To Be A Celine Boy. Celine Pre-Fall 2026

Maybe the first week of August doesn’t mean the end of summer (a daily reminder that autumn officially begins on 22 September – some people seem strangely determined to forget what they learned in primary school), but there’s something in the air that makes me yearn for clothes. Actual clothes. Not the barely-there variety.

It’s that point in the season when I’m officially over the endless debate about how short shorts can be. (For the record, I adore my slutty little red satin pair, and I genuinely couldn’t care less what anyone thinks.) I want flannels. I want jackets. I want coats. I want substance!

Ever since it was unveiled back in January, I’ve been thinking about Michael Rider’s delightful pre-fall 2026 collection for Celine, which perfectly sums up how I want to look from the moment the temperature drops below 20 degrees Celsius. Dark indigo denim (a genuine plot twist, considering I’m famously allergic to blue jeans), a Charvet-esque shirt, maybe a tie in some delightfully odd retro print… not to mention the cropped trench and that perfect blue chore jacket. I’m officially getting one. READ MY FULL TEXT HERE.

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.

Unpressed. Auralee AW26

For a more restrained vision of masculinity, lets turn to the Japanese label Auralee. Ryota Iwai, together with the talented stylist and art director Charlotte Collet, is clearly hot on the heels of Parisian minimalists such as Christophe Lemaire. Yet he has no interest in rehashing what’s “good taste.” Quite the opposite: he pairs colors that supposedly shouldn’t go together, deliberately disrupts proportions, and leaves both suits and jeans unpressed. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:


Auralee Men’s Blouson Tweed Zip Jacket



Auralee Men’s Baby Suri Alpaca Sheer Knit Crewneck Sweater



Auralee Men’s Wool Straight-Leg Trousers



Auralee Men’s Wool Knit Shirt Cardigan



Auralee Men’s Short-Sleeve Cotton T-Shirt

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.

Coming Of Age. Dries Van Noten AW26

Julian Klausner delivered his strongest solo outing at Dries Van Noten to date. The autumn–winter 2026 menswear collection radiates the youthful spirit of student days, when anything seems possible: drifting from one party to the next, cramming for exams at the last minute, and handing in papers a day past the deadline. The naturally cool spontaneity of a vintage-inspired striped sweater paired with a kilt, a hilariously kooky chullo-like beanie, and lace-ups with thick socks peeking out is intoxicatingly inspiring. So, too, is the campus-inflected layering: oversized capes worn over prim, uniform-like tailoring and neatly knotted neckties.

Yet this was not a collection about preppiness. I found it beautifully folkloric instead. Nordic knitwear patterns clashed with subtly faded, sensational Polaroid-like florals on satin trousers and raincoats. These are life-affirming clothes – and styling cues – that make you feel young again, no face-lift required.

ED’s SELECTION:


Dries Van Noten Double-breasted Embellished Striped Wool And Linen-blend Coat



Dries Van Noten Nylon and Leather Low-Top Sneakers



Dries Van Noteb Pine Straight-Fit Flocked Denim Jeans


Dries Van Noten Hen Oversized Graphic T-Shirt



Dries Van Noten Velen Embellished Jacket



Dries Van Noten Rock The Myrrh Eau de Parfum

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.

The Coolest. Ralph Lauren AW26

I suppose Ralph Lauren had a good laugh watching the resurgence of preppy style. It’s everywhere: from Bode to Michael Rider’s Celine, from ERL to Jonathan Anderson’s Dior. This season, the American king of cool – and of all things preppy – was essentially saying, “hold my cup.”

John Wrazej, the brand’s senior creative director for men’s Polo, RLX, and Purple Label, arrived in Milan to show how it’s done. The collection felt both familiar and sensational, as if all your Bruce Weber dreams had finally come true. A fascinatingly recut remix of the lodestone mid-century navy blazer and grey flannel Ivy League uniform – seasoned with Bengal-striped shirts and wide paisley ties – has rarely looked this hot.

Tailoring was characteristically cut in a carefully baggy silhouette: the Hayworth, designed to echo the inclination Lauren’s team observed among young collectors of the brand’s vintage pieces. The collection then shifted into a gentleman-adventurer mode, with highlights including a cream shearling utility parka and a tuxedo-black airman’s jumpsuit worn over an evening shirt and tie, cinched with a hand-tooled Western belt. And my personal favorite? A British Army–inspired red coat worn with ripped jeans and opera shoes.

ED’s SELECTION:

Ralph Lauren Men’s Stewart Leather Single-Breasted Sport Coat


Ralph Lauren Men’s Merino Wool Maxi-Check Overshirt


Ralph Lauren Men’s Cashmere and Silk Polka Dot Handkerchief

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.

Shape-Shifter. Hed Mayner AW26

If you’ve been reading for a while, you already know I’m a Hed Mayner fan. My admiration for the Paris-based designer was fully cemented after visiting his showroom last year and trying on some of his unbelievably well-made garments. Many people associate him solely with oversized silhouettes, but Mayner’s world extends far beyond that. His clothes are charged with gesture – they quite literally enhance the wearer: their mood, their attitude, their presence.

Mayner is also a master at exploring the possibilities of silhouette. In an hourglass-shaped Hed Mayner coat, you command true presence – and look striking while doing so. The same can be said for an overscaled leather jacket, reworked suit trousers with exaggerated pleats, or a perfectly judged vintage-inspired bomber.

This season, the designer officially welcomes women into his world, offering meaty velvet dresses and sequinned silver frocks that somehow fit seamlessly into his universe. But what I loved most about the autumn–winter 2026 collection is its sense of continuity. You can spot echoes of last winter’s offering – fringed scarves, utilitarian blousons – reminding us: why change something that’s already great?

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.