Koché’s Pokémon Collaboration Is Tokyo Fashion Week’s Cutest Development

At Tokyo Fashion Week, the battle for cutest collection is big business; new contenders for the title frequently emerge, but this season’s clear winner is Koché’s Christelle Kocher. The French designer restaged her Fall 2019 collection atop Shibuya’s Tsutaya bookstore tonight, interspersing pieces she already presented in Paris with a series of new looks created in collaboration with Nintendo’s Detective Pikachu series, including bright soccer jerseys, logo-covered baseball caps, and a series of flirty separates in Pikachu yellow.

A fan of Pokémon’s manga incarnation, Kocher wanted to highlight the series’ mass appeal with her designs. “Pokémon is already something people are attached to across generations,” she said postshow. “I used to play when I was a kid, but now it’s evolved into a whole new story.” The popularity of the PokémonGo phone app, 122 video games, and a multitude of films and television programs all based on the same concept means that anyone born after 1996 is likely to have experienced a version of the tale. Ubiquity can be a hindrance, but after riffing on Planet Hollywood T-shirts and concert T-shirts in previous collections, Kocher was unfazed. “This was very special,” she said. “The connection between younger people, older people, and [someone like] me who has always been a big fan of Japanese culture.”

Kocher’s admiration extends beyond cartoons. Having visited Japan five times in the past year, she’s immersed herself in Tokyo’s design scene. In preparation for the Shibuya show, she worked with local patternmakers, had 25 looks created in Japan, and culled her cast of cool kids from the streets near the venue. The all-in approach was something she felt was necessary. “It was important to present this collection in the center of Tokyo, in the Shibuya Crossing and in an electric place with so much culture—fashion, books, music,” she said. “We’re on the top of the world, and you can feel the tension.”

If the idea of Pikachu popping up during fashion month still seems left of field, the collection arrives at a time when Pokémon’s parent company is feeling experimental. Last year saw the launch of a streetwear collab with Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design, followed by a limited-edition drop for 10.Deep that referenced the hapless villains of Team Rocket. The video-game giant’s other big gambit is a Detective Pikachu movie starring Ryan Reynolds as a wisecracking and live-action incarnation of the character. Far removed from the monosyllabic cutesy version most are familiar with, the project represents a tonal shift that Hidenaga Katakami, the Pokémon Company’s senior director of animation and new media, says opened the doors for out-of-the-box marketing. “This film is edgier for us—it’s not a cartoon, and you have Pikachu doing things people who grew up with the animation have never seen him do. It make sense to align with a brand like Koché.”

Julia Roberts Was a Pretty Woman—In Pink!—At the Oscars

Julia Roberts is Hollywood royalty, so it’s only natural that she would close out tonight’s Oscars ceremony. Presenting for Best Picture, the actress served up a grand fashion finale that was worth the wait. (She chose to skip the red carpet this year, perhaps a strategic move to build up momentum for her look?)

On stage, Roberts wore a flowy-but-fitted bright pink dress by Elie Saab. The color proved to be one of the biggest trends of the evening; stars such as Gemma Chan, Sarah Paulson, and Helen Mirren all chose various shades of pink for the occasion. However, Roberts’s one-shouldered design, fit with an asymmetrical leg slit, managed to be both sexy and elegant at the same time. She accessorized her ensemble with simple Stuart Weitzman heels, as well as jewelry by the Taiwanese designer Cindy Chao.

At 51-years-old actress and her golden statue-worthy outfit, proved that this A-lister will continue to deliver jaw-dropping looks for many more awards shows to come. Julia for Oscars host? Let's start the campaign now.

Céline Dion Gives Executive Realness a Couture Twist

Céline Dion lives for couture. Over the last few seasons, the music legend has turned her Paris trips into an annual affair when she indulges in larger than life fashion and a glamorous lineup of events. Out and about this week with her handsome backup dancer Pepe Munoz, Dion has made a splash in the front row showing off her famous legs and an array of diva-worthy outfits. At this morning’s Ronald Van Der Kemp show, Dion put forth her sumptuous take on the power suit in a metallic piece from Van Der Kemp’s sustainably sourced collection. With its high shine silver fabric, nipped waist, and sculptural padded shoulders, her blazer and cropped trousers combo demanded attention—especially when paired with contrasting gold jewelry and a towering stiletto heels.

