Flamboyant. Stefan Cooke SS26

November 29, 2025 | 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.
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!

Boys. Dior Men Pre-Fall 2026

November 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jonathan Anderson’s pre-fall 2026 collection for Dior Men reads as both a continuation and a clarification of his debut collection from the summer. And you know what? I like it. Anderson is betting big on a neo-preppy sensibility: oversized “Delft” cargo shorts, a frat-boy color palette, and a distinct Ralph-Lauren-ification of the Dior universe. What I loved most in this line-up is the way he transformed the “Bar” jacket – rendered here in Donegal wool – into a new menswear classic, something that can be effortlessly worn with faded jeans and a lived-in suede cross-body bag. Another look – a floral jacket layered over a blue striped shirt and paired with pink trousers – plays deliberately with the boundaries of good and bad taste in menswear. There’s an intriguing dialogue between high and low in Jonathan’s approach to Dior, and it makes the language he’s still in the process of defining sound increasingly compelling.

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!

Expensive Wit. Loro Piana SS26

November 25, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Loro Piana is a brand that isn’t about fashion per se – but it is unmistakably about (wealthy) style. The Loro Piana client doesn’t care about fads; rather, they are entirely confident investing a fortune in a wardrobe that is at once timeless, durable, and subtly nonchalant.

For spring–summer 2026, the Italian house’s design team delivered precisely that: tailoring in gentle muesli tones, elongated silhouettes with an aristocratic air (reminiscent of Marella Agnelli’s swan-like neck in Richard Avedon’s photograph), and a poised balance of countryside statesmanship and Milanese sophistication. There is also a touch of playfulness, captured in exaggerated cone-shaped hats that lend a light-hearted quirk to the cashmere empire. Those moments of wit make Loro so compelling – and standout from all the other “beige” minimalism that suffocates the industry at the moment.

ED’s SELECTION:

Loro Piana Reversible Shell And Cashmere Bomber Jacket

Loro Piana Happy Day Large Leather-trimmed Felt Tote

Loro Piana Boris Double-breasted Cashmere Coat

Loro Piana Broderick Corduroy-trimmed Linen And Silk-blend Coat

Loro Piana Alba Satin Slippers

Loro Piana Vivian Cashmere-blend Mini Skirt

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!

Archetypes. Alaïa Resort 2026

November 22, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

You know, I’m rather on the fence about Pieter Mulier’s Alaïa. The brand’s contemporary creative director has a tendency to cover women in overworked constructions – something Azzedine himself avoided at all costs in his masterful work. Mulier did exactly that with the Gaudí-esque forms and alien-like tubes in his autumn collection, but for spring he shifted toward a more “less is more” approach.

The resort 2026 collection – his first “official” pre-collection, titled “Archetypes” and conceived as a more accessible entry into the Alaïa wardrobe – lands somewhere between these two extremes. There are moments of uplifting lightness, like a truly fabulous vivid-pink, long double-satin bias-cut dress that is “very easy to look at, extremely difficult to make.” There’s also an architectural, high-necked tiger-print coat that’s pure chic. But then come the heavy-looking jackets with armadillo hoods and over-styled layering that somewhat disturb the sense of zen. Meanwhile, the shearling jacket with a peplum recalls Phoebe Philo’s instantly sold-out piece from last season (not the first time Mulier has been seen taking notes from other designers).

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!

High & Low. Saint Laurent Resort 2026

November 19, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

In between the ’80s-heavy color-block coat-dresses of the winter collection and the couture-inspired maxi gowns crafted in technical nylon for summer, Anthony Vaccarello introduces a cool-looking, smooth transition: a Saint Laurent resort line-up that revolves around the idea of combining – or rather, clashing – a lace-trimmed slip dress with an oversized track top. High meets low. Boudoir meets athleisure. Paris meets Los Angeles. The collection’s radiant color palette – salmon pink, cherry red, emerald green, and electric blue – reads like a visual dose of vitamin C, one that makes you pray for autumn’s grayness to give instant way to spring.