Women. Givenchy AW26

March 19, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ending fashion month on a show I’m still on the fence about – but one that clearly signals a designer stepping outside her comfort zone: Sarah Burton’s Givenchy.

The good news is that Burton has shed what I like to call the “Taylor Swift–ness” that weighed down her earlier work for the house – a certain safety and plainness that defined her first two seasons. Her third outing is anything but bland; this is no longer boring chicken with boring rice. There’s spice here, and bravado – plenty of both. I was especially taken with the draped, turban-like hats, as if lifted straight from a Jan van Eyck portrait, created in collaboration with Stephen Jones. They paired beautifully with Burton’s richly draped velvet halter tops and sharply tailored trousers. Her use of leopard prints and textured jacquards clashing with butch-leaning tailoring feels unexpectedly compelling. At times, I found myself thinking of that “Sex and the City” episode where Charlotte York discovers the world of art-world lesbians – there’s a similarly unapologetic feminine energy running through Burton’s work. It manifests in both boxy suiting and off-the-shoulder party dresses, creating a dynamic tension.

What made the collection slightly less legible, however, were the clunky bags and heavy boots that seemed to weigh the looks down. A stylist with a lighter touch might help Burton sharpen her message. Still, something is clearly shifting at Givenchy. And I suspect we’ll see the most coherent vision emerge in a season or two, once Burton has fully settled into her role.

ED’s SELECTION:

Givenchy Crepe Midi Dress

Givenchy Silver-tone Crystal Earrings

Givenchy Pinch Mini Embellished Leopard-print Calf-hair Shoulder Bag

Givenchy Cape-effect Silk-satin Mini Dress

Givenchy Paneled Leather Midi Skirt

Givenchy Patent-leather Pumps

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Open Mind. Louis Vuitton AW26

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

It seems to me that Nicolas Ghesquière has rediscovered a sense of joy in making fashion. That wasn’t always so evident in his 1980s-heavy collections, but his latest Louis Vuitton outing feels like the work of an open mind. It brings together three distinct “energies,” vividly clashing yet glued by a kind of transcendental, almost shroom-like aura.

First, there is a collage-like engagement with global cultures. Cultural appropriation is one thing, but in the past decade, a growing fear of being called out – or cancelled – for drawing on other traditions has made fashion increasingly cautious about referencing the world’s diverse beauty. So it feels refreshing to see Ghesquière approach Turkish kepeneks, Mongolian steppe deels, and Nepalese topi hats with such confidence, but also with respect. He manages to celebrate these traditions by sublimating their magnificence, never reducing them to caricature.

The second “energy” sees Nicolas returning to his Balenciaga years – autumn/winter 2002, to be precise – reviving a sense of generous, bounty fluidity in his dresses. Those sent down the Louis Vuitton runway feel effortless, and cool. Words that didn’t always roll off the tongue when considering his recent collections.

And the third? For the first time in over a decade at the house, Ghesquière seems to subtly nod to Marc Jacobs – not in any literal sense, but in his attitude toward fashion. There’s wit, a sense of play, a tongue-in-cheek irreverence. A cone-shaped hat paired with a voluminous bomber jacket and cropped trousers, or a fabulously cluttered blazer with boxy shoulders, recalls Jacobs’s years at Vuitton, when each show existed as a self-contained fantasy.

That newly found, almost defiant I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-anyone-thinks spirit suits Ghesquière well. It might also explain why the collection didn’t resonate with everyone. After all, people tend to resent it when someone is having just a little too much fun. Human nature!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Power of Strangeness. Jean Paul Gaultier AW26

March 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Duran Lantink has managed to turn his signature strangeness into a mischievous force at Jean Paul Gaultier. His inflated bodies, extraterrestrial protrusions, and distorted silhouettes no longer read as one-off shock tactics, but rather as part of a broader vision for what the brand can become.

To truly appreciate it, you have to momentarily set aside everything you think you know about Gaultier and allow yourself to engage with Lantink’s methodology of seeing the bod – one that leans more toward the abstract than the figurative. He drew inspiration from the image of Marlene Dietrich holding a whip, which sparked the idea of “Madame Masculinity.” And when you think about it, is there anything more JPG?

