesy of vogue.com

Johnson was joined on the ‘Breakout Season Star’ list by other Black models, including Kathia Nseke and Marylore Heck. Nseke’s Fashion Month credits include McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Prada. Before her successful runway season, she also starred in an editorial for Grazia wearing a head-to-toe Dior look. Looking at Heck, the better question is whose runway was not she on, with Fashion Month credits including Dior, Rabanne, Loewe, Victoria Beckham, Balenciaga, Celine, Chloé, and Sacai.

While it is easy to hope that Black models are getting their just desserts, this season is a sign of a changing tide, historically, Black models have often been treated like a trend. The tides have ebbed and flowed for Black models getting their due—there will be periods of increased diversity, but then it is right back to fighting for equity and inclusion.

Image courtesy of cfda.org

Take the historic Battle of Versailles, for example. The groundbreaking moment in fashion history in the 1970s saw five European fashion houses (Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, and Marc Bohan for Dior) face off against five American fashion houses (Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, and Stephen Burrows) to see who would come out on top in a competition format.

The American designers won. Many in the fashion industry at the time said where the European designers failed was in trying to outdo each other rather than work as a team. Not only did the American designers come out on top, but one of the notable things about the Battle of Versailles was that they used ten Black models, which was considered a record-breaking number at the time.

Bethann Hardison, a prominent fashion industry figure, has spent decades advocating for diversity in the fashion industry and was one of the models who walked in the Battle of Versailles. In 1984, Hardison founded the Bethann Management Agency, focused on diversifying the modeling industry. In 1988, she also co-founded the Black Girls Coalition with supermodel Iman to support Black models.

Despite their efforts, for decades, there were still shows where designers would not use a single Black model. In 2016, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) released diversity guidelines to push more designers to use Black models. In 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, many fashion companies began diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, which included pushing for more Black models.

The shift toward using more Black models can also be attributed to one thing above all else: money. Black people are among the largest consumers of luxury goods, with some statistics listing Black consumers as the second-largest demographic of luxury fashion consumers, behind Asians. Rapper Cardi B once addressed this in a rant on social media, saying that every time a woman in hip-hop or a Black celebrity mentions a luxury brand, it can spike their sales, and she isn’t incorrect. Mega pop star Beyoncé once declared that Birkins were over and it was all about Telfar, briefly causing Hermès’ sales to slip and Telfar’s to spike.

As of 2019, Black consumers accounted for 20 percent of luxury spending in the U.S., according to Bain, which was a surprising statistic for some, given that Black people make up only 14 percent of the U.S. population. Luxury consumers are also 72 percent more likely to be Black.

Image courtesy of marieclairenigeria.com

Gone are the days when you could convince consumers to buy without representation. These brands have stepped up and realized that if they want Black dollars, Black models are a necessity. Iman once said she wouldn’t shop from brands that don’t use Black models, and her words have had a trickle-down effect. Looking at the runways of top luxury brands, from Ralph Lauren to Louis Vuitton, they are all inclusive of Black models in 2025. If these brands want Black consumers to shop, the era of Black models as a seasonal trend is over, they are a must.

—Kristopher Fraser

New York Bridal Week Fall 2026 Preview

October 11, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of brides.com

The brides are back!! Well, not exactly; however, New York Bridal Fashion Week (NYBFW) is back!! Which means that New York City will experience incredible array of bridal designs, reflecting the fall 2026 bridal collections from the fashion industry’s most esteemed bridal designers.

Now remember, NYBFW collections are presented a year in advance of the season because most brides to be plan their nuptials a year or more in advance. So, to align with how most nuptials are planned NYBFW presents bridal collections a year in advance with most of the collections of that season not available for months after the said fashion week.

There will be some exciting brands presenting this season with the return of WTOO with a new bridal aesthetic and creative team. Fashion Reverie will be primed and ready showing consumers the fall 2026 bridal collections of Mark Ingam, Idan Cohen, NARDOS, Ese Azenabor, Alexandra Grecco, Nicole + Felicia, Justin Alexander, Hera, Viktor and Rolf, and many others.

