Gentle Masculinity. Giorgio Armani AW26

January 19, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Leo dell’Orco saved Milan Men’s Fashion Week with his gently masculine Giorgio Armani collection. As the passing of the Italian maestro still feels absolutely shocking – and I remain in denial – the brand is clearly in very good hands, guided by his protégé and a rigorously disciplined team. After seeing today’s show, I truly don’t want to hear the Hedi Slimane rumors anymore. What was sent down the runway was a genuinely aspirational vision of menswear – one that is neither performative nor toxically pumped up.

This was pure Armani: elegance, solidity, timelessness. It’s impossible to count all the menswear staples I loved in this line-up – from Giorgio’s signature bombers, first introduced in the 1980s, to a cropped trench coat; from heavy-duty reversible shearling coats (buttoned only at the neck, a quintessentially Armani gesture) to tailored jackets in fluid velvet (the colours – ah!). It truly felt like a candy store – only this one offers extra-fine dark chocolate, with no sugar added.

Giorgio Armani has always stood for continuity – something designers like Phoebe Philo and Hed Mayner have clearly taken up – serving excellence, quietly and consistently. That tradition is beautifully nurtured.

ED’s SELECTION:

Giorgio Armani Men’s Herringbone Cashmere and Wool Bomber Jacket

Giorgio Armani Men’s Silk Denim Effect Button-Down Shirt

Giorgio Armani Men’s Woven Leather Tassel Loafers

Giorgio Armani Men’s Silk Stripe Neck Scarf

Giorgio Armani Men’s Stripe Chenille Double-Breasted Shawl-Lapel Sport Coat

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Melancholy. Prada AW26

January 19, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’s joint effort at Prada may not have been conservative in concept, but it unmistakably foreshadowed recession – economic, political, cultural. The show venue at Fondazione Prada resembled a ruined palace or temple constructed from spolia. The clothes sent down the runway – on models decidedly less hunky than those seen at other houses – bore visible signs of distress. Slender, waist-cinched jackets were deliberately creased, their worn wool appearing raw and coarse. A beige leather coat was frayed at the edges, as though it had been worn – and lived in – for decades.

There was something deeply melancholic about the collection as a whole, something distinctly 1930s in its sense that the good days were coming to an end. Prada’s runway tailoring felt resolutely anti-Bezos, anti-Vance. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Prada Men’s Wool Knit Stripe Crewneck Sweater

Prada Men’s Poplin Chest Logo Full-Zip Shirt Jacket

Prada Men’s Hawaiian-Print Short-Sleeve Shirt

Prada Men’s Collapse Nylon and Suede Low-Top Sneakers

Prada Men’s Solid Short-Sleeve Sweater

Prada Men’s Re-Nylon Snap-Front Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Coolest. Ralph Lauren AW26

January 17, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

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.
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Heritage. Institution by Galib Gassanoff SS26

November 14, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

I love looking back at the season in hindsight and highlighting some of the off-the-radar, attention-worthy moments. One of them is Galib Gassanoff’s Institution, a small, craftsmanship-focused brand that has emerged in Milan with great bravado. Gassanoff, who is of Georgian and Azerbaijani heritage, channels those roots in his breakthrough spring–summer 2026 collection. With curving lines inspired by the traditional Georgian chokha and rush skirts crafted using techniques typically employed in rug-making, this line-up stuns with its artisanal sensitivity – and makes some of Milan’s major players look pale by comparison. The backless peplum tops made from tightly loomed shoelaces? Incredible. As are the seemingly levitating panniered dresses and the brutally beautiful leather outerwear. Gassanoff wants the voices of his ancestors to be heard, and he succeeds with great poignancy and elegance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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A Lot. Bottega Veneta SS26

September 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Louise Trotter took her time to deeply absorb the Bottega Veneta‘s 60 years of codes and craftsmanship – not rushing last season, but instead offering a substantial collection now. It’s a collection with many avenues for customers to explore once the clothes and accessories reach the stores, from myriad interpretations of intrecciato to an array of ultra-tactile textures. I’ll say it loud and clear: the techniques, the artistry, and the sheer beauty of each individual piece Trotter presented are beyond words. Yet this may also have been the trap she fell into – the collection felt overpacked and overstimulating. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.