Hot Off the Runway: From a Balenciaga Carryall Complete With Adorable Charms to a Dazzling Gold Timepiece
Each month, Vanity Fair invites a host of photographers to capture the season’s standout fashion and jewelry. The result: still lifes that dazzle and delight. This year kicks off with Horacio Salinas’s punchy take on a sterling silver Loewe bracelet. Keep checking here throughout the year for updates with more beautiful pairings. —Madison Reid, Associate Visuals Editor
All featured products are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Vanity Fair may earn an affiliate commission.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANÇOIS COQUEREL.Charm School
Intellectual subtlety is fundamental for Demna, the mononymous creative director of Balenciaga. His collections turn thought-provoking ideas into wildly popular looks. With its smooth leather, minimal hardware, and quiet branding, this Bel Air bag from the fall collection is especially elusive, concealing a spacious interior and removable zip pouch inside. Though it was worn relaxed and undone on the runway, amp up the carryall with bag charms ranging from neon tchotchkes to faux keys—cheerful thrills reimagined for upscale effect. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Balenciaga Bel Air shoulder bag, $3,190, and Pigalle Collector bag key chain, $1,990. (balenciaga.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANÇOIS COQUEREL.Smooth Sailing
The last days of summer are upon us, but the sea enchants all year round. Fendi’s elevated boat shoes are proof, featuring a sumptuous new silhouette that exudes quiet luxury while its DNA remains rooted in comfort. Whether you’re yachting across the Mediterranean or navigating your social calendar on domestic shores, let this pair be your first mate. —Miles Pope
Fendi Men’s boat shoes, $930. (fendi.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM FRIEDLANDER. SET DESIGN BY JOCELYN CABRAL.Face Lift
What do the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus, and Omega Constellation have in common? All three (and many more) have showcased the genius of prolific watchmaker Gérald Genta. Twenty-five years after its 1972 release, Audemars Piguet scaled down the Royal Oak to its smallest size ever for female clientele; another quarter century later, this petite version offers a fresh interpretation for the modern woman. Clocking in around the size of a nickel with a frosted gold finish, the textured metal sparkles without gems. Beauty, brains, and efficiency. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Mini Frosted Gold Quartz watch, $34,400. (audemarspiguet.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY COREY OLSEN; SET DESIGN BY SUZY ZIETZMANN.Heat Weave
As the mercury rises, so too does the desire for aperitivo alfresco. This Loro Piana wicker and saddle leather bag is summer personified, gleaning inspiration from a vintage camera case and evoking afternoon picnics with a luxurious twist. Large enough to fit the essentials plus a few snacks, it’s as at home on steamy city streets as it is on a Vespa ride to the shores of Lake Como. Take your pick. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Loro Piana Extra Camera case; $5,550. (loropiana.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZANNE SAROFF; SET DESIGN BY BETIM BALAMAN.On the Wings of Love
In 1967, after years spent harnessing a rainbow of color, Valentino Garavani showed a collection in white, beige, and ivory. Today, as his namesake Italian fashion house prepares to evolve from the creative direction of the beloved Pierpaolo Piccioli to that of virtuoso Alessandro Michele, the palette remains. These refined leather slides are minimal and modern but still embrace feminine frivolity with butterfly embellishments taking flight. As the brand undergoes its own metamorphosis, they’re a chic reminder of just how beautiful change can be. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Valentino Garavani butterfly mules. (Similar styles from Valentino boutiques nationwide)
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER LANGER.Petal Pusher
Lily of the valley has been a symbol of hope and good luck within France for centuries. The prolific and superstitious Christian Dior embraced it as his favorite, so much so that his first collection in Paris is said to have been shown amid bouquets of its bell-shaped blooms. It makes sense, then, that Victoire de Castellane and Kim Jones (creative directors of Dior Fine Jewelry and Dior Homme, respectively) drew upon the emblem for their collaboration on a unique piece of high jewelry for men. The delicate mother-of-pearl blooms, vivid malachite leaves, and glittering lacquer roots bring life and dimension to the brooch. (And hopefully significant amounts of bonne chance to the wearer.) —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Dior Fine Jewelry brooch, price upon request. (800-929-DIOR)
PHOTOGRAPH BY JO METSON SCOTTHit Refresh
For Prada, 1978 was a year worth commemorating. It’s when Miuccia Prada took the helm from her mother, met Patrizio Bertelli (who would become Prada’s co-CEO and is now chairman of the board), and debuted the house’s first nylon design, a near-instant classic. Now the material is a vehicle for Prada’s sustainability efforts. This khaki and petal pink purse (a play on a 1978 silhouette) is made almost entirely (except for the leather trim) from a regenerated-nylon yarn woven from plastic landfill and ocean pollution. It’s Mrs. Prada to a T: feminine, utilitarian, innovative—and deliciously offbeat. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Prada Re-Edition 1978 bag, $2,600. (prada.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY BOBBY DOHERTYSnappy Dressers
Perhaps it was prescient timing for Hollywood’s biggest night out—and some nostalgia for the era before smartphone pics—that prompted this season’s crop of objets d’art camera bags. Clever details, including a makeup mirror hidden behind a faux lens protector (Chanel) and a removable strap (Louis Vuitton), infuse the fanciful with the practical (though no actual camera function). Get ready for your close-up. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Chanel bag, $9,200 (800-550-0005); Louis Vuitton Pic Trunk bag, $9,900 (louisvuitton.com); Judith Leiber Couture Camera Flash bag, $5,995 (judithleiber.com).
PHOTOGRAPH BY BOBBY DOHERTYTrue Glitz
When Sabato De Sarno took the helm at Gucci last year, he set out to minimize the maximization that had reached an apotheosis under Alessandro Michele. In an otherwise sleek and street-sharp collection—wide, crisp denim; micro shorts; tiny tanks; wool blazers—the crystal embellishments spattered throughout De Sarno’s debut were one of the few frivolities. This glittering iteration on the Jackie 1961 design brings classic charm to a house shape. Chandelier not included, but best believe some of the best things are still bejeweled. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Gucci Jackie 1961 bag in leather with crystal embellishment, $14,000. (gucci.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY HORACIO SALINAS.Foil Me Once
Perhaps no one in fashion more wholeheartedly embraces the art of collaboration than Loewe’s prolific creative director, Jonathan Anderson, who in his 10 years with the brand has brought on such disparate partners as On Running and Paula’s Ibiza. For his spring-summer 2024 show, Anderson worked with American artist Lynda Benglis, known for her abstract sculptures and three-dimensional paintings, to create substantial bracelets, molten earrings, and climbing ear cuffs. The result: high-impact silver and gold-plated pieces that look variously like surrealist interpretations of pin-tucked pleats, handworked clay, and, in this case, a heavy metal concert. —Daisy Shaw-Ellis
Loewe Pleated Fan Bracelet in sterling silver, $4,700. (loewe.com)
