Paris

Imperfectly Perfect. Soshiotsuki SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

Soshiotsuki‘s spring-summer 2027 collection is remarkably beautiful. It also proves that Soshi Otsuki‘s repertoire extends far beyond his now-signature Japan Bubble Era-inspired tailoring. As the designer put it, “When I was young I never had a chance to go abroad and travel in European style. The collection is like a nostalgia for a memory I don’t have.” That imagined nostalgia – of a strict, office-bound father escaping to a resort somewhere in Italy – gave rise to what Otsuki described as “an intentionally undone mood.”

That sense of effortless imperfection is achieved through incredibly precise – and witty – construction. Checked shirts come with trompe l’œil patterned ties. Hidden jetted pockets tucked beneath jacket lapels let you carry your phone without disturbing the silhouette. Apparently crumpled, unpressed lapels and shirt collars are, in fact, held in place by discreet metallic fixtures. Nothing is accidental. It’s just pure genius.

Reportedly, it’s Dario Vitale who’s heading to Emporio Armani, and I love that rumored appointment. But now I’d really like to see Soshi Otsuki interact with the Giorgio Armani line, because he seems absolutely made for that job.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Party Flaneur. Dior SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s a sense of undone-ness to Jonathan Anderson’s menswear method for Dior that I really like, even if it occasionally makes his vision for the house seem a little erratic. The image of an aristocratic kid in a pyjama suit and torn denim, stumbling back to his inherited château after a long, very fun night, ripping the wire out of a speaker and plugging his phone into it (very Rianne Van Rompaey opening the Louis Vuitton show in Palm Springs… a niche reference, I know) just to keep the party going, is strangely appealing. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Artifice. Saint Laurent SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent menswear collection seemed to have it all: a perfectly orchestrated front row amid a Paris heatwave, a new kinky shoe with an elongated toe and transparent construction, and a Fujiko Nakaya water-vapor installation as the show’s backdrop. Yet the clothes themselves felt inflated – not with substance, but with artifice.

It increasingly feels as though Vaccarello is repeating the same tropes: exaggerated shoulders on virtually everything, nylon-like windbreakers paired with tailored trousers, and trench coats rendered stuffy for no discernible reason. The flashes of eroticism are there, certainly, but they can’t speak for themselves; they get choked – though not in a sexy way – by relentless overediting.

I remember reading a few years ago that Vaccarello fantasized about doing an all-gold collection but couldn’t find a way to make it look chic. Well, he still hasn’t. The three final looks in slightly antiqued gold fabric failed to make much of an impact. Perhaps too much gold is inevitably tacky after all.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Villain Teen. Valentino Resort 2027

| Design & Culture by Ed

Valentino and teen-inspired coolness aren’t exactly two concepts you’d expect to find in the same sentence, but Alessandro Michele somehow makes the combination feel entirely natural. The designer has long been fond of punctuating his own eclectic wardrobe with a slogan cap – often sourced from Idea Ltd – and for resort 2027, he decided to bring the trick to Valentino.

The result? His “Villain Teen” caps look surprisingly chic paired with heavily embroidered jackets worn over ripped jeans, floor-sweeping retro dresses, heirloom furs, and all the glorious shoulder-padded excess of 1980s glamorama. You can easily imagine the Valentino girl and boy spending their parents’ money on antiques at Paul Bert Serpette, draped in their grandmother’s jewels, wrapped in bourgeois silk scarves, and indulging in a touch of aristocratic cosplay.

These are modern-day villains, but the kind who know how to have fun. The cap is the crucial ingredient: it stops everything from feeling like costume and makes it read as genuine personal style. Michele has been gradually loosening Valentino’s collar with each outing, and this feels like the most convincing expression of that approach yet. It’s a direction he should continue to pursue.

ED’s SELECTION:


Valentino Garavani Striped Metallic Knitted Poncho



Valentino Garavani Bow-embellished Ruched Wool Jacket



Valentino Garavani Vlogo Signature Mini Bow-detailed Velvet Shoulder Bag



Valentino Garavani Bowow 45 Bow-embellished Leather Pumps



Valentino Garavani Panthea Small Patchwork Leather And Suede Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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What’s Going On? Balenciaga Resort 2027

| Design & Culture by Ed

Balenciaga has released its resort 2027 lookbook. It’s Pierpaolo Piccioli’s strongest work for the house so far – which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. Maybe he’s getting there. But I still think he needs to decide what exactly he wants his Balenciaga to be, because at this point, I’m still clueless.

The collection spans more than 80 looks, photographed inside Cristóbal Balenciaga’s couture salon. The space itself carries enormous symbolic weight, especially considering it was Demna who restored, reclaimed, and reactivated it not a while ago. Using it this early in Piccioli’s tenure feels almost too obvious. Rather than communicating a convincing new chapter, the setting keeps pulling the conversation back to the previous one. Visually, it feels less like a fresh beginning and more like reheated nachos. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

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