Boys. Dior Men Pre-Fall 2026

November 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jonathan Anderson’s pre-fall 2026 collection for Dior Men reads as both a continuation and a clarification of his debut collection from the summer. And you know what? I like it. Anderson is betting big on a neo-preppy sensibility: oversized “Delft” cargo shorts, a frat-boy color palette, and a distinct Ralph-Lauren-ification of the Dior universe. What I loved most in this line-up is the way he transformed the “Bar” jacket – rendered here in Donegal wool – into a new menswear classic, something that can be effortlessly worn with faded jeans and a lived-in suede cross-body bag. Another look – a floral jacket layered over a blue striped shirt and paired with pink trousers – plays deliberately with the boundaries of good and bad taste in menswear. There’s an intriguing dialogue between high and low in Jonathan’s approach to Dior, and it makes the language he’s still in the process of defining sound increasingly compelling.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Surplus. ERL Resort 2026

November 4, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Of course, if you’ve just watched Kathryn Bigelow’s “House on Dynamite“, looking at ERL’s soldiers might make you feel somewhat uneasy. The fear of nuclear war is, well, omnipresent. But Eli Russell Linnetz’s take on army boys carries the attitude of the infamous 2007 Vogue Italia cover and editorial shot by Steven Meisel, where Agyness Deyn and a troop of golden-retriever-looking fighters undergo a kind of sexual awakening.

Linnetz titled hi resort 2026 collection “Surplus“, referencing the surplus store as a constant presence in “a deep corner of American consciousness.” The designer repurposed surplus stock – pieces he says he’s been collecting for years – and juxtaposed them with his more luxurious interpretations. Think glorious patchworked parkas mixed with camouflage separates, chunky Donegal sweaters, and cool-looking cargos in overdyed fabrics.

The clothes have a lived-in quality – and looking at the lookbook, photographed in Eli Russell’s signature theatrical manner – you can almost smell the sweat and adrenaline that these garments are flavored with.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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For Giorgio. Soshiotsuki SS26

September 4, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

The news of Giorgio Armani’s passing is heartbreaking. What lifts my spirit, however, is knowing that his legacy – a body of work spanning five decades – will live on forever, especially in the work of younger generations of designers who have studied Armani since their teens.

*Giorgio Armani photographed by Juergen Teller for System Magazine.*

It must be some astro-numerological coincidence that yesterday Soshi Otsuki won the LVMH Prize. His Tokyo-based label, Soshiotsuki, is rooted in tailoring – one inspired by the sartorial craftsmanship of the 1980s, but filtered through a distinctly Japanese perspective. His suits, elegantly draping the body – always smooth yet refined – would surely make Mr. Armani proud.

In his delightful spring–summer 2026 collection, Otsuki mesmerizes and intrigues with nearly invisible details that make all the difference. For instance, extra fabric is built into the inside placket of a shirt to suggest a tucked-in necktie, which could be hidden or revealed depending on how it was buttoned. Deadstock kimono silk was repurposed into button-up shirts, while 1980s cotton-washi fabric was used for much of the tailoring – recalling the glamour and prosperity of Japan’s Bubble Era, a moment in time the designer enjoys riffing on.

What’s fascinating about Soshiotsuki is that the clothes don’t feel “vintage,” but utterly contemporary – and in a strikingly handsome way. That sensibility resonates with the final collections Giorgio Armani presented in recent Milan Fashion Weeks, which we were fortunate enough to witness.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Poison Ivy. ERL SS26

July 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Eli Russell Linnetz just knows what’s right in the moment. Actually, he creates the moment. Fashion’s current obsession with vintage American prep? ERL did that seasons ago, and created a contemporary playbook dedicated to that trope. Flip-flops? The shoe of the season in the Californian designer’s hands became a whole new statement. Now, Linnetz is ready to explore codes of classical menswear and (poisonous) masculinity. Argyle sweaters, cotton boxers, and grandpa-style knits all got the ERL treatment for spring-summer 2026, with deliberate proportion updates (tapering at the waist, tight at the biceps, and stretched across the chest). The relaxed tailoring could easily be an object of Aldo Fallai’s Giorgio Armani campaigns in the 1980s. But through Linnetz’s lens – literally, because he shoots all the ERL visuals – you can perceive something slightly disturbing, yet absolutely elusive about Christian and Ivy’s, the look-book’s heroes, dynamic. Christian is the king of campus, and Ivy would give anything to be around him – or be him, rather, in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” kind of way. Linnetz’s story follows Ivy as he embeds himself into Christian’s inner circle, with his admiration turning sour and then poisonous, subsequently culminating in an act of violence. Now imagine giving Eli Russell an opportunity to not only design costumes, but also direct a feature film. Cooper Koch could easily be the lead act.

ED’s SELECTION:

ERL Men’s Striped Jersey T-Shirt

ERL Men’s Indiana Baggy Jeans

ERL Cropped Ribbed-knit Cardigan

COS Eva Flip Flops

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Church. Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria 2025

July 17, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s been years, YEARS since I wrote about a Dolce & Gabbana show. But this one caught my attention for all the right – and wrong – reasons.

The haute couture season doesn’t really end until Dolce & Gabbana says the last word with its obnoxiously opulent, over-the-top alta moda shows (there are three of them: for jewellery, womenswear and menswear). They are presented not in Paris, but in Italy – that explains why it’s off the official couture schedule.

Most of the time I hate what contemporary Dolce & Gabbana does (from the Lauren Sanchez wedding dress to the designers’ problematic statements, the list for cons over pros goes on and on). Yet I have a sentiment for old Dolce & Gabbana, especially from the 1980s, 1990s, when the designers dissected the codes of Italianity and created an entire visual lexicon that was very rawn and undiluted. And I must admit that the brand’s latest Alta Sartoria collection – which goes for menswear couture – presented not just anywhere in Rome, but at the steps of Castel San’Angelo – and with IRL bishops in attendance – is really something worth analyzing. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.