Art

50/50. Julie Kegels AW24

| 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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New Carven

| Design & Culture by Ed

Carven, founded in 1945 by Madame Carven, has finally found a designer that can navigate it in the contemporary times: the hyper-talented Louise Trotter. Her Carven debut collection is one of the biggest highlights of this season. Ahead of her spring-summer 2024 fashion show in Paris, Trotter had voiced her desire to start the brand anew. She indeed delivered her promise, but that doesn’t mean total erasure of the brand’s identity. In its history, Carven was known for distinct, hourglass silhouette. The British creative director references it throughout the new offering via powerful shoulders and nipped-in waists. Throughout the collection’s looks (styled by Suzanne Koller), the designer redefines timeless wardrobe essentials: cinched trench coats, transparent white shirts, elegant black dresses, all contrasted with playful details like over-sized leather poach bags, vibrant shades of sky-blue and mint-green, or beaded embroideries. The new Carven delivers a fresh layer to the eternal myth of Parisian chic, being far, far from a cliché.

Here are my favorite pieces from the collection, which you can shop now!

ED’s SELECTION:


Striped Tech-shell Shirt



Organza Midi Skirt



Strapless Twill Maxi Dress



Oversized Satin-twill Hooded Jacket



Cotton-poplin Maxi Skirt



Oversized Cotton-jersey T-shirt



Satin Shorts



Double-breasted Satin-trimmed Crepe Coat



Wool Polo Top



Stretch-jersey Leggings



Cotton Waist Belt



Leather Mules

 

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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ERL: Made In California

| Design & Culture by Ed

No one does California story-telling like Eli Russell Linnetz. Now, the ERL designer has taken a step further, and dropped a capsule collection entirely produced in the Golden State. Key shearling pieces came from sheared sheep that roam around the ERL studio alongside shearling waste from local farmers. In tandem with the California-made production, the collection leans into quintessential Americana styles – whether it be through denim or something as simple as plaid boxer shorts. I literally lost my mind for the cowboy sweater. The entire wardrobe is laden with jackets, flared bottoms, shin-length shorts, plaid shirts, heavyweight zip-ups with matching sweatpants, pocket tees and accessories. But the clear standout of the collection are the canary yellow shearling pieces that extend to an oversized jacket, bags and standout $28,000 chaps (hot). With its American-influenced aesthetic, the collection still channels the gritty-meets-sensual sentiments the brand is also known for.

The “Made in California” collection is available now online.

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

| 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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