Despite being slightly warmer in London right now on day two of London Fashion Week, forgive me if I’m still recovering from the tundric conditions of what went down at NYFW this season. Despite the icy chills and spirit-crushing piles of black, trash-covered snow, there were certainly moments that had joy pushing through the gloomy feelings.
A highlight was Kallmeyer’s show at the new FiDi WSA location. The show space was vast and carpeted, like an Italian salon, and the sun was setting right as the models emerged—one thing about New York, and not London, is that the sun remains out, and the sunsets remain great. Other great things included Daniella Kallmeyer’s clothes, which were both grown up, refined, and well-edited without feeling overly stuffy. More highlights included the chicken nuggets at her afterparty, and the music at Emily Dawn Long’s, which was needed following my disappointment list, which consisted of the shock-jock style casting at Elena Velez, a series of bad afterparties, and the price of an Uber from literally anywhere to one of the many show locations situated around Hudson Yards.
London Fashion Week Starts With A Bang
Fashion East FW26
Launchmetrics
London Fashion Week, meanwhile, started off this week with a surprise show attendance by none other than King Charles (?) at Tolu Coker’s Fall/Winter 2026 presentation at the NewGen Space yesterday afternoon. Big day for the English press with the Andrew of it all…I digress. Today, I saw Dreaming Eli’s FW26 collection and it made the hopeless gothic romantic in me swoon, followed by Fashion East, which brought Jacek Gleba, Mayhew, and newcomer Traiceline Pratt, of GOYAGOMA, together for the talent incubator show. There was a chocolate brown suede bomber/trench hybrid that Pratt offered that was a clear crowd favorite.
Annie Leibovitz Stars In Givenchy’s New Campaign
Givenchy
Since Sarah Burton’s tenure at Givenchy began, part of her campaigns have been titled “Portrait Series,” wherein the designer selects a few non-model muses to star as the faces of the brand. For Burton’s third iteration of the series for Spring/Summer 2026, Leibovitz stars alongside Kaia Gerber, artist Isabelle Albuquerque, and a cast of models chosen to represent the Givenchy woman, lensed by Collier Schorr.
Balenciaga Adds New Names To The Roster
Balenciaga
This week saw the release of a Balenciaga campaign lensed by David Sims announcing the first brand ambassadors and friends of the House appointed under Pierpaolo Piccioli’s direction. Most virally, the Italian designer chose to include the internet’s current heartthrob, Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry, to usher in his new era. Alongside Williams was Harris Dickinson, Winona Ryder, longtime Balenciaga collaborator Roh Yoonseo, and new friends of House including Danielle Deadwyler, Havana Rose Liu, Mona Tougaard, Loli Bahia, and Ned Sims and Sen Samysheva. The images capture the brand’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection in all its glory, and Hudson Williams captures the hearts of…everyone!
Bulgari Taps Dua Lipa As Newest Ambassador
Bulgari
Dua Lipa has a new gig! The pop-stars news this week is that she has signed on with Bulgari to become the jewelery brand’s latest ambassador. “It is incredibly special to work alongside an iconic brand like Bulgari, and I’m thrilled to be part of a house that embodies confidence, creativity and modern femininity,” says the British singer and songwriter. She joins faces who have come before her such as Zendaya and Anne Hathaway. In good company!