London

Technique. Standing Ground SS25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Standing Ground‘s Michael Stewart was named the inaugural winner in a savoir faire category of the LVMH Prize. His label’s first solo runway outing during London Fashion Week proved how much he deserves that award. The way Stewart approaches dress-making is truly one-of-a-kind. It’s so powerful and haute in craftsmanship that you can easily imagine the designer taking helm of a brand like Alaïa. Spring-summer 2025’s closing khaki dress was the supreme example of Stewart’s celebrated technique (a term so rare used – and practiced – by emerging designers). Two layers of jersey had been draped and cut over the wearer’s body, before Stewart drew the contours his instinct told him to apply. These drawings were then digitized to make the design symmetrical and applied as stitching to the layers of jersey, before hundreds of micro-beads were inserted in the pockets of space that remained. Yes, that’s magic, and it echoed down to every single detail of the line-up, from the sublime, sculpted leather jacket to a hooded, velvet maxi-number.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Flamboyance Revived. S.S. Daley SS25

| Design & Culture by Ed

S.S. Daley kicked off the unexpectedly good and brisky London Fashion Week (pardon my review delay – been busy for a couple of days!). This is Steven Stokey-Daley‘s first full womenswear collection, and it’s clear from the very first look that the designer knows what he wants to bring to this very overfilled table with his offering. The collection was inspired with the life of the British painter Gluck, who presented as a man in the 1920s and ’30s, and Constance Spry, the hugely fashionable high society florist, who was one of her many lovers. What makes this collection standout is that it didn’t read historically labored or archaic, but gracefully conveyed the idea of dandy-ish flamboyance, a very British thing, and quite rare to see in women’s collections. Spring-summer 2025 was a contemporary combination of Stokey-Daley’s English handcrafty talent, his spirited tailoring, and quirk for off-kilter details (think the silk floral side-ripple to his signature Oxford bags). “People are asking me, ‘why are you doing womenswear right now?’” the designer stated. “It’s like, the economy’s crashed, everyone’s struggling. But I think there’s one simple answer. I began this brand in a pandemic, and it does feel like quite a bleak time in the universe right now. But I’ve had an idea simmering for a while. And London’s a resilient place.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Austere Chic. Phoebe Philo Edit 3

| Design & Culture by Ed

Phoebe Philo is back with her Edit 3 collection, which launched today in form of first, capsule delivery. The latest, autumnal offering isn’t distant from Philo’s earlier design ventures at her eponymous, highly elusive label, but surely does deliver a sense of sophisticated chic – and style. Those are two things that one could hardly navigate anywhere during the on-going New York Fashion Week. But in case of Philo, there’s also the feeling of rough austerity that makes her designs look commanding and important. And distinct. The coats with detachable capes and leather jackets are investment pieces for many, many years ahead, just like white, crisp shirting and chunky, black sweater with leather inserts on the sleeves. The designer lets in some experimental twist to a tie-dyed dress that seems to be constructed out of two sweatshirts. One might say that the brand and its designer seem to be stuck in one place – many items from the edit are slightly reworked versions of garments from previous collections. But in the world of ever-changing and endlessly-generated content, content and content, the sense of continuity that Phoebe channels is truly comforting.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Stately. Burberry Resort 2025

| Design & Culture by Ed

Daniel Lee is finally getting it right at Burberry. Resort 2025 is his best collection so far, and it seems to be a moment where the designer really knows what he wants to make out of the brand. I think he’s gradually taking a smart approach of making Burberry the British Ralph Lauren. Less superfluous runway styling, more stately clothes that are interweaved with a sense of authentic Britishness. The resort lookbook nicely co-ordinates high and low, making the checkered apparel look as good as the more daring pieces – especially all the gorgeous suede leatherwork with hand-cut florals and the furry fringes of mint-green and caramel-beige bolero jackets. The collection also offers a truly charming, cross-generational appeal. “It’s giving a modern spin on British tradition,” Lee remarked about the immaculately cut yet plain-seeming brown wool men’s blazer, worn by model Will Chalker. It’s part of Burberry’s remit to serve men’s suits; Lee smartly pushes a sense of Savile Row restraint, but not in a conservative stuffed-shirt sort of way. “It’s a modern interpretation of what you think King Charles would wear,” remarked the designer. Well, I can definitely see the King fronting Burberry’s next campaign. “Trans-seasonal, with a soft tactility” is also something Lee said about the collection. “Everything has to look good on a hanger. Worth the money. Because ultimately we’re making expensive clothes we want people to want to wear for a very long time.” The realization is that each piece has to live alone and justify its usefulness and quality, but it’s the way you put them together that creates character. You can see that when Lee styles a cargo pant with a pointy mule, and tops the look with a polished chestnut leather belted moto-jacket. Very 1990s Spice Girl. But also pieces will age well.

Here are some very good Burberry by Daniel Lee pieces you can update your trans-seasonal wardrobe with…

ED’s DISPATCH:


Burberry Calf Hair Point-toe Pumps


Burberry Strapless Leather-trimmed Checked Wool Mini Dress


Burberry Embroidered Quilted Leather Ballet Flats


Burberry Belted Cotton-gabardine Trench Coat


Burberry Wool-jacquard Throw

Burberry Calf Hair And Leather Shoulder Bag


Burberry Printed Satin-jersey T-shirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Is Gucci Really A Feeling? Gucci Resort 2025

| Design & Culture by Ed

It’s really interesting to observe how badly Sabato De Sarno‘s Gucci tries to force everyone into thinking the brand – in its current situationship – is a “feeling“. You rather catch feelings, especially the good ones, instinctively and spontaneously. Genuinely. Not when somebody signals it in such a straightforward manner. De Sarno’s first resort collection traveled from Milan to London, and it aimed to somehow tell a story that connects the city and the Italian brand. I didn’t grasp that press release blah-blah at all. Just like I didn’t entirely get the point of the location – Tate Modern – and the plant-filled runway setting. If you want to position a brand as an art-loving platform, instead of stripping a London museum to bare walls and place tons of greenery inside, why not focus around some actual artworks that are contextually or emotionally close to the designer?

And now the clothes. Yes, resort 2025 is in some way better than De Sarno’s previous attempts, because at least it’s not repeating three styles throughout 50 looks. And there’s finally some range in terms of style. But here’s where the real problem starts. If not for the eventual Gucci logos and appearance of Jackie and Blondie bags, it’s really difficult to catch where the actual Gucciness is hiding in this collection. Not to mention De Sarno’s footprint which still feels blurry and indistinct. Some of these 1970s-inspired looks gave hints of Miu Miu and Coach. The pleated finale dresses could easily be Victoria Beckham (ironically a designer who often has trouble with finding her own voice – at least the eveningwear is emblematic!). The denim part of the line-up felt like the many iterations Pierpaolo Piccioli used to deliver at Valentino (where Sabato worked at before Gucci). Some of the outerwear and pieces covered with sequin-embellished checks could equally have a Burberry tag on and no one would question that. What was most confusing however were the vintage-y pussy-bows that instantly made you think of Alessandro Michele’s highly-memorable debut for Gucci, an instant breakthrough for not only the stagnating brand at the time, but 2010s fashion in general. Their presence seemed to say that there’s a large Gucci client base that wants that kind of style back as they don’t identify themselves with De Sarno’s reductive minimalism. So… I think Gucci fails to be a (good) feeling. Especially in times when the demand for luxury is decreasing and people investing in fashion want ingenuity and authenticity.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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