LEMON DROPS: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade — chez Anastasia Soare.
Or lemon drops, the drink of choice at Soare’s weekend celebration, which featured the proverbial phrase as its theme. The Anastasia Beverly Hills founder opened her home in Beverly Hills to toast women entrepreneurs while sharing words of encouragement.
“We are unstoppable, when us women support each other,” she said.
With daughter Claudia, Soare brought out Rhode’s Hailey Bieber, with Justin in tow showing support, Toty’s Sofia Vergara, The Honest Company’s Jessica Alba, Saint Supply’s Vicky Vlachonis, Monica Arnaudo (chief merchandising officer at Ulta Beauty) and makeup artist Sir John.
Soare explained that the idea for the weekend — bringing women together — was sparked from a conversation she had with New York beauty reporters. She had heard them discuss their passions outside of their careers; some were painters, others designers. The gathering in Los Angeles was a chance to open conversation, she said, in support of entrepreneurship.
Other founders were Diana Madison of Diana Madison Beauty, Julissa Bermudez of República skin, Tamanna Roashan, makeup artist and founder of DYF Beauty and Nina Oberfeld, creator of The Foot Cloud.
“We are toasting this beautiful, amazing creature, being who happens to be Anastasia,” Sir John said, in an impromptu speech on Saturday. “One thing I’ve noticed about tonight, that we can all be adjacent in this journey, is there’s a collective understanding of community. Not just a beauty community — it’s larger than beauty. Beauty is a feeling. It’s not about how you look. How do we feel? And you make us feel something.”
The following day was a brunch, featuring activations that included a brow bar and wellness sessions. Guests took turns meeting with an astrologer, medium, as well as Jessica Ortner of The Tapping Solution, a practice to release anxiety and improve sleep, and Lissa Hakim of Beauty in Balance, offering healing massages.
Soare also showed support for those who were MIA. She gave a shout-out to Allison Statter and Sherry Jhawar’s Nez; Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop collaboration with Dr. Julius Few (who was present); Paris Hilton Fragrances; Kim Kardashian’s Skkn by Kim, and Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty. Among the bunch were two male-led brands: Peter Dundas’ Dundas and Chris Ashenden’s Athletic Greens. — RYMA CHIKHOUNE
HONORING JOSIE: Josie Natori will be among the honorees at the Asia Society’s Game Changer Awards Thursday night in New York.
The arts-minded fashion designer will be celebrated at the 10th annual event with other standouts, including artist Yayoi Kusama, Yahoo’s cofounder Jerry Yang and his fellow philanthropist wife Akiko Yamazaki, the School of Leadership Afghanistan’s cofounder Shabana Basij-Rasikh, actress and producer Yao Chen, and the Philadelphia Orchestra and OUE Ltd.’s Stephen Riady.
Josie Natori
Lexie Moreland/WWD
After starting the first and only boarding school for girls in Afghanistan in 2016, Basij-Rasikh led the evacuation of the school community in the summer of 2021 following the Taliban’s return to power. She then reestablished the school in Rwanda, where students resumed classes. As the first Chinese celebrity to open an account on Sina Weibo in 2009, Chen used that platform to boost philanthropy among her 80 million followers.
Natori is an accomplished pianist, who has performed at Carnegie Hall. At the age of 9, she performed with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. By 17, she was studying economics in the U.S., and later became Wall Street’s first female vice president of corporate finance. Taking a lead from her grandmother, a serial entrepreneur, Natori switched tracks from finance to fashion and launched her signature company Natori. The name was inspired by her husband Ken’s surname, which translates in Japanese to “the highest form of art.” An East-West design ethos continues to be an undercurrent in her collections.
Her other pursuits include chairing the Asian Culture Council, and she is a board member of the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation. A devoted Catholic, she also helped plan Pope Francis’ four-day trip to Manila. The Asia Society honored her for her ability to merge beauty, art and fashion.
Kusama, a nonagenerian and favorite collaborator of Louis Vuitton, will not be traveling to the U.S. for the gala at Cipriani 25 Broadway. Citi Private Bank executive Ida Liu will emcee the event, for which Citi is a founding partner. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
NEW CONNECTIONS: Victoria’s Secret & Co. launched its adaptive styles in select stores and online Tuesday — opening up the aperture on its brand transformation and welcoming in a new customer base.
Victoria’s Secret & Co. has started selling adaptive intimates.
Photo credit: Yulia Gorbachenk
“People with disabilities are one of the most underrepresented and underserved minority groups in the world,” the company said in a statement. “As a global brand and workforce, VS&Co has a responsibility to connect with, listen to and empower people with disabilities, caregivers and their allies to drive meaningful change within the global fashion industry.”
The company took its Body by Victoria and Wear Everywhere lines and adjusted them to ensure they catered to people with disabilities — under both the Victoria’s Secret and Pink brands.
