new york fashion week

Apparent Ease. Alaïa SS25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Alaïa was another show in New York that left me somewhat hungry for more. Pieter Mulier‘s took the Parisian maison to Guggenheim, as a contemporary (and very high-gloss) hommage to Azzedine Alaïa’s 1982 show at the Palladium nightclub. The spring-summer 2025 collection referenced a couple of the master’s knock-out designs: think 2001 couture asymmetric draped number hanging on one strap or the cut-out bustiers that became the brand’s signature (Mulier was evidently inspired by the forms of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building). The Belgian creative director also invited some ideas that were born in New York: bandeaus and haute “sweatpants” were riffs on Halston’s 1970s jerseys, sculpted puffer jackets were obviously inspired by Charles James, one of Alaïa’s favorite designers. There was lightness and apparent ease about this collection that was absolutely luxe in its execution. And it was an experiment for Mulier, who has created a sort of well-tested comfort-zone in Paris when it comes to his sublime shows there. I just wish he dared to push it a bit more than just referencing familiar and pretty well-known codes of both Alaïa and New York fashion.

Here are some Alaïa goodies you just don’t want to miss.

ED’s SELECTION:

“Peter Lindbergh. Azzedine Alaïa” book


Alaïa Balloon-Leg Pleated Trousers


Alaïa Dome 32 Top-Handle Bag in Leather


Alaïa Leopard Jacquard Boxy Bodysuit


Alaïa Goldtone Layered Leaf Necklace



Alaïa Perforated Leather Ballerina Flats

 

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Proper. Proenza Schouler SS25

| Design & Culture by Ed

Proenza Schouler pre-opened New York Fashion Week. This was a smart move: the spring-summer 2025 collection would have a really hard time fighting for attention in the midst of all other shows and presentations that are coming up in New York this week. Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough don’t play around with gimmicks, and they are in a continuous process of stripping down anything superfluous about their brand. But the problem is the minimalism they are pursuing for spring feels so generic and safe it could easily be a COS or Arket runway. The clothes looked good – especially the over-sized shirt-dresses and slouchy tailoring – but they were bare of feelings a high fashion brand like PS should spark. Also, I’m not sure who the Proenza Schouler woman is, especially when she’s wearing all these 2015-ish stripes and fringes.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Lighthearted Feeling. Rosie Assoulin Resort 2025

| Design & Culture by Ed

What I love about Rosie Assoulin is the fact she doesn’t follow trends and always does her own, distinct, joyful thing at her namesake brand. There’s just so much radiance and optimism in her clothes, and they also please with their day-to-night versatility. Her resort 2025 offering is “light and unserious, but with real construction, and subtle fabrics,” she said. “We are trying to still appeal to our luxury tastes, but with a more approachable, lighthearted feeling.” That ethos is encapsulated in the tangerine, floral-print column “Banana” dress affixed with two padded crescents at the neckline and hanging off the shoulder. Or in the entrance-making flamenco-inspired number with a vibrantly ruffled hem. It’s intriguing how Assoulin effortlessly matches (and clashes) gingham checks in canary-yellow and turquoise with florals in contrasting colours; not many designers would pull it off so gracefully. No wonder why: the New York-based designer is a colorist of the ranks of Dries Van Noten and Alber Elbaz. Her unique approach to garment-construction is phenomenally reflected in the beige, ruffled midi-skirt that opens the collection and in the same-colour peplum top with striped cuffs and collar; its hourglass shape resembles vintage jugs and vases that have a cameo throughout the lookbook. And this takes us to the theme of home that often inspires Rosie in her work. “The home is a very interesting place for me. Domestic life feels very rich: what are the things we’re surrounding ourselves with, wanting to surround ourselves with? It feels like a philosophy for us“, she summed up.

Garden parties and summer occasions ahead, I’ve got you covered with some amazing pieces by Rosie Assoulin you can shop now!

ED’s DISPATCH:


Rosie Assoulin Patchwork Satin Jacquard Midi Slip Dress



Rosie Assoulin Mixed Print Ruched Buttoned Vest



Rosie Assoulin Organza Quartered A-Line Midi Skirt



Rosie Assoulin In Full Bloom Colorblock Dress



Rosie Assoulin Whoopsy Daisy Two-Tone Floral Dress



Rosie Assoulin Stripe Colorblock French Cuff Button Up Blouse



Rosie Assoulin Swivel Stripe Colorblock Godet Midi Skirt

 

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Harvest Season. Bevza AW24

| Design & Culture by Ed

Collage by me featuring Bevza AW24 look and works by Maria Prymachenko – Ukrainian folk art painter, who worked in the naïve art style. The Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, where several works by Prymachenko were held, was burned after a deliberate attack on a museum during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the reported loss of 25 of her works.

It’s over two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, so for her autumn-winter 2024 collection, Svitlana Bevza – formerly Kyiv-based designer – set out to celebrate her motherland’s vibrant culture and history through distinct, soft-minimalist lens. Bevza selected the Ukrainian Institute of America – which specializes in promoting the art, music and culture of Ukraine – for her New York Fashion Week presentation. The collection was centered around Ukraine’s role as one of the world’s largest grain producers. Apron dresses were crafted from eco-leather and outerwear was made from sheepskin; it largely focused on an A-shaped silhouette inspired by a traditional 19th-century Ukrainian coat called a Kozhukh. The Tisto vest – named after the Ukrainian word for dough – sported plaits that echoed the texture of traditional Kosa bread. As for the palette? It was muted with the occasional pop of canary and gold coming through to mirror the lush colors of a healthy harvest. These monochromatic looks were elevated by shapes that were experimental yet considered, edited with geometric collars and belt-scrunched waists. Beautiful, functional and emotionally moving at the same time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Raven. Thom Browne AW24

| Design & Culture by Ed

Thom Browne‘s autum-winter 2024 show was a compelling and theatrical NYFW send off. An ominous broken window in the centre of the runway coupled with barren trees, including a towering nine metre one swaddled in a puffer coat, set an eerie tone. As Anna Cleveland entered, clad in a tweed and a black headpiece, to the crowd’s surprise the largest tree began to move – it was a model on stilts. Suddenly, at the hem, children began to pop out, four in total. The soundtrack playing while this was all happening? Naturally Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, as narrated by Carrie Coon. The magnificent Kristen McMenamy was next to hit the runway, clad in a coat covered in ravens and gravity-defying braids. Twisted and dark, the subsequent parade of looks highlight what Browne does best, take preppy, classic standards like tweeds and tailoring and transform them into works of art with a perverse, sinister allure. A trenchcoat gets the bondage treatment, courtesy of rows of straps that line the back while a resin dipped jacket resembles a black ooze infecting a rainbow-hued world. Waists were cinched and blazers were exaggerated, creating both slim and bulbous silhouettes in equal fashion. Alex Consani’s finale as the mantis meant gold gilded braids turned into antennae as well as a face full of foil, complete with matching lashes. At its heart The Raven is a tale of distraught love and the madness that entails from it. Browne managed to convey all these feeling in this stunning fashion-show-slash-performance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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