High & Low. Saint Laurent Resort 2026

November 19, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

In between the ’80s-heavy color-block coat-dresses of the winter collection and the couture-inspired maxi gowns crafted in technical nylon for summer, Anthony Vaccarello introduces a cool-looking, smooth transition: a Saint Laurent resort line-up that revolves around the idea of combining – or rather, clashing – a lace-trimmed slip dress with an oversized track top. High meets low. Boudoir meets athleisure. Paris meets Los Angeles. The collection’s radiant color palette – salmon pink, cherry red, emerald green, and electric blue – reads like a visual dose of vitamin C, one that makes you pray for autumn’s grayness to give instant way to spring.

ED’s SELECTION:

SAINT LAURENT Belted Leather Jacket

SAINT LAURENT Ruched Floral-print Tulle Mini Dress

SAINT LAURENT Amalia Patent-leather Slingback Pumps

Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Gold-plated Clip Earrings

SAINT LAURENT Grain De Poudre Skirt

SAINT LAURENT Pussy-bow Checked Cotton-blend Shirt

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!

Stars Aligned. Rick Owens SS26

October 20, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Quite naturally, Rick Owens’s spring–summer 2026 collection – presented, as usual, in the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo, just steps away from the Palais Galliera where his retrospective is now on – gave you chills and a sense of otherworldly euphoria, as if straight out of his Temple. The lineup of models, their eyes obscured by black contacts that covered not only the irises and pupils but also the whites, embodied all the hallmarks of the designer’s alien-esque uniform, honed over three decades: muted, bleached tones; 1930s-inflected silhouettes evoking Old Hollywood; sharply exaggerated shoulders; sculptural draping; and towering platforms that stretched the silhouette to near-impossible proportions. The spiky, fringed leather capes were the work of young London-based designer Straytukay, while the print – a rarity at an Owens show – appeared on the long dresses in the finale and was a reproduction of the designer’s own star chart, originally drawn for him by his father. Whatever the astral prophecy was, the stars truly did align.

ED’s SELECTION:

Rick Owens Athena Arrowhead One-shoulder Draped Crushed-velvet Gown

Rick Owens Cantilever 8 Hydra Leather Sandals

Rick Owens Padded Shell Bomber Jacket

Rick Owens Fog Layered Suede Mini Skirt

Rick Owens Tied Taco Kiss Leather Ankle Boots

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!

Eccentric Madame. Louis Vuitton SS26

October 20, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

The eccentric madame envisioned by Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton never ceases to confuse – and to intrigue. In the summer apartments of Anne d’Autriche at the Louvre, a parade of crystal-embellished silk vests, beaded fringe top-and-pants sets that evoked Impressionist landscapes, and historic-looking robes and capes made their royal entrance. One look – a pastel-blue cloak paired with a matching turban-like hat – gave big dumpling energy and made me smile. Then there were the genuinely lovely, extra-fluffy knitted pieces with tubular necks and balloon sleeves. At times, it’s hard to keep up with the cascade of ideas Ghesquière sends down his Louis Vuitton runway. But perhaps that’s precisely the charm.

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!

Heatwave. Courrèges SS26

October 19, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Nicolas Di Felice’s spring–summer 2026 collection for Courrèges was a cool exercise in modern-day inventiveness and A-line chic. By inventiveness, I mean the collection’s spotlight-stealing face coverings – which, as it turns out, are functional UV blockers. The designer encountered this kind of accessory while traveling in Thailand. In his reinterpretation, the fabric is attached to peaked caps, draped elegantly across the face, and tucked into the waistband of an unmistakably Courrèges miniskirt. André would no doubt applaud the concept – and the brand’s clientele is more than ready for any heatwave.

Interestingly, in a summer season where many designers embraced layering and coverage (like Bottega Veneta’s Louise Trotter), Di Felice’s offering feels refreshingly wearable – something you’d actually want to put on when the weather turns stiflingly hot. The collection is global-warming-ready in other ways, too: think breezy slits on sand-colored maxi dresses and leather jackets with cut-out sleeves that, from afar, appeared to be melting.

The shape of a car windshield inspired rounded solar face shields, rising from the closing looks – dresses and tops that seemed to merge futurism with functionality. And while rising temperatures are nothing to celebrate, Courrèges’s creative director managed to approach the theme with wit and a distinctly desirable sense of style.

ED’s SELECTION:

COURREGES Heritage Embroidered Crepe Mock-neck Mini Dress

COURREGES Satin Shirt

COURREGES Asymmetrical Lace-trimmed Satin Mini Dress

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!

Sensual Harness. Hermès SS26

October 19, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

H is for heritage, H is for Hermès.

Thanks to @dariagraczykowska, I had the immense pleasure of seeing – and touching – the brand’s spring–summer 2026 collection at its Parisian showroom. You can imagine my delight during the grand tour, as I found Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski’s latest collection to be one of her best yet.

Why? Because it channeled a newfound sensuality that felt as tough as the cognac-hued leathers and as feminine as the silk-printed scarves that covered the models’ breasts, tied meticulously beneath butter-soft harnesses. Vanhée-Cybulski drew inspiration from the Camargue – home to the white horses used by the region’s manadiers to herd bulls. Hence, the revisited equestrian aesthetic: bohemian in its play with vibrant prints, yet bourgeois in its solid composure.

A saddle from the Camargue, studied in Hermès’s conservatoire, led the creative director to design this season’s sublime leather corsets in earthy tones, worn with quilted riding jackets or styled over bandeaus. The reimagined corsets – evoking something of Christian Lacroix’s bravado, yet perfectly attuned to contemporary times – looked killer-chic when paired with matching leather pencil skirts and the most impeccable riding boots. I also loved the utilitarian jumpsuits and that one brown leather coat with rounded shoulders.

These clothes – and accessories, from the sumptuous suede Birkin to archival models revisited in thick canvas – are made to be worn and lived in, without fear of a little dirt along the way to your destination. Hermès crafts some of the most exquisite pieces in the world, and I found it truly intriguing – and subversive – that Nadège embraced the less glossier, more real attitude about them.