The Great. Ralph Lauren Pre-Fall 2024

May 2, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

This Ralph Lauren collection had to grow on me for a moment. But when I saw Anok Yai in her finale look, consisting of a cowboy hat and stunning body-skimming sequined gown, being applauded by the all-American designer – who himself wore a blue western shirt, a pair of well-worn jeans and grey New Balance trainers – I was like “wow, this is it“! The pre-fall 2024 collection, which Ralph presented a couple of days ago in New York, is a reminder that he’s a great designer. One of the greatest. A living legend. “The woman I design for has a beauty that comes from an inner confidence,” he noted in his press release. “My collection is inspired by that woman, her sense of timelessness, her individuality – a style that is forever.” The show’s opening song, Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” seemed chosen to call attention to that constancy, as did the first model Christy Turlington, whose career began in the 1980s on Lauren’s runway. Turlington wore neat tailoring, a tie tucked into the waistband of her trousers, with an RL 888 leather tote in the same shade of buff gray as her clothing. Neckties and power suits were recurring sights on the autumn runways; for Lauren they’re not seasonal affectations, but rather pieces that he’s returned to over the years, sharpening and fine-tuning them. City sophistication and red carpet drama are essential parts of his repertoire, as well. These were represented by a chunky cardigan and cocktail dress combo (so good), the pinstripe jacket he threw over a silk charmeuse shirt and long skirt in gunmetal gray. Yes to all that, forever.

Here are a couple Ralph Lauren classics I fancy a lot…

ED’s SELECTION:

“Ralph Lauren: A Way of Living” Book

Driss Distressed Straight-leg Jeans

Nancie Cotton Poplin-trimmed Floral-print Silk-gauze Shirt

Fringed Leather Jacket

Niles Strapless Bow-embellished Velvet Gown

Gregory Double-breasted Satin-trimmed Velvet Blazer

Cotton Straight-leg Pants

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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50/50. Julie Kegels AW24

April 29, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

I wrote about Julie Kegels back in 2021 when the Belgian designer released her masters collection titled “Supper Club“. Now, the The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp graduate is back with her first collection under her eponymous label, which she presented during Paris Fashion Week in the beginning of spring. “50/50” is a proper introduction of Kegel’s talent to the fashion world, as it reflects her aesthetic and her brand’s off-kilter style. Blending contemporary elegance with a playful flair, the ready-to-wear debut “means business up front and party in the back“, as Julie sums it up. Above-the-knee granny socks paired with a provocatively translucent back; wool skirts dancing with shortened denim rears; serious pinstripes mingling with lively floral motifs. Julie’s creative process revolves around fully embracing fashion’s transformative power to craft her unique universe. In this spirit, accessories – jewelry, bags and shoes – harmonize elements from the past and present. The designer skillfully weaves romantic, old-world lace patterns into the collection using the last thermoforming techniques, resulting in contemporary, wearable masterpieces. Enhanced by a blend of quirky preppy cuts, embossed florals, and trompe l’oeil knitwear, the collection breathes a new life into timeless designs and solidifies Kegels as a rising star in the fashion realm.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Girl is Back. Chloé Pre-Fall 2024.

