BUTTERFLY EFFECT | ISSUE 05
A possible net gain for Versace, a match relit, and orange commanding attention—or courting controversy. These are the shifts creating ripples this week.
The Net Effect of Change
Rumor has it… Alaïa’s Pieter Mulier may be packing his Teckel and heading to Versace. I heard the first whispers on Lauren Sherman’s Fashion People podcast earlier this week, followed by a deeper dive from Puck—enough smoke to warrant attention.
The possibilities? Delicious.
Mulier—of the now-iconic net ballet flat (love them, live in them, wear them; mine are melt-in-your-mouth chocolate suede) and the east-west Teckel—has undeniably put Alaïa back on the map.
His tenure has been precise, modern, and emotionally resonant. A house that felt tired not so long ago—when I worked at Neiman Marcus—now sits firmly on the lips, feet, and arms of the fashion set. If Versace is indeed seeking recalibration, Mulier would be a compelling choice to steer the house forward.
The move would also reunite Mulier with Raf Simons, rekindling a creative lineage that has surfaced across several houses—including Calvin Klein, alongside current industry favorite Matthieu Blazy.
If the rumor holds, it would signal a strategic reset for Versace—one rooted less in spectacle and more in clarity. Netting Mulier would be a strong play.
Fingers crossed this one lands.
Match. Set. Point.
Phoenix Rising
Some houses fall. Others rebuild.
Nearly two years after filing for bankruptcy and shuttering its doors, the fuse has been relit: Matches is back.
Acquired by Joe Wilkinson and Mario Maher, founders of the members-only shopping app Mile, Matches will return hand-in-hand with its much-lauded clothing line, Raey. The pair have formed a new group, Hulcan, under which both Matches and Raey will now operate, backed by investors including LVMH and members of the Hermès family—oh, la la.
While Wilkinson and Maher acknowledge that the new Matches will look different, they have emphasized a return to the house’s core values: culture and curation, with a renewed focus on product and customer.
In a year marked by instability across luxury retail, it’s quietly compelling to see a phoenix rise from the ashes. Joe and Mario—just one word to whisper in your ears:
Barneys.
Two of Hearts
Kylie and Timmy. In orange.
Orange—it’s a hard color to style. Hermès—one of the few houses that manages to knock orange out of the park without it imploding—in their steady hand, with their tight reins, orange is elevated. Paired with chocolate—chef’s kiss. She reads high end—think orangerie à la Versailles.
Chrome Hearts? Bless their heart—they certainly let the fillies run free. Kylie and Timmy. I love them… just maybe not in orange. Did they make a splash on the red carpet at the premiere of the highly anticipated Marty Supreme movie? They did—and maybe that was the intention. But if they were going for style, they fell short.
In an era where mediocre fashion increasingly gets all the buzz, is there more to fashion than spectacle alone? We lament a time when taste reigned supreme.
After all, when you bite into an orange, aren’t you looking for more than just juice? Juice isn’t the same thing as flavor. Taste still matters.