THE DRG STYLE INDEX: CHRISTOPHER KANE X NARS, CHANEL E-COMMERCE, MONTBLANC, HILLIER BARTLEY

Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. GET READY FOR CHRISTOPHER KANE BEAUTY

First look at Christopher Kane for NARS and it’s suitably punchy. Big on neon-y pinks, the ten-piece ‘NEONEUTRAL’ collection is aimed at the fearless fashion-forward girl although there are some wearable nudes and corals in the mix. It lands on counter 15th April.

2. CHANEL IS LAUNCHING E-COMMERCE

What has compelled Bruno Pavlovsky to make the decision to launch Chanel e-commerce? Details are scarce but WWD reported that Chanel will be joining the e-com industry in 2016 along with Barrie, Maison Michel and glove-maker Causse. More info at Fashionista.

3. MONTBLANC THE MAISON

Interesting times are ahead for Montblanc. I was invited to a very swish dinner last week to get a first look at the Meisterstuck Selection Sfumato leathergoods collection, which will debut at Harrods in June. Montblanc is known for pens and watches but it wants to boost its offer of other products including jewellery, eyewear and luxury leathergoods. I didn’t know what to expect but this collection is beautifully executed, they even had the artisans there to talk us through their specialist techniques (‘Sfumato‘ comes from the Da Vinci painting technique which gives a shaded gradiant effect to the calfskin leather). From the little I’ve read about Richemont-owned Montblanc, it looks like new CEO Jérôme Lambert wants to broaden its remit and build it into a luxury lifestyle ‘Maison’. Keep watching.

4. HILLIER BARTLEY LAUNCHES FOR AW15

Well that was swift. No sooner did news break of the demise of Marc By Marc Jacobs than some happier news emerges. Hillier Bartley is the name of a new luxury line arriving in August from Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley. From the description so far (‘masculine elegance for a woman maturing into refinement and naturalness’), it sounds a lot like Hillier’s personal boyish-luxe style which absolutely gets the DRG tick of approval.

WORDS: Navaz Batliwalla/Disneyrollergirl