Author: Design & Culture by Ed

Strategic. Saint Laurent AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

I found Anthony Vaccarello’s latest collection for Saint Laurent a tad underwhelming – though I understand precisely what he was aiming for. In recent seasons, Vaccarello has leaned into a form of statement dressing sublimated from the archives of Yves Saint Laurent: think of the ruffled, hyper–maxi dresses that now dominate editorials, sweeping, theatrical, and unapologetically grand.

This latest offering, however, feels like a strategic retreat. It delivers a highly predictable vision of the contemporary Saint Laurent woman: razor-sharp black tailoring in the vein of Helmut Newton’s power-charged imagery; diaphanous, ultra-sheer lace dresses; oversized fur coats thrown over. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


SAINT LAURENT Grain De Poudre Wool And Silk-satin Blazer



SAINT LAURENT Leather Gloves



SAINT LAURENT Knitted Maxi Dress



SAINT LAURENT Gold-tone Agate Ring



SAINT LAURENT EYEWEAR Sl 902 Howl D-frame Acetate Sunglasses

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Emotional Restoration. Dior AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Just after World War II, Christian Dior introduced the Bar jacket as part of his Corolle line. It was sharply criticized for its extravagant use of fabric at a time of postwar austerity. Yet that “unreasonable whim” was not mere indulgence; it was an attempt to submerge collective grief beneath beauty and fantasy. It was, in its own way, an act of emotional restoration – no less valid for being escapist. After all, drowning out pain through aesthetic excess is a coping mechanism many of us recognize.

I found Jonathan Anderson’s sophomore womenswear ready-to-wear collection for Dior a poignant continuation of that impulse. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Fashion! Fun! F*ck! Vaquera AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Fun! F*ck! Fashion!

Vaquera’s Bryn Taubensee and Patric DiCaprio’s autumn-winter 2026 collection is a reckless, badass love letter to fashion history. The opening looks echoed Rudi Gernreich and his eternally scandalous 1964 monokini. From there, the designers turned their scruffy lens toward Balenciaga’s 2006 collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere, in which he reinterpreted the great Cristobal Balenciaga’s radical experiments with shape. (Interestingly, about a year ago another Paris-based designer, De Pino, referenced the same collection – proof of just how seismic Ghesquière’s work once was.)

Amid this wild clash of worlds and styles, the Vaquera duo slipped in 1950s-inspired satin sack dresses—cut with risqué slits, so not quite so prim after all – alongside baby-doll peplum tops. “Interview“’s Dara Allen was obsessed; expect to see the looks on Addison Rae soon.

I’m on the fence about whether this already idea-saturated collection really needed the leather squares and triangles that covered the models’ bodies near the finale. Taubensee and DiCaprio excel at tweaking what’s stereotypically “pretty” or “classic,” and these avant-garde, Pierre Cardin-esque experiments felt somewhat disconnected from the rest. Still, they bring a welcome sense of humor to Paris, which can at times feel overly petulant.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Double. Julie Kegels AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels has a sharp instinct for the way women manage an entrance. Her latest collection, “Face Value“, is less about revelation than about calibration – how much to show, how long to hold back. She’s examining the gap between self and projection – and suggesting that the gap is where the real power sits. In a culture that mistakes exposure for honesty, she proposes that mystery still has value. That’s why the collection’s best idea is the double. Shadows are printed, mirrored, refracted in sequins. One model’s silhouette reappears on another look’s dress. Chandelier scraps cast real light; faux-crystal shadows lie flat on silk. The effect isn’t decorative so much as pointed: the image precedes the person. The zigzag leather masks land somewhere between superhero and fetish. They conceal – but theatrically. Control on the surface, vulnerability underneath. As in case of Kegels’ work, proportion does most of the work. Boiled-wool sweaters are shrunken and tense; collars climb the neck. Circular sleeves push the arms outward, nudging the body into a faintly defiant stance – a subtle piece of behavioral tailoring. Other sleeves are cut far back, pitching the torso forward, as if the wearer is slightly ahead of herself. She’s there, but the moment you blink – she’s already somewhere else.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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