Harry Brant Is Dead at 24
Harry Brant, model, writer for Interview Magazine, and son of supermodel Stephanie Seymour and publisher Peter M. Brant, has passed away at the age of 24. In a statement to The New York Times, his family confirmed Harry died on Sunday of an accidental overdose of prescription medication. Well known for his androgynous personal style and love of fashion, Harry appeared as a model in Vogue Italia, W, and i-D Magazine, and had helped to develop a unisex makeup line for MAC Cosmetics with his older brother Peter Brant, Jr. The Brant family told the Times that Harry had been planning to enter rehab this year and work in a larger role at Interview magazine, which his father publishes. “He achieved a lot in his 24 years, but we will never get the chance to see how much more Harry could have done,” the family statement said. [NYT]
The Men Shows So Far
Fashion month (week just doesn’t feel accurate for the next month and a half of back-to-back shows) has kicked off in Milan and designers have picked up the hint that streamed, audience-less shows are a sure bet. With everyone stuck inside, Silvia Venturini Fendi’s vision for Fendi was a riff of the cozy comforters and pajamas we’ve all been enveloped in, transformed into strong, puffer outerwear that varied from comforting neutrals to brightly technicolored. Rolling up their sleeves, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ vision for Prada followed in similar suit with knit long john onesies, key accessories and covetable bomber jacks and cotton-candy coats.
Onward in Paris, after a slight, summer gaffe, Virgil Abloh made things personal at Louis Vuitton‘s F/W collection, taking inspiration from Chicago, Accra, and yes, the City of Lights. Titled ‘Ebonics,’ Abloh aimed at dismantling Eurocentric authority over luxury fashion, art, and ownership incorporating monogrammed kente cloth, toying with themes of nomadic traveling, and overarching streetwear influences. Special appearances by Saul Williams, Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), and Kai Isaiah Jamal rounded up a collection that showed both a maturing and resistance to losing the inner child within. Airing earlier this morning, Kim Jones’ Dior Men continues its artists collaborations with reinterpretations of Scottish painter Peter Doig’s pieces into dreamlike, watercolor prints, embroidered coats, military codes, and chapeaux, aplenty.
Saks.com To Go Public
Online retail during the pandemic must have been good to Saks Fifth Avenue, given that parent company Hudson’s Bay is now in talks to take Saks.com public. In a maneuver that would split the Saks Fifth Avenue company and its brick-and-mortar stores from the Saks.com online operation, Hudson’s Bay has reportedly been meeting with investors with the plan to do an IPO (Initial Public Offering) within the next year. This news comes on the heels of the luxury website Mytheresa going public on Thursday, and its stock price soaring by 26.2 percent within the first eight hours of trading. Saks.com, which was relaunched in October of last year, generates roughly twice the amount of annual sales as Mytheresa. [WWD]
The Inauguration Bore a Changing of the Sartorial Guard
All eyes were understandably on the historic United States inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. On one hand, the affair was an inspirational and momentous occasion, marking many firsts including the first woman, the first Black and South Asian person to ever hold the VP title. On the other hand, the events of the Capitol insurrection, the subsequent lockdown of DC by National Guard troops, and the 400,000 COVID-19 death toll milestone had many on anxious high alert and ready for any signs of positive relief. The return of meaningful fashion on the main attendees certainly provided a moment of welcome distraction with Vice President Harris aligning with black designers Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss, Christopher John Rogers, and Sergio Hudson. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden also lit up the torch of supporting young, American designers wearing a periwinkle coat from Alexandra O’Neill’s Markarian and new Chloe appointee, Gabriela Hearst.