NYBFW takes place October 13-16. Don’t forget to stay tuned!!

William S. Gooch

Mr. Dippity Don’t Says: October 2025

October 7, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Happy spooky season, kids! Halloween is when fashion and costume lovers unite, as it’s time to play dress-up. Also, don’t forget your Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters. While you’re planning what kind of candy to get for the kids, Fashion Reverie also has some tea to serve you. Fashion Month only just wrapped up, and there is plenty of tea to pour.

This notable designer, who previously served as the creative director at a top fashion house, is reported to be furious after being passed over for one of the biggest creative director roles in the industry. The designer the brand eventually chose as creative director made his debut during Paris Fashion Week, and the designer who lost out on the position is now angry. His last collection in his previous role was seen as a test for this opportunity, but the owners ultimately selected a younger, less controversial candidate. Unfortunately for this angry designer, he still hasn’t secured a new position, and most major creative director roles are already filled. Cue the violin music!!

This major Italian fashion house had a very successful Milan Fashion Week show, but the brand is not doing well financially. Sales haven’t been the same since their big-name, pop-culture-phenomenon creative director left. Editors, buyers, and stylists have lost interest in the brand, and it isn’t moving the needle like it used to. Let’s see how long their current creative director lasts.

Image courtesy of substack.com/Louis Pisano

Paris Fashion Week is in a major invitation crisis, as there is now a black market to buy invitations to top fashion brand shows like Louis Vuitton and Dior. These black-market dealers only provide prices upon request, but they are easily four figures at minimum. The economy might be tough, but everyone is finding a way to make a buck. Much to the dismay of these fashion houses, they are not happy their invites are going out on the black market and are puzzled how to stop this.

Image courtesy of theguardian.com

This publishing house executive for a major magazine might be safe from his company’s Human Resources department but is not safe from the court of public opinion. The executive has been attacked on social media for his anti-Palestinian posts demonizing the people of Palestine amid the ongoing foreign policy crisis between Israel and Hamas. While HR has said not has a conversation with him about his behavior, he’s had to put his social media accounts on private.

— Mr. Dippity Don’t

Fashion Reverie’s Models to Watch Out For in the Spring 2026 Season

October 4, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Images courtesy of fashionista.com

The crop of models that made our list can flex and can do it all; they are generalists rather than specialists. What makes a model “work” today, is a distinct look and identity, and the ability to be just as good at editorial as they are on the runway and image campaigns, both video and print. This versatility leads to more of a global reach than yesterday’s perfectly pretty models who either had the personality for editorial or the hanger-like body to show off runway collections. Another important development is that this versatility has also pushed out the many fads that captivated fashion for the past five years ranging from Plus Size to Transgender to models of color. We seem to have arrived at a place where the models who thrive are those who are the most adaptable to do whatever a job requires.

There’s also a shift away from “perfection,” which began in the 1990s, when Kate Moss burst onto the scene. Kate was a new generation kind of model. She was a good 3 inches shorter and two sizes smaller than the Barbie-esque supermodels of the time. Ten years later, Gisele Bundchen, became a fashion phenom, regardless of her “overly large” nose. These two supermodels captivated fashion and fashionistas worldwide, showing everyone that “different” is more than okay, and that the new “beautiful” allowed for “imperfection,” and that resonated with the public.

Today, the new generation of models we highlight here have successfully crossed over into all the fashion realms: runway, editorials, and image campaigns, as only a tiny select circle of Supermodels did in the nineties. As fashion publications struggle to find their new direction, successful models are a new hybrid model, like Edward Enninful’s new EE72 publication.

THE WOMEN

June R. – We immediately noticed June backstage at the Evan Hirsch show. At 5’9”, she was shorter than the 5’11” models who dominate the catwalks, but unlike many of them, she is multi-dimensional. Her measurements also make her a go-to model at Miami Fashion Week Swim. Her slim yet athletic physique makes her a top pick for both editorial and commercial work there. June’s small featured symmetrical face also makes her a shoo-in for lifestyle work for Starbucks and for beauty and jewelry brands.

