Earthy Modesty. Miu Miu AW26

The earthy, grounded modesty (and honesty) of Miu Miu’s autumn–winter 2026 collection was exactly what was needed on the last day of Paris Fashion Week. Miuccia Prada stripped her Miu girl (and boy) of anything superfluous. Knee-length pencil skirts and vintage-coded camisoles in peachy shades felt beautifully realistic when paired with trapper hats – somewhat primal, especially given the moss and twigs scattered underfoot along the runway. Fur-lined jackets, cropped nylon anoraks, and crude leathers were utilitarian in form, yet they oozed a palpable sense of humanity (something Pierpaolo Piccioli seemed eager to capture in his Balenciaga collection, though he advanced little beyond a lengthy press release). Chloë Sevigny, who modeled for Miu Miu more than three decades ago, appeared on the runway in a jacket-and-dress set with furry hems that looked like a fungi-esque organism creeping across the garment. It read as Miuccia’scall for peace between humans and nature. And the 1920s-inspired flapper dresses – embroidered, yes, but far more restrained than is typical for Miu Miu – worn in the finale by Gemma Ward, Kristen McMenamy, and Gillian Anderson? A small, poignant pinch of innocence in our being in this world.

ED’s SELECTION:


Miu Miu Leather Casual Derby Loafers



Miu Miu Aventure Lambskin Leather Shoulder Bag



Miu Miu Allacciate Leather Buckle Low-Top Sneakers



Miu Miu Striped Oversized Long-Sleeve T-Shirt



Miu Miu Antic Buckle Distressed Leather Knee-High Boots

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Home. Hodakova AW26

I haven’t been this struck by fashion in a long time. What Ellen Hodakova Larsson did on the opening day of Paris Fashion Week was so profound, heart-wrenching, and purely beautiful that I almost wonder whether the term “fashion” even applies.

For autumn–winter 2026, Hodakova returned to the idea of home – a theme she has explored for some time, but which here felt more substantial and powerful than ever. True to her practice, she transformed everyday objects into garments: an itty-bitty bra fashioned from teacups; a rug crafted into a capelet; pieces incorporating parts of chairs. The effect was as subversive as when Meret Oppenheim covered a teacup in fur: feminine decorum gone rogue, yet also wildly sensual.

But the distortions and subtle provocations did not end there. Mirrors appeared as accessories – an ode to vanity, but also to introspection. Silken strands that snaked up the body and fastened at the neck (where zippers might once have been) were not samples of blonde hair, but horsehair violin strings. She imagined a musician impeccably dressed for a performance, only to lose herself entirely in the music. And the fur coats that seemed to levitate, hovering like oneiric corpses above the models’ bodies? A literal “home for the body”, staged in a manner reminiscent of an Olivier Saillard and Tilda Swinton performance.

Hodakova’s work is at once literal and strangely elusive: like a dream that floods you with feeling, only to dissolve the moment you awaken. That is not to say her clothes are ephemeral. On the contrary, she is a designer who, like few others, champions a return to meaty, tactile, hyper-real materiality. Her latest collection marks a striking plunge into the sartorial world, with deconstructed Harris Tweed jackets and coats anchoring the vision.

A very, very good start to Paris.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Maritime Sensuality. Ferragamo AW26

At Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis is committed to subverting the classics, often approaching them from a different perspective or reworking their well-known codes. For autumn–winter 2026, he turned his attention to the aesthetic of maritime attire, successfully transforming its references into something glamorous and refined.

The opening segment of the collection featured handsome, oversized peacoats in navy cashmere, to which panels lined in ivory silk were buttoned in, creating a sense of Cubist deconstruction. Two Guernsey-inspired sweaters – one navy, one white – were designed with raised collars left unbuttoned to fall softly around the neck. This simple manipulation introduced a note of subtle sensuality (made me think of “Querelle“, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1982 homoerotic sea-port drama).

A swimming vest was reimagined as a quilted leather orange gilet, while georgette dresses with mid-calf, cinched accordion pleats moved through the air like sails in the wind. With each collection, Davis moves closer to the vision he continually strives to realize.

ED’s SELECTION:


Ferragamo Arcadia Patent-leather Pumps



Ferragamo Draped Satin- And Lace-paneled Silk-chiffon Midi Dress



Ferragamo Hug Medium Leather Tote



Ferragamo Itaca Patent-leather Mules



Ferragamo Hooded Padded Shell Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Housewives. August Barron SS26

August Barron – you might remember it as All-In – is a brand that makes you feel like a pop doll. Their vintage-inspired dresses are short and cute, often slashed in the most unexpected places and finished with a cartoonish twist. No wonder Addison Rae wears them on her tour.

I loved how Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø approached the theme of the housewife. Unlike Marc Jacobs, who explored that notion at Louis Vuitton back in 2010 in a Mad Men-ish way, the August Barron duo envisioned Grey Gardens’ Little Edie through a Lynchian lens. The result? High-octane drama mixed with 1950s floral skirts, heads wrapped in brooch-pinned cardigans, underpinnings peeking from beneath dresses in a chicly scandalous way, and an undercurrent of despair.

The collection – styled, of course, by Lotta Volkova – is filled with clothes that will be an absolute joy to wear all day and all night.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

Aprons & Power. Miu Miu SS26

The moment Miu Miu released the teaser starring Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska – riding a forklift through a cargo container yard and drilling into concrete with a mechanical hammer – it was clear: the vibe was shifting. Gone were the playful notions of bourgeois ladylikeness; in came a femininity that was raw, rough… heroic.

Of course, some might raise an eyebrow when Miuccia Prada cites workers and factories as her inspiration while creating garments that cost thousands. The gesture could easily be read as tone-deaf. Yet Miuccia – and Lotta Volkova, the stylist behind Miu Miu’s golden era – handled those nuances with an intelligent, thought-provoking subtlety. In her teenage years, Signora Prada was a communist – but one dressed in Yves Saint Laurent. This collection perfectly captured that paradox, without mocking the working classes, and handing in a new brick to the vast definition of “chic“.

Seeing Soviet-inspired aprons, floral wrap-over housecoats (a little nightmare for any Eastern European!), and domestic smocks on the runway – styled as evening dresses or layered under no-nonsense, thick-canvas jackets – was an unexpected moment of power, a tribute to the tireless providers. It also made me think of Mrs. Bożena, who runs my local vegetable shop, wearing her blue housecoat every single day at work. I showed her the collection on my phone today. She smiled – and said she absolutely loves it.

Forget capes. Real heroes wear aprons.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe!

NET-A-PORTER Limited