london

Murder In The English Country. Simone Rocha SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

Simone Rocha’s collection immediately took me back to the now-vintage “Poirot” series starring David Suchet – but also to “Miss Marple“, played by Geraldine McEwan. Whenever there was a bloody murder in one of those English country houses, the Agatha Christie detective would arrive at the crime scene, and somehow all the house guests would be dressed to the nines. The women – both the suspected murderers and those who seemed completely innocent – looked as if they might be ready for a ball at any moment.

For spring-summer 2027, Rocha is in a similar soirée mood, with echoes of interwar elegance. Yet alongside rosette-shaped gowns, organza boas and dropped-waist dresses, there were sturdier leathers and flashes of skin that would have been scandalous in the aforementioned society. At times, Simone returned to her eternal Rei Kawakubo obsession via Cristóbal Balenciaga-esque matryoshka hoods (very matriarchy). But the designer’s real strength lies in those barely-there, billowy dresses that are unmistakably hers. Now, who’s the killer?

ED’s SELECTION:


Simone Rocha Bow-detailed Gathered Taffeta Blouse



Simone Rocha Floral Lace Embroidered Leather Slip-ons



Simone Rocha Layered Pleated Silk-organza Midi Skirt



Simone Rocha Silver-tone Crystal Necklace



Simone Rocha Ruffled Floral-print Pointelle-knit Cotton-jersey Leggings



Simone Rocha Lace-up Merino Wool-blend Scarf



Simone Rocha Bow-embellished Embroidered Organza Midi Dress

The Doll. A Letter SS27

| Design & Culture by Ed

I love the honesty, sincerity, and, above all, playfulness of A Letter’s clothes. The London-based label, founded by Matt Empringham and Freddy Coombes, makes seemingly “normal” clothes that always hide a weird little tweak or twist. Their dresses look as if they’ve been taken straight out of a vintage dollhouse, yet the radically minimal silhouettes and clean lines keep them from becoming saccharine. Instead, they’re elegant – elegantly odd.

The shapes are subtly inflated, while the lengths are cut as if they’re just a few centimeters too high. There’s also a quietly fetishistic undertone hiding in the seams – blink, and you might miss the transparent PVC back of a 1950s-inspired dress. Yet Empringham and Coombes never shock simply for the sake of shock. Their fashion isn’t interested in Instagram dressing. It’s for girls who dare to be themselves, with A Letter acting almost like a little sexy envelope they can choose to dress themselves up in. Brands like this are what make London Fashion Week worth paying attention to.

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Not Enough. Burberry AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Nobody captured London’s current predicament more vividly than Daniel Lee at Burberry. With this duo, it’s either a hit or a miss. This season, unfortunately, it was the latter, proving that as the seasons pass, Burberry is no longer capable of sparking emotion. There is nothing worse than a show that leaves you indifferent – it might as well have been an email. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Burberry Buckled Leather Knee Boots



Burberry Checked Wool Scarf



Burberry Studded Belted Leather Jacket



Burberry Leather-trimmed Ribbed Wool Polo Sweater



Burberry Belted Cotton Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Back To The Good Times. Conner Ives AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

What I love about Conner Ives’s latest collection is how unfussy, unpretentious, and effortless it feels – while remaining absolutely glamorous. The designer drew inspiration from Weimar-era Berlin: a time of freedom and untamed expression, a moment of societal shift, and the rise of a queer community that helped shape modern art. Echoes of the 1920s came alive in Ives’s low-waisted dresses with fringed hems and sleeves, as well as in a phenomenal fur-trimmed silk coat adorned with chinoiserie motifs. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Conner Ives Appliquéd Stretch-micro Modal Jersey Midi Skirt



Conner Ives Recycled-twill Vest



Conner Ives Jellyfish Asymmetric Ruffled Bamboo-blend Jersey Top



Conner Ives Fluted Checked Cotton-blend Gauze Midi Dress



Conner Ives Ruched Stretch-jersey And Silk Mini Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Thorny. Simone Rocha AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

The woman on Simone Rocha’s mind this season is someone who has truly lived. She has pushed through thorny rose bushes, crossed rain-soaked moors, and ridden a horse or two – beginning with Enbarr, the all-white horse of Irish mythology, the only means of reaching Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth. Yet Rocha’s protagonist does not dwell on the windswept pages of “Wuthering Heights“; she is far more grounded in reality than one might expect. Hence the variations of the MA-1 jacket in olive nylon, layered over rosette- and ribbon-trimmed dresses. A harness-evoking crinoline functions as armour, while the red tracksuit from the Adidas collaboration becomes a kind of modern hauberk. The collection’s “pretty” flourishes, set against a shaggy, almost animalistic roughness, imbue Rocha’s proposition with palpable tension and intrigue. Her signature of sorts.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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