Could It Be That Model Natalia Montero Is Finally Getting Her Flowers? AOC Fashion

Harper’s Bazaar Colombia [IG] makes its fashion magazine debut to major applause for their cover model Natalia Montero and her story in this first issue. Watching Montero’s videos on IG, she moves like a ‘60s-’70s model — which bares almost no relationship with today’s models, who seem to just stand there, more often than not.

Natalia Montero is a big wow. How she moves is a big wow. How she looks is an even bigger wow. All of a sudden, we have Awar Odhiang closing Chanel’s SS2026 show last October, running around the stage with her arms flung open. Then Bhavitha Mandava becoming a Chanel ambassador in record speed, bringing her sophisticated beauty and positivity — okay, joy — and now Natalia Montero is making a big impression.

Montero is not a new girl. She was featured by Porter Edit February 2019 in The New Guard. Also in ‘Neutral Suiting’, appearing with Saidou Diallo in WSJ Magazine and ‘White Nights’ for Vogue UK December 2018. For reasons that make little sense to me — except that rich people often see smiling as associated with low class — Montero hasn’t had the backing AOC believes she deserves.

In these images, Montero is styled by Pablo Correa in images by Andrés Oyuela [IG]./ Makeup by Lau Panto; hair by Javier Martinez

Lila Moss & Athiec Geng Find Their Summer Groove in Vogue Spain August 2026 AOC Fashion

Models Lila Moss & Athiec Geng deliver joyful smiles in their Vogue Spain August 2026 cover story, also published in British Vogue.

Poppy Kain styles the fashion story shot in Barcelona June 3-7, celebrating the 24th edition of the Primavera Sound festival. Sebastian Faena [IG] is behind the lens, documenting the event and catching live all those smiling faces./ Hair by David Harborow; makeup by Celia Burton

Elizaveta Porodina Captures 'The Shape of Later' with Ivy Stewart for Violet Papers AOC Fashion

Elizaveta Porodina [IG] captures ‘The Shape Of Later’, a beauty story featuring Ivy Stewart, created in concert with Violet Papers [IG] and Lara Violetta for Stockholm-based BYREDO.

Porodina writes:

This particular set of images reads as a mystery that hides in the Shadow of the Self, the blind spot, that one thing that is invisible to oneself and only can be discovered in a true authentic interaction with another human, in the deep trust of an exchange with a loved one.

Maria Grazia Chiuri's ‘Return to Form’ Fendi Explained in Vogue Australia AOC Fashion

Vogue Australia [IG] July 2026 digital issue delivers one of the first fashion stories focused on Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first collection since her return to Fendi as creative director.

Photographer Edward Mulvihill [IG] captures model Bianca Balsinim, styled by Harriet Crawford in ‘Return to Form’.

Purity of Form in Luxury Fashion

In luxury fashion, the Italian concept of purity of form [purezza delle forme] refers to a design philosophy focused on impeccable tailoring, architectural lines, and the removal of unnecessary ornamentation to let the silhouette and material speak for themselves.

It is the art of achieving maximum visual impact through ultimate restraint. Giorgio Armani is widely considered to be the pioneer of modern Italian minimalism.

Considering ‘purity of form’ enters the fashion dialogue at the same time AOC is deeply immersed in a study of Italian futurism. Setting aside the ideological planks of Italian Futurism — including its deep disdain for women — it seems that these two concepts are connected functionally.

After years of being attacked in the Parisian theater of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri has stripped away everything that can be weaponized against her. Chiuri has left the critics with nothing to look at but the flawless, undeniable geometry of Italian construction.

The Looming Threat of Civilizationism

At AOC this is an unfolding conversation we are observing and discussing without any preordained conclusions. It’s a big piece of analysis in a much larger puzzle called civilizationism.

In June [2026], China issued a white paper titled ‘More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China’s Principles, Proposals and Actions. It stands as a rebuke of civilizationism and its frequent embrace of Eurocentric identity as the gold standard for human development.

This conflict will absolutely impact the success of luxury brands in China and Southeast Asia. It may not resonate particularly well in America either, where new research from McKinsey and BoF cites the importance of personal values as the #2 item on the checklist of American VIC’s.

