Need For Advanced Chic. Dior AW26 Couture

July 6, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

After the euphoric haute couture season we had last time around, I had a feeling in my bones this one would be much more subdued. Turns out, I was right. The first day of couture left me wondering: what’s the point of all this? And, more importantly, does it still feel relevant? Jonathan Anderson‘s sophomore couture collection for Dior didn’t really answer either question. Which is a shame, especially considering how extraordinary his debut was just six months ago. Then again, maybe he simply didn’t have enough time to perfect it.

The biggest issue is that the collection feels unresolved. Anderson’s fascination with vintage garments is evident – everything is tweedy and blanket-y, the jewellery evokes more Paul Bert Serpette than Victoire de Castellane, and the hats look exactly like the sort of treasures you’d hope to discover in the most glamorous attic imaginable. But none of it seems meaningfully connected to the supposed Lynda Benglis narrative. The tropical glass-house venue doesn’t help either.

It’s as if Anderson wants to embrace full Galliano-esque fantasy – think the blue dress with the oversized fan bustier or the dramatically pleated red cape finished with a bow – but something keeps pulling him back to earth. Unfortunately, that tension doesn’t quite work in the collection’s favour. The metallic foil dresses end up looking closer to Ferrero Rocher wrappers than opulent eveningwear inspired by Benglis’ molten sculptures, and I’m fairly certain that wasn’t the goal.

At this point, I’d rather see a concise story from Jonathan than another gathering of fascinating characters. And imagine this collection on mature women instead of impossibly young models. The entire dynamic would shift. Suddenly it would feel more convincing, more lived-in, more chic. Because for all its ambition, this lineup was missing that elusive quality couture needs above all else: the confidence – and sophistication – that only advanced chicness can deliver.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Party Flaneur. Dior SS27

June 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s a sense of undone-ness to Jonathan Anderson’s menswear method for Dior that I really like, even if it occasionally makes his vision for the house seem a little erratic. The image of an aristocratic kid in a pyjama suit and torn denim, stumbling back to his inherited château after a long, very fun night, ripping the wire out of a speaker and plugging his phone into it (very Rianne Van Rompaey opening the Louis Vuitton show in Palm Springs… a niche reference, I know) just to keep the party going, is strangely appealing. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Legacy. JW Anderson SS27

June 18, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

JW Anderson opens the spring-summer 2027 season with a cast brimming with character and charisma – while keeping the clothes firmly in familiar territory. More than a year ago, Jonathan Anderson very deliberately repositioned his London-based namesake label, a move that made perfect sense once his biggest job shifted to Paris at Dior. Gone are the runway spectacles; in their place come carefully crafted lookbooks starring friends of the brand, dressed in the signatures you can find year-round in JW Anderson’s meticulously curated boutiques. Craft – unmistakably British craft – remains the central pillar. At this rate, the label could soon become the new Barbour or even Burberry, albeit with a sharper sense of humor and considerably cooler company. In other words: the next great British brand. Donegal wool knits bloom with wildflowers and ferns, while the house’s signature knitwear references the image of a traditional Irish cottage. The ever-present squirrel motif traces its origins to a Scottish Fair Isle pattern from Sanquhar, and a striking red coat with a matching scarf emerges from a collaboration with Johnstons of Elgin (arguably the source of the finest cashmere in the world – sorry, Italians!). Throughout the collection, Anderson playfully weaves together folk textiles, domestic objects, and rural craftsmanship, recontextualising them through a joyful cast that includes Dree Hemingway, Isaac Cole Powell, Camille B. Waddington, Sophie Okonedo, and more than a touch of flamboyant mischief.

ED’s SELECTION:

JW Anderson Layered Wool And Cashmere-blend Cardigan

JW Anderson Cauliflower Crocheted Cotton Bag Charm

JW Anderson Shearling-lined Suede Ankle Boots

JW Anderson Wool-twill Blazer

JW Anderson Tie-detailed Crinkled-silk Midi Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Hollywood Drama. Dior Resort 2027

May 16, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

In her new book, Famesick, Lena Dunham writes that Los Angeles is “the city you go to when possibility knocks on your door. Not just possibility, but glamour, intrigue, the promise of something I didn’t want to admit sounded like it would feel pretty fucking good: affirmation. Boatloads of affirmation.” Did Jonathan Anderson’s first-ever cruise collection for Dior, presented beneath the concrete arches of David Geffen Galleries at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, offer that sense of urgent, soul-shaking affirmation? I’m not so sure.

The problem is that there have been too many “each look a different character” collections lately – not only from Dior, but from many of the brands currently shaping the fashion conversation. Conveniently labeled “eclectic,” this approach often feels like the easiest way to camouflage a creative director’s indecisiveness. Hollywood, of course, is not a singular story. But looking at Anderson’s latest offering, I never felt he captured any of its narratives with real clarity. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Emotional Restoration. Dior AW26

March 4, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Just after World War II, Christian Dior introduced the Bar jacket as part of his Corolle line. It was sharply criticized for its extravagant use of fabric at a time of postwar austerity. Yet that “unreasonable whim” was not mere indulgence; it was an attempt to submerge collective grief beneath beauty and fantasy. It was, in its own way, an act of emotional restoration – no less valid for being escapist. After all, drowning out pain through aesthetic excess is a coping mechanism many of us recognize.

I found Jonathan Anderson’s sophomore womenswear ready-to-wear collection for Dior a poignant continuation of that impulse. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.