Underwhelming. Proenza Schouler AW26

February 12, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Proenza Schouler officially opened New York Fashion Week with Rachel Scott’s official debut (following last season’s “dialogue” with the studio). On the positive side, the Proenza woman no longer resembles a hybrid of Philo’s Céline, the Meiers’ Jil Sander, and Lee’s Bottega Veneta, as she often did in the later years of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough. The downside? The collection left you feeling somewhat underwhelmed. It was proper and prim – there was nothing wrong with the gray sleeveless dress featuring a sculptural roundness in the skirt, nor the neat midi-length skirt suits that followed – but it makes you wonder: will this be remembered a week from now?

This is a brand that needs to exit the stale “quiet luxury” jargon and reclaim a spark of excitement (which was actually present last season). Rachel Scott is the designer behind Diotima, a brand admired for its exquisite crochet and knitwear; I wish she were more confident about infusing that special, upbeat energy she transmits so well there. Debuts are never easy, and they don’t always land exactly as the designer intended. Scott certainly has a thing or two to reflect on.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Memory. Marc Jacobs SS26

February 10, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Do you ever think about the fact that our experience of time – divided into seconds, hours, and years – is a human-made framework rather than an inherent feature of the universe? Events occur, of course, but the 60-minute hour is a social convention, created to organize society, navigate daily life, and measure duration, often varying by culture. Time in fashion takes an even funnier turn. Something is awkward – but cool – today; tomorrow, it’s the hottest thing on the planet; the day after, it gives us the ick. Fifteen years later, it’s back, and people act like it never happened before: the next new thing. Add to that the cardiac-arresting rhythm of the industry – endless fashion months and the diktat of seasonality – and time becomes a topic nobody truly wants to acknowledge.

That’s why Marc Jacobs’ runway show yesterday felt so on point – and so honest. He titled it “Memory. Loss”, referring to the way our memories mingle, disperse, disappear, or stay with us forever, good or bad. He approached this abstract theme by revisiting his favorite moments in fashion history. While most designers shy away from straightforwardly referring to other creators, Jacobs is a proud student of fashion. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Marc Jacobs Shrunken Leather Double-Breasted Jacket

Marc Jacobs Corduroy Volume Pants

Marc Jacobs Padded Long-Sleeve Mohair Sweater

Marc Jacobs Asymmetric Circle-Hem Sleeveless Midi Dress

Marc Jacobs Padded V-Neck Peplum Sweater

Marc Jacobs Check Wool Circular Skirt

Marc Jacobs Floral Brooch Cropped Silk Shell Top

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Innocence. Chloé Pre-Fall 2026

February 1, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s just something about Chemena Kamali’s Chloé girl that never grows tiresome. Yes, she has a fixation on the past – but it’s a charming one. For pre-fall 2026 – shot by Mark Kean, who has an incredible way of capturing blown-out hair and a certain innocence in his subjects – Kamali proposes a strikingly chic formula: a basic henley elevated by a draped pencil skirt and a leather basque belt. Easy, flirty, fun. Elsewhere, a ruffled blouse – modeled after the Chloé dress Karl Lagerfeld designed for Paloma Picasso’s wedding – is dressed down with stretch-velvet stirrup pants, creating a look that feels Parisian in a postcard way, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Kamali is only approaching her third year at Chloé, yet it feels as though she’s been thriving there for an era (she did, after all, work at the house under Phoebe Philo’s helm in the early 2000s, so this tracks). She has rebuilt the brand into a sanctuary of unpretentious, witty femininity, with each collection reading as a natural continuation of the last. Kamali herself notes, “what I get as feedback is that you can mix the collections quite well – pieces from the first show with last season’s pre-collection, say.” This isn’t a PR line; it’s a fact easily observed on the streets of Paris.

ED’s SELECTION:

Chloé Tiered Organic Silk-mousseline Maxi Skirt

Chloé Eve Suede Over-the-knee Boots

Chloé Embellished Cotton-velvet Jacket

Chloé Gathered Tie-detailed Lace-trimmed Silk-satin Mini Dress

Chloé Wool-crepe Straight-leg Pants

Chloé Jeanette Studded Platform Clogs

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Mischievous. Saint Laurent AW26

January 30, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mischievous, horny, kinky – and chic – this is the ultimate Saint Laurent man as seen by Anthony Vaccarello. He’s the kind of guy Yves would have fallen in love with on a night out at Le Sept. He also makes women go crazy – in the same charged, homoerotic way “Heated Rivalry” does. Inspired by James Baldwin’s seminal novel “Giovanni’s Room“, Vaccarello was intrigued by the inner tension experienced by its protagonist. “I like the idea of being in contraction between something very conventional and something very sensual.” That tension was omnipresent in his autumn–winter 2026 collection, from printed silk ascots peeking out from the collars of crisp shirts to semi-sheer vinyl trench coats appearing in the latter half of the lineup. Stretch patent boots extending up the thighs? Corrado De Biase, Saint Laurent’s design director of shoes, knows exactly what he’s doing – and how to get the boys talking.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

La Grande Bellezza. Valentino SS26 Couture

January 29, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Michele’s second haute couture collection for Valentino is galaxies away from what he showed last year. Out with the heavy; in with the elevating. It’s purely Michele, yet it finally feels like Valentino – meaning la grande bellezza. It was clear the designer felt an added duty to deliver, and to make Garavani smile from fashion heaven. Viewed through the peepholes – or glory holes! – of circular Kaiserpanoramas, the collection became a voyeur’s dream. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.