The Cut - At Gucci, a Shift in Perspective

Just over a century ago, the French couturier Paul Poiret arrived in New York to begin a cross-country lecture tour evangelizing his craft, an event so novel that he was met by press photographers and reporters at the dock. In 1948, anticipating America’s postwar economic boom — indeed, the boomers — and satisfied that by then Americans had learned to appreciate (and covet) European fashions, Christian Dior opened a boutique on Fifth Avenue. Then, decades later, in 2004, Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel hosted a show in Tokyo, followed by a Fendi extravaganza on the Great Wall. Showing in Paris had long been the goal of designers living outside the West — think of the early-’80s shows that introduced the genius of Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto.

More recently, there’s been a reversal, with major European luxury brands spending millions to stage shows in Asia. In just the past few months, Dior has gone to Mumbai, and Louis Vuitton transformed a bridge in Seoul into a catwalk. The other night in the South Korean capital, Gucci took over a former royal palace for its 2024 cruise collection, with 60 models parading around the lavishly illuminated courtyard at dusk before about 450 guests.

An 8-year-old girl died while under U.S. Border Patrol custody in Texas yesterday. Also yesterday, Montana became the first state to ban TikTok. Don’t fall for the “natural gas” label. Speaking of methane, are you composting? Dancers at L.A.’s Star Garden topless dive bar just became the nation’s only unionized strippers. Here it is, the perfect summer wedding-guest dress for fans of The Daily. Angelina Jolie is launching a new kind of fashion business. The Girls Gone Wild guy decided to talk and gave one wild interview of his own. Turns out there is life after death. And there’s a trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon, the next Martin Scorsese–Leonardo DiCaprio team-up. It looks very good! The bad news: The movie’s run time is three hours, 26 minutes. Come on, Marty.

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