The Wake. Simone Rocha AW24

February 19, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Simone Rocha‘s guest residency at Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture atelier definitely stayed in the designer’s mind for her label’s autumn-winter 2024 collection. “It was an amazing experience,” she told the press. “There were probably two main things I took away from it, which was to have that focus and attention to detail, and to slow down with each look. I found it really interesting to discipline myself to do that – and I really wanted to bring that discipline back with me.” The workmanship and the attention to detail when it comes to the embellishment techniques is also something she found exciting to elaborate on, that’s why majority of this season’s embroideries is handmade. Presented at St Bartholomew’s Church in Farringdon, the collection was entitled “The Wake” and was partly inspired by Queen Victoria’s mourning dress. There was plenty of sheer dressing, touches of faux-fur detail, exquisite capes and coats, and opulent-looking, ecclesiastical-inspired accessories. Corsetry – another take-away from JPG’s couture studio – ran through the collection too. Its delicate structure embraced the abdomen within tie-detail nylon parkas and rompers. Its contours defined the darting in little sheer jackets worn north of pantaloons, some of the many womenswear looks in which Rocha worked to place the models’ breasts on twin metal-beaded podiums shaped perhaps after lips. “There’s the perversity of being adorned, and cupped, in these organza corsets: it’s really stimulating on,” said Rocha.

A couple of my favourite Simone Rocha pieces, some even discounted…

ED’s DISPATCH:

Embellished Merino Wool And Silk-blend Cardigan

Tiered Daisy Gold-tone Crystal Earrings

Mini Embellished Canvas Shoulder Bag

Sequin-embellished Tulle Mini Skirt

Satin-trimmed Cutout Embroidered Tulle Midi Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Dandy’s Wake-up Call. Dunhill AW24

February 18, 2024February 17, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Dunhill, an unexpected surprise: the British dandy’s wardrobe gets a refreshment. Simon Holloway‘s debut collection felt like a much-needed wake-up call for this sleepy, London-based brand. The salon-inspired show unfolded at the National Portrait Gallery, transforming it into an elegant, cozy setting reminiscent of a chic café. As a swarm of very fine models emerged, the collection emanated a decidedly classic feel. This setting aptly matched the preppy mood that permeated the garments that felt quintessentially Dunhill. But with a closer look, a majority of pieces were lightweight, and the purposefully mismatched details within the prints and textures felt more modern than was first apparent. There were suits upon suits: two-piece cashmere wool sets here, fabulously cut Donegal tweed three-piece concoctions there. Reinventing the car coat, a nod to house founder Alfred Dunhill’s heritage, the outerwear range varied from camel hair with leather accents to premium double-faced wool. When asked about his intentions in translating Dunhill’s 130-year legacy to a contemporary London audience, Holloway’s response was assured: “There are menswear enthusiasts here, some of whom, particularly older generations, may know Dunhill from the past. But I do think there’s a younger audience obsessed with tailoring and proper menswear haberdashery – it’s a lovely thing to be able to connect with them here, too.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Exuberance. Erdem AW24

February 18, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Erdem Moralıoğlu is at his best when he leaves behind his comfort zone of florals and regality. In the halls of the British Museum, amidst the ancient grandeur of the Parthenon Marbles, a modern muse was reborn through imagination of the designer. As the autumn-winter 2024 fashion show progressed, a vivid homage to the American-Greek soprano Maria Callas and her iconic debut as Medea at La Scala in Milan unfolded. From the pea-green opera coat with its extravagantly exaggerated collar at the start to the same silhouette at the finale, this time strewn with a rose print on white satin, but quilted, almost like the memory of a 1950s housecoat, this certainly was an exuberant Erdem moment. In between we had the designer’s extended tribute to Callas, her greatness, her status, and style “almost as a pop idol of the ’50s,” as he put it. The complex psychologies of extraordinary women of the past have always been the fuel for Moralioglu’s layered design approach; the plots always blending into his own design narrative: a romantic, flowered, maybe raw-edged recasting of formal social-occasion dress codes. Callas’ wardrobe – the tiny-waisted, full-skirted dresses; draped scarf necklines; swing coats – were in full force. Carmine red dresses, roses attached to the toes of slingbacks, as if thrown at her feet onstage, and then satin pajamas and shoes evoking marabou slippers were yet another hints we are looking at a modern-day interpretation of a legend’s wardrobe.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Tulle Things. Molly Goddard AW24

