Sublime. Giorgio Armani SS26

July 5, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

“It seems that the new generations of designers are becoming passionate about my work, and I must say that this is a source of pride for me because it means that I can speak to young creatives who probably weren’t even born in the ’90s. This also means that the authenticity that I have always put into what I do is still reflected today,” Giorgio Armani mused after his spring-summer 2026 menswear show. As his brand celebrates 50th anniversary this year, there’s literally nothing more valuable for a designer who created such monumental heritage as being relevant and appreciated after all those decades. Italian menswear and womenswear owe a lot to Armani, and it’s good to see him being very rightfully embraced and applauded. The latest collection coming from the maestro was sublimely Giorgio, through the filter of Pantelleria, the volcanic island where he has summered for years. Matte black leather used in outerwear and everyday suiting echoed the island’s raw stone landscape, while a wide palette of marine blues and bougainvillea purples and pinks referred to the sights of Mediterranean nature that enchant the designer every single time he steps on the elusive, distant island. Dreamy and undeniably handsome were the quilted-collar jacket and double-zip gilet looks in treated linen that followed the North-African-inspired palm motif. Also especially strong were the accessories, running from wave-shaped woven rattan shoes to beautifully canvas satchels. Long live Giorgio. And kudos to Leo Dell’Orco, the long-time head of Armani’s men’s style office.

ED’s SELECTION:

Armani Prive Cuir Zerzura Unisex Perfume

Giorgio Armani Men’s Upton Double-Breasted Suit

Giorgio Armani Men’s Pleated Virgin Wool Trousers

Giorgio Armani Men’s Jacquard Swirl Crewneck Sweater

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

Giorgio Armani Men’s Asymmetrical Lyocell Bomber 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!

Queer & Chic. Vivienne Westwood SS26

June 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

For spring-summer 2026 menswear, Andreas Kronthaler returned to Milan Fashion Week – and it did good to Vivienne Westwood, the brand whose soul was kind of devoid in the past few seasons.

The collection blended Kronthaler’s affection for fluid silhouettes and Milano’s sartorial heritage. Tailoring was slouchy and nonchalant, but utterly chic. The coats were broad-shouldered or leopard-printed, and full of Milanese charisma. Hunky men in dresses and killer-high platforms were an exuberant view – especially when seen in a passeggiata through a San Babila café and then out on street side marble-floor arcade. A rose-embroidered tabard with a mid-calf red satin boot was a look that was both ecclesiastical in its clerical regality and campy in its unabashed queerness.

This collection felt like one created in the presence of Vivienne’s spirit – or even blessed by her, straight from the fashion heaven.

ED’s SELECTION:

Vivienne Westwood Doll XL Embellished Tote

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!

Stranger By The Lake. Prada SS26

June 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Mini-lengths and hairy legs. Peggy Guggenheim-inspired hats. Wallpaper prints and oversized florals you can spot on sciuras’ dresses in the Italian buses. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ latest menswear collection feels like a vibe shift: instead of regality and sophistication, or a sharp take on the Prada uniform, a collection so straightforwardly joyful it’s nearly suspicious.

Nothing conceptual: more of an instinctual approach to summer dressing. Even fashion’s biggest brains need a season off, a mind-vacanza of sorts. “This has been the easiest collection I have ever done”, said Simons. Signora added: “Everything worked with everything.” There’s just something absolutely irresistible about a vintage-y t-shirt (with a seductive “Last Swim” print – the romantic thriller of “Stranger By The Lake” comes to my mind immediately), paired with cropped, aged leather jacket and tailored pants in colour-block shade. Or a simple, chic, all-white look. One of the boys looked both naïve and cool in a mini-length shirt-tunic, styled with a red raffia hat and a pair of flip-flops.

I can totally picture new Prada menswear on myself. All of it.

ED’s SELECTION:

Prada Men’s Re-Nylon Snap-Front Jacket

Prada Men’s Shuffle Leather Double-Monk Strap Mules

Prada Men’s Sartorial Linen Pants

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!

Royal Lightness. Loro Piana AW25

April 17, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Season after season, Loro Piana channels a style so mature, refined and understated, that one wonders whether the (largely anonymous) creative team behind it is pursuing some sort of perfection. It might actually be in reach of the Piedmont-based brand with the yarns and fibers they source, and the sumptuous cashmere apparel that ends up in their boutiques. Loro Piana isn’t doing fashion; rather, the label gives its clients elegant solutions. The autumn-winter 2025 collection has plenty of them, for both women and men, but this time around with a horseback sensibility – seen through an aristocrat’s lens. That prince – or princess – isn’t scared of getting their hands dirty while planting tulips or hunting truffles. Patterned intarsia knit sweaters, gaucho pants, rustic workwear jackets (well, the name does come across quite absurd noting Loro Piana’s clients largely non-worker status), thick flannel shirts, rubber boots ready for muddy walks… the list of essentials goes on and on. The womenswear is regal, but with laid-back moments (like the oversized tweed suit in ochre). The menswear vibrates with dandy-ish flamboyance, refreshingly queer-ish. It’s worth noting that this season the brand debuted a yarn-slash-fabric called “Royal Lightness“, a new blend of silk and cashmere. Reportedly, it feels otherworldly in touch.

ED’s SELECTION:

Loro Piana Happy Day Large Leather-trimmed Felt Tote

Loro Piana Cashmere Sweater

Loro Piana Silk-jersey Head Scarf

Loro Piana Elise Quilted Silk-cloqué Midi Skirt

Loro Piana Cropped Quilted Silk-cloqué Jacket

Loro Piana Francis Tasseled Leather Loafers

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!

Break The Routine. Bally AW25

March 2, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Simone Bellotti‘s collection for Bally was the perfect finale of Milan Fashion Week, being the best show of the last past days, shoulder to shoulder with Prada. Just like Miuccia and Raf, Simone does highly intelligent fashion – a rare talent. The autumn-winter 2025 show was titled elusively: “Leistung Aufführung” – two German words that both translate to “performance,” but carry distinct meanings. Leistung refers to performance in the sense of work, measured by productivity and achievements, while Aufführung signifies performance as a form of self-expression on stage. Hence the collection’s inspiration: 1970s photographs of Swiss performer Luciano Castelli, with his face heavily made up, dressed in shimmering sequined drag. In the collection, Castelli’s influence translated not only into shimmering berets and sequined make-up, but a striking play between structure and fluidity. Simone’s Bally is above all pure precision of cut; formal tailored coats and severe black leather dresses are regulars, but this time around they went through an expressive treatment, disrupted by wild burst of fur erupting at the back, or peeking out from the rigid crinoline of a peplum top. Those unexpected contrasts felt also very Dada, very Zürich’s Cabaret Voltaire. The bags, reminiscing giant bells that you can all over Swiss landscape, hit all the right spots. “I crave discipline, but breaking the routine is liberating,” Bellotti reflected. The industry rumor has it that this is the designer’s last collection for Bally, a triumph before his arrival to… Gucci. I’m here for it.