Paris Fashion Week highlights: Teddies, Kids and a Phone Ban

A Ronaldo jersey becomes a dress at Vetements. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
A Ronaldo jersey becomes a dress at Vetements. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
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Paris Fashion Week highlights: Teddies, Kids and a Phone Ban

A Ronaldo jersey becomes a dress at Vetements. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP
A Ronaldo jersey becomes a dress at Vetements. MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

Paris Fashion Week, which runs until Tuesday, has seen no shortage of eye-catching moments this week. Here are a few highlights.
No phones?!?
OMG! Fashionistas at The Row's show were told they were not allowed to use their beloved phones, meaning entire minutes of their lives would go unrecorded on Instagram.
The label of TV star sisters Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen instead offered guests a notebook and pencil to record their impressions the old-fashioned way.
Chloe's new mama
There was a rare moment of spontaneity and family love at Chloe, where German designer Chemena Kamali made her debut with a collection that returned to the 1970s heyday of the house.
When Kamali came to take the customary bow at the end of the show, her five-year-old son couldn't resist running onto the catwalk for a hug in front of the ranks of fashion elite. Surprised and delighted, Kamali took him in her arms before quickly passing him back to dad and rushing backstage.
PETA's Beckham protest
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) disrupted Victoria Beckham's show on Friday, with slogans including "Viva Vegan Leather" and "Animals Aren't Fabric" before being bundled quickly off the catwalk.
Teddy Boy
Vetements, the subversive brand launched in 2014, vowed its latest show was the one "you've been waiting for for 10 years", and drew attention with hugely oversized suits and a Ronaldo jersey turned into a dress.
One crazy look was a coat made of teddy bears. Was creative director Guram Gvasalia having a dig at his estranged brother Demna, who quit the brand to work for Balenciaga and had a huge controversy around an ad campaign featuring BDSM teddy bears?
Perhaps, though Vogue pointed out it was a direct copy from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who made a similar coat for Madonna.
Highland Sam Smith
British popstar Sam Smith made a surprise appearance on the catwalk for Vivienne Westwood in a very short and rather revealing tartan kilt under a red shawl.
The "Unholy" singer, known for daring red carpet outfits, re-emerged later in a long shredded black coat over a polka-dot top.
Casablanca up in arms
Charaf Tajer's label, which joined Paris Fashion Week last year, has built a lot of hype with its luxury sportswear.
Its second show, named after 90s Bjork hit "Venus as a Boy", introduced more stylish nightwear -- ranging from a blood-red cocktail dress to a semi-sheer rhinestone blouse to a pearl-encrusted mini-dress -- and played with imagery from Ancient Greece including laurels, pottery and sandals.
But in the ring of the Winter Circus, the clothes were almost overshadowed by an incredible troupe of synchronized arm dancers in the background.
DVN's 'audacious everyday'
Known for meticulous craftsmanship, Belgium's Dries Van Noten presented another eclectic collection that spawned a possible new trend tag from WWD: "audacious everyday" has apparently replaced last year's "quiet luxury".
Deconstructed sweaters turned into wraparound shawls, kimono-like coats, big furry shorts and bags -- in a pastel range of pink, aniseed green and butter yellow -- the collection sought a balance between stylish restraint and exciting statement.
Raining on Hermes
It was a rainy week in Paris, and Hermes brought the wet indoors, too, with a curtain of rain pouring down through the middle of the catwalk.
The collection, "midway between equestrianism and motorbikes" according to creative director Nadege Vanhee, offered luxurious ways to keep dry.

Biker-style jackets and tight-fitting coats with wool sleeves. Others featured rocker-style rivets or ostrich feathers, all in a narrow palette of burgundy, green, black and grey.



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.