Collections

Nobody Is Fun Anymore. Fendi AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

For some strange reason, I had hoped that Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut at Fendi would surprise us all with something genuinely fun (believe it or not, once upon a time Fendi was fun – before Kim Jones turned it into yet another beige Italian brand). But there was no trace of that spirit on her runway. At least, it was nowhere to be seen beyond a passing statement in the press release.

It seems that the only thing distinguishing Maria Grazia’s current mindset from her years at Dior is a looser relationship to a unifying theme. Her Fendi woman is slightly less uptight – perhaps. Yet this newly found “chill” made the latest collection resemble Zadig & Voltaire more than Fendi: slip dresses, military references, velvet jackets, denim – the building blocks of a rather dated understanding of “cool.”

And the menswear? Perhaps because Chiuri hasn’t designed menswear in decades, it ended up being one of the most compelling aspects of the collection. Funnily enough, in her universe, men are allowed to wear more fabulous furs than women.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Layers. Prada AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

During the last season – the so-called “season of debuts” – I found myself wondering whether fashion is truly committed to the pursuit of the new if not a single designer even vaguely attempts to challenge the format of the fashion show. Finally, that changed at yesterday’s show by Prada in Milan, where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proved that the runway can, indeed, be reimagined. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Prada Eyewear Square-frame Silver-tone Optical Glasses



Prada Distressed Leather Bow Sandals



Prada Check Georgette Sleeveless Midi Dress



Prada Boat Neck Knit Balloon Sweater



Prada Camel Wool Circle Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Not Enough. Burberry AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Nobody captured London’s current predicament more vividly than Daniel Lee at Burberry. With this duo, it’s either a hit or a miss. This season, unfortunately, it was the latter, proving that as the seasons pass, Burberry is no longer capable of sparking emotion. There is nothing worse than a show that leaves you indifferent – it might as well have been an email. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Burberry Buckled Leather Knee Boots



Burberry Checked Wool Scarf



Burberry Studded Belted Leather Jacket



Burberry Leather-trimmed Ribbed Wool Polo Sweater



Burberry Belted Cotton Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Back To The Good Times. Conner Ives AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

What I love about Conner Ives’s latest collection is how unfussy, unpretentious, and effortless it feels – while remaining absolutely glamorous. The designer drew inspiration from Weimar-era Berlin: a time of freedom and untamed expression, a moment of societal shift, and the rise of a queer community that helped shape modern art. Echoes of the 1920s came alive in Ives’s low-waisted dresses with fringed hems and sleeves, as well as in a phenomenal fur-trimmed silk coat adorned with chinoiserie motifs. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Conner Ives Appliquéd Stretch-micro Modal Jersey Midi Skirt



Conner Ives Recycled-twill Vest



Conner Ives Jellyfish Asymmetric Ruffled Bamboo-blend Jersey Top



Conner Ives Fluted Checked Cotton-blend Gauze Midi Dress



Conner Ives Ruched Stretch-jersey And Silk Mini Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Thorny. Simone Rocha AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

The woman on Simone Rocha’s mind this season is someone who has truly lived. She has pushed through thorny rose bushes, crossed rain-soaked moors, and ridden a horse or two – beginning with Enbarr, the all-white horse of Irish mythology, the only means of reaching Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth. Yet Rocha’s protagonist does not dwell on the windswept pages of “Wuthering Heights“; she is far more grounded in reality than one might expect. Hence the variations of the MA-1 jacket in olive nylon, layered over rosette- and ribbon-trimmed dresses. A harness-evoking crinoline functions as armour, while the red tracksuit from the Adidas collaboration becomes a kind of modern hauberk. The collection’s “pretty” flourishes, set against a shaggy, almost animalistic roughness, imbue Rocha’s proposition with palpable tension and intrigue. Her signature of sorts.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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