Paris

Madame. Carven Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

Just when it seemed that Carven had finally found its perfect leading man, news broke in April that Mark Thomas would be leaving the brand. Although the British designer’s winter 2026 runway show marked his final outing for the maison, the pre-collection has only just been released – and it is yet another reminder that the brand’s owners made a mistake in parting ways with such a talent.

Thomas served as Louise Trotter’s right hand while she was reviving Carven from its slumber before departing for Bottega Veneta, yet his solo collections – distilled to perfect forms and lines, focused on chic classics that required no excessive styling, and unmistakably Parisian without ever slipping into cliché – represent some of the finest moments in the brand’s recent history. The pre-fall 2026 offering is now landing in stores, and this is your last chance to catch Mark’s jackets and coats, evolving from rounded shapes into sharper, more masculine double-breasted constructions. They form a sublime dialogue with lighter silhouettes built around delicate, ladylike convergences of organza and lace. Pieces rendered in crisp cedarwood brown, paired with leather skirts and fluffy shearling, conjure the image of a quintessential Carven madame, and one can easily imagine the many chic scenarios she inhabits.

To put it simply, this untimely separation arrived just as the brand seemed on the verge of discovering its contemporary rhythm.

ED’s SELECTION:


CARVEN Scarf-detailed Crepe Midi Dress



CARVEN Wool-twill Mini Dress



CARVEN Silk-satin Midi Skirt



CARVEN Louise Leather Clutch



CARVEN Layered Cotton-gauze Gown

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Rock Music. Chloé AW02

| Design & Culture by Ed

Charli Xcx released a song called “Rock Music” and everybody hates it. Obviously it’s not rock – it’s about rock. It’s the most deliriously vague, hedonistic song you’ll hear in 2026, in a moment where everything has to mean something, has to come with a performative second layer. I love it.

If “Rock Music” was a collection, it would be the most underrated and least talked-about Phobe Philo moment ever: autumn-winter 2002 for Chloé. Her sophomore season doing it solo, freed from McCartney’s reign. READ MY FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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One For The Books. Rochas AW03

| Design & Culture by Ed

Looksmaxxing? I’d rather be Theyskensmaxxing.

Many people forget that Olivier Theyskens – the Belgian designer whose signature blends sumptuous fantasy with a kind of solemn, gothic rigor – had a stint at Rochas (a historic Paris-based brand that, much like Nina Ricci, Vionnet, and Carven, never quite found its footing in the 21st century). His stellar debut – the autumn–winter 2003 collection (and, by the way, 2003 really was a great year for fashion, this is why) – is one for the books.

The eveningwear alone deserves a proper Met Gala appearance, especially the Velázquez “Infanta”–inspired velvet pannier dresses, draped and proportioned so exquisitely they seem to levitate over the body. The white rose placed at the back of each look is almost unbearable in its beauty. Fun fact: Stella Tennant’s pink taffeta gown, covered in black Chantilly lace – cut close through the torso, then bursting into undulations at the shoulders and below the knee – was unearthed last year by Lauren Santo Domingo for Bal d’Été. It only proves how timeless this body of work really is. READ THE FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Simply The Best. Maison Martin Margiela SS03

| Design & Culture by Ed

I don’t like naming favorites – but this might be it. The Maison Martin Margiela spring–summer 2003 collection has been living in my head for a while now. You already know I’m not really feeling what Glenn Martens is doing at the house right now (though I’ll always have a soft spot for the MM6 team). So instead, I’ve been going back – properly back – into Martin Margiela’s archives. Not the forced “Folders” narrative the brand is pushing, but the real thing. And honestly? I couldn’t be happier to have unearthed the full set of images from this collection.

Because this collection is a reminder – no, proof – of how much everyone owes him. From Hodakova to Vaquera, from Phoebe Philo to Marc Jacobs – they’re all, in some way, walking a path he cleared. He ran so the rest could even begin. READ THE FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Kids Are All Right. Abra AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

For Abraham Ortuño Perez, the kids are all right. While designing his autumn-winter 2026 Abra collection, the Spanish designer – who has spent years building his reputation with some of the most imaginative footwear for leading brands – found himself thinking about his niece and nephew rummaging through their parents’ closet, piling on whatever they could get their hands on. He recalls his own childhood with similar fondness: he and his sister played with roles, she the tomboy and he the girly one. “At some point, we kind of blended together.”

That spirit of childlike naïveté – so beautiful, and so fleeting – runs through Perez’s latest ready-to-wear collection. Sack dresses are slashed and patchworked from contrasting materials, while blazers and jackets hang several sizes too big. The playful energy continues in confetti-like dresses, and long gilets crafted from vintage rabbit-fur belts feel like something discovered in an attic treasure chest – exactly the kind of find that would spark a child’s imagination.

We need fun, and Abra is where seriousness goes to die.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki, featuring backstage photos by Jamie-maree Shipton.
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