February 17, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Molly Goddard‘s design language, consisting of signature tulle and romantic, magpie aesthetic, takes a beautiful, somewhat experimental turn for autumn-winter 2024. The play of volumes makes you think of the sensational Junya Watanabe’s 2000 “Techno Couture“ collection which was all about exaggerated, honeycomb ruffs inspired with European portraiture of nobility. Like some extraordinary dolls wrapped in layers and layers of tulle, the Goddard models could easily appear on the set of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things“. Then there were all these charming cowgirl motifs, like embroidered roses on collars and full-skirts covered in XXL polka-dots, kept in a vivacious color palette taken straight out of a Pedro Almodovar film. Not every designer could pull off such portion of eclecticism and make it all look somehow consistent. But Molly Goddard is a creative who finds method in the madness.

Need a quick Molly Goddard fix in your wardrobe?

ED’s SELECTION:

Nico Cropped Two-tone Pointelle-knit Wool Cardigan

Selene Gathered Metallic Lamé Mini Dress

Phoebe Tiered Cotton Mini Dress

Sonia Jacquard-knit Cotton Cardigan

Lisa One-shoulder Ruffled Tulle Top

Dexa Off-the-shoulder Ruffled Neon Tulle Gown

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Metrosexual. Luar AW24

February 16, 2024February 16, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Raul Lopez’ Luar shows have become highlights, just as Marc Jacobs’ or Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein shows were back in New York Fashion Week’s history. Autumn-winter 2024 is one of those definitely, not only because Beyoncé was in attendance. This collection was a witty play around the clichéd term “metrosexual” (the last time I’ve heard it in a serious conversion was in 2012, and I live in Poland where such topics always arrive delayed). According to a dictionary definition, he’s a “single young man living in a metropolis in close proximity to the best gyms, shops, and social spaces, with a vast disposable income spent mostly on himself”. A metrosexual is a “well-manicured man whose sexuality is often immaterial – though he’s presumably heterosexual – who is well groomed, well-mannered, and has good style”.

“They’re back, and it comes in cycles,” said Lopez, pointing at images of Elizabethan and Victorian era men in brocades, makeup, and wigs, as well as men in the late ’70s with tight knits and blow-dried hair. “There are different generations of the metrosexual, and now we are in the era of the stray (straight gay),” the designer concluded. The collection in itself was an anthology of the metrosexual from the perspective of a queer man. This season, Luar clothes can be really flamboyant, but can also turn very masc at the same time. This dichotomy was on display on the runway as Lopez offered opulent zebra devoré prints in shirting (a riff on Tom Ford, an iconic metrosexual), glossy leather tailoring in the designer’s signature hefty proportions, and his recurrent hulking shoulder treatment on everything from cardigans to denim jackets. There were tight jeans paired with tighter tees (the uniform of the Dominican metrosexual, he said) that highlighted the models’ builds. A run of extra large jackets with the aforementioned bold shoulders and rounded sleeves, Lopez’s play on Elizabethan male attire, dwindled the body. The one-two punch provided by the Luar designer was the combination of a knockout collection paired with thought-provoking hypotheses about our culture. Forget the “strays,” metros, queers, straights, and everything in between. This fashion week, he christened the “Luarsexual,” and by asking the right questions about American culture and welcoming one of its biggest icons into his space, Lopez himself cemented his place as a key figure in American fashion today.