Leather at Acne Studios, Shaggy Coats at Dries Van Noten for Paris Fashion Week

A model presents a creation by designer Dries Van Noten as part of his Fall-Winter 2024/2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, February 28, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A model presents a creation by designer Dries Van Noten as part of his Fall-Winter 2024/2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, February 28, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
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Leather at Acne Studios, Shaggy Coats at Dries Van Noten for Paris Fashion Week

A model presents a creation by designer Dries Van Noten as part of his Fall-Winter 2024/2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, February 28, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
A model presents a creation by designer Dries Van Noten as part of his Fall-Winter 2024/2025 Women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, February 28, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

For his fall/winter runway presentation, Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson showed slick, all leather looks and long, tailored jackets on Wednesday at Paris Fashion Week.
The collection was "rooted in toughness and human form, leather and denim," said the show notes, affixed to each seat.
"A celebration of uncompromising femininity." Leather bodysuits had high necks and voluminous sleeves and were left unzipped in the back, while floor-sweeping trench coats were tightly fitted.
Softening the lineup were all-white looks, including a long gown with buttons running down to the navel as well as an earth-coloured dress worn with a thick, furry scarf.
Dries Van Noten, who showed earlier on Wednesday, also featured thick scarves in his catwalk show, including one with sparkles that framed the model's head like a pillow.
The Puig-owned label's lineup came in pastels, grey and light browns, and included coats and bomber jackets with rounded shoulders, as well as tailored suits embellished with shimmery beadwork.
"It’s the way that he drapes, it’s the way that he styles, it’s the way that he designs these clothes — there’s always a woman in mind," said fashion commentator Hanan Besovic, known for his Instagram account @ideservecouture.
French-Moroccan creative director Charaf Tajer also held a runway show on Wednesday, for his label Casablanca's collection called "Venus as a Boy."
Held in the historic Paris Bouglione circus house, models walked the circular runway showcasing sporty tracksuits, cheerleader skirts and sheer, fitted skirts with slits.
Paris Fashion Week runs through March 5, with upcoming shows from Chanel, Hermes, Kering-owned Balenciaga and LVMH's Louis Vuitton.



Abercrombie & Fitch Lifts Sales Forecast on Trendy Apparel Demand; Lofty Expectations Hit Shares

A hiring sign is displayed in front of Abercrombie & Fitch at the Tysons Corner Center mall on August 22, 2024 in Tysons, Virginia. (Getty Images via AFP)
A hiring sign is displayed in front of Abercrombie & Fitch at the Tysons Corner Center mall on August 22, 2024 in Tysons, Virginia. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Abercrombie & Fitch Lifts Sales Forecast on Trendy Apparel Demand; Lofty Expectations Hit Shares

A hiring sign is displayed in front of Abercrombie & Fitch at the Tysons Corner Center mall on August 22, 2024 in Tysons, Virginia. (Getty Images via AFP)
A hiring sign is displayed in front of Abercrombie & Fitch at the Tysons Corner Center mall on August 22, 2024 in Tysons, Virginia. (Getty Images via AFP)

Abercrombie & Fitch raised its annual sales target on Wednesday after reporting better-than-expected quarterly revenue, but shares of the company fell 14% as investors expected a bigger forecast bump from the high-flying retailer.

The stock has surged about 89% so far this year after nearly quadrupling in 2023.

"While the market may have been looking for a stronger guidance lift for the year, given momentum across the business, we see a beat and raise as impressive given a moderating top line outlook in response to a choppy macro environment across many of Abercrombie's specialty retail peers," said Dana Telsey, analyst at Telsey Advisory Group.

Abercrombie has been revamping its merchandise with new styles, featuring dressier apparel and cargo pants while tapping into growing demand for wide-legged jeans, helping it draw in fashion-savvy shoppers.

Retailers ranging from department store chains Macy's to home improvement chain Home Depot struck a cautious note and trimmed their annual sales forecasts, blaming weak discretionary demand. Strong results from Target and Walmart showed shoppers were looking for bargains amid budget constraints.

Sales at the Abercrombie brand jumped 26% in the quarter ended Aug. 3, while its Hollister division reported a 17% rise due to better-than-expected back-to-school selling.

The company now expects net sales to rise between 12% and 13% in fiscal 2024, compared with its prior forecast of around 10% growth.

Abercrombie CEO Fran Horowitz said the forecast raise came despite "an increasingly uncertain environment".

The company saw benefits from lower promotions and lower cotton costs, which helped it improve its gross profit rate by 240 basis points to 64.9%. However, it expects pressure from freight costs in the back half of the year.

In the second quarter, it reported profit of $2.50 per share, beating an estimate of $2.22, according to LSEG data.

Net sales rose 21% to $1.13 billion in the second quarter, compared with analysts' estimate of $1.10 billion.