Soo Joo Park in Cartier for Vogue Korea August 2026 30th Anniversary Issue AOC Fashion

Soo Joo Park is styled by Kihoh Sohn in Cartier riches, lensed by Hyea W. Kang [IG] against a black modernism fashion statement for Vogue Korea [IG] August 2026 issue, closing out the magazine’s 30th anniversary year./ Hair by Tsuki; makeup by Yuki Hayashi

Anais Mali Poses Poolside for Harper's Bazaar Greece Lensed by Andreas Ortner AOC Body

French model Anais Mali is styled by Ariane Lindhorst in high-summer, poolside looks for Harper’s Bazaar Greece [IG] August 2026 issue. Panayiota Ten provides creative direction with photography by Andreas Ortner [IG] on location in Comporta, Setubal, Portugal./ Hair and makeup by Helena Narra

Model Yanan Wan is styled by Emis Lee in ‘New Generations, Old Pleasures’, lensed by Rambo Ding [IG] for Vogue China [IG] July 2026.

Folk Schools for All

Sharing this Vogue China fashion story was impacted by an excellent weekend story in The New York Times, ‘The Comforting Resurgence of ‘Grandma Hobbies’ [gifted 30-day link]. Written by Kate Brennan, with photography and video by Lindsey Makuwatsine, the article opens in Traverse City, Michigan at the Green Door Folk School, which opened in 2024.

Millennials and Gen Z make up the majority of the students, mostly local but also arriving from distant places like New York City, with Airbnb units on the property. The article references as well the John C. Campbell Folk School, the oldest folk school in the country, located in North Carolina and the Ely Folk School in Minnesota.

In America, you can find a Folk School here at the Folk School Alliance.

Golden Goose Is Targeting This Trend

This article in the Times is so very relevant, because next up in the AOC queue is an incredible update on the on-fire brand Golden Goose and their new store prototype.

Vogue Korea August 2026 Celebrates Model All-Stars Lensed by Hyea W. Kang AOC Fashion

Top models Bibi Breslin, Chloe Oh, Esther Kim, Felice Nova Noordhoff, Hyunji Shin, Luiza Perote, Natasha Poly and Soo Joo Park cover the August 2026 issue of Vogue Korea [IG]. Names are on the individual covers.

Hyea W. Kang [IG] is the sole photographer on the covers, with fashion direction by Eunyoung Sohn and styling by Dahye Kim and Kihoh Sohn./ Hair by Sebastien Le Corroller and Tsuki; makeup by Aya Murai, Hye Tyeong Park, and Yuki Hayashi

Mega-Watt Beauty Stephanie Cavalli Wears Chanel for Global Elle July 2026 AOC Fashion

While Dior was waging the biggest PR campaign ever in my memory, promoting Jonathan Anderson and photobombing him into countless fashion stories as “the Sun King is coming to save women from ourselves, when the topic is dressing appropriate for our lifestyle”, Matthieu Blazy was toiling away out of the spotlight.

The votes are coming in with greater authority every day. Chanel is the big winner in this competition. Whether or not it’s a win built to last will reveal itself going forwards. But Chanel has taken the crown.

Not only has Blazy created stunning fashion choices for women with financial capital; he has put Stephanie Cavalli, age 50, into the spotlight. What is there not to love with this vibrant model who recalls:

“I never know how to put this without sounding crass, but I was too old to be young and too young to be old,”

In this global June 2026 ELLE fashion story, Cavalli wears key pieces from last December’s first Métiers d’Art collection by Matthieu Blazy. [The New York subway show].

Nicole Heiniger [IG] captures the model in all her glory for ELLE Brasil and ELLE Global.

Golden Goose Co-Creation Brand DNA Is On the Move with 'Less I, More Us' AOC New Humanism

Golden Goose Understands Synchronicity . . .

Understanding synchronicity becomes critical in this global business moment, in which brands risk the possibility of their own customers and VICs going nuclear against them. All brands are trying to sell us something — even intangible concepts like “our brand is built on authenticity”.

Authenticity may be the buzz word ‘ad nauseam’. How authenticity works in an increasingly AI-driven world of commerce and branding may become the real-life challenge of the next decade.

. . . and The Human Desire to Be a Creator

Golden Goose is different from so many brands in the global marketing universe because it leads with action and visual examples, not only words. As a brand, it has always respected and tapped into a universal creative impulse to make things. ‘Golden Happens’ is a deeply personal message.

