Enfant Terrible. Marni AW25

Francesco Risso keeps on being Milan’s enfant terrible. His Marni – especially the one we see on the runway, not necessarily in the shops – channels wild exuberance and pursuits nonchalance that feels utterly out of place in the most industrial fashion capital of them all. His artsy approach is always a moment of escapism amidst all the serious brands showing here, and this season the designer fully indulged in this sort of Little Edie mindset. But there’s a fine line between experimental bravery and looking like an art school project. This season, I didn’t entirely buy into Risso’s fussy, unflattering-looking fantasy.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Chic Wrongness. Prada AW25

The beautiful wrongness of Prada.

Messy hair (THAT autumn-winter 2009 girlie is so, so back).

Dress to big. Sack à la Cristobal.

Don’t care about the creases. Who cares about ironing? She certainly doesn’t.

Just as she doesn’t care about the norms.

Fuck the industry.

Fuck the expectations.

Challenge the (pre)conceptions of beauty.

The body is (un)seen.

In a homo-sapiens-chic faux-fur shawl.

Rough, crude leathers.

Primary instincts meet baby-doll.

We just talk about which clothes make sense now,” Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons said.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Main Woman. Fendi AW25

Fendi celebrated its centennial in the only right way: with Silvia Venturini Fendi as the main woman at the helm. And after yesterday’s show, I hope she will stay with the brand’s womenswear for seasons to come. The collection just felt really, really good. It was chic and substantial, full of breath-taking craftsmanship and clothes (and accessories – like the netted beanies!) that are actually appealing. And there was a sense of nonchalant fun, reminiscing the spirit of Karl Lagerfeld (and something that was painfully absent throughout Kim Jones’ emotionless tenure). To mark the fact that fur, while central to Fendi, has always been just part of its offer, Venturini Fendi proposed collarless coats and dresses that featured furry facades (in either mohair or shearling) that looked like the reveres of these garments but were in fact removable stoles. Most of the spotlight-stealing fur coats were made in shearling. The red spotted dress was a particularly bravura example of this house’s craft.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Dream, Dream. Alberta Ferretti AW25

Lorenzo Serafini‘s debut collection for Alberta Ferretti wasn’t the loudest, but certainly was persuasive. “It is the big dreams that make people big. Small ones are desires. One should not be afraid to be ‘exaggerated’… at least in dreams.” Serafini used this beautiful Franca Sozzani quote in the notes for a show that represented, for him, the actualization of a very big dream: his new role at the Milan-based brand founded in 1981. The Sozzani factor was thanks to the late great Vogue Italia’s friendship with Ferretti, and her inspirational status for Serafini. Alongside the founder, Sozzani acted as the spiritual muse for this collection. You could actually imagine these dreamy, billow-y gowns and oversized suits on the pages of Franca’s Vogue, maybe photographed by Sarah Moon or Paolo Roversi. Serafini also delivered some of the most fascinating evening numbers we’ve seen this season – especially the unobvious-looking draped dresses that had a little of Romeo Gigli in them.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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What’s Gucci Today? Gucci AW25

Gucci‘s autumn-winter 2025 collection begs a question: do big brands need creative directors? Look at Loro Piana – it’s lead by a largely anonymous design studio, and it’s selling like hot buns. Their clients really don’t care about who’s designing what: it’s the quality that matters – and the overall image of the brand. After Sabato De Sarno’s departure from Gucci – and his very plain, very mild tenure – the brand is facing identity crisis. Should it go maximalist à la Alessandro Michele? Should it revert back to Tom Ford’s minimalist sensuality? Should it tap Hedi Slimane or an under-the-radar-name? At the moment, there’s no right answer. Even though the line-up that opened Milan Fashion Week wasn’t bad (it was way better than anything De Sarno presented), it left you with an impression of incompleteness. If not for Suzanne Koller’s masterful styling, the trendy-looking color palette, a bunch of faux-fur coats and silk slip dresses had little to say.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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