• Pucci Returns to Its Roots: Camille Miceli Turns Medieval Horse Racing Into Modern Luxury

  For several years, Emilio Pucci creative director Camille Miceli has explored the psychedelic and hippie-chic side of the Italian house’s heritage. Now, the designer has turned her attention to a lesser-known chapter of its history...

• Chanel in All Its Glory: New Necklace Showcases a Rare 20.66-Carat Sri Lankan Sapphire

  Lion, camellia, star and sun — all of Chanel’s iconic symbols come together in a single jewelry masterpiece, crowned by an exceptionally rare sapphire...

• Why Are Luxury Brands Being Forced to Cut Prices?

  Earlier this year, a medium-sized Gucci Mercato leather tote designed by Demna for the Spring/Summer 2026 collection would have cost you $2,900. But in May, Bernstein analysts noticed a change: Gucci had quietly cut the price of the bag by around 20–25%, Vogue reports...

• Suit with braces: What the British Prime Minister's wardrobe choice says about him

  Fashion subculture, a nod to 80s excess, or a symbol of tradition? British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s wardrobe has once again become a topic of fashion debate after he appeared in public wearing a suit with braces, The Guardian writes...

• “It Doesn’t Even Cover the Nipple”: Influencer Mocks Kim Kardashian’s Microscopic Skims Bodysuit

  Influencer Remi Bader put Skims’ new Fits Everybody collection to a rather revealing test—and, judging by her reaction, she was far from impressed with the result...

• Gray Suit and Unbuttoned Shirt: Why Killer Luigi Mangione’s Wardrobe Became New York’s Biggest Fashion Show

  High-profile trials have captured public attention for over 130 years, and throughout history, the public has scrutinized defendants' outfits with equal fervor. Another confirmation of this is Luigi Mangione, whose courtroom appearances sparked a fierce reaction not only in legal circles but also in the fashion world, writes WWD...

• Gucci Breaks the Main Taboo of the Luxury Industry: Why the Fashion House Is Lowering Prices

  In the world of haute couture, it is customary to believe that luxury is immune to the laws of conventional business. While mass manufacturers fight for customers through cost optimization and dumping, luxury brands have always survived on pure creativity, exclusivity, and continuous price hikes, writes FT...

• "Feces" in Trend: How the Brand That Mocked High Fashion Became Its Favorite Enfant Terrible

  Today, it is a relatively young but incredibly popular fashion house experiencing its finest hour, writes The Salon...

During fashion week, there comes a moment when you watch a crowd of photographers scrambling to capture a very thin model in an outdated outfit — or see Priscilla Chan, alongside her husband, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, walking into the Prada show in a €11,500 ($13,000) shearling coat you once dreamed of owning if you ever became a multimillionaire — and you can’t help but ask: who is this really for?

Fashion has never been more omnipresent, yet less accessible. It has become as ubiquitous as pop music, with live-streamed runway shows and the competitive race to dress celebrities turning into a kind of spectator sport, CNN reports.

By tailoring their output to platforms like TikTok and Instagram — where fashion VP Eva Chen wields influence comparable to Anna Wintour’s — brands have cultivated generations of savvy observers, ready to dissect every move. Gucci’s recent show, for instance, sparked days of debate about what was brilliant and what was over-the-top.

At the same time, prices have skyrocketed. A Chanel bag rose from $5,800 in 2019 to $10,800 in 2024, and the Spring 2025 Versace collection — praised as an alternative to the quiet luxury trend — includes dresses costing tens of thousands of dollars. The products that digital marketing pushes are often out of reach for most people talking about them online.

This paradox was on full display at Prada. While the collection explored layered outfits reflecting the speed of modern womanhood, billionaires in the front row created an unavoidable distraction. The lineup featured 15 models walking four times each, presenting 60 looks — a mix of previous ensembles with pieces added or removed — all in a tightly curated narrative about contemporary femininity.

Zuckerberg and Chan in the front row drew attention, prompting questions: what are these billionaires doing at a luxury fashion biennale? Forbes reports that Zuckerberg’s fortune surged from $72 billion to $177 billion in the same period Chanel bags nearly doubled in price. At a certain point, the ultra-wealthy need new ways to spend their money — as Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos demonstrated earlier this year. Fashion has become the playground of America’s tech elite, susceptible to Prada’s allure just like anyone else.

Miuccia Prada herself makes no illusions: “We design for the wealthy. We are talking about expensive clothes, dressing rich people. You have to be aware of that.”

Meanwhile, designers like Glenn Martens of Diesel embrace the democratization of social media. He understands that many online critics lack fashion expertise, yet still uses digital engagement to reinforce Diesel’s lifestyle narrative.

Other creatives — including Maria Grazia Chiuri (Fendi), Simone Bellotti (Jil Sander), and Meryll Rogge (Marni) — focus on real clients rather than Instagram-ready spectacle. Rogge’s Marni debut drew inspiration from the late ’90s and early 2000s, while Bellotti experimented with upholstery fabrics and cuts, creating wearable, long-lasting pieces rather than flashy social-media shows.

Luxury brands continue to walk a fine line between wearable art and elite display. Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta reminded audiences that some fashion is theater for penthouses, palazzos, and Art Basel parties, not everyday life. Meanwhile, Armani under Silvana Armani offered approachable elegance with bold accents — striped wool coats, quilted trousers, and beaded jackets — making everyone, from multimillionaires to students hunting bargains on TheRealReal, feel like the owner of a private jet.

Today, fashion week is a paradox: hyper-visible, endlessly discussed online, and financially inaccessible. Perhaps it is this tension — between artistic ambition, social scrutiny, and billionaire indulgence — that makes contemporary fashion so compelling.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram