Open Mind. Louis Vuitton AW26

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

It seems to me that Nicolas Ghesquière has rediscovered a sense of joy in making fashion. That wasn’t always so evident in his 1980s-heavy collections, but his latest Louis Vuitton outing feels like the work of an open mind. It brings together three distinct “energies,” vividly clashing yet glued by a kind of transcendental, almost shroom-like aura.

First, there is a collage-like engagement with global cultures. Cultural appropriation is one thing, but in the past decade, a growing fear of being called out – or cancelled – for drawing on other traditions has made fashion increasingly cautious about referencing the world’s diverse beauty. So it feels refreshing to see Ghesquière approach Turkish kepeneks, Mongolian steppe deels, and Nepalese topi hats with such confidence, but also with respect. He manages to celebrate these traditions by sublimating their magnificence, never reducing them to caricature.

The second “energy” sees Nicolas returning to his Balenciaga years – autumn/winter 2002, to be precise – reviving a sense of generous, bounty fluidity in his dresses. Those sent down the Louis Vuitton runway feel effortless, and cool. Words that didn’t always roll off the tongue when considering his recent collections.

And the third? For the first time in over a decade at the house, Ghesquière seems to subtly nod to Marc Jacobs – not in any literal sense, but in his attitude toward fashion. There’s wit, a sense of play, a tongue-in-cheek irreverence. A cone-shaped hat paired with a voluminous bomber jacket and cropped trousers, or a fabulously cluttered blazer with boxy shoulders, recalls Jacobs’s years at Vuitton, when each show existed as a self-contained fantasy.

That newly found, almost defiant I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-anyone-thinks spirit suits Ghesquière well. It might also explain why the collection didn’t resonate with everyone. After all, people tend to resent it when someone is having just a little too much fun. Human nature!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Power of Strangeness. Jean Paul Gaultier AW26

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Duran Lantink has managed to turn his signature strangeness into a mischievous force at Jean Paul Gaultier. His inflated bodies, extraterrestrial protrusions, and distorted silhouettes no longer read as one-off shock tactics, but rather as part of a broader vision for what the brand can become.

To truly appreciate it, you have to momentarily set aside everything you think you know about Gaultier and allow yourself to engage with Lantink’s methodology of seeing the bod – one that leans more toward the abstract than the figurative. He drew inspiration from the image of Marlene Dietrich holding a whip, which sparked the idea of “Madame Masculinity.” And when you think about it, is there anything more JPG?

Where Gaultier once disrupted the anatomical canon through hyper-corsetry, Lantink does so with conical shoulder lines and padded protuberances. There is a distinctly commanding presence in these constructed, almost alien postures. The former delighted in reworking the tropes of historical dress, and the latter pushes panniered forms to new extremes, creating gowns that appear to float through space, as if guided by an invisible puppeteer.

Lantink’s vision for the brand may not resonate with everyone, but it’s worth remembering that Gaultier himself was once scorned – and misunderstood – by critics. Today, he is a legend. Time will tell whether Duran’s ideas are ahead of their time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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What’s Hot (17.3.26)

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

GET THE LOOK:

Grazia and Marica Vozza Lapis, Malachite and Tiger’s Eye Fish Pendant Necklace

KHAITE Celia Patent-leather Pumps

Isabel Marant Nina Open Back Denim Mini Dress

COS Voluminous Wool Long Car Coat

The Row Devon Mini Nubuck Pouch

A Risk-Taker’s Allure. Hermès AW26

March 16, 2026March 16, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

In the past few seasons, it has been fascinating to see where Nadège Vanhee takes her Hermès woman. Let’s say it plainly: this woman is a bourgeois. Yet, as last season proved, she is not afraid to let her precious leathers wear down on a horse ride in Camargue, and she knows that a truly great Birkin is one seasoned by time and life.

For autumn–winter 2026, the designer takes that same woman to a darker, sexier place – somewhere slightly outside her comfort zone, yet where she feels as confident as ever. With modernist ease and an Art Deco–esque flair, a pair of leather coats were designed with zippers spiraling around the torso and hips, while horse-riding attire resembled sensual, body-fitting catsuits. Fur caps lent the looks an aristocratic air – but this is the kind of aristocrat unafraid of doing something unbecoming, even wonderfully inappropriate.

With Vanhee set to launch Hermès’s haute couture next year, her risk-taking approach to the ready-to-wear line – already crafted from some of the finest materials in the world – only heightens the excitement for what the house might have in store in its new era.