Fashion

Virginie Viard, the Woman Behind Chanel’s New Chapter

She wants her work to be in the light, rather than her,” the model and music producer Caroline de Maigret says of Viard. “I find it so modern….

Paris eventually beckoned, where—through her well-connected Lyonnais roommate—Viard found an internship with Jacqueline de Ribes, the city’s queen-bee socialite, who had recently decided to parlay her consummate taste and flair for fashion into a brand of her own. “We were working in her house,” Viard recalls, “all the fabrics were laid out on the bed, and the photocopy machine was in the bathroom. I was the assistant to three people—we were four in total.”

Soon she moved on to become an assistant to the costume designer Dominique Borg, acclaimed for her work on such movies as Bruno Nuytten’s Camille Claudel and Claude Lelouch’s Les Misérables, and discovered what she felt was her true calling. Her family, meanwhile, had long since moved to a country house in Burgundy, where their neighbor—the aide de camp of Monaco’s Prince Rainier—soon met Karl Lagerfeld, a Monegasque resident and intime of Princess Caroline, the prince’s daughter, and boldly asked him whether he needed an intern. Fatefully, he did. Viard duly went to rue Cambon to meet Lagerfeld’s aide de camp, the patrician Gilles Dufour, who hired her on the spot.

“Immediately Karl was asking me, ‘What do you think of this?’ ‘What do you think of that color?’ I was so embarrassed,” Viard recalls. Her internship soon morphed into a full-time job. “Karl clicked with Virginie immediately,” says Eric Wright, another pillar of Lagerfeld’s design team. “There’s always been this calmness to Virginie that’s very, very discreet, but her presence and her energy are very, very strong and very influential.”

At the time, the team was small: Besides Dufour and Wright, there was a ready-to-wear assistant, an accessories designer with an assistant, and Victoire de Castellane, Dufour’s high-spirited niece, then responsible for Chanel’s larger-than-life costume jewelry. Viard soon saw an opportunity that appealed to her training in costume design and her meticulous organizational skills.

“My chance was that nobody was in charge of the embroidery,” she says, and so she would be dispatched to work with the formidable François Lesage of the storied embroidery workshop. “He and Karl were two egos,” Viard recalls. “Ooh-la-la! I had to be diplomatic!”

Viard relished her interactions with the extraordinary characters who provided Chanel with a treasury of handcraft. The button-maker Monsieur Desrues, for instance, who would arrive every day at twelve, bringing his suitcase, which might be empty but for one jewellike example of his art, wrapped in a piece of paper, or Madame Pouzieux, who wove extraordinary braids for the Chanel suits in her atelier above her farmhouse stables in the depths of the French countryside. “I would receive her samples,” says Viard, “and they would smell of her horses…. Luckily, I love horses.” (In recent years, Chanel has acquired 38 of these endangered Maisons d’Art, or craft workshops—including feather- and artificial-flower-makers, custom milliners, glove-makers, pleaters, and textile and footwear designers—and 11 of them will soon be consolidated in 19M, a vast dedicated hub in the north of Paris scheduled to be unveiled next year.)

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Fashion

Keke Palmer Saves The Day At Tina Knowles’ Book Event

In a scene that felt like something straight out of a movie, Keke Palmer became the evening’s hero at Tina Knowles’ book event in Los Angeles this past weekend. Just as Knowles was about to share insights from her new memoir, “Matriarch,” her strapless gown unexpectedly started slipping down. This moment could have turned awkward very quickly, but thanks to Palmer’s quick thinking and sense of humor, it became one of the night’s most memorable moments. As everyone held their breath, Palmer sprang into action, stepping in to help Knowles while keeping her calm.

A video that’s now trending on TikTok captures this incredible moment, showing Palmer supporting Knowles and catching her dress just in time. With the crowd still in shock, Palmer lightened the mood with a funny comment that turned their gasps into laughter. She joked, “They were acting like it was a whole murder show!” before referring to the teleprompter as if it were demanding help. This incident showcased Palmer’s natural talent for handling tricky situations with grace and humor. Knowles, ever so elegant, adjusted her gown and smiled, showing why she’s known as a fashion icon.

Look this up: Tina Knowles Speaks Out About The Heartbreaking Rumors Surrounding Beyoncé’s First Pregnancy

After the mishap, Palmer expertly shifted the focus back to the book, quipping, “They was gonna give me a heart attack,” and then seamlessly transitioned back to discussing “Matriarch.” Her blend of care for Knowles and comedic timing saved the day. This was about fixing a wardrobe malfunction and was a shining example of how to handle unexpected moments with laughter and warmth. In an industry where things often go wrong, Keke Palmer proved that sometimes, a little kindness and quick thinking can turn a potential disaster into a highlight that everyone remembers.

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Fashion

Cardi B’s $60K Birkin Bag Gets The ‘Mommy Treatment’ As Daughter Unleashes Her Creativity

In a moment of relatable frustration, Cardi B took to Instagram to share a funny yet surprising story about her expensive $60,000 Birkin bag, one of her favorite items from her luxury collection. Known for her bold personality and honest social media posts, Cardi revealed that one of her daughters had turned the fancy purse into a makeshift canvas, drawing a heart on it without permission. “Look what my daughter did to my purse,” Cardi said dramatically in her Instagram Story, showing off the iconic bag to her followers. “I literally spent $60,000 on this purse,” she exclaimed, still amazed by the unexpected ‘artwork’ from her little girl.

Although she was frustrated, the mom of three tried to take it all in stride, at least for the moment. Cardi values her hard-earned luxury items, especially her growing collection of high end bags. However, as any parent knows, kids have a skill for creating chaos even in the most cherished parts of life. For Cardi, that chaos includes her high-priced accessories. The post quickly gained attention online, with fans sympathizing with Cardi’s situation. Many found humor in the irony of the event, while others offered support, pointing out that such moments are just part of the unpredictable journey of parenthood. Cardi has previously emphasized that family is her top priority, even if it means dealing with some messiness.

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But Cardi’s frustration didn’t stop there. She later took to Twitter to respond to comments made by Kanye West regarding her staying power in the spotlight. While she didn’t mention him directly, her tweet, “7 years 1 album… STILL being a topic and STILL being asked about my music!!!” sent a clear message. She confidently asserted her spot in the entertainment world, clarifying that her fans, known as “The Brim,” are not going anywhere. In the end, whether it’s a damaged Birkin bag or dealing with critics, Cardi B repeatedly shows that she remains unfazed by the ups and downs of fame, always staying true to herself and her family.

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