Among creatives, there are varying degrees of an understanding that customers, clients and VICs increasingly act as the ultimate authentic intermediaries who reject the ‘empty words’ of corporate disruption, based on old models of the luxury brands business.

Today’s VICs are often traveling alongside us in their own minds. They want to experience synchronicity first hand, and not by reading fashion magazines or attending designer fashion shows.

The traditional concept of star designers and their — but usually HIS — muses is giving way to a much more creative and often democratic process that is horizontal and not vertical.

In the world of haute couture, VICs desire to know the makers, not only the designers. In the words of Maria Grazia Chiuri:

“Less I, More Us”.

2017 Valid Claims Reported as Today’s News

A trial underway in Hong Kong’s High Court has indirectly drawn attention to how Chanel handles unsold and discontinued inventory on a seasonal basis. Two former Chanel Hong Kong warehouse employees, identified as Ng Yiu-lun and Cheung Ka-wai, face charges of conspiring to steal 724 handbags and small leather goods that had been marked for destruction.

Prosecutors allege the pair coordinated with two additional warehouse staffers to divert the goods before they could be destroyed. Both defendants have entered not-guilty pleas, and the case remains in early proceedings.

Court documents reveal details of Chanel Hong Kong’s once-routine destruction practices. Yes, it’s staggering to read that the house reportedly destroyed between 10,000 and 20,000 discontinued Chanel products every six months as a matter of standard business operation.

This allegation is not fake news! But it’s old news and should be treated as such.

"The figure mentioned during the trial does not reflect Chanel's current global practices, which have evolved in line with its sustainability commitments," the company said in a statement shared with WWD. Without disputing the facts of the luxury brand’s practices in 2017, Chanel is aggressively pushing back against the insinuation by Hong Kong prosecutors that those practices remain in place today.

Now we have business fashion sites — who should know better — promoting the misinformation about Chanel and trying to stir up outrage online. Are they just dialing for clicks, pretending to forget the major steps that have been taken to address this once savage waste of important resources employed by luxury conglomerates to insure the exclusivity of their products?

AOC has covered this topic extensively and is pulling from the archives to give us all a reality check on the facts. Generally-speaking, all the major luxury houses have stopped destroying unsold products. Legislation went into effect in the European Union on July 19, 2026, that not only puts a legal stop to the destruction of luxury house products but requires all the major houses to file regular documentation on how they have handled the issue of unsold goods every year.

Medium-size companies will be required to comply with these new regulations in 2030.

More than any other option, products have been disassembled and reconstructed as a new product. As the WWD headline confirms L’Atelier des Matières and Nevold were created by Chanel to visually confirm how this issue is handled. LVMH has similar new departments to disassemble and repurpose unused materials and unsold products. Definitely LVMH works with young designers, allowing them to buy unused or repurposed materials at very favorable prices. AOC has all the info. We just must retrieve the posts. ~ Anne

Chanel Haute Couture Fall 2026 by Matthieu Blazy

Chanel Years Ago Developed New Practices on Repurposing Unsold Products

Irina Shayk Simmers in Body-Con Poses for d la Repubblica, Lensed by Ethan James Green AOC Fashion

Supermodel Irina Shayk is in the house, covering the July 18, 2026 issue of d la Repubblica [IG]. The cover story ‘A Modo Mio’ is a body-conscious, sensually-aware [literally!] fashion story lensed by Ethan James Green [IG].

Haley Wollens styles Irina, led by Dolce & Gabbana for the cover and throughout the fashion story, with insider appearances by Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermanno Scervino, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Lewis Dussurget, Maison Alaia, Sportmax, Stella McCartney and more./ Hair by Sonny Molina; makeup by Kabuki

Vivienne Rohner for Harper's Bazaar France August 2026 by Larissa Hormann AOC Fashion

Top model Vivienne Rohner is lensed by Larissa Hofmann [IG] in Harper’s Bazaar France [IG] August 2026. Styling for ‘Vacances Romaines’ is by Helena Tejedor. / Hair by Andrea Marinelli; makeup by Simone Gammino

Honey Ordonez and Keny Salgado in 'De Aquil Somos' for Vogue Latin America AOC Fashion

Models Honey Ordonez and Keny Salgado cover the July 2026 issue of Vogue Latin America/Mexico [IG] posing in a fashion story ‘De Aquil Somos’ [We Are From Here]. Ivan Dario Ramirez and Valentina Collado style the duo photographed by Emmanuel Sanchez Monsalve [IG].

