Design & Culture by Ed

The Ruth Bader Ginsburg-inspired collars are a sort of signature in Sea‘s free-spirited resort 2020 collection, but not only. The New York-based brand has it all, from over-sized sleeves and prairie dresses to chunky knits and floral tea-dresses. Inspired by Danish style, designers Monica Paolini and Sean Monahan swapped out their usual florals for foulard patterns, adding a new polish to their lineup of city essentials. Paolini said Copenhagen was a major influence. She traveled there last winter and was struck by the way the locals girls layer colors and textures in the winter. The designers are traveling there in August to participate in Copenhagen Fashion Week, which might be a hint: is the brand expanding in Europe?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki; photos by Ana Kras.

It’s been 11 months since Daniel Lee‘s arrival to Bottega Veneta, and it seems he’s there for, like, forever. Throughout this short time, the brand received big love from clients, who never bought at Bottega before. And it seems that the success isn’t solely rooted on the absence of Phobe Philo. Lee and his team prove this in the resort 2020 collection, which is sublime in every aspect, from bags to clothes. Leather accessories, whether in the brand’s signature intrecciato weave or not, are so good. Just look at the wrist-slung, tightly knotted bag in blue or orange strips of soft matte leather, or the sandals in fake snake, which featured three and a half encirclements of leather strip that ran upwards (these worked to cinch Lee’s expertly cut wide-leg pants and were complemented by similarly functioning bracelets). Clothes are a delight, as well. Whether we’re speaking of the draped leather dress in orange worn by Maria Carla Boscono or all the trench coats that appeared in the look-book, it’s a dream wardrobe. Minimalism and top knotch craftsmanship aren’t a novelty, but Bottega Veneta and Salvatore Ferragamo get that balance especially well in Italy today. Better start saving…