Divya Bala

A fun, freer spirit of dressing has enveloped the French capital

News, analysis and comment from the Financial Times, the worldʼs leading global business publication

The newest collaborations are a fresh call for home

“The thermal profile of the eye is more unique than a thumbprint,” says Lauren Bowker, founder of London-based material science company The Unseen. She is currently describing the basis for the company’s recently launched thermoreactive eye shadow – a world first – that will see the colour look different on each person. It’s not the most significant world first on her agenda. That is reserved for a black algae colourant that has already won an IFSCC Sustainability Challenge award. Non-toxic, su…

The Amsterdam-based artist loves “oversized fits”, early-morning dips and Cy Twombly’s Bacchus series

The style menu was set when Pantone announced Peach Fuzz as the colour of 2024, describing the light orangey tone as “a gift to the senses . . . creating a symbiotic relationship between taste, sight, touch, and scent.” It is also an apt description of the fresh new fashion ahead. At the Burberry spring/summer 2024 show, creative director Daniel Lee drew inspiration from English meadows, with open-back dresses blossoming with strawberries and cherries. At Valentino, outgoing artistic director P…