Agency: Major Model

IG: @juneramadhan

Image courtesy of imdb.com and Instagram

Amanda Rouse – Sometimes, a model has everything going for her in terms of proportion, height and personality. A tweak such as the right haircut can propel a career to the next level. So far, Amanda has booked plenty of catalogue work, making her a commercial modeling success; she even teaches a masterclass on how to succeed in this category on www.modelwaypodcast.com. However, backstage at the Albright College show Amanda told us she’s recently changed her focus to booking runway and editorial work. She kicked off her initiative by shearing her 1 ½ curly hair down to a GI Jane buzz cut. Carolyn Murphy, Linda Evangelista, Amber Valetta famously cut their hair short supermodel status followed post chop. We predict Amanda will have editorial success, due to her runway perfect proportions and infectiously positive personality. Sometimes the right tweak is all it takes.

Agency: JL Model Management

IG: @manduhmay

Images courtesy of Glamour UK, Teen Vogue, and Hello! Magazine, respectively

Alex Consani – Alex is at first glance, a tall, bleached blonde with angular features, hardly a one-off in the world of fashion modeling. What’s not immediately apparent; however, is that she can metamorphose into an edgy alien-like creature for the camera, as actress Tilda Swinton famously does in her films.

Alex bears a striking resemblance to the Academy Award winner in the Coperni fall 2025 campaign. She is equally adept at depicting a blonde socialite at the Michael Kors spring 2026 show, as well as playing a Victoria’s Secret vixen in the October 2024 social media promo video and later in the show, as one of the six “Angels.” This newer “Angel” held her own, walking alongside Ariana Lima, one of the most famous “Angels” of all time.

Agency: IMG New York

IG: @alexconsani

Libby Bennet images courtesy of British Vogue and specialmanagement.com

Libby Bennett – Like male model Gideon Adeniyi (featured below), Libby also made model.com’s Top 50. Libby has an androgynous quality that has earned her work with fashion’s most coveted brands. She shows her masculine side in an ad campaign for Alexander McQueen and COS, and editorial work for Bazaar Italia, and Bazaar France. Her versatility has made her a favorite with photographer legends, Steven Meisel, and Paolo Roversi. While she looks feminine in her work for Chanel, Versace, and Hermes, her most notable transformation was as David Bowie for the Louis Vuitton show.

Agency: HEROES New York, www.heroesmodels.com

IG: @libbyybennett

Images courtesy of Getty Images and DNA Models

Devyn Garcia – is known for speaking out about her multi-cultural identity, (Cuban, Spanish, Black, Native American) and her advocacy for plus-size models. Regarding that category, Devyn is the perfect representation of how plus-size has adapted since the trend for plus-size models several years ago. At 5’9”, her measurements, bust 37, waist 28 ½, hips 45 ½, are much more in line with the industry standard, except for her hip size. At age 24, she is a great example of a model who can look any which way, from a fresh-faced woman on the beaches of Miami to a lady who lunches at a Michael Kors show, to a Victoria’s Secret beauty.

Agency: DNA Models

IG: @devynfaithgarcia

THE MEN

The early 2000s witnessed a big shift in the male model aesthetic. The Versace “buff boy” was pushed aside by painfully thin boys who had an edgy androgynous quality that fashion couldn’t seem to get enough of. Today’s male model takes the best of both looks, resulting in a man who is a standard bearer of global beauty.

Images courtesy of Fusion Models

Charlie Nolte – has the face and lush hair of a Versace boy from Richard Avedon’s legendary nineties campaigns, but his sinewy body resembles that of a yoga instructor’s. This combination made him a hot commodity at NYFW when he was double-booked to open the Cynthia Rowley show, and to be at a Lacoste fitting. He’s a regular on the Louis Vuitton runways as well. Charlie’s editorial includes GQ Brasil, Flaunt, and Bazaar Thailand.

