Browneian. Thom Browne Pre-Fall 2023

December 20, 2022December 19, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

At first glance, Thom Browne‘s pre-fall 2023 collection has a much more sober spirit than spring, with its shades of navy and gray, and its more typically Browneian silhouettes. But Thom’s clothes typically reward close inspection – and you’ll find humor in them too. See the intarsia’d double-breasted coat in which a lifeboat full of sailors is dwarfed by the giant sperm whale, or the tailored skirt suit in a wallpaper print depicting the final battle at sea between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. On the accessories front, Hector the bag has made some new friends in the form of not just the victorious whale, but also the Pequod, the doomed ship. About this season’s silhouettes. Though there’s a’60s-short shift or two, Browne’s instinct was to cut his tailoring lean and long, often layering pants underneath skirt shapes to extend the line. Accessorizing the tweed separates with tweed tights created a similar elongating effect. Remarkable.

And now, have some TB magic this Christmas…

Thom Browne Fringed Herringbone Wool-tweed Blazer

Thom Browne Grosgrain-trimmed Cable-knit Cotton Polo Shirt

Thom Browne Merino Wool and Mohair-blend Mini Wrap Skirt

Thom Browne Hector Dog-Shaped Leather Belt Bag

Thom Browne Men’s Light Cotton Mid Calf 4 Bar Sock

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Layer Up! Festive Marc Jacobs Selection

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Back in June, Marc Jacobs delivered one of the most knock-out fashion collections of 2022. Now, it’s finally available exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, just in time for the festive season. The marvelous collection had it all: supersizing jeans skirts, or treating denim to surface treatments that made the all-American classic look more like French couture. Adding so much stuffing to ribbed knit sweaters they could double as pillows. Toying with Gilded Age bustles – evoking them by wrapping jackets around the waist. And cutting ball gowns of exuberant volume in unexpected, even strange fabrics. Here’s the festive-ready selection of my favourite items coming from this icon-status collection!

The Sack Shoulder Bag

Oversized Knit Crewneck Sweater

Bergdorf’s magical gift guide is here! Discover our curation of brilliant fashion, beautifully crafted home décor and extraordinary gifts for everyone on your list—now at BG.com.

Long Satin Skirt with Draped Details

Boxy Leather Scrub Top & Gathered Leather Scrub Pants

Polka Dot-Print Windbreaker Tie Front Belt

Oversized Knit Crewneck Sweater

Gifts Under $250: Take care of all your loved ones with these little luxuries.

Long Canvas Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

P.S. In this post, I happen to endorse products I genuinely love. If you end up buying something through the links, my site might earn an affiliate commission – which is always nice!

Chic Distress. Interior SS23

November 11, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

For spring-summer 2023, Lily Miesmer and Jack Miner presented a lesson in perfect imperfections at Interior, balancing delicate femininity with their signature perverse edge. Barring the occasional pop of red in for of a ripped indie-sleazy t-shirt, the neutral palette puts the focus on the duo’s masterful drapery and eye for sensual fits. Alongside raw-edged slinky netting and covetable suiting, fall in love with amply ruffled going-out tops and a stunning ivory skirt whose full, twirl-worthy volume is cleverly offset by a mud-dipped hem (obsessed). “She probably just has anxiety, and they’re like ‘You’re hysterical, go live in the attic.’” Miesmer said backstage. Distress – both mental and physical – was a driving force in the show, down to the Pixies hit “Where Is My Mind” playing during the finale. True to their ironic take on elegance, Miesmer and Miner found plenty of ways to riff on the staples of Park Avenue princesses: shirt dresses (but with voluminous trains), cozy cashmere knits (but with an unraveling crop), double breasted suits (with raw edges) and ballet flats (but actual ones used by ballerinas, sourced from Miesmer’s favorite dance store). Classic, almost preppy affluence is at the core of Miesmer and Miner’s designs, but this season there was something rotting underneath – and they’d take that as a compliment. “There’s an audacity in destroying the most beautiful cotton fiber, yarn, cashmere, and layers of chiffon and lace,” Miesmer added, referring to how she and Miner took power tools and horse brushes to the textiles to give them the exact right effect. The fun of Interior is how they distort the prissy, the stuffy, and the basic. Their first collection was filled with clothes that would look at home at a dinner party, but since then, Miner and Miesmer have incrementally added a sinister undercurrent. A pink strapless ruched cotton jersey top with a swishy cotton gauze skirt is a prime example. It could have been worn by one of Degas’s models, but the hem is more muted than the top, suggesting frequent wear, and the waistband is folded down. She’s not a prima ballerina; she’s the last one standing in a horror movie.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

