Sense Of Skin. Hed Mayner SS26

June 30, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

For spring-summer 2026, Hed Mayner sheds structured, voluminous layers – and opens up to a “sense of skin“. “I wanted to have something that is suspended from the body,” he said, “that when you move, it fills you with air.” The designer delivered on the promise: his signature, cocooning silhouettes never looked that refreshingly breezy and sumptuously light. A standout were his handkerchief-hem bottoms; they billowed as they walked and represented the joy Mayner has found in this new exploration. He also brought cool, buoyant languidness to his jackets, now with draped capelets that do intriguing, draped magic around the arms. The designer recently moved to Italy: it shows in the collection’s sweet nonchalance.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Debut. Dior Men SS26

June 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

For some reason, you always expect a seismic shift from a debut as big as Jonathan Anderson’s first collection for Dior. Interestingly, his first line-up for Loewe – over a decade ago – was menswear too, and many people were puzzled, just like now with his take on Dior. And that’s ok.

Rewriting Dior isn’t something you can pack effortlessly into one collection. Anderson has a vision for the brand for the upcoming few seasons, and probably only when we see more of it, his debut will make more sense – when a bigger picture will take shape.

At the moment, all I see is a continuation of a Dior Men narrative that was planted by Kim Jones: British flamboyance, twisted with codes coming from Jonathan’s namesake label, JW Anderson (like those oversized, millefeuille chino shorts). There were witty references to the maison’s heritage, revived through a new lens: the “Bar” jacket was made from an Irish Donegal tweed – a matter of national pride for Anderson – which featured here and there throughout the collection. There was also an intriguing play with fashion historicism, like Louis 16th frock coat worn with ordinary cotton trousers. I will note that such brands as Marcus Allen’s The Society Archive or ERL experiment with similar vintage-vintage notions for a while now. Interestingly, the collection’s affection for flaneurism had echoes of Rei Kawakubo’s Comme Des Garçons.

I might still not understand the show’s connection with Andy Warhol (the brand released polaroids depicting his famous friends as the collection’s teaser), but I see a dialogue between two fictional man: Louis de Pointe du Lac, played by Brad Pitt in “Interview With The Vampire”, and Ennis, embodied by Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain”. Dramatic, knitted capes (and of course the “Dracula” tote) and slim, brocade waistcoats created an intriguing friction with raw flannel shirts and faded denim.

Designers entering a new brand have more questions than answers – just like the spectators of their debuts. I’m not fully buying new Dior yet, but I look forward to the next pieces of the Anderson puzzle.

ED’s SELECTION:

JW Anderson Oversized Shell Bomber Jacket

JW Anderson Men’s Straight-Leg Jeans

Christian Dior Vintage Gold-plated Bracelet

Loewe Cotton Corduroy-trimmed Checked Wool-blend Padded Jacket

Loewe Men’s High-Rise Cargo Shorts

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Taking Notes. Dries Van Noten SS26

June 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Dries Van Noten, Julian Klausner delivered a triumphant menswear debut – one so true to the brand that you can barely notice Papa Dries’ absence (he’s quietly consulting the new creative director in-between other personal projects – like renovating a palazzo in Venice).

What resonated most in Klausner’s spring-summer 2026 attempt is the actual joy of dressing up – or rather, not fearing to experiment with clothes. At first nothing seems to match in this collection, but then you see the beautiful method behind all that madness. A gorgeously tailored jacket worn with a floral sarong? Yes. Oversized grey sweatshirt topped with a handsome, embellished cummerbund? Yes. A cropped jacket in red roses styled with electric-blue biker shorts? Hell yes!

This outing offers not just great clothes, but absolutely inspiring solutions that will pimp up your summer wardrobe. I’m taking notes.

ED’s SELECTION:

Dries Van Noten Floral-print Silk-voile Shirt

Dries Van Noten Grosgrain-trimmed Floral-print Silk-voile Wide-leg Pants

Dries Van Noten Oversized Double-breasted Linen, Wool, Silk And Cashmere-blend Blazer

Dries Van Noten Belted Double-breasted Crinkled-organza Trench Coat

Dries Van Noten Suede and Leather Trainer Sneakers

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Fire Island. Saint Laurent SS26

June 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello envisioned a Yves-kind-of man, but swiftly transferred to 1970s Fire Island. Although YSL never arrived to the homoerotic utopia, the contemporary designer certainly thinks he would love it.

You can easily imagine the slinky Saint Laurent boys in short-shorts, shoulder-padded shirts and cool, cotton-canvas blousons live through a hedonist summer in one of the Island’s wooden cabins. The sun-burnt, sea-washed color palette of canary-yellow, faded-burgundy and sumptuous ochre comes straight from Larry Stanton’s drawings and candid video footage of the queer community enjoying idyllic, hot days in the pre-AIDS days. The Parisian sensitivity of trench coats (this season much softer in cut) and just-the-right-kind-of laid-back tailoring made the collection look refined, without being overly “American”.

Anthony Vaccarello is definitely in his peak creative era at Saint Laurent. While his womenswear sometimes falls flat due to his one-theme fixations, his menswear develops an intriguing iconography of a contemporary homme who’s both chic and flamboyant. And what’s most exciting is the designer’s instinct for re-contextualisation of the YSL man, who’s one foot in Yves’ world, another – in Vaccarello’s.

ED’s SELECTION:

Saint Laurent Men’s Dotted Crepe de Chine Dress Shirt

Saint Laurent Men’s Augustin Leather Ankle Boots

Saint Laurent Men’s Double-Pleated Baggy Pants

Saint Laurent Men’s Satin Teddy Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Industry Veterans. The Row SS26

June 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Row is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year – meaning that Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen are true industry veterans. And their brand is like wine – it does get better with age.

Spring-summer 2026 collection, photographed by Mark Kean (have you noticed the sudden Kean-ification of ad campaigns and editorials? He’s certainly got something of early Steven Meisel), is a fine study of what the Olsens were always interested in the first place: the basics. Don’t forget that The Row’s primary idea – and promise – was to create the most perfect t-shirt. There were a couple this season, as perfect as the ikebanas documented in the lookbook.

Other than crisp cotton shirting, lived-in tailoring, and startlingly monastic black evening dresses that could play a role in an Ingmar Bergman film, there was that one, chic accessory that was responsible for all the inventive styling: a bejeweled, rectangular brooch. Of course, it’s straight out of Miuccia Prada’s sciura playbook (the Olsens are known for referring – sometimes borderline imitating – designers like Martin Margiela or Yohji Yamamoto). A brooch can elevate any dress, fasten a cardigan like a scarf around your neck, or just be, on a jacket’s lapel. Now, since the Olsens have made their stance on this little tiny accessory, expect a lot of mini-essays about the art of wearing a brooch from Substack girls.

The designers, fully based in Paris for a couple of seasons now, know how to keep their loyal clients – and online admirers – in chokehold, in the most noiseless, elegant and sensual of ways.