Paris

Carnal Allure. Tom Ford Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford feels like a wet dream made flesh: Lisa Lyon working out to Madonna’s “Erotica“, or Helmut Berger cast in an art-house adult film. The energy is relentlessly otherworldly- steamy, regally refined, and dangerously seductive. His pre-fall 2026 collection delivers exactly that.

What’s particularly striking is how powerful Ackermann’s clothes remain outside the spectacle of the runway. Even against the plain backdrop of a lookbook, they hold your gaze, effortlessly hypnotic. As the collection arrives in stores, there’s plenty to obsess over: razor-sharp tailoring, deliciously kinky leather pieces for both men and women, languid floor-skimming gowns, and outerwear so impeccable it borders on fetishistic. Classic Daddy Haider.

We saw Ackermann explore denim in the main collection, but here he pushes it further, giving the lineup a raunchier, more casual edge. It evokes the mood of Tom Ford’s Santa Fe ranch (think that unforgettable Terry Richardson editorial for Vogue Paris where they kiss). The result is a collection that feels both louche and luxurious, gritty and sensual… this is carnal allure.

ED’s SELECTION:


TOM FORD Iggy Oval-frame Acetate Sunglasses



TOM FORD Cotton And Silk-blend Duchesse-satin Blazer



TOM FORD Striped Silk-satin Jacquard Shirt



TOM FORD Leather Chelsea Boots



TOM FORD Double-breasted Cashmere-blend Blazer



TOM FORD Cotton And Silk-blend Duchesse Satin Straight-leg Pants



TOM FORD Croc-effect Patent-leather Cuff

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Legendary. Balenciaga AW07

| Design & Culture by Ed

After Nicolas Ghesquière’s latest show for Louis Vuitton, staged among the old masters and Gilded Age grandeur of the Frick Collection, my affection for him returned with a bang. The collection left me perplexed. Confused, even. But confused in a good way – the kind of confusion that sends you back into the archives looking for answers. Which is exactly how I ended up revisiting one of the great Ghesquière collections: Balenciaga autumn-winter 2007.

And let me tell you: whatever Ghesquière and his team were on that season, I want some. Because it’s extraordinarily rare for an entire design studio, together with a stylist, to arrive at something so wicked, tweaked, spectacular and utterly forward-looking. Nearly two decades later, it still feels as if it landed from another planet. READ MY FULL TEXT HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Concise Memo. Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

Noting how quickly everything shifts in fashion, Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent has become a contemporary classic. The lingerie-inflected separates and gilded lace may be edging toward formula, but the Zoë Kravitzes of the world still can’t get enough of that smoky, after-hours boudoir allure – and Anthony, naturally, delivers again this autumn (and winter too, if the March show was any indication). Shearling is in, sheer black-stockinged legs are in, and the YSL Smoking now comes paired with bermudas. Some collections could have been an email, and there’s nothing wrong with that. This lookbook reads like a reassuringly concise memo on the virtues of absolute consistency.

ED’s SELECTION:


SAINT LAURENT Lace-trimmed Silk-satin Skirt



SAINT LAURENT Cropped Leavers Lace-trimmed Ribbed Silk-jersey Top



SAINT LAURENT Lace-trimmed Silk-satin Bodysuit



SAINT LAURENT Deroche Satin Slingback Pumps



SAINT LAURENT Howl D-frame Acetate Sunglasses

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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