Taking Notes. Dries Van Noten SS26

June 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Dries Van Noten, Julian Klausner delivered a triumphant menswear debut – one so true to the brand that you can barely notice Papa Dries’ absence (he’s quietly consulting the new creative director in-between other personal projects – like renovating a palazzo in Venice).

What resonated most in Klausner’s spring-summer 2026 attempt is the actual joy of dressing up – or rather, not fearing to experiment with clothes. At first nothing seems to match in this collection, but then you see the beautiful method behind all that madness. A gorgeously tailored jacket worn with a floral sarong? Yes. Oversized grey sweatshirt topped with a handsome, embellished cummerbund? Yes. A cropped jacket in red roses styled with electric-blue biker shorts? Hell yes!

This outing offers not just great clothes, but absolutely inspiring solutions that will pimp up your summer wardrobe. I’m taking notes.

ED’s SELECTION:

Dries Van Noten Floral-print Silk-voile Shirt

Dries Van Noten Grosgrain-trimmed Floral-print Silk-voile Wide-leg Pants

Dries Van Noten Oversized Double-breasted Linen, Wool, Silk And Cashmere-blend Blazer

Dries Van Noten Belted Double-breasted Crinkled-organza Trench Coat

Dries Van Noten Suede and Leather Trainer Sneakers

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Fire Island. Saint Laurent SS26

June 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello envisioned a Yves-kind-of man, but swiftly transferred to 1970s Fire Island. Although YSL never arrived to the homoerotic utopia, the contemporary designer certainly thinks he would love it.

You can easily imagine the slinky Saint Laurent boys in short-shorts, shoulder-padded shirts and cool, cotton-canvas blousons live through a hedonist summer in one of the Island’s wooden cabins. The sun-burnt, sea-washed color palette of canary-yellow, faded-burgundy and sumptuous ochre comes straight from Larry Stanton’s drawings and candid video footage of the queer community enjoying idyllic, hot days in the pre-AIDS days. The Parisian sensitivity of trench coats (this season much softer in cut) and just-the-right-kind-of laid-back tailoring made the collection look refined, without being overly “American”.

Anthony Vaccarello is definitely in his peak creative era at Saint Laurent. While his womenswear sometimes falls flat due to his one-theme fixations, his menswear develops an intriguing iconography of a contemporary homme who’s both chic and flamboyant. And what’s most exciting is the designer’s instinct for re-contextualisation of the YSL man, who’s one foot in Yves’ world, another – in Vaccarello’s.

ED’s SELECTION:

Saint Laurent Men’s Dotted Crepe de Chine Dress Shirt

Saint Laurent Men’s Augustin Leather Ankle Boots

Saint Laurent Men’s Double-Pleated Baggy Pants

Saint Laurent Men’s Satin Teddy Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Queer & Chic. Vivienne Westwood SS26

June 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

For spring-summer 2026 menswear, Andreas Kronthaler returned to Milan Fashion Week – and it did good to Vivienne Westwood, the brand whose soul was kind of devoid in the past few seasons.

The collection blended Kronthaler’s affection for fluid silhouettes and Milano’s sartorial heritage. Tailoring was slouchy and nonchalant, but utterly chic. The coats were broad-shouldered or leopard-printed, and full of Milanese charisma. Hunky men in dresses and killer-high platforms were an exuberant view – especially when seen in a passeggiata through a San Babila café and then out on street side marble-floor arcade. A rose-embroidered tabard with a mid-calf red satin boot was a look that was both ecclesiastical in its clerical regality and campy in its unabashed queerness.

This collection felt like one created in the presence of Vivienne’s spirit – or even blessed by her, straight from the fashion heaven.

ED’s SELECTION:

Vivienne Westwood Doll XL Embellished Tote

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Stranger By The Lake. Prada SS26

June 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mini-lengths and hairy legs. Peggy Guggenheim-inspired hats. Wallpaper prints and oversized florals you can spot on sciuras’ dresses in the Italian buses. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ latest menswear collection feels like a vibe shift: instead of regality and sophistication, or a sharp take on the Prada uniform, a collection so straightforwardly joyful it’s nearly suspicious.

Nothing conceptual: more of an instinctual approach to summer dressing. Even fashion’s biggest brains need a season off, a mind-vacanza of sorts. “This has been the easiest collection I have ever done”, said Simons. Signora added: “Everything worked with everything.” There’s just something absolutely irresistible about a vintage-y t-shirt (with a seductive “Last Swim” print – the romantic thriller of “Stranger By The Lake” comes to my mind immediately), paired with cropped, aged leather jacket and tailored pants in colour-block shade. Or a simple, chic, all-white look. One of the boys looked both naïve and cool in a mini-length shirt-tunic, styled with a red raffia hat and a pair of flip-flops.

I can totally picture new Prada menswear on myself. All of it.

ED’s SELECTION:

Prada Men’s Re-Nylon Snap-Front Jacket

Prada Men’s Shuffle Leather Double-Monk Strap Mules

Prada Men’s Sartorial Linen Pants

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Heartthrob Appeal. ERL AW25

February 7, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

For ERL‘s autumn-winter 2025, Eli Russell Linnetz dialed down on the usual theatrics, and came up with a collection for the Cooper Kochs of the world. By that I mean the guys with naturally-born, red-carpet-heartthrob swagger that can equally pull off a ready-for-Gstaad ski-look or a Giorgio Armani luncheon in a perfectly-cut jacket and flared denim pants. The ultimate highlight coming from the Venice Beach-based designer? The menswear accessory that’s hopefully having a grand return: the cummerbund. He styled it over a black shirt and oversized pleated pants a black shirt, and finished the look with a cocoon-shaped duvet jacket. I like this new direction at ERL.