Reviews

Assured. Khaite Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

You know I haven’t been Khaite’s biggest fan in recent seasons, but Catherine Holstein’s pre-fall 2026 lineup arrives with a refreshing sense of clarity. Women have long gravitated toward the New York–based brand for its leather pieces, and they’ll be more than satisfied with the no-nonsense black jacket here – cool, streamlined, and completely assured. The same goes for a sculptural little black dress with deliberately off-kilter proportions, and for crisp white shirts punctuated by oversized, almost meaty bows tied at the neck. In essence, Holstein has returned to making clothes that resist arty posturing in favor of genuine wardrobe enhancement.

There’s also an unexpected dose of playfulness, particularly in the ruched pink dresses: one in vintage-washed silk charmeuse, the other in what she calls “light veil silk.” Holstein frames this season’s experimentation through two lenses – Courtney Love’s grunge sensibility and her own evolving experience of motherhood. She explains that after having two babies, her body changed so dramatically that “as things weren’t fitting anymore, but I still wanted to wear them, it led to this kind of questioning: What’s the right way to wear something? The right way for things to fit?” Embracing what she now calls “bad fits” became both a creative and personal shift.

That shift also sparked a new impulse: when she encounters something “really sleek and standard,” she now feels compelled to disrupt it – “to break these boundaries I’ve put on myself for so many years.” In doing so, Holstein finds a freer, more instinctive way of dressing, one that gives this collection its renewed confidence and ease.

ED’s SELECTION:

KHAITE Aimee Asymmetric One-shoulder Wool-blend Peplum Top


KHAITE Simona Leather-trimmed Leopard-print Calf Hair Shoulder Bag


KHAITE Mags Silk-gazar Mini Dress


KHAITE Ember Gathered Silk-gazar Maxi Skirt


KHAITE Cloak Studded Leather Mules


KHAITE Elona Leather Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Demna On Tom. Gucci Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

Looking at Demna‘s sophomore collection for Gucci – the pre-fall 2026 lookbook – I can’t help but wonder: will this brand ever give Tom Ford’s archives and identity a rest? From the images shot in Ford-era, runway-style dimmed lighting to the general sultriness emanating from the clothes and their cosplay-like styling, this feels like yet another studio-designed collection made simply to fill the stores. Knowing Demna’s capacity for concept and irony, venturing into Tom Ford territory this straightforwardly feels a tad too early – and far too unchallenging.

Don’t get me wrong: the collection does have strong moments, especially in the menswear. The 2000s footballer aesthetic is back and fully alive in the V-neck T-shirts (my personal nightmare, but fine – we live in a @gettyimagesfanclub-lensed world). The tackiest-looking monogram-merch bags are everywhere (and somehow feel cool), and I love the men’s ballet flats paired with very basic denim and a trench-coat-buttoned-to-the-top. There’s definitely some wit here. Metrosexuality is in.

But the womenswear? I find it as shallow as Demna’s September debut. It has neither the sass nor the sauce. If this is truly what the new Gucci is, I’m seriously concerned.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Bonkers. Chanel Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

And just like that – Chanel is back on track, baby. Matthieu Blazy’s sophomore collection for the French maison – and his first Métiers d’Art outing – is a confident step forward compared to the escapist debut we saw back in October. Blazy took New York’s subway by storm yesterday, orchestrating a life-affirming, uplifting, Lagerfeldian mise-en-scène. Yes, this one felt like one of the great Karl shows, pre–Grand Palais galore: simple, swift, witty. Real. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Flow. Samuel Guì Yang SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Samuel Guì Yang is a brand you should keep your eyes wide open for – and it has already been around for a decade. Founded in London by Samuel Guidong Yang and Erik Litzén, yet showing in Shanghai, the label continues to redefine the East-meets-West aesthetic with both nuance and novelty. Their clothes are best described as “flowing“: they move smoothly around the body, appear light and billowy, and carry an instinctive quality, as if they were born from the classical elements – earth, air, fire, and water. The duo’s spring–summer 2026 collection focuses on volumes that envelop the wearer in a poetic gesture: a ballgown-like apron, a grand shoulder drape, dramatic wraps, and even a veil cascading down from a baseball cap. It’s become something of a tradition that the models on Samuel Guì Yang’s runway are always carrying something – a pillow-like XXL clutch, a transparent shopping bag, a fringed shawl, a beautifully wrapped bundle. This is a woman who lives a real life, and she runs errands. The designers also offer a distinctive interpretation of the cheongsam, the traditional Chinese figure-hugging dress that instantly evokes Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood for Love“. In Samuel and Erik’s hands, the dress’s construction is reimagined most notably through oversized sleeves, with its influence also echoed in parachute-like blousons and jackets.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Flamboyant. Stefan Cooke SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Stefan Cooke and his partner, Jake Burt, have a way of uncovering the contemporary within the vintage. For spring–summer 2026, they merged references to New Wave with echoes of Princess Diana’s personal style, creating looks that feel sensual, clubby, and undeniably cool. A centerpiece of their collection was a replica of an American flying jacket they discovered on one of their trips to secondhand and army-surplus stores. In their hands, the jacket appears in an unexpected canary yellow, reimagined with updated proportions and a flamboyant flair. When worn with a hip-length sweater and a knife-pleated skirt, the look feels familiar yet intriguingly different. The same applies to the reworked grey sweatpants with a leather buckle strap (very Lederhosen), and the sweatshirt fitted with a sewn-in cummerbund and finished with a very British silk foulard. As for accessories, the London-based label has us covered with a pair of utterly charming opera shoes topped with a bow. Not a want – a need.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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