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Marmo. Pucci SS25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Camille Miceli‘s latest Pucci collection was refreshing: not only because of its restrained color palette consisting of only black, white and shoft-shell pink, but because it felt essential (and at the same time exuberant – not an easy pairing to achieve). Presented at La Cervara, a medieval hilltop abbey with hidden cloisters just around Portofino, the spring-summer 2025 outing was dedicated to the Marmo motif, “the first print that seduced me,” the designer mused. Originally conceived by Emilio Pucci when he found himself mesmerized by the sunlit ripples inside Capri’s Grotta Azzurra, the swirling pattern carries a hypnotic, groovy rhythm. Miceli sublimated and revamped it, weaving it through the collection not only through kaleidoscopic prints, but metallic studs on palazzo pants and black-and-white beads on finale eveningwear, mini and maxi, that had a vintage flair, but in the end looked rather contemporary. The designer also excels when she blends Pucci’s very-Italian glamour with more rough, utilitarian touches. I loved how she combined a high-neck windcheater with an ankle-length skirt, completing the look with layers of silver jewels.

ED’s SELECTION:

PUCCI Printed Silk-twill Scarf


PUCCI Fringed Raffia And Organza Jacket


PUCCI Embellished Embroidered Leather Wedge Sandals


PUCCI Big Marmo Printed Silk-twill Kaftan


PUCCI Printed Silk-twill Scarf


PUCCI Leather-trimmed Knotted Printed Silk-twill Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Coarse Sensuality. Rick Owens AW25

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s something definitely intriguing about Rick Owens’ recent collection. The designer dialed down on the performative and returned back to his core, dating back to his 1998 debut, “Monsters” – his first complete collection, a pre-runway line-up that marked the birth of a new era in fashion. Not that the designer is retrospective in any way (although he take over the Palais Galliera from June with a retrospective exhibition). But you can see and sense that certain coarse, undone beauty of his long, draped jersey dresses reflected in the new season evenigwear, covered with thin laser-cut leather fringes that rippled like gills as the models moved down the runway. Rough sensuality was also embedded in the breath-taking mille feuille tops (that looked as easy to wear as a t-shirt) and the oversized, fringed leather jacket worn by Kristina Nagel (have you seen her recent shoot for i-D featuring Rick and Michele Lamy? Obsessed). On the collection’s ambiguous power-dynamic between the elusive and the bold, quiet and loud, he said: “it’s a constant, trying to keep that balance: of shock and wonder, but you can’t let people dismiss you as just being out of the question.”

ED’s SELECTION:

Rick Owens Wool-felt Cape


Rick Owens Luna Draped Crepe-jersey Mini Dress


Rick Owens Twisted Cantilever Suede Wedge Mules


Rick Owens Bias Ribbed-knit Trimmed Satin Wide-leg Pants


Rick Owens Sahara Asymmetric Paneled Gathered Jersey Gown


Rick Owens Minimal Grill Beatle Leather Platform Ankle Boots

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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New Softness. Balmain AW25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Olivier Rousteing‘s Balmain collection was one of the most intriguing and pleasing surprises of the season. You might have noticed that I might not be the brand’s number one fan and I barely ever write about it, but the new energy that pulsates in Rousteing’s autumn-winter 2025 line-up can’t go unnoticed. No shoulder pads in sight. Instead, sensual gray melange, layers of fleecy knits and body-wrapping cashmere. “I want to make a new softness, with shapes that are cocooning,” the designer mused. An unexpected color palette, consisting of bold orange, and a splash of zebra print made the largely understated, yet still charismatic and vivacious Balmain collection feel Balmain… but not in the old way. I want more of the new Olivier.

Ed’s SELECTION:


Balmain Embellished Double-breasted Leather Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Phoebe Philo Collection C

| Design & Culture by Ed

On a slow, unassuming Tuesday afternoon, without a single teaser or notice, Phoebe Philo has released her new season lookbook.

Philo’s third full act – titled “Collection C” – is a line-up coming from a confident, assertive woman who knows what she wants. I was just thinking out loud which designer this fashion month got it right in terms of the eternal question: what do women really want from fashion? Well, I think that Phoebe has an absolutely convincing answer. An entire collection of answers.

The collection (that will hit the stores in the second half of 2025) further explores the theme of continuality, something that the British designer introduced in her debut. There are elements that we saw in her previous offerings, but styled differently, more spontaneously: as if a real woman was about to run her errands, and the clothes were the supporting characters, not main heroes. Leather bomber jackets (the label’s major seller) returns in new earthy shades, just like the XXL cabas bag or pajama-like sets in subtle checks. Note how fresh and current these items look. It’s really not about the next new thing, but perfecting what you’ve already got. But there are also exciting new additions, like all the delightful teddy coats or fringed leathers (I wonder if it’s a shawl or an oversized clutch?). Philo also re-owns the modern-day pannier she did in her swan song collection for Céline, this time in a delightful, russet jersey skirt in floor-sweeping length.

But what strikes most in the new release is the overall mood switch. The nay-sayers of Philo’s eponymous endeavor used to point out how distanced and stern the woman she envisioned felt in her first collections. That’s definitely not the case in “Collection C”, where the models charm us with smiles, flowing hair and spilling bags (note the cabas in acidic green and fluffy texture!). The brand is growing organically, and women resonate with its ethos. A sense of celebratory joy is certainly in the air.

Phoebe Philo is in her element, and that shows.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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