Guess Jeans takes Coachella in very LA style

In case you missed it, or don’t follow us on Instagram (ahem), we’ve been making noise about our five-year anniversary all week. And to all those leaving comments along the lines of, ​“err, didn’t The Face start in 1980?”, you’re not wrong. But after the first iteration of the magazine closed in 2004, it was in April 2019 that we relaunched digitally, which is when the​face​.com was born.

When it comes to style, THE FACE has a few preferences. Sure, we enjoy a schmoozy catwalk show as much as the next well-heeled sycophant. But what we’re really into are the people we encounter every day. Over the last five years, we’ve looked at the shoes ravers wear to dance into the early hours, took note of the sudden soaring size of jeans, spent the day asking young Mancunians where they shop and rallied a supersonic band of today’s youth subcultures to prove that they still exist. We spent the day with goths, headed to graffiti artist 10Foot and Goldie’s South London pop-up and took a nosy around London’s coolest store, Waste.

And with the talismanic powers of THE FACE’s Fashion Directors Danny Reed and Danielle Emerson – plus a string of brilliant stylists, photographers, make-up artists, hairstylists and casting agents – the pages of our magazine have produced some pretty memorable fashion shoots, too. We’ve had snarling German shepherds attacking Fendi bags, pissing babies, John Cooper Clarke in full Celine, a lizard on top of Dua Lipa’s head and enough bums, boobs and kinky positions to suitably disturb the neighbours.

It takes an army to look this good. But someone’s gotta do it, right?

Guess Jeans returned to the California desert for its third year at Coachella, setting up its Compound hub curated by the brand’s creative director, Nicolai Marciano. On Thursday, the space was transformed into an LA-style gated community for the likes of Luka Sabbat, Lila Moss and J Balvin, who lapped up the 24-hour concierge service and a dinner by LA’s favourite Italian hotspot Jon & Vinny’s. Later in the week, the likes of Kaytranada and DJ Pee Wee played DJ sets, Metro Boomin swung by for a surprise set, while big-shot names including Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Robert Pattinson dropped in. Oh and to recover the next day, IV drips and massages were on tap. Blimey, that puts our six-man tent to shame.

It’s tidy-up time: Gucci is coming to London on 13^th May to present its first cruise collection under the creative directorship of Sabato De Sarno. Taking place at Tate Modern, the brand has announced its support for the gallery’s upcoming exhibition Electric Dreams – featuring works by early innovators of optical, kinetic, programmed and digital art – as well as a three-year partnership with the Tate to support young artists.

If that’s not enough, the Italian house has been showing off five re-edited and customised pillars of Italian design at its flagship store in Milan. Conceived by De Sarno and co-curated by Michela Pelizzari, the pieces – including a FontanaArte table lamp, a Clessidra rug and a Mario Bellini sofa – represent ​“the golden age of Italian design” and are presented for shoppers in Gucci’s lush Rosso Ancora shade. If you can’t make it down, you’re in luck: a special edition of the objects will be available at Gucci’s online store, from 21^st April.

Carhartt WIP is opting for a lounge-about summer, with the release of its SS24 women’s collection, Soft Focus. Featuring, well, super-soft jersey sweats, loose-fit denim and lightweight boxers, the relaxed drop is accompanied with a campaign shot by Léa Ceheivi around a tranquil-looking house on the outskirts of Paris. Warm and hazy, Ceheivi was influenced by ordinary women and the theme of sisterhood: ​“I wanted something warm, calm, peaceful, cocooning and connected,” she says.

The inseparable pair Palace and Evisu are back with a brand-new collection, featuring baggy jeans, jackets in light wash and raw dark denim, plus a cosy lambswool cardigan with oversized dice motifs, taken from Evisu’s extensive archive. Zip-up hoodies, trucker hats and T‑shirts show off both brands’ logos loud and proud, while over on the accessories: a heavy denim tote and a lucky dice set. To celebrate the occasion, the brands invited cheeky Detroit trio HiTech, plus DJ John FM to star in a film directed by Rollo Jackson, paying homage to the city’s much-loved club scene.

Palace Evisu hits the London store and palaceskate​boards​.com on Friday 17^th April at 11am

Martin Parr is the latest in the line of Louis Vuitton’s Fashion Eye – the house’s book series which invites photographers to highlight a city, region or country. And who better to show the highs and lows of modern Britain than Parr? In this edition, his work from 1998 to the present day documents ordinary scenes such as picnics, weddings and funfairs through his unmistakable pop-colours that turn the mundane into the somewhat magnificent. Expect Union Jacks, 99 Flakes and a much-needed dose of optimism.

Shayne Oliver has been announced as the latest in Jean Paul Gaultier’s brimming line of collaborators, following the likes of Y/​Project, KNWLS and, for its couture collection shown in January, Simone Rocha. The New Yorker, who co-founded the legendary subcultural brand Hood by Air with Raul Lopez in 2006, is bringing his esoteric style and counterculture references to JPG with around 50 pieces including bumster trousers, wide-leg denim and logos aplenty, with Business of Fashion reporting that the collection will be inspired by ““utilitarianism, femininity, power and play” (Oliver: ​“I didn’t want the collection to be about swag-ifying something highbrow”). In true enfant terrible style, the collection is set to launch in New York on 6^th May – the same night as the Met Gala, with an after-hours party in the city. We know where we’d rather be…

It’s a year of newness for Valentino, with the recent news that Alessandro Michele will be taking over as creative director. Now, the house has swung open the doors to its new flagship shop on swanky Sloane Street in Mayfair. Taking the approach of an intimate shopping experience, the new digs are set over four floors and led by the maison’s house colours – red, ivory and black – with the rest of the interiors in stripped back neutrals to allow product to do the talking.

In other Valentino news, the brand will be sponsoring this year’s International Booker Prize ceremony, allowing the Booker Prize Foundation to donate 500 sets of the six shortlisted books to libraries across the UK. ​“We couldn’t be more excited to be embarking on such a meaningful collaboration with Valentino and are hugely grateful for their support. Together, these two long-standing institutions will bring together imaginations without borders.” Talk about a new chapter, eh?

Take a trip to Valentino’s new flagship located at 185 – 186 Sloane St

Cartier recently announced its latest line ​“Polymorph”, bending the possibilities of (seriously) fine jewels with a focus on transformative watch and jewellery design. Deploying a freeing approach to how the pieces can be worn – think: a watch that doubles up as a brooch or a belt-loop accessory – Cartier’s latest offering picks the finest rubies, emeralds and, of course, diamonds in a truly mind-altering fashion. It launched in Harrods at the start of the week, so whether you’re a big spender or window shopper, head down and take a whiff of those sweet, sweet carats.

Take a nosy at Cartier Libre’s Polymorph collection at Harrods Boutique

And finally, you’d be hard-pressed to find a member of London’s fashion pack without a story or two from Bistrotheque, the much-loved restaurant housed in a once dilapidated warehouse in the East End’s Bethnal Green. Twenty years on from its opening and the boozy establishment has a bumper six-month long programme lined up in partnership with Tanqueray No Ten, which kicked off last night with Fashion East founder and Bistrotheque mainstay Lulu Kennedy hosting a slap-up dinner with friends and unveiling a cocktail menu she curated. Up next: Jonny Woo​’s ​“Ten Ten Ten” series of queer cabaret performance nights, exclusive performance nights from the always entertaining Thick & Tight dance theatre company and a celebration of women in music with live events and cocktail evenings curated by Beat magazine founder Hanna Hanra. With two decades of raucous parties, finger-licking food and plenty of good times under their belts, we’ll raise a glass to the next 20.