Agency: Storm Management LA.

IG: @charlienolte

Image courtesy of Next Management

Ryu Aguilar – this 6’1” Tokyo born model looks edgy and street wise in a leather vest that shows off his tattoos and blue hair in an Another Man editorial. On the flip side, Ryu is also equally believable playing a private school boy in a blue pinstripe and loafer outfit in the 2025 Public Policy show. His wide range makes him a contender for global image campaigns.

Agency: NEXT New York

IG: @ryuluvzgod

Images courtesy of GQ and Metropolitan Models

Bai – is a 6’2 ½” Chinese surfing instructor who burst into the modeling world when Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons chose him to walk in their fall 2024 show. He continued his work with Prada when he posed for the fall 2025 image campaign. Bai channeled a different part of his personality to transform into an urban hipster sauntering down the runway in a mesh shirt and slicked back hair at the Off-White spring 2026 show.

Agency: DNA Models

IG: ruien.bai

Images courtesy of MODLEWERK

Gideon Adeniyi – The Nigerian born phenom made models.com’s coveted Top 50 list for his work on a high-profile campaign for Prada fall 2025 Eyewear and for Zara. He’s a favorite with directional brands, Off-White and Shanghai based Ziggy Chen, to represent them on the runway. We suspect Gideon is just getting started.

Agency: 90s Management

IG: gideonadeniyi_

Vivian Kelly

The Demise of Fashion Publishing

September 29, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

There is irony in discussing the demise of fashion publishing, in that Fashion Reverie is a fashion publication. However, as much as we love fashion journalism, there is no denying that the Gilded Age of fashion media is over. As publications find ways to adapt to an era where social media is king, and over 40 percent of millennials and younger people are getting their news from TikTok, competition is tough.

The greatest golden age of fashion publishing was arguably the 1990s and the 2000s, before the Great Recession. In those days, print was still king. Magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle were stacked with hundreds of ad pages from brands ranging from Club Monaco to Chanel. The September issues, which is still considered the January of fashion, meant a cash cow of ad dollars for major fashion magazines.

Following the Great Recession of 2007 and the increase in digital consumption of news content, the decline of fashion publishing began. Condé Nast, the parent company of Vogue, GQ, and Vanity Fair, shuttered Men’s Vogue during the 2007 recession, along with Cookie, a parenting magazine aimed toward stylish moms. Teen-centric magazines, including Teen People and Cosmogirl, also shuttered. If anything, the recession helped kill the latter before social media inevitably would. Daily News Record (or DNR), the brother publication to fashion bible Women’s Wear Daily, folded, and its men’s coverage was absorbed into its sister publication.

In 2007, no industry was safe. Factories that were the source of blue-collar jobs were closing, there was a subprime mortgage crisis that left real estate struggling, and behemoths of American banks and financial firms were either being bailed out by the government or going under. At the time, the media was seen as just another victim of the worst economic crisis the world had seen since the Great Depression.

As the economy rebounded, so did the magazines’ ad pages. Vogue went from slimmed-down issues of fewer than 500 pages for its September issues right back to hefty issues with hundreds of ad pages. Its September issues continued being sizable through 2015, and slowly its ad pages began to decline. In 2015, Vogue had 615 ad pages for its September issue; by 2019, that number had declined to 415.

At the time Vogue’s ad pages were declining, Condé Nast also shut the print issues of Self, which went digital-only in 2016, and Glamour, which published its last print issue in 2019. In 2020, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, magazine ad pages practically fell off a cliff. Vogue’s September issue was a paltry 201 ad pages, the slimmest September issue it had published in the 21st century. Incoming Vogue editorial director Chloe Malle says she is exploring approaching print with a special edition concept rather than doing ten print issues a year, as is the magazine’s current circulation. Vogue’s younger counterpart, Teen Vogue, is thriving with digital traffic but shuttered its monthly print issue in 2017.

