Madame. Carven Pre-Fall 2026

May 20, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Just when it seemed that Carven had finally found its perfect leading man, news broke in April that Mark Thomas would be leaving the brand. Although the British designer’s winter 2026 runway show marked his final outing for the maison, the pre-collection has only just been released – and it is yet another reminder that the brand’s owners made a mistake in parting ways with such a talent.

Thomas served as Louise Trotter’s right hand while she was reviving Carven from its slumber before departing for Bottega Veneta, yet his solo collections – distilled to perfect forms and lines, focused on chic classics that required no excessive styling, and unmistakably Parisian without ever slipping into cliché – represent some of the finest moments in the brand’s recent history. The pre-fall 2026 offering is now landing in stores, and this is your last chance to catch Mark’s jackets and coats, evolving from rounded shapes into sharper, more masculine double-breasted constructions. They form a sublime dialogue with lighter silhouettes built around delicate, ladylike convergences of organza and lace. Pieces rendered in crisp cedarwood brown, paired with leather skirts and fluffy shearling, conjure the image of a quintessential Carven madame, and one can easily imagine the many chic scenarios she inhabits.

To put it simply, this untimely separation arrived just as the brand seemed on the verge of discovering its contemporary rhythm.

ED’s SELECTION:

CARVEN Scarf-detailed Crepe Midi Dress

CARVEN Wool-twill Mini Dress

CARVEN Silk-satin Midi Skirt

CARVEN Louise Leather Clutch

CARVEN Layered Cotton-gauze Gown

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Wearable Twist. Carven SS26

October 17, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mark Thomas takes center stage at Carven after serving as Louise Trotter’s right hand – and his spring-summer 2026 line-up stands out as one of the most authentic and integrity-filled collections of the entire season. Together, he and Trotter had successfully positioned the French maison as a safe space for women who feel their best in minimalism that is sensual, off-beat, and warm – less serious than Phoebe Philo’s and more easy-going than The Row’s. Now that Trotter has moved on to the candy shop called Bottega Veneta, Thomas holds the heritage of Madame Carven entirely in his own hands.

Some of the looks – including a subtle silk print, a semi-sheer jacquard dress, and, more generally, a few of the déshabillé silhouettes – could be traced back to a white orchid that Madame Carven developed with botanist Marcel Lecoufle in 1993. The British designer has also revisited Carven’s sculptural “Esperanto” silhouette in a brilliantly modern way: a white safari-style jacket with zipper accents and ruffled trims featured that unmistakably chic, cinched-at-the-waist cut. An obvious top-seller for next season – just like the strikingly cool white slip dress with its oversized, “misfitting” bodice, or the lightweight black trench buttoned all the way to the top.

That’s precisely the kind of product that makes women fall in love with contemporary Carven: wearable, but always with a flirty twist.