As a sought-after dancer and choreographer, Kyle Abraham has no shortage of projects on his plate. In addition to splitting his time between New York and L.A., the MacArthur Fellow and USC professor in residence has a global reach. Next month, his 2022 Fall Fashion Gala commission for New York City Ballet, Love Letter (on shuffle), will make a highly anticipated debut at Saddler’s Wells in the U.K., where he has also been commissioned by the nation’s Royal Ballet. Yet Abraham wears a rather different hat as the founder and artistic director of A.I.M., a dance company that commissions avant-garde works that center Black and queer performers, cultures, and stories.

A.I.M.’s latest endeavor, Year, is the brainchild of choreographer Andrea Miller, a Guggenheim Fellow, guest choreographer at the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and the first choreographer to be named an Artist in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Year grapples with “ritual, sacrifice, reincarnation, and the sublime,” Miller says, everywhere from the piece’s score, composed by Lido Pimienta, to the costumes designed in collaboration with Orly Anan, and, of course, Miller’s choreography. “The goal is to symbolize self-discovery and metamorphosis, celebrating the complexity of the human spirit through movement,” Anan says. “The costumes blends mesh fabric transparency and vibrant, full-colored masks to enhance the transformative nature of contemporary dance.”

A deepened desire to explore the sublime inspired Miller to change direction on the piece’s musical accompaniment and reach out to Pimienta and work with Anan, a source of mutual creative respect and admiration who she knew previously. “Orly’s imagination has no borders. Her spirit and creativity is boundless running fluidly between performance, textiles, fashion, music, masks, sculpture, and wearable art,” Miller says. “With Year, we discussed the themes and she came up with her own understanding of what that meant in her expressive language. We knew we wanted the body to be at the center, but also allow for something almost otherworldly to be possible.”

Abraham sat down with Surface to share an exclusive preview of Year’s costume design, lighting, and a first look at the performance, which will hold its world premiere on Saturday, Feb. 17, at George Mason University in Virginia.

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Since Pavyllon made its grand arrival at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane this past summer, celebrated chef Yannick Alléno has wowed the fine dining cognoscenti with his precision and creativity. Reinterpreting classical French cuisine with artistic flair, Alléno has again shown why he has 15 Michelin stars to his name. Make that 16 now after the 2024 Great Britain & Ireland Guide’s recently awarded Pavyllon one star, making Alléno the second most decorated living chef.

The restaurant’s design by Chahan Minassian complements Alléno’s culinary artistry, featuring chic Parisian apartment aesthetics with soothing powder blue tones and elegant textures, centered around a live kitchen. There, Alléno’s ‘extraction’ technique shines, capturing the purest flavors with methods like vacuum cooking and cryo-concentration. Runny egg yolk ravioli, crispy curry tartlet with scallop carpaccio, pan-fried langoustines with curry mayonnaise and herb salad—it’s hard to make a wrong turn on the menu. We suggest leveling up with the namesake tasting menu, the best way to taste Alléno’s full array.

Salone del Mobile is throwing a few curveballs this year. During a press conference this week, fair president Maria Porro revealed details for the furniture fair’s 62nd edition, which is slated to return to Milan’s Rho grounds in April. The most surprising move comes from film director and Surface cover star David Lynch, who will reveal “Thinking Rooms” across the fair that echo the cerebral stillness of his films. The project is curated by writer Antonio Monda and created with Piccolo Teatro di Milano.

“We chose to work with a master of cinema like Lynch for his ability to lead us into another world, mysterious and alienating,” Porro says. “Entering his Thinking Room will be like crossing into another world. And what are interior spaces if not research and creation of objects that complete a home, or even a room, to make us feel safe within our subconscious?” Also of note is the 25th anniversary of SaloneSatellite’s platform for emerging designers, which will be celebrated with a dedicated showcase back in the city at Triennale Milano.

Eighteen years in, Svitlana Bevza is dedicated to getting to the heart of her eponymous label: for F/W 2024, she further defines its signatures and house codes with a commitment to her homeland Ukraine. Her monogram, introduced in S/S 2024, makes an appearance or few, and her allusions to Ukraine’s status as the world’s bread basket—through apron dresses, grain drop-chandelier earrings, and kolach-inspired knitwear—are as vibrant as ever.

Three words to describe the collection: Elegant. Senseful. Coded.

Which look is your favorite? This [column dress]. We reviewed the collection again online with the [Kyiv] office. I came only two days before the end of shooting the lookbook and when I saw it—this one, I love. And the apron dress. And the puffer coat dress.

What was the inspiration behind it? I was thinking about an epitome of elegance in the dresses. These are radical colors for me, black and white together, and very complicated colors. I wanted to do a dress seen as elegant.

Attending any parties or events this week? I’m going to the @stylenotcom party. Beka has a new book, Fashion in 2023. I was invited to Vogue’s podcast party. Maybe somewhere else. I was in Paris last season and the parties were so crowded. I will definitely go to Bevza’s show [at the Ukrainian Institute of America].

You’re based in London now. Why do you choose to show as part of NYFW? God knows I’m not looking for the easy way. We’ve built this for 13 seasons. It works and we feel great support here. We showcase at our showroom in Paris, and we can do some events in London. I set no limits here because I don’t think the fashion industry sticks to one scheme anymore. I’m doing the shows because I love the shows.

This week, Wiederhoeft celebrated its newly unveiled F/W 2024 collection with an after-party at The Standard, East Village during New York Fashion Week. Guests gathered in No Bar and enjoyed custom Hendricks cocktails, a celebration of the label’s collaboration of corsets for signature bottles in time for Valentine’s Day. They also enjoyed an amorous treat: a three-tiered wedding cake complete with a water fountain by Hanna Snead.

When was it? Feb. 12

Where was it? The Standard, East Village

Who was there? Aquaria, Susanne Bartsch, Chloe Wise, Alice Longyu Gao, Julian Casablancas, Griffin Maxwell Brooks, Jane Poon, Diego Villarreal, David Ross Lawn, and more.

When: Until March 2

Where: Laffanour, Galerie Downtown Paris

What: The Breton furniture maker, often contextualized as a contemporary and collaborator of Le Corbusier, gets his due in this exhibition of rare sculpture and furnishings. One of the most anticipated pieces on review, Savina and Corbusier’s Ozon Opus is emblematic of the craftsman’s legacy of “fusing tradition and modernity.” While the daybeds, seating, tables, and other furniture on view is a testament to his skill, Ozon Opus is a testament to the depth of the duo’s vision to transcend boundaries between art, craft, and decoration.

Experience 27 is a cutting-edge boutique and online shop curating exclusive fashion collections by independent designers such as Rochas Paris, Altuzarra, Thebe Magugu, Plan C, Roksanda, and Bibi van der Velden. Embracing fashion as an art form, their designers create enduring collections with meticulous attention to detail and quality materials.

Surface Says: Inspired by Gertrude Stein’s Paris apartment and salon at 27 Rue de Fleurus, and just steps away from some of Madrid’s top museums, parks, and botanical gardens, Experience 27 carries an enviable assortment of wares from the top independent designers across fashion, furniture, and fine jewelry.

These female designers behind the Tiffany Lamp are getting their due.

Beyoncé makes a surprise appearance at Luar’s NYFW show in Bushwick.

Andrés Reisinger’s billowing fabrics take over the ancient streets of Jeddah.

Data centers have become a common sight across Ireland at a great cost.