British Classics. S.S. Daley AW25

February 23, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Steven Stokey-Daley served us the great, British classics, revisited and refreshed, with good humour. Cropped trenches (Burberry could take notes). Cool pea-coats. Tailored bermudas. Full-skirts in floral prints worn with work-jackets (the look gave Frazzled English Woman energy!). And then there was Marianne Faithfull. A rendition of frilly blouse she was famously photographed wearing in the late 1960s was on the runway. A lovely chunky knit “Stay Faithfull To Marianne” was there, too. The designer was quick to make it clear he hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon of her recent passing. “Maggie Smith, Kate Bush, and Marianne Faithfull have been the three women who’ve always meant so much to me,” he said. S.S. Daley reminds us than we need London Fashion Week, even if it’s in (hopefully temporary) shambles.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Venus In Chaos. Dilara Findikoglu AW25

February 23, 2025February 23, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Dilara Findikoglu fired up London Fashion Week with her outing at Slimelight, the longest-running Goth nightclub in town. Lead by Lara Stone, a pack of ferociously badass women, clad in hyper-corsetry and second-skin chiffon body stockings stalked through the dark space, utterly entrancing the viewers. Entitled “Venus in Chaos”, the collection was “a divine feminine mutiny“, as the designer summed up in her press-notes. Botticelli-goth hair, a bustier covered with hundreds of shells, red velvet jackets (un)finished with punk-ish safety pins, unexpected cuts in the most “risky” places, tattered hems and ripped lace: all that created an extreme impression of total liberation from societal norms – and the pleasure of sexual self-possession. It’s easy to compare Dilara’s subversive work to John Galliano or Alexander McQueen’s, aesthetics-wise, but what makes her differ is her powerful female gaze that truly makes you believe these otherworldly women are here to break the patriarchal system.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Edie & Nico. Zankov AW25

February 17, 2025February 16, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

A great autumn-winter 2025 lookbook was delivered by Henry Zankov. This designer knows what he’s doing with his knitwear-focused label. Inspired by Nico and Edie Sedgwick, the 1960s New York it-girls and Warhol Factory stars, he came up with a fresh interpretation of their style that doesn’t feel too mood-boardy. Oversized paillettes on a sweater or a skirt peeking out from beneath fuzzy coats were reminiscent of the sequins Sedgwick might have picked up from Paraphernalia. The absolutely brilliant combination of a vividly hued sweater and boyish lanky pants was pure Nico, 2025 version. But what’s most important, this Zankov collection feels wholeheartedly joyful, honest – and believable. It makes me think of Consuelo Castiglioni’s Marni, in the best possible way.

ED’s SELECTION:

Zankov Raven Merino Wool-jacquard Turtleneck Sweater

Zankov Delphine Brushed-knit Skirt

Zankov Mina Sequined Wool Cropped Cardigan

Zankov Lune Two-Tone Sleeveless Maxi Wool Dress

Zankov Marshall Abstract Pencil Merino Wool Maxi Skirt

Zankov Alicja Tow-Tone Wool Scarf

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Essence. Proenza Schouler AW25

February 16, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Everyone wondered how will Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McColough mark their (still puzzling) departure from Proenza Schouler. They did with a beautiful, winter-y, yet sun-drenched lookbook photographed at Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center, featuring the ultimate Proenza girls. Binx Walton is wearing a lime-green pleated toga-dress while snow is melting in the background. Julia Nobis looks like the ultimate New York woman in a grey checked blazer, pin-striped shirt and over-sized corduroy balloon-pants. Mica Arganaraz emanates quirky cool in cowl neck dress. In their finale (co-directed with Lisa Muscatel, the long-time head of the design studio), Hernandez and McColough sublimate their signifiers and show us what Proenza Schouler really is in contemporary fashion (that wasn’t always the case with their recent work).

But what’s the future of the brand? Time (and its new CEO, Shira Suveyke Snyder) will tell.

ED’s SELECTION:

Sorel x Proenza Schouler Leather Rubber Chelsea Booties

Proenza Schouler Ruched Jersey-crepe Halterneck Maxi Dress

Proenza Schouler Intarsia Wool Sweater

Proenza Schouler Track Paneled Suede-trimmed Leather Sneakers

Proenza Schouler Arlo Shearling Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Reclaiming. Luar AW25

February 12, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Luar closed New York Fashion Week with a much-needed bang. Raul Lopez named his autumn-winter 2025 collection “Pato“. In Spanish, pato means duck, as in the bird, but in some parts of Latin America, such as Puerto Rico, it’s a homophobic slur. “I wanted to reclaim that word,” said Lopez. “Especially right now – I’m not going back in the closet for no one.” That powerful bravado was conveyed in a collection that was a powerful, dynamic homage to all the fashion patos that shaped Lopez’s imagination as a kid: think John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix. You could also sense Claude Montana’s influence. Major 1980s energy was all over these big shoulders, attitude-giving tailoring and extravagant feather brooches. A plastic, tape-like texture was a recurring motif. “It’s all hodgepodge,” Lopez explained. “The gay boy who’s at home playing with his mom’s jewelry, wrapping a towel around his head to pretend it’s hair, wants to wear a thigh high boot but just wraps a bunch of duct tape around his legs.” This week, fashion in New York had no voice. Until Lopez arrived with his vivacious outing.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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