Wholesome Beauty. Bottega Veneta AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

After witnessing the wholesome beauty of Louise Trotter’s sophomore collection for Bottega Veneta, one can’t help but wonder: why bother wasting time, life, and attention on something as depressing as Demna’s latest Gucci outing?

Trotter delivered a collection so robust, textured, rich, and untamed in its tactility that you couldn’t help but smile during the closing passage: fluffy furs spun from silk threads rippled like curly shearling; real shearling was brushed to resemble fox; shaggy fiberglass and velvet were carved to mimic astrakhan.

For Louise, Bottega Veneta is a playground – one where she roams freely through the possibilities of materials, embracing materiality in the most unexpected ways. Yet she also proves she knows a thing or two about Milanese sartoriality: her delightfully oversized peacoats and meaty jackets with rounded shoulders did not disappoint.

I entered starving for beauty; I left fed.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Maritime Sensuality. Ferragamo AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

At Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis is committed to subverting the classics, often approaching them from a different perspective or reworking their well-known codes. For autumn–winter 2026, he turned his attention to the aesthetic of maritime attire, successfully transforming its references into something glamorous and refined.

The opening segment of the collection featured handsome, oversized peacoats in navy cashmere, to which panels lined in ivory silk were buttoned in, creating a sense of Cubist deconstruction. Two Guernsey-inspired sweaters – one navy, one white – were designed with raised collars left unbuttoned to fall softly around the neck. This simple manipulation introduced a note of subtle sensuality (made me think of “Querelle“, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1982 homoerotic sea-port drama).

A swimming vest was reimagined as a quilted leather orange gilet, while georgette dresses with mid-calf, cinched accordion pleats moved through the air like sails in the wind. With each collection, Davis moves closer to the vision he continually strives to realize.

ED’s SELECTION:


Ferragamo Arcadia Patent-leather Pumps



Ferragamo Draped Satin- And Lace-paneled Silk-chiffon Midi Dress



Ferragamo Hug Medium Leather Tote



Ferragamo Itaca Patent-leather Mules



Ferragamo Hooded Padded Shell Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Olive In A Martini. Jil Sander AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Simone Bellotti‘s sophomore collection for Jil Sander is simply sublime. I love how he compared it to an olive dropped into a martini: that seemingly unnecessary touch that makes all the difference, transforming the drink into a perfect cocktail. Although his approach to the brand is radically minimalist – focused on the precision of line and the study of proportion – within that monkish asceticism lies a powerful erotic tension.

A decorative ruffle running down the side of trousers, a high slit cut into the back of a coat, skirts provocatively spliced at the seams to reveal flashes of white-stockinged thigh beneath – these blink-and-you-miss-it gestures make a smoldering difference. Notably, much of the action happens at the back of the garments, which feels especially gratifying in an age when we so often see clothes only from the front, flattened onto our screens.

Next to Bellotti, other contemporary “minimalist” brands – such as Fforme or Veronica Leoni’s Calvin Klein Collection – appear pale and insubstantial.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Regime. Gucci AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Everything about Demna’s Gucci runway debut made me feel nauseous. The monumental, neo-classicist venue designed by Sub.Global felt deeply discomforting to me – it immediately evoked Mussolini-era architecture, the kind that asserted power and signaled the omnipresence of a totalitarian regime. Playing with such tropes simply doesn’t sit right, especially in the context of figures like Giorgia Meloni shaping current politics. I was genuinely surprised that nobody else said this out loud. But then again, I suppose it’s easy to turn a blind eye when it’s convenient.

And what about the clothes? To me, they suggest that Demna – a designer I truly admired during his Balenciaga years – is at a creative standstill. Or downfall. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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