Paris Fashion Week

Actually Fashion. Dior Men AW26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Remember my very real concerns about this season’s menswear turning conservative? Jonathan Anderson erased them the second the first look of his sophomore Dior menswear collection hit the runway. It felt like a bow-wow-wow moment of unfiltered fashion that is actually fashion, for Christ’s sake.

The yellow wigs by Guido Palau, à la Pam Hogg, felt like the much-needed final disruption of the contemporary Dior image – one long orchestrated by former creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones. Goodbye neatness and primness; hello decadence, flamboyance, drama. This collection cut the umbilical cord to anything preppy, veering into directions nobody could have fathomed. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Debonair. Wales Bonner SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

As Grace Wales Bonner gradually prepares for her new, high-profile role at Hermès (her debut will arrive exactly a year from now), the autumn–winter 2026 collection under her namesake label serves as a reminder of why she is so perfectly suited to one of Paris’s most prestigious menswear positions. It is a serene meditation on debonair elegance, informed by modernist architecture. Her thinking this season revolves around Indian modernism and modernist architecture more broadly, approaching modernism as a means of renegotiating and creating new identities, while also exploring something graphic, almost uniform-like in its clarity and restraint.

There is no shortage of such propositions, whether in the tailcoat and tuxedo trousers – tailored in indigo linen and paired with a linen wingtip-collar shirt, softened through washing – or in a Madras-checked jacket with a leather collar. This season, Wales Bonner also added John Smedley, the Derbyshire knitwear manufacturer founded in 1784, to her select circle of suppliers, delighting in its archive and fine British craftsmanship. She has long favored collaboration with highly specialized makers, valuing depth of knowledge and precision above all else.

One can only imagine what awaits in January 2027 – after all, great things take time.

ED’s SELECTION:

adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Karintha Sequined Satin Sneakers


Wales Bonner Anthem Embroidered Mesh-trimmed Jersey Track Jacket


Wales Bonner Presence Studded Organza Blouse


Wales Bonner Echo Leather-trimmed Organic Denim Jacket


Wales Bonner Java Macrame Fringe Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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High & Low. Saint Laurent Resort 2026

| 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.
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Stars Aligned. Rick Owens SS26

| 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.
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Eccentric Madame. Louis Vuitton SS26

| 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.
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