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Retail can be cheap and cheerful like fast fashion, or slow and methodical like couture. No matter how you approach it, the new age of Fashion has proven to be beautifully relevent, and extremely lucrative.
Fashion Nova CEO Richard Saghian grabbed headlines this morning after it was revealed that he spent $141 Million on one of the largest properties in Los Angeles, called "The One."
Credit: @Luxury_Listings
The 40-year-old's new crash pad features 21 bedrooms, 42 baths, and encompasses 105,000 square feet. Saghian said in a statement, "There is nothing else like it....as an avid collector of real estate, I recognized this as a rare property that is destined to be apart of Los Angeles history." Take a look at what $20 bodycon dresses and butt hugging jeans can buy below:
Credit: @Luxury_Listings
Credit: @Luxury_Listings
Credit: @Luxury_Listings
Credit: @Luxury_Listings
While most hard core fashionistas are still mired in the midst of Paris Fashion Week, looking at endless displays of time intensive runway looks, Saghian in LA is showing us that fashion can also be simple.
His method of buying affordable apparel, selling them at a mark up, and heavily using social media and marketing to promote his items, has proven to provide the keys to the door of a hundred million dollar mansion. It gives us all food for thought about the future of fashion, and how the industry will continue to evolve in years to come.
No matter how you approach it, the new age of Fashion has proven to be beautifully relevant, and very profitable.
Speaking of relevance, Demna Gvasalia of Balenciaga had perhaps the only collection during all of fashion month that made reference to real world events, including the climate crisis and the war in the Ukraine. He offered t-shirts to guests that reflected the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and had models traipse through an apocalyptic setting wearing tattered clothes, anchored by the brand's signature knife boots.
He also debuted a 'trash bag' handbag, which looks just like it sounds. Kim Kardashian, who came to the show, was the first to be gifted the coveted piece, with Demna saying, "I couldn't miss the opportunity to make the most expensive trash bag in the world, because who doesn't love a fashion scandal?"
While his intentions in showing the irony of fashion in the midst of weighty global events were appreciated, most people were focused on Kim Kardashian, who attended the show wrapped in Balenciaga branded caution tape.
Image: IG
Her outfit, and whether or not it was inspired by another designer, and also whether or not she could use the bathroom in it, caused most conversation, even in the midst of unseasonably warm winters and a potentially impending 3rd World War.
People's fevered obsession with celebrities like Kim Kardashian show that fashion is a form of escapism. Life is hard, but still we search for beauty and inspiration in the most unexpected places.
Another highlight from Paris Fashion Week was the Balmain show, which showcased sporty, avant garde clothing, destined for a future in space.
Credit: Getty
Football inspired bodices and gilded breastplates seemed to be created to prepare the Balmain Army for battle.
Credit: Getty
The collection referenced current events in its own way, but also underscored that the show must go on.
Fashion Marches on, no matter what, and no matter how you approach it.
What do you think?