Adaptive bras and panties have magnetic closures, sensory-friendly fabric, one-piece construction, adjustable straps and a bikini silhouette with mid-rise coverage.
Prices start at $16.50 for panties and $36.95 for bras.
After years of being criticized for promoting too narrow a view on attractiveness — and falling out of step with consumers and investors — Victoria’s Secret has been reworking its image to one that’s more inclusive.
It’s been a journey and is still underway.
Likewise, the company has been methodically addressing its adaptive blindspot.
Starting at home, Victoria’s Secret launched inclusion resource groups for associates with disabilities, allies and caregivers last year.
The firm also partnered with Gamut Management, a consulting, talent and accreditation firm that works exclusively working with and for people with disabilities.
“As the first intimates brand to earn the Gamut Seal of Approval, we are honored to have partnered with Victoria’s Secret and Pink throughout the creation of VS and Pink Adaptive to ensure an authentic approach of integrating women with disabilities throughout the go-to-market journey,” said Mindy Scheier, founder and chief executive officer of Gamut. — EVAN CLARK
CELEB CHEER: Mariah Carey and her children will be featured in The Children’s Place’s three-part holiday ad campaign. She joins Snoop Dogg and former Boy Band members, AJ McLean, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Wanya Morris. The three-part holiday campaign is intended to appeal to the brand’s core Millennial mom customer.
Part three of the trilogy features Carey and her twin children, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon, marking their first appearance in a joint campaign. Outfitted in The Children’s Place’s new holiday collection, the brand video, “An Iconic Holiday: Part 3” features Carey’s holiday anthem, “All I Want for Christmas Is You, and spotlights the family in festive Mama Claus and Santa’s Helper coordinating graphic T-shirts, as well as the brand’s matching family pajamas.
The campaign also highlights Carey in a custom-made dress that inspired “The Dress by Mariah Carey, a limited-edition dress, designed by the singer herself, and exclusively available for $149.99 at childrensplace.com. Made in a rich red velour, the strapless A-line dress has a plaid oversize bow at the back that matches the brand’s signature family holiday plaid collection worn by her children. The digital and social campaign broke Tuesday.
Mariah Carey and her children, Moroccan and Monroe, in The Children’s Place holiday campaign.
Courtesy of The Children’s Place
“This year’s blockbuster three-part holiday campaign has been spectacular,” said Maegan Markee, brand president at The Children’s Place. “And, for our final holiday launch, nothing says Christmas like Mariah Carey starring in our matching family Christmas pajamas and matching family outfits, while listening to one of the greatest holiday hits of all time, her iconic ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
“Marah is a Christmas icon and will be for generations to come, bringing families together through her music. We are incredibly excited to partner with Mariah and her kids on this magical holiday campaign,” she said.
Carey said, “The holidays are all about family — spending time with each other and making memories that will last a lifetime. Holiday traditions are big for us at the Carey house. There is nothing sweeter than baking Christas cookies and cuddling around the fireplace and matching in The Children’s Place pajamas together.”
“I’ve always been a fan of The Children’s Place…they are a household name and dominate the children’s apparel space. Also, as someone who absolutely loves the holidays, and specifically Christmas, I’ve been watching what The Children’s Place has been doing for the last few years and they have my stamp of approval for the place to shop for all matching family Christmas pajamas and outfits!”
The Family Pajama Collection, Holiday Dressy Assortment and Festive Graphic Tees are available for all family members, including pets, in newborn sizes to adult XXL. They are available at The Children’s Place stores nationwide and in Canada and on The Children’s Place Amazon storefront at amazon.com/TheChildrensPlace. — LISA LOCKWOOD
FRESH SHOPS: Outerknown, the sustainable apparel brand founded by surfer Kelly Slater, is adding four stores to its fleet.
The Culver City, Calif.-based brand, which already operates six units around the U.S., will add four stores between now and next spring. The first will open at the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur, Calif., on Oct. 27, followed by the Forum Carlsbad in Carlsbad, Calif., on Nov. 25 and the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., in December. Next spring, a store will be added at 1240 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
Inside an Outerknown store.
Courtesy
Like Outerknown’s apparel collections, the stores will also tell a sustainable message by using Stelapop hangers and fixtures made from S.E.A. denim scraps, Pasqual Arnella paper paste mannequins, York’s reclaimed flooring from submerged hemlock logs, and maritime rope art installations by environmental scientist and artist Ethan Estess.
“These new retail spaces are a true celebration of community,” Slater said. “Many of these spots are places I love to visit and feel personally connected to. These locations also represent the work that many of my friends are doing to clean up the ocean and planet, like York reclaimed floors and Ethan Estess [works]. Good planets are hard to find, and at Outerknown, we are working tirelessly to protect the one we’ve got. That takes getting everyone on board.” — JEAN E. PALMIERI