While Condé Nast rival Hearst Magazines hasn’t shuttered any publications over the past few years, Teen Vogue’s rival Seventeen also ceased publishing a print issue the following year, in 2018. Hearst also cut down the circulation of magazines like Harper’s Bazaar to ten issues a year.

No fashion publication has seen more hands change and been through a bigger whirlwind than InStyle. InStyle was previously owned by Time Inc., one of the biggest players in mass media. In 2018, Meredith Corporation acquired InStyle for $2.8 billion, and for a while, all seemed well. Then, in 2021, Dotdash acquired Meredith Corporation’s magazines, ceasing print circulation for InStyle and ousting the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, Laura Brown.

The only other fashion magazine that has arguably seen as much of a rollercoaster ride as InStyle is W. W was formerly a Condé Nast publication. It began as a biweekly spin-off of Women’s Wear Daily in 1972. In 1993, it relaunched as an oversized glossy magazine and became a pinnacle of art, fashion, and Hollywood content. In 2019, W was sold to Surface Media, but that didn’t last long. By 2020, it was purchased by W Media, which was created for the purchase of the publication, and now operates in partnership with Bustle Digital Group and a group of investors led by Karlie Kloss. W is one of the few Bustle-affiliated properties with a print issue, as it currently publishes six issues per year.

Although fashion media is far from dead, print is slowly going the way of the dinosaur. Print magazine budgets are being trimmed in favor of video content. Companies are also investing more in the e-commerce arms of their publications. As part of their experiment to cut costs, more companies are pooling staff and sharing content across multiple titles. Copy and research editors are also out at most publications. It’s not unheard of for staff to work across multiple titles at publications, with a fashion editor for an entire group of fashion and lifestyle publications.

For what is left of print, individual issue newsstand sales have gone up. Magazine prices can reach $6.99 now, with $7.99 for September issues. In abysmal news, the U.S. Association of Magazine Media stopped releasing annual ad page counts in 2015, so it is tough to say just how bad print advertising has become.

Images courtesy of the respective magazines

The biggest competitors for the future of fashion publishing are Instagram and TikTok. There are no greater competitors for fashion lovers’ eyeballs on the market, and Instagram and TikTok have entire fashion and luxury divisions now. Even YouTube has a fashion and beauty partnership arm, making the space for video content, which was once considered a future boon for fashion publications.

Nonetheless, many of these big media brands still have names that carry a lot of weight. What were once print issues can now be adapted into digital issues, with digital covers, editorial photoshoots, and a social media push for content. While the Golden Age of print is long gone, there is still a future for fashion publishing. People love content, and fashion is a beloved visual medium. The key is continuing to evolve.

Kristopher Fraser

Dippity Don’t Says: September 2025

September 8, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Happy Fashion Month! We at Fashion Reverie would like to start by mourning the passing of legendary fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who passed away on September 4. With Milan Fashion Week several weeks away, will the show go on in his absence? To be determined.

In the meantime, prepare your teacups as we pour the pre-Fashion Week tea. From disgruntled editors to companies going for broke, the September tea is hot. Grab your denim jacket and join us for the hot gossip.

Image courtesy of pucknews.com

Mark Guiducci, the global editorial director of Vanity Fair, has upset his editors after he suggested putting Melania Trump on the cover of the magazine. Needless to say, his liberal-leaning editors immediately staged a revolt. One senior editor threatened to walk out, take her staff with her, and said she’d prefer to bag groceries at Trader Joe’s. This doesn’t bode well for Guiducci, who only took over as editorial director of Vanity Fair this year and was already considered one of the most disliked people in the Condé Nast building.

Balmain, considered a crown jewel of the fashion industry, isn’t making as much money as it used to. The brand is reportedly having financial trouble, with sales steadily declining. Mayhoola, the brand’s parent company, has provided them with multiple bailouts. How long will they continue this support, and what will that mean for Balmain?

