Radical Uniform. Rick Owens AW26

January 23, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Rick Owens’s latest collection? Hard as ice-cold metal, raw as Kim Gordon’s newest song, emotionally explosive like a Lynne Ramsay film – yet, at the same time, utterly and devastatingly beautiful. This season, the designer was invested in the idea of uniforms: they command presence and provoke threat, but once mocked, they can easily tip into something almost hilarious. It was therefore intriguing to see how Owens reimagined hyper-masculine utilitarianism within his twisted universe, where darkness functions as the true source of light.

The athletic models appeared even more otherworldly in elongated, skin-tight silhouettes, ornamented with floor-sweeping tentacles, razor-sharp shoulder pads, and origami-like constructions that quite literally enveloped the wearer. Color-washed, cropped gothic cashmere coats took on a grunge edge when paired with stone-washed pants, while Rick’s signature high-platform boots pushed each look into even more extreme, radical territory. It’s a tough world out there, and Owens designs clothes that protect you – physically and mentally – from the harsh detriments of reality.

ED’s SELECTION:

Rick Owens Jumbo Tabard Silk-chiffon Turtleneck Blouse

Rick Owens x Dr. Martens 1460 Quad Sole Megalace Leather Ankle Boots

Rick Owens Triple Donut Convertible Cashmere Sweater

Rick Owens Cropped Bleached Brushed-cotton Bomber Jacket

Rick Owens Satin Wide-leg Cargo Pants

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Pragmatic. Lemaire AW26

January 23, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

On the stage of the Opéra Bastille, the Lemaire troupe emerged in small configurations, each representing different themes and attitudes across the collection. One model moved a chair; another wandered into the audience; and then there was dancer Julie Anne Stanzak, who gleefully leapt and twirled in a floaty yellow dress while clutching her pumps. Theatrics aside, this was a quintessentially Lemaire collection, defined by “a very pragmatic approach to clothes,” as Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran stated. It is grounded in the everyday – somewhere between the utilitarian and the functional – yet at the same time unmistakably chic. Whether a quilted skirt that converts into a cape, a sculpted bag shaped like buttocks, or the dramatic insertion of impressionistic colour layered into earthy tones, Lemaire’s pieces are designed to be worn, loved, and lived in.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Actually Fashion. Dior Men AW26

January 22, 2026 | 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

January 21, 2026 | 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

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.