Summary — "Ozempic Hips Take the Runway"

Puck | Audacy — The Powers That Be Daily (Peter Hamby with Lauren Sherman)
Episode date: October 10

Overview

Lauren Sherman, fresh from Milan and Paris fashion weeks, walks through how luxury fashion is responding to falling sales, leadership shakeups, and creative debuts. The conversation reviews winners and losers from both cities, decodes runway signals that will filter into consumer retail (and even home goods and cars), and highlights a few concrete trend headlines—most memorably “Ozempic hips” (low‑rise, hip‑hugging silhouettes).

Key points & main takeaways

• The high-end fashion industry is under pressure: most houses are seeing declining sales (exceptions mentioned: Hermès and Loro Piana). This is driving executive and creative turnover and risk-taking at big houses.
• Milan (shorter, easier-to-read season) highlights:
  • Versace was the big hit — an unexpected, commercial, 1980s‑inspired runway that sold well.
  • Drama around the Versace debut (presentation vs runway, Donatella’s absence) underscored behind-the-scenes volatility.
  • Notable positive debuts: Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander; Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta.
  • Glenn Martens: great couture at Margiela earlier, but his ready‑to‑wear offered mixed results (Diesel strong; Margiela RW less convincing).
• Paris (higher stakes) highlights:
  • Matthieu Blazy’s debut at Chanel was widely hailed — modern, covetable, and immediately “wantable” (jackets, shirts, accessories were immediate hits).
  • Jonathan Anderson’s Dior debut was polarizing: brilliant surrounding elements (films, set, social/advertising) and strong menswear debut before, but the women’s clothes felt less immediately commercial; the industry wants instant bestsellers given the revenue pressure.
• Trends likely to trickle to mainstream retail:
  • “Ozempic hips”: low‑rise, hip‑hugging pants and skirts (a return to late‑90s/2000s silhouettes and an Avril‑Lavigne/Paris Hilton vibe).
  • Narrower/slimmer pant silhouettes — a partial comeback of skinny and mid‑narrow fits for men and women (a middle ground between skin‑tight and wide‑leg).
  • Decade-mixing throwbacks: 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s references filtered through designers of roughly millennial/Gen‑X age cohorts.
  • Color directions: teal/pine‑green/cerulean and specific pinks and citrons — these colors often show up in fashion then spread into home goods, cars, and mass retail.
• Trickle-down effect: runway colors and silhouette cues will appear in fast fashion, home décor, and even car palette choices within upcoming seasons.

Winners and losers (high level)

• Winners:
  • Versace (commercially strong, 80s revival resonated)
  • Chanel (Matthieu Blazy — a clear industry win; immediate commercial appeal)
  • Some Milan debuts (Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta)
• Mixed/underwhelming:
  • Jonathan Anderson at Dior — exceptional marketing/ambience but womenswear didn’t land as a mass commercial hit
  • Glenn Martens at Margiela — couture applause but RW still finding its footing

Notable quotes & insights

• “The fashion industry… is in crisis.” — blunt assessment of the market context.
• “This is a $7 to $10 billion business. They’ve lost a lot of revenue in the last year.” — underscores why runway must often deliver immediate commercial impact now.
• “How can I buy a jacket from Chanel now?” — summed up the reaction to Blazy’s Chanel: desirable and sellable.
• “Ozempic hips” — a memorable shorthand for the runway return of low-rise, hip-hugging silhouettes.

Topics discussed

• State of luxury fashion and falling sales
• Creative and executive turnover across houses
• Milan vs Paris fashion weeks: format, significance, highlights
• Specific designer debuts and assessments (Versace, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Margiela, Jil Sander, Bottega)
• The runway → retail pipeline and which runway trends will reach consumers
• Detailed trend notes: low-rise pants, narrower silhouettes/skinny jeans, decade throwbacks, color trends (teal/cerulean/pine green)
• How runway aesthetics influence non-fashion categories (home goods, cars)

Action items / Recommendations

For industry watchers and retailers:

• Monitor Chanel and Versace as templates for how to marry heritage codes with immediate commercial desirability.
• Balance creative/experimental storytelling (films, installations) with clearly sellable ready‑to‑wear and accessories, since the market now demands faster ROI.

For shoppers and buyers:

• Expect low-rise, hip‑hugging pants and lower waists to reappear in stores over coming seasons.
• Look out for a resurgence of narrower pant silhouettes for men (skinny/mid‑slim) alongside continued variety.
• Watch for teal/pine‑green and other runway colors to show up in mass retail, home décor, and even car options—use those color cues when refreshing wardrobes or interiors.

For trend/content teams:

• Track color stories and silhouette shifts now (runway → fast retail timeline is often a season or two).
• Consider how runway-driven narratives (e.g., 80s revival, Ozempic hips) might be localized for different age cohorts and price points.

Bottom line

Fashion weeks reflected an industry at stake: creativity is abundant, but houses must deliver immediate commercial appeal. Expect a wave of low‑rise silhouettes, narrower pants, decade-mixed references, and distinct color stories (teal/cerulean/pine green) to filter into mainstream retail, interiors, and even product palettes like cars in the near future.