Image courtesy of Caroline Ramsey

In the wake of luxury e-commerce company Ssense filing for bankruptcy, many of their employees who weren’t laid off already are jumping ship. Rather than see what the writing on the wall will have in store, people have begun jumping at the first jobs that come their way before they have to collect unemployment insurance. It’s a tough market for fashion right now.

Image courtesy of Firenzemadeintuscany.

While Alessandro Michele made a legendary name for himself at Gucci, it appears the higher-ups at Valentino are less than satisfied with the results he’s delivered at the brand. Sales have taken a slight dip, but keep in mind, despite the picture of optimism some economists are trying to paint, we are in a recession. Will they try to replace Michele with fresh blood or at least give him a chance to steer through the current luxury fashion downturn?

—Mr. Dippity Don’t

Breaking News: Giorgio Armani Passes Away

September 5, 2025 by admin Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of wwd.com

Iconic Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani passed away yesterday morning at his home in Milan. According to Armani’s company, Armani Group, Giorgio Armani worked up until his final days.

Armani built a fashion empire by taking Neapolitan male tailoring techniques, softening the internal structure, removing shoulder pads, and canvas linings, thus making a more relaxed approach to men’s suiting. After establishing his namesake company in 1976, Armani became a household name after actor Richard Gere showcased his character’s style in the 1980 film hit “American Gigolo” donning Armani loose-fit jackets and well-tailored suits.

“All the women of my generation, including Hillary Clinton, were wearing jeans in the 1960s,” said Deborah Nadoolman Landis, a costume designer and historian and founding director and chair of the David C. Copley Center for Costume Design at the University of California, Los Angeles, as detailed in nytimes.com. “But where do you go from Woodstock? How do you professionalize that look when those women start entering the work force? You professionalize it by wearing a feminized suit from Armani.”

Image courtesy of vogue.com

“Armani is one of those, like Coco Chanel with the little black dress, as important for what he contributed socially through dress as for what he specifically designed,” said Harold Koda, a former head curator of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was a curator, with Germano Celant, of an Armani retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2000.

As noted earlier, Armani was one of the first fashion designers to align himself and his brand closely to celebrities, gifting garments to celebrities for events and red carpets. “Giorgio started the whole thing of giving clothes to celebrated people, public figures,” said the model and actress Lauren Hutton, who portrayed a senator’s wife in “American Gigolo” (1980), as reported in newyorktimes.com. “Designers really didn’t give away clothes back then.”

“I was one of the first designers to dress stars on and off screen,” Mr. Armani told the British newspaper The Telegraph in 2013. “They didn’t always have a particular style, or the dress sense to know what to wear for an occasion. I helped them feel more confident and relaxed.”

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Giorgio Armani garments would be seen of celebrities on and off-screen with a list including Sean Connery and Robert De Niro in “The Untouchables” (1987); by Christian Bale and Michael Keaton in separate iterations of the “Batman” franchise; by Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013); and by Don Johnson in the television hit 1980s police drama “Miami Vice.” Who can forget Philip Michael Thomas and Don Johnson in laid-back, casual Armani jackets and suits with rolled-up sleeves or simple tee shirts and relaxed slacks with no belts.

Armani’s ascent in the fashion world was meteoric. In just six years after launching his eponymous brand, Armani appeared on a 1982 cover of Time magazine. The first time a fashion designer had graced the cover in 40 years.

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Though Armani received praise from people in and outside of fashion, there were detractors. The great fashion editor Eleanor Lambert in the early 1980s said that Armani had “destroyed fashion.”

Armani reaped the rewards of his talent and fashion empire evidenced his vast accumulation of luxury properties, included by not limited to an immense 18th-century Milanese palazzo, a penthouse on Central Park West; a cliff-hanging retreat in Antigua; a chalet in St. Moritz; a Provençal farmhouse; a sprawling compound on the rocky Sicilian island of Pantelleria; a villa in Lombardy; a 48,000-square-foot museum devoted to his archives; and a custom 213-foot yacht.