Supernova. Standing Ground AW26 Couture

| Design & Culture by Ed

Sometimes you’ve got to be patient for a supernova to hit. Michael Stewart of Standing Ground saved the haute couture season with an awe-inspiring collection – and a breathtaking study in craftsmanship. Quiet yet full of confidence and conviction – qualities many contemporary creative directors working in couture seem to lack – this runway moment by the Irish designer is a testament to the level of perfection the highest discipline of fashion demands. (Even though some insist on “making it modern” by pretending couture isn’t about… couture. Silly.)

Stewart is obsessive about cutting, dressmaking, and hand embroidery, and he’s fully invested in the process – not just creatively, but technically. And it shows. In his exquisite draping of jersey and velvet. In the signature beading technique he has developed and integrated in multiple ways to create both structure and surface embellishment. And in tailoring so fluid and body-enhancing it looks almost otherworldly.

The women of Standing Ground could be aliens, or Celtic goddesses. For the finale, Stewart presented a full white wedding dress made entirely from Carrickmacross lace, crafted in Ireland and worn barefoot by Kristen McMenamy. By choosing this particular lace, he celebrated Ireland’s heritage of craftsmanship and brought it onto the Paris stage where, in his view, it has always belonged. The women of County Monaghan – the handful of specialists who still preserve the technique – spent 4,000 hours creating this masterpiece.

Here is the leader of couture’s new guard.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Drag. Schiaparelli AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

There comes a moment when even the greatest magician has no more rabbits left to pull out of the hat. Daniel Roseberry‘s Schiaparelli haute couture is increasingly turning into drag – exquisitely engineered drag, granted – but it no longer has the same effect. Dressing a woman as a latex octopus in 2026 feels more gimmicky than groundbreaking. Putting her in yet another hyper-cinched jacket or a skin-tight, body-moulded bustier (really, how many more McQueen echoes can we take?) feels equally tired. Then comes a pink explosion of hand-applied feathers, perhaps meant to evoke a sea urchin. I just can’t shake the feeling that Schiaparelli deserves to aspire to something more profound than this.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Need For Advanced Chic. Dior AW26 Couture

| Design & Culture by Ed

After the euphoric haute couture season we had last time around, I had a feeling in my bones this one would be much more subdued. Turns out, I was right. The first day of couture left me wondering: what’s the point of all this? And, more importantly, does it still feel relevant? Jonathan Anderson‘s sophomore couture collection for Dior didn’t really answer either question. Which is a shame, especially considering how extraordinary his debut was just six months ago. Then again, maybe he simply didn’t have enough time to perfect it.

The biggest issue is that the collection feels unresolved. Anderson’s fascination with vintage garments is evident – everything is tweedy and blanket-y, the jewellery evokes more Paul Bert Serpette than Victoire de Castellane, and the hats look exactly like the sort of treasures you’d hope to discover in the most glamorous attic imaginable. But none of it seems meaningfully connected to the supposed Lynda Benglis narrative. The tropical glass-house venue doesn’t help either.

It’s as if Anderson wants to embrace full Galliano-esque fantasy – think the blue dress with the oversized fan bustier or the dramatically pleated red cape finished with a bow – but something keeps pulling him back to earth. Unfortunately, that tension doesn’t quite work in the collection’s favour. The metallic foil dresses end up looking closer to Ferrero Rocher wrappers than opulent eveningwear inspired by Benglis’ molten sculptures, and I’m fairly certain that wasn’t the goal.

At this point, I’d rather see a concise story from Jonathan than another gathering of fascinating characters. And imagine this collection on mature women instead of impossibly young models. The entire dynamic would shift. Suddenly it would feel more convincing, more lived-in, more chic. Because for all its ambition, this lineup was missing that elusive quality couture needs above all else: the confidence – and sophistication – that only advanced chicness can deliver.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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