Gisele Bundchen in W Magazine Summer 2026, Sculptural Style by Karim Sadli AOC Fashion

Model Maggie Maurer covers the Summer 2026 issue of Cultured Magazine [IG].

Malaysian-born Zhong Lin’s [IG] images inspired a dive into the psychology of women as birds — from the standpoint of Freud and Jung primarily. / Hair by Laurent Philippon; makeup by Simone Gammino

Tess Carter in Koh Samui by Jorin Koers for Vogue Netherlands July August 2026 AOC Fashion

The July-August 2026 issue of Vogue Netherlands [IG] heads to Thailand for ‘Vacation Mode On’, a predominantly Chanel riches story styled by Linda Gümüs Gerritsen. Model Tess Carter is lensed by Jorin Koers [IG]./ Hair by Magdalena Loza; makeup by Magdalena Loza

Karolin Wolter in ‘Coeur de pierres’ Lensed by Davit Giorgadze for M Le magazine du Monde AOC Fashion

Model Karolin Wolter is styled by Laëtitia Gimenez Adam in ‘Coeur de pierres’ [Heart of Stones], a modern and very intellectual fashion story lensed by Davit Giorgadze [IG] for M Le magazine du Monde [IG] July 2026./ Hair by Joe Burwin; makeup by Lynsey Alexander

Chloe Parades in 'Petal Pushers' for HTSI Magazine July 2026 AOC Fashion

Dominican new girl Chloe Parades had a strong second season after walking Spring 2026 shows for Balenciaga, Dior, Loewe, Miu Miu and Oscar de la Renta.

Parades appeared in Dior Women’s Spring/Summer 2026 lookbook and campaign and JW Anderson Spring/Summer 2026 as well. Ahem, but good for Chloe. She walked the Fendi Haute Couture last Thursday and appears here in ‘Petal Pushers’ for HTSI Magazine [IG] July 2026. Benjamin Canares styles the garden riches story with images by Daniyel Lowden [IG]./ Hair by Masayoshi Fujita; makeup by Claire Urquhart

Gisele Bundchen in W Magazine Summer 2026, Sculptural Style by Karim Sadli AOC Fashion

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen covers W Magazine Summer 2026 for the first time in two decades. It’s one of Gisele’s most austere fashion shoots ever, lensed by Karim Sadli [IG]. Brian Molloy chooses Alaïa, Balenciaga, Celine, Gucci, Hodakova, Issey Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier, Loewe, Michael Kors Collection, The Row and more.

Chanel's Bhavitha Mandava by Luigi and Iango for V Magazine 161 Pre-Fall AOC Fashion

Photographers Luigi and Iango [IG] share assignment duties with Inez and Vinoodh [IG] for V Magazine [IG] Issue 161 Pre-Fall 2026. Bhavitha Mandava is one of five models photographed for V Magazine’s project. Other models with ‘Fall Head Over Heels!’ cover[s] include Jacqui Hooper, Libby Taverner, Liu Wen and Sascha Rajasalu, all styled by B. Åkerlund.

Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy must smile with a deeply-personal joy over the success of his protégé, discovered on the NY Subway just in time to walk Blazy’s Bottega Veneta S/S 25 Show in September 2024.

Chanel’s Blazy and Nair: Both Have Alpha-Beta Skills in Perfect Global Balance

Under the combined brilliance of Blazy and Chanel CEO Leena Nair — an extraordinary balance of alpha-beta frequencies is simmering over at Chanel. Hours before Chanel’s early March F/W 2026 show in Paris, the duo decided to make Bhavitha Mandava a Chanel ambassador, straight-up. You do not risk losing a woman with the poise, elegance and personality of this real-life treasure.

I’m sure that Chanel was reading the same Red Note summaries out of China that I was. Young women, their own mothers, their grandmothers and aunties — Chinese women were ‘mad’ for Mandava and her New York subway discovery story.