Where Gaultier once disrupted the anatomical canon through hyper-corsetry, Lantink does so with conical shoulder lines and padded protuberances. There is a distinctly commanding presence in these constructed, almost alien postures. The former delighted in reworking the tropes of historical dress, and the latter pushes panniered forms to new extremes, creating gowns that appear to float through space, as if guided by an invisible puppeteer.

Lantink’s vision for the brand may not resonate with everyone, but it’s worth remembering that Gaultier himself was once scorned – and misunderstood – by critics. Today, he is a legend. Time will tell whether Duran’s ideas are ahead of their time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Father, I’ve Sinned! Valentino AW26

March 15, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Michele has added spice – and flame – to his Valentino, and it has been working particularly well lately. First came his toned-down, poetic spring collection, the only show of the season that truly approached the dread of a world on the brink of WWIII. Then followed his vivacious sophomore couture collection, presented just over a week after Valentino Garavani’s passing, which made the fashion heavens rave. And now, the autumn–winter 2026 lineup, presented not in the usual Paris but in Rome, the brand’s home, core, hot-red heart.

This was Valentino through and through, yet captured through Michele’s new perspective. It is rich and full, yes, but he somehow manages to express that opulence in a clean, clear way (forget the heaviness of his Gucci days). His clothes no longer look as if they have been pulled straight from a vintage store or a forgotten attic. The dramatic glamour is still there, but it is glitched – awkwardly so – making it far more intriguing.

Bow-tied belts cinched full-length furs; color-blocked pleated tunics; lace dresses with butterfly-wing-shaped skirts. It is Rome, after all, so there is an inherent tension between the ecclesiastical and the regal, and the naughty, decadent, Fellini-esque spirit of the city. These women go to church on Sunday – but they as easily live a full-on, hedonistic “La Grande Bellezza” life (a dialogue Demna attempted to spark with his Gucci runway debut, but, to me, failed miserably). One aspect that could perhaps be reconsidered is the casting. Adding a few more mature faces would make the collection feel even more vivid and charismatic, as some of the barely twenty-year-old models – likely exhausted by the fashion month marathon – appeared somewhat pale.

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Garavani Fetishique 105 Metallic Leather Slingback Sandals

Valentino Garavani Cropped Satin-trimmed Woven Blazer

Valentino Garavani Velvet-trimmed Satin-crepe Maxi Skirt

Valentino Garavani Bowow 25 Suede-trimmed Leopard-print Calf Hair Pumps

Valentino Garavani Bow-embellished Ribbed Cotton-blend And Wool And Silk-blend Crepe Jacket

Valentino Garavani Viva Superstar Medium Leopard-print Calf Hair Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Earthy Modesty. Miu Miu AW26

March 15, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

The earthy, grounded modesty (and honesty) of Miu Miu’s autumn–winter 2026 collection was exactly what was needed on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. Miuccia Prada stripped her Miu girl (and boy) of anything superfluous. Knee-length pencil skirts and vintage-coded camisoles in peachy shades felt beautifully realistic when paired with trapper hats – somewhat primal, especially given the moss and twigs scattered underfoot along the runway. Fur-lined jackets, cropped nylon anoraks, and crude leathers were utilitarian in form, yet they oozed a palpable sense of humanity (something Pierpaolo Piccioli seemed eager to capture in his Balenciaga collection, though he advanced little beyond a lengthy press release). Chloë Sevigny, who modeled for Miu Miu more than three decades ago, appeared on the runway in a jacket-and-dress set with furry hems that looked like a fungi-esque organism creeping across the garment. It read as Miuccia’scall for peace between humans and nature. And the 1920s-inspired flapper dresses – embroidered, yes, but far more restrained than is typical for Miu Miu – worn in the finale by Gemma Ward, Kristen McMenamy, and Gillian Anderson? A small, poignant pinch of innocence in our being in this world.