Dion’s first time in Van Der Kemp was an eventful one. While posing in the Hotel d’Avaray after the show, she celebrated the designer on Vogue Paris’s Instagram asserting that the clothes made her feel “fierce and elegant.” With that in mind, it’s really no surprise that Dion chooses to wear Couture for just about every occasion. As she put it, “It’s is such an amazing way of making people look and feel their best. It helps me to sing, it helps me to feel strong, to be happier, to function in life in a better way—I wear [couture] and it gets me to where I want go.”

The Most Unlikely Winter Pairing Is a Puffer and Heeled Boots

Puffer coats and high heels—hear me out. It’s not completely groundbreaking, nor is it extremely Instagrammable, especially compared to red-hot novelty trends like a pint-size purse. But the two pieces together make a surprisingly stellar visual. I’ve always associated the puffer with casual clothes, a marshmallow silhouette that would call for a heavy-soled sneaker or snow boot. As for heels, they require maybe a long tailored wool coat or a leather trench. The two opposites never matched up for me. They felt confused and even cumbersome. All that puff! All that height!

It wasn’t until I noticed the signature It girls of Instagram stepping out in the look that my mind changed. First, Bella Hadid wore the puffer-and-heel getup in January in Paris. She sported micro sunglasses, a Fendi Zucca logo shirt, a Michelin Man orange puffer coat, and square-toe black leather boots with a healthy heel. More recently, Kendall Jenner wore a similar outfit, choosing a heather green and caramel puffer coat with faded boot-cut jeans and square-toe snakeskin boots. Clunk, clunk, chic!

It’s not so wild that puffers and heels have made their way onto the streets, as the unwieldy coat has experienced a revival of sorts. Take Ienki Ienki, a label from Ukraine, whose funky, exaggerated silhouette is now sold at retailers like Barneys New York. Other puffers of late have come with playful graphic prints, courtesy of Danish label Saks Potts. They have even become works of art thanks to Moncler’s Genius project, as reimagined by Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. (Ezra Miller made waves with his recent red carpet look.) So why not dress these puffers up with a pair of heels and quite literally elevate the outerwear? I myself am sold. This winter, find me warm in a North Face and teetering in heeled boots.

Of Course Cardi B and Offset’s Courtside Couple’s Style Is Over-the-Top

For many of today’s top stars, the basketball court doubles as a runway. Whether it’s Beyoncé wearing new-season Jacquemus and J.W. Anderson to the match, or models such as Kendall Jenner opting for archival John Galliano pieces, it’s undeniable that taking in a sports game has become as much a spectacle about who you’re wearing as who you’re cheering on. So, when Cardi B and Offset took in the Atlanta Hawks versus the Boston Celtics match in Atlanta this weekend, it’s unsurprising that they took the chance to show off their over-the-top, matching couple’s style—because that’s half the fun of sitting courtside, no?

For the big event, Cardi wore an unexpected two-piece tweed skirt suit from Chanel’s Resort 2019 collection. With its cream and black colorway and gold buttons, she gave its uptown lady feel a more downtown spin by drippin’ herself with tons of diamond necklaces. One of them featured a blinding neckplate with her name, and pointed black Christian Louboutin pumps rounded out her look.

Meanwhile, Offset chose to complement her outfit by sporting matching colors. He wore a white, black, red and gold sequin sweater, a CC-logo’d Chanel sweater, and simple black jeans—he, too, accessorizing with his signature bold jewelry and silver low-top sneakers. (A special shout-out goes to fellow Migos member Quavo, who was also in attendance, for his multicolored plaid shirt.) A parent’s night out never looked so good.