In The Alps. Rier AW23

May 23, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

After watching the very brilliant film The Eight Mountains by Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, my mind instantly returned to Rier – the fashion brand that has its roots in the Alps. The label was established in 2018, based on a long research of different craftsmen, artisans, small family-run businesses and various fabric suppliers throughout Austria, Italy and France. The focus of Rier is on natural materials, timeless quality, handcrafted items and a completely unisex wardrobe (take the wool fleece hoodies or velvet jackets embroidered with alpine flowers). Andreas Steiner is the owner and founder, and his label’s aesthetic is deeply personal, as the designer himself was raised in the South Tyrolean Alps. At Rier, timelessness takes a central role. In respect of nature and a more conscious consumer behavior, all designs have to respect longevity, aesthetically and quality wise. Rier finds inspiration in the South Tyrolean countryside lifestyle and the contemporary urban environment. The appreciation for nature, heritage and savoir-faire take a central role in the working process of the brand, while pushing gender boundaries and the disruption of traditional codes. Rier’s aim is to safeguard the incredible know-how and technical skills that are locally available – and often underrated. As the designer sums it up, “I love the freedom of disrupting traditions and conferring a new and free spirited mindset to this historical items, shifting them in time and location between city and countryside.” Ultimate must-haves from the 2023 collection? The boots made in collaboration with historical Viennese shoe manufacturer Ludwig Reiter and all the accessories crafted by a local South Tyrolean artist according to century-old leather working techniques.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Fucking Fabulous. Tom Ford AW23

May 2, 2023May 2, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

We won’t get another Tom Ford by Tom Ford collection; he sold the company to Estée Lauder in a deal valued at $2.8 billion late last year. His newly-named successor, Peter Hawkings – who worked with Ford for over 25 years – will probably keep the brand in its familiar, glamorously elegant aesthetic, heavily scented with the intoxicating Fucking Fabulous fragrance. Tom opted out of a ceremonious, showy goodbye, choosing for his sign-off an Archive collection of his greatest hits instead. Clicking through them triggers many red carpet memories. There is Gwyneth Paltrow’s sensational white column gown and attached cape from the 2012 Oscars, and there is Zendaya’s hot pink molded breastplate and fluid skirt circa first-season Euphoria. The stretch sequin and mesh dress Rihanna wore on a 2016 issue of Vogue is also included. For his spring 2022 return to the runway post-pandemic, Ford considered the impact of social media on fashion. “Photogenic clothes today by their very nature mean that they are not at all timid,” he riffed at the time. That was never not true chez Tom Ford. As the worlds of fashion and Hollywood grow ever more intertwined, it seems too bad that the American designer who navigated both worlds with such control and assurance is stepping away. But if an era is ending, at least there’s the prospect of watching Ford’s cinematic vision unfold on the big screen sometime in the future.

Ethereal. Danielle Frankel AW23

April 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

The world of Danielle Frankel‘s bridal-wear redefines that whole fashion category, making it feel truly a dream. A wedding dress coming from Frankel’s atelier is a chef’s kiss. Just take a look at her latest offering. The opening look of the New York-based designer’s autumn-winter 2023 collection is a sleeveless dress featuring a silk wool twill bodice with an architectural mock neck, and corset-like details that wrap around the waist to meet a hand-cut lace-decorated linen organza skirt with an exaggerated tulip shape that falls to the ankle. It is light as air, and accessorized with an oversized straw hat decorated with hundreds of tiny flowers. The look is simultaneously evocative of another time while being grounded in the now. “I like to look back a lot more than what’s going on currently,” the designer said. “I was looking at a lot of the New Look; Dior, Balenciaga, and that era where you had these really dramatic silhouettes – but we’re making a contemporary version of that.” She nailed it – it’s rare to see such brilliant takes on the fashion history classics today. Frankel’s designs radiate with refinement, but also with an eternally youthful spirit: many of the looks consisted of mini-dresses worn over ankle-grazing skirts (perhaps to ensure these pieces get to be worn long after their walk down the aisle). A shiny silk wool spaghetti-strap mini dress with Chantilly lace appliqué at the hem and a matching maxi skirt worn with a silk cashmere mock neck sweater, its sleeves scrunched up to make way for dramatic opera-length gloves, recalled that favorite ’90s combo of a baby tee worn underneath a vintage satin slip dress, only more elegant. There was also a bit of the ’90s in a spaghetti strap column dress covered in Chantilly lace and ivory organza strips whose hand-frayed edges gave the impression of a very delicate fur. These looks are bridal because they are white, and delicate, and formal; but they could just as well be part of an everyday-wardrobe if they were made in other colors or fabrics. A boxy matte silk wool men’s tuxedo was another modern addition. Elsewhere, pieces made from genuine baroque pearls embroidered unto transparent sequins were simultaneously opulent and minimalist. So, who’s planning a wedding this year?!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Holiday Album. Meryll Rogge AW23

