IRL. ERL SS24

June 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Eli Russell Linnetz is the Sam Levinson of fashion. He knows how to stir a controversy and lure the audience with aesthetics. The ERL lookbooks from the past seasons are great examples of that. But does the Californian designer know how to sustain a plot? His first IRL runway show at Pitti Uomo’s Palazzo Corsini in Florence make you question that. The juvenile faced Linnetz-cast cadre of real-life surfers from his real-life Venice Beach neighborhood walked down the neon-green venue in stardust-sequinned tailoring and silver lurex knits. The Uncle Sam-meets-Slash top hats and ’70s shaped tailored topcoats and shirts worn over starrily-spangled “wetsuits” created an impression in clothing that was only reinforced by the thwup-thwup of Huey rotors and Jim Morrison predicting “The End” on the soundtrack. As Linnetz concedes, his experience and instinct both lean towards costume as a form of messaging. It did feel like on set of David Lynch’s set of “Dune“. Accessories included hyper swollen reimaginings of the Etnies/Emerica/Globe style of early ’90s puffy skate shoes, plus some very Linnetz-specific rubber-framed eyewear that looked more like goggles than sunglasses. There was an irony embedded in ERL’s first real-world collection being so hyper-unreal; beneath that lurked a point of view about American masculine identities, hang-ups, and brittle wearable projections of power. But the general vision felt too misty and too Vetements-y.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Tuscany: Villa Sant Michele

August 19, 2013August 20, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

There is this bad type of restaurants, where you pay more for the view and exclusive fog, than for the taste of food. This is all about the Villa Sant Michele’s restaurant that is located on the top of the hill. You walk in, the place is beautiful. But, a closer look, it feels a bit cheap. Then the veranda, so the restaurant. The view is AMAZING. Whole Florence seen in one place. So it’s all kind of OK. Until the food… First dish is a catastrophe! A warm tartar of scampi… Disgusting. Then meat tagliata. Looks like shit on the plate, isn’t it? And the most horrifying thing- peach semifredo. It was the biggest minus. It tasted like the cheapest one from a super market! No, this place is a big mistake, with it’s “REAL TUSCAN” atmosphere. Eeuuu.

Tuscany: San Casciano / Fiesole

August 19, 2013August 11, 2014 | Design & Culture by Ed

What Lena Wears: CHLOE dress, MIU MIU shoes, THOM BROWNE sunglasses, CELINE bag, REED KRAKOFF watch. The look photographed in Fiesole and background in San Casciano.

Tuscany: Carrara

August 19, 2013January 5, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Carrara is the city of marble in Tuscany, where biggest amounts of marble are found and used from the local mountains. It sounds kind of normally, but in reality and landscape around looks destroyed and devastated- the mountains are simply peeled off! For sure there is no ecology in that… But the city looks fantastic. It is very old, but you shall find modern marble sculptures everywhere, that looks cool. And there is also this church made all out of marble… It all makes me think of Balenciaga by Alexander Wang AW13 collection inspired with marble form!

Tuscany: Fausto Puglisi X Ungaro

August 18, 2013August 18, 2013 | Design & Culture by Ed

I am crazy in love with Emanuel Ungaro by Fausto Puglissi at the current moment! While you live in Italy for two weeks, you are like getting the idea of kitsch in fashion- Dolce Gabbana is all about tradition; Moschino is aristocracy; Prada is the new modernity; and Fausto Puglisi is a new comer of Italian fashion that is really messing around with his punk checks, embellished caps and leopard printed sexy dresses that are favourites of Coco Rocha. I was long observing this young designer, and after seeing the AW13 collection for dying label, Ungaro, I feel he, and few more young Italian designers will be leading the next era in Milan fashion! As I wrote, Emanuel Ungaro for a period of time s really dying. About a Lindsay Lohan catastrophy and lost of Avenue Montaigne boutique in Paris, this label needs a rescue boat in killing fashion world… So here it is- Puglisi!
As you see, the pieces I saw in the showroom here in Tuscany look very exciting and sexy… The prints, golden embroideries, in other words luxury! Fausto Puglisi is the name that is certainly one to watch, and Ungaro will again shock the world! 😄😄😄

Here something more about this talented designer! “Fausto Puglisi was born in Messina and started his carreer exporting his talent to the USA. When he was eighteen, he moved to New York and started collaborating with worldwide known stylists and photographers. His outfits gained great success and many Hollywood celebrities have been dressing Fausto Puglisi outfits at the most important events. Fausto Puglisi loves visual culture. He is inspired by the mix between the high culture and popular elements and the result is a really complex brand identity: heroic Sicily, Italian neo-realism movies, American star system, Roman gladiators, modern architecture and the richness of the Mediterranean Baroque. His geometric creations express a rich and defined style, focusing on color contrasts and embroideries research. His clothes embody an ideal of beauty based on strength, to design a contemporary glamour. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana appreciate Fausto Puglisi’s talent and asked him to be part of their “Young Designers” project, that gave him a great visibility inside their concept store Spiga2 in Milan. Fausto Puglisi dresses have been worn during important events like the Super Bowl 2012 halftime show and his company is fast growing among International buyers and press, thanks to this Sicilian designer’s determination and commitment.”