Dancecore. Judy Turner Pre-Fall 2023

November 9, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Judy Turner is one of those small, elusive New York-based brands that fashion insiders gravitate towards. Conley Averett has grown his menswear label into a full-blown womenswear collection, creating absolute wonders with knitwear. It might be difficult to sum up Judy Turner’s brand ethos with just one word, but maybe the fact that its name is a cross-over of Old Hollywood actors, Lana Turner and Judy Garland, might give you an idea for what it stands for. For pre-fall 2023, Averett turned towards the idea of evocative performance-wear. Dance-core, ballet-core, you name it – the entire collection can be easily pictured in a modern-day Suspiria-like academy, or worn on the daily basis by an Aronofsky-esque Black Swan character. The intricately spun dresses that slinkily hug the body with strategic peekaboos are standout pieces. Cleverly, the designer added knit underwear and a bandeau top to the mix for wearing underneath the body-baring pieces. Flipping through the lookbook, there’s a killer pair of knit leggings, a regal take on the fishnet that is now thicker and more chaotically webbed. It’s all so good. Toi, toi, toi, as they say on the stage!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!

The Society Archive

October 26, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

New collections come and go, but in the end, nothing feels as good as the timelessness of vintage. The Society Archive, a stylist-curated retailer of rare vintage finds from fashion and accessories to books and art, opened its by-appointment showroom during New York Fashion Week, and it seemed to be the most truly exciting event during these hectic couple of days. But The Society Archive isn’t just about selling vintage. The brainchild of the runway and editorial stylist Marcus Allen, the brand weaves a complex narrative capturing moments of past youth – the result being an extremely covetable time capsule of seasonally curated selections of vintage and ephemera paired with a curated edit of must-haves from The Society Archive’s capsule collection of designs. Hard-to-find pieces from pretty much every decade are hand-selected and styled together with a couple of in-house designed essentials, creating a cohesive collection. According to this Vogue feature, Allen especially has a long history with Abercrombie & Fitch. The stylist estimates he has more than 1,000 items, some of which date back to the 1960s. Allen worked at the infamous “all-American” mall brand when he was in high school in a small town outside of Boston. But his obsession boils down to the quality of yesteryear Abercrombie & Fitch, not its ethos that’s promoted today. “The technical and fleece vests are all Patagonia-level quality,” he says. “All of the distressing and vintage details are super authentic and not contrived-feeling at all.” Allen is not the only collector; there is a community of Abercrombie & Fitch archivists in Japan, which is primarily where he gets his pieces. “While runways were informing what mall brands were doing design-wise, they – A&F, etc. – were not skimping on the quality of the pieces.” He makes the comparison with a pair of jeans. “I have 5-pocket leather Gap bootcut jeans that are the same exact quality and cut of a pair of Tom Ford-era Gucci ones,” he says. And as a testament to the quality, currently, Allen keeps the first piece he ever bought, a multi-color striped Shetland wool sweater in his freezer.

So, what can you get from The Society Archive’s current capsule? First of all, some big styling ideas for autumn season – the look-book photos are just too inspiring! There’s The Face’s iconic issue 22 featuring Kate Moss photographed by Corinne Day. A vintage Banana Republic t-shirt which has the best imaginable fit. A couple of 1960s flannel shirts – to die for. Maybe a classic, over-sized A&F hoodie? I certainly need these beige snow pants, like now.