April 22, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Chloé girl is so back, baby. Chemena Kamali‘s pre-fall 2024 collection – a prelude to the runway line-up we’ve seen in the end of February – proves that the designer is confident about her vision of the Parisian maison. Kamali knows the history of the brand inside out, and worked there as a Chloé-obsessed junior designer in the noughties under Phoebe Philo’s creative direction, and then again under Clare Waight Keller. Nobody comprehends better than Kamali the spontaneous feeling of it-ness that belongs to the female-centric Chloé philosophy; a power recharged through so many generations since the house was founded in the 1950s by the Jewish-Egyptian emigré Gaby Aghion as a free-spirited ready-to-wear antidote to Parisian haute couture. “I really was thinking a lot about the Chloé wardrobe, what it should consist of, just, quite frankly, why do I want to wear it? What do I think is important to have in terms of essential pieces, things that go well with other silhouettes that you have at home already?” It’s the balance of carefree romance and pragmatism that’s run through the house since Karl Lagerfeld’s tenures in the ’70s, ’80s, and late ’90s; what Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, and Hannah McGibbon ignited in the aughts; and Kamali’s consciousness of what contemporary women need (she herself is a working mother). Customers will soon come across hot wardrobe staples at Chloé boutiues: a navy gabardine jacket with an elongated “Karl collar“, hanging next to a pair of white jeans with scalloped edges, and a soft navy blouse. Then, there’s an array of perfectly-cut trousers hang with slim cognac leather maxi coats, blazers, and caped “highwaywoman” gabardine trenches. Silk slip dresses elude with hyper-feminine energy, contrasting with utilitarian button-on capes on the raincoats. As for accessories, Kamali offers some of the chicest pieces in the brand’s recent history, instant best-sellers: the spacious “Camera” bag, classic wedges and timeless, suede over-the-knee boots.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Harvest Season. Bevza AW24

April 18, 2024April 18, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Collage by me featuring Bevza AW24 look and works by Maria Prymachenko – Ukrainian folk art painter, who worked in the naïve art style. The Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, where several works by Prymachenko were held, was burned after a deliberate attack on a museum during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the reported loss of 25 of her works.

It’s over two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, so for her autumn-winter 2024 collection, Svitlana Bevza – formerly Kyiv-based designer – set out to celebrate her motherland’s vibrant culture and history through distinct, soft-minimalist lens. Bevza selected the Ukrainian Institute of America – which specializes in promoting the art, music and culture of Ukraine – for her New York Fashion Week presentation. The collection was centered around Ukraine’s role as one of the world’s largest grain producers. Apron dresses were crafted from eco-leather and outerwear was made from sheepskin; it largely focused on an A-shaped silhouette inspired by a traditional 19th-century Ukrainian coat called a Kozhukh. The Tisto vest – named after the Ukrainian word for dough – sported plaits that echoed the texture of traditional Kosa bread. As for the palette? It was muted with the occasional pop of canary and gold coming through to mirror the lush colors of a healthy harvest. These monochromatic looks were elevated by shapes that were experimental yet considered, edited with geometric collars and belt-scrunched waists. Beautiful, functional and emotionally moving at the same time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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She’s A Textile Girl. Maryam Nassir Zadeh AW24

April 12, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Maryam Nassir Zadeh has finally dropped her autumn-winter 2024 lookbook, and oh boy, it’s so good. The designer is one of the leading fashion voices of New York, and she certainly doesn’t need the platform of New York Fashion Week to prove that. Nassir Zadeh’s textile-informed (“I’m a textile girl“), tactile approach to her brand is widely copied by up-and-coming brands, but nobody does it so authentically and with such instinctual ease as her. There’s just lots and lots to love in this new collection, from the styling (perfectly matching the look-book’s location, shot somewhere in the South of France) to the clothes and accessories. The pastel pink fringed scarf in either pastel pink, beige or graphite, made from soft suede, will very likely become the label’s top-seller: you can drape it around the neck in many different ways or wear it as a shawl. Styled with new season workwear jackets, the vibe of this pieces is supremely cool. The goovy fringe story continues in skirts of different lengths. Then we’ve got citrus-colored metallic-threaded Indian materials made into charming bra-tops, mini-bags, and boxers. The designer recently visited Rajasthan, so that sun-drenched color palette definitely originates from that experience. Maryam achieves more with less, but she isn’t really after minimalism. She offers playful garments, but not in an adorned way (there are pretty much no superfluous embroideries or embellishments in her work) – it’s more about the way you can nonchalantly style and layer these pieces. The New York-based designer keeps on experimenting with merging womenswear with menswear, and the results are more than inspiring. “I’m putting the men in more feminine things and the women in more masculine things,” she noted. “It’s a full circle moment.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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