Men’s – Irrational Approach. JW Anderson SS25

June 18, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Irrational clothing” is how Jonathan Anderson described the idea(s) behind his JW Anderson spring-summer 2025 collection. The sheer number of concepts the designer played with on his runway is a lot to take, especially at menswear Milan Fashion Week where most designers barely deliver one, substantial idea. The wearable collage of adjacently sourced thoughts all set on designing garments that aggravated and stimulated the outer reaches of familiarity. Liner jackets in lushly colored silk and hula-hoop-hemmed, billows-pocketed denim gilets were both delivered in steroid-shot proportions to transform them beyond their conventional categories. “Sometimes it’s about movement and sponginess and being tactile,” offered Anderson of the three inside-out knit mega bomber jackets that followed. Pastel leather supersized blouses that followed a few looks later just looked so delightfully squishy. But there was also a sense of utilitarian toughness, some sort of exaggerated mannishness rooted in historicism. Take the pants in the closing look, musketeer-ishly tucked into vintage military-style boots unlaced up from the shin. Anderson’s disruptively irrational approach to worn façades became even more evident in a series of three two-story cardigans and two taller shifts knit with purposefully homespun craftiness to resemble various English architectural styles. The designer also proposed a not-so-discreet return to the tie in menswear, in XXL sizes, creating a cartoonish caricature of a businessman’s attire. Shirts, jackets, and a coat were affixed with roundly folded supersized silk tags in harlequin colors that resembled deflated balloons. They were lovely and strange. And then, in a very JW manner, another random element that will be a hit: the sweats and knits featuring vintage Guinness advertising. The designer said this was partially because he is Northern Irish and a fan of Guinness and partially because he has always relished that non-fashion brand’s history of radical image making, from the vintage pieces showcased here to Jonathan Glazer’s 1999 surfer advertisement. Now I wonder which of these concepts will reappear – even subtly – in Anderson’s forthcoming collaboration on costumes for Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer” starring Daniel Craig, premiering this August in Venice.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Deja Vu. Valentino Resort 2025

June 18, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s a new dawn for Valentino. Gone are the days of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s minimalist sensibility and sharpness of cut. Alessandro Michele’s “surprise” debut collection for resort 2025 is an unabashed return to Valentino Garavani’s 1960s and 1970s opulence and over-the-topness. Is this nostalgia something people really want in 2024? Many wrongfully described the collection as “so Gucci”. The deja vu feeling is valid, but rather it’s “so Alessandro Michele”. But let’s be honest, this line-up could easily pass as any of Michele’s previous collections for the other Italian brand, and you’re really not the only one constantly mistyping Gucci instead of Valentino. More than 170 looks, none really memorable or distinct, is either a result of Michele’s prolificness or his overt maximalism – something I thought he would rethink and refine during his hiatus. When the designer arrived at Gucci, his debut collection – contrived at light speed pace – was a revolution-in-the-making and it shifted the way people dress for seasons ahead. His Valentino debut lacks that radicalness, and feels like a missed opportunity in making a strong point. The dense, thick retromania of this collection makes one feel simply tired.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Men’s – Youthful Optimism. Prada SS25

June 17, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

After a couple of seasons dedicated to tackling problems of our contemporary times, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons maybe aren’t in an entirely optimistic mood, but they are hopeful for the future – and the young generation. The spring-summer 2025 menswear Prada collection was dedicated to the feeling of “just going” with your guts when you’re young and not overthinking it too much. That was reflected in the seemingly pre-loved clothes, crumpled and creased, mismatched and cropped as if a couple of sizes too small. Simons explained: “There are elements that are female, masculine, coming from mom, dad, grandad, grandmother. Maybe things from your memories… and fantasy!”, interjected Prada. Although the designers didn’t want their new season effects look too constricted or contrived, it a bit was the case with the Lego-colored boiler suits (Simons just can’t help but return to them. Maybe he will get it right one day?). But there were also pieces in this collection that truly feel investment-worthy: pony-hair black coat with short sleeves, tops illustrated with graphic artworks by Bernard Buffet, cool wind-jackets in rave tones, slinky cardigans. The first look’s blonde-haired model who opened the door of the show venue’s toy-ish, white house wore a very Milan-coded outfit: a thin, v-neck navy sweater, sartorially-elegant grey pants with pleats and a pair of vintage-y sneakers. How Prada!

Need a Prada wardrobe fix?

ED’s SELECTION:

Men’s Saffiano Leather Logo Triangle Crossbody Bag

Men’s Denim Trucker Jacket

Men’s Silk Bermuda Shorts

Men’s Silk-Cotton Sweater

Men’s Show Nylon Bomber Jacket

Men’s Gingham Poplin Sport Shirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Cramped Beauty. Magliano SS25

June 17, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Magliano is the much-needed antidote to Milan Fashion Week’s gloss and perfectionism. LVMH Prize-winning Luca Magliano does clothes that are functional but at the same time poetically deep. The designer channels a kind of wrong and cramped beauty. In his charming spring-summer 2025 fashion shows, street-casted models sported romantic shirts with asymmetrical closures and folded trousers revealing waistline measurements. Printed, washed denim and faux fading, along with well-worn peacoats in towel-like fabrics, add a touch of artisanship to the offer. Note the striking pops of bubblegum pink, just to balance all that grittiness. The collection is honest in its simplicity, driving expertise through unexpected materials and retro silhouettes pulled into the present with precision.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Stimulating. Bottega Veneta Pre-fall 2024

May 3, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bottega Veneta has released a stunningly stimulating, pre-fall 2024 collection. It’s so evident that Matthieu Blazy found his groove at the brand: his last runway shows are delightful to the senses. But it’s the pre-collections that really validate whether a designer has formed their vocabulary for a house, and Blazy definitely knows what his direction is. While other brands try to propose total looks and stay in one aesthetic lane, the Belgian designer rather pursuits the idea of style that’s diverse and truly authentic. Bottega Veneta isn’t a brand that intentionally creates Instagrammable products – even though social media is increasingly raving about Blazy’s take on the brand. People are catching up with his celebration of humanity which is conveyed in the striking artisanship Bottega stands for.

For pre-fall, “the initial talk I had with the team was what would’ve been the ready-to-wear of Bottega when they started to make the bags in the late ’60s and ’70s. Of course, the idea was almost to work on something anachronic – we don’t want to go too literal, it was the idea of a modern time traveler.” The development process involved lots of photo research, including in old Interview magazines – “Andy Warhol loved Bottega,” he explained – to see “how people layered and mixed and matched.” It led to results like the suede skirt layered over suede pants, and the trim crewneck and striped collar shirt tucked belted gray jeans. The spirit he was channeling was “bourgeois, but decontracté,” he suggested, pointing to a checked button-down worn with a leather bomber and a khaki twill pencil skirt, and another checked button-down with a full skirt. There is much more to restlessly drool over in this lookbook: the pastel pant suits, the colorful suede intrecciato separates, the homoerotic-coded bandana bag, and a vibrant horizontally striped knit dress with the nubby pile of a carpet. Each piece is a wearable, meaningful artwork – that might be the ethos of Blazy’s Bottega Veneta.