2025 is the year of designer debuts. As the last few puzzle pieces of the designer musical chairs have arranged themselves these past months, we’ve all been waiting for September to see how things will shape up on the runway. But we’ve been getting hints of things sooner than that, and the film festival circuit has been our biggest preview yet of what’s to come this September from some of the biggest players in the game.
Over in Cannes earlier this year, we witnessed glimpses of what Matthieu Blazy and Louise Trotter were doing at both Chanel and Bottega Veneta. Margaret Qualley attended a photocall in a simple black halterneck leather Chanel dress by Blazy, and Vicky Krieps and Julianne Moore attended red carpets in Louise Trotter's first designs for Bottega Veneta. At the 82nd Annual Venice Film Festival, all eyes were on Greta Lee, Mia Goth, Alba Rohrwacher and Monica Barbaro, who gave us a glimpse of Jonathan Anderson’s vision for Dior.
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Anderson is set to debut his first Dior women’s ready-to-wear collection at Paris Fashion Week this October, but the Venice Film Festival gave us a preview of what’s to come.The first two glimpses were on Alba Rohrwacher, who wore a butter-yellow silk pleated mock-neck with a ribbony train and a pair of Dior gray wool trousers to a “Jay Kelly” photocall in Venice, followed by her premiere look for the film, which was a gathered royal blue silk long sleeve gown featuring a half-crinoline in the back to create a dramatic bustle. Then, Mia Goth wore a chocolate-brown cowl neck slip dress by Anderson at the “Frankenstein” premiere, followed by a host of looks on Greta Lee: A sporty two-piece white skirt and jacket, a sophisticated navy midi skirt with Anderson’s rendition of the Bar Jacket, and a satin mini dress with a suit lapel and gathered organza sleeves, which sent the internet into a frenzy yesterday.
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It’s clear here that Anderson is doing what he does best: pulling everything back, tightening it up, focusing on sleek tailoring and classic shapes that have a certain Anderson sensibility; a long train here, an oversized bow there, a crinoline somewhere else. Anderson plays with dimension and historical references in such a way that keeps his design signatures intact while still nodding to the Dior DNA.
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Meanwhile, anyone who thought Jacob Elordi’s loyalty lay with Matthieu Blazy instead of Bottega Veneta can correct themselves, as he became the poster boy for Trotter’s ideas in Venice. He arrived at the Lido in a checkered button down and khaki trousers, attended a photocall in a billowing white ensemble, and slipped into a neat, double-breasted black suit for the “Frankenstein” premiere.
Elordi wasn’t the only one sporting Trotter’s new look. Vicky Krieps, who was previously seen donning her designs in Cannes, returned for the "Father Mother Sister Brother" red carpet in a black satin asymmetric gown with a leather trim and high, straight neck—a design feature that has seemingly become a signature of Trotter’s at Bottega Veneta, and one that we can expect to see when she debuts her first collection in Milan later this month.
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Trotter’s Bottega Veneta feels perfectly suited to the brand. There is an evident focus on craftsmanship and detail when dealing with diaphanous shapes, all which have the makings of a successful Bottega Veneta.
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Elsewhere, Versace’s Dario Vitale was the topic of conversation after Amanda Seyfried attended a photo call wearing the exact same suit as Julia Roberts did mere days earlier—-which was also our first look at Vitale’s Versace. While lovely, the blue wool blazer, striped shirt, and denim jeans admittedly felt slightly jarring knowing it was coming from Versace. No more Donatella, and seemingly, no more Donatella-isms that bolstered Versace’s brand identity for nearly three decades. Vitale’s Versace seems to be more grounded in timeless glamour instead of overt glamour. Oh well! We’ll see more in Milan this month for a better overview.
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Matthieu Blazy has been working with Margaret Qualley as a vessel to tease his vision for Chanel since Cannes, and now, Ayo Edebiri has stepped in as another muse for the Belgian designer ahead of his ready-to-wear collection debut at Paris Fashion Week, much to the anticipation of…everyone. For a photocall, Blazy took an original white, textured classic suit set design and modernized it. Later on, for the “After The Hunt” premiere, Edebiri stepped out in a poppy-red taffeta gown that was gathered at the hip and cascaded to the floor—a remake of a Fall/Winter 1986 Chanel dress that she reportedly worked with stylist Danielle Goldberg and the Chanel team to create. Blazy may be playing it slightly safer with archival references to keep things buttoned up until the Spring/Summer shows—or,r could it just be that his appreciation for history and knack for contemporary silhouettes will get him far? Whichever the case, the previews have been spot-on so far.