April 15, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

The comedy (and drama) of a family portrait is one of the concepts that informed Meryll Rogge’s autumn-winter 2023 collection. Called “The Holiday Album“, it was inspired by a variety of sources, from Home Alone to Rogge’s very personal memories of Y2k – the event and the aesthetic. The Belgian designer’s latest collection included a group of ski-thermal pieces including a body-con dress and bodysuit with unexpected pockets that complimented the more directly ski and apres-ski looks, like quilted nylon outerwear and tulle-padded pants. The snowiest and most luxe piece was a hand-worked upcycled shearling coat. Only a few will be made. What was notable about the suiting this season was the trouser silhouette; Rogge opted for cigarette – or in the context of this collection, maybe peppermint stick is a better description – legs. Those grays were overpowered by the more vibrant and extravagant party looks. Known for her hybrid pieces, the designer not only fused tartan to denim jeans, but added a sort of fishtail or kick hem, revealing the lining that flutters as the wearer walks. Plaids were also made into more pajama-like looks. Conifers seemed to have inspired the A-line shapes, while Christmas tree tinsel was translated into crinkled metallics and satins, and many pieces were ornamented with large, dense, sequins. One of the best bits of the offering was a deconstructed dress in pink satin with mismatched vintage buttons. Roses stood in for poinsettias, too obvious a reference, the designer said, and they added dimensionality and fun to a pair of Rudolf-red briefs and a glorious, hand-embroidered dress with a Poiret-like silhouette. There was even a boxy “present” dress of red Lurex, the most literal take on the theme. This kind of very eclectic, general incoherence made sense in light of the (now very well exhausted) Y2K theme, and because holidays bring disparate family members (chosen or real) together.

Here are some of my favourite Meryll Rogge pieces you can shop right now:

Meryll Rogge blue and white shirt

Meryll Rogge beige trousers

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Goth-y Funk. Chopova Lowena AW23

April 9, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Chopova Lowena‘s style is a fine balance of alluring quirkiness and astonishingly great craftsmanship. For autumn-winter 2023, Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena went for their signature, funky eclecticism. The collection sees a ’70s ski-theme that somehow got caught up with Georgian petticoats, bloomers, cross-lacing, and bonnets. Trust the London-based designers to turn such a bonkers combo into an extensive collection of clothes and accessories that are at the service of cold-weather practicality as well as… fun. They’ve played with the idea of retro children’s patterned ski suits and sleepwear to come up with high-waisted checkered pajama-cum-snowboarding trousers, baby-bedsheet prints, and the piped-pocket detailing that made the whole recognizably Chopova Lowena. Genius cardigans – some with vintage baby-book doll characters dancing on the front, others threaded through with tartan ribbon tied in bows – evoke some sort of deranged Tyrolean classic, possibly an ode to one of Vivienne Westwood‘s signature looks. There are layers and layers to explore here, from heavy-duty brown leather ‘carabiner jackets,’ through ski-capris with frilly knees, stripy wool scarves, tights, and knotted-top beanies, all the way through to stuff that sorts out how a Chopova Lowena person parties – which is to say in lacy white and bows, but with a definite Goth-y attitude.