Retrospection. Balenciaga Resort 2026

June 5, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Demna is in a retrospective mood – as he should. The visual language that he has created throughout the decade of working at Balenciaga is probably the style that will be the most heavily analyzed by fashion historians when dissecting the fashion of 2010s and 2020s. It’s era-defining, whether you love it or hate it. Resort 2026 isn’t his final collection for the house – it’s the highly-anticipated haute couture line-up in July, where you can expect the least expected – and I’m glad he chose to look back at his biggest Balenciaga hits. From oversized duvet jackets and coats-worn-over-coats to super-mini tea-dresses and something’s-off-looking hoodies, this collection sums up Demna’s ready-to-wear for the maison in the most straightforward, clear way (with a Britney Spears cameo on the prints and the BFRND soundtrack, just to spice things up). In his subversive oeuvre, the designer has an affection for studying archetypes: think art curators, bikers, fetishists, politicians, soccer players. The “Exactitudes“, named after a series by photographer Ari Versluis and writer Ellie Uyttenbroek, who have also worked on this lookbook, inspired Demna’s approach to fashion up to this point. “Working on this collection felt like a homecoming after all these years, a very formidable experience of love for fashion and dressmaking,” Demna said. “It is the end of a wonderful era that I wanted to capture and celebrate by creating the Balenciaga ‘archetypes’ – the people, the silhouettes, the vibes, and the ideas that have all been fundamental in my work for this amazing house.” Come September, a radically new methodology is set to reanimate Gucci. Is Milan ready?

ED’s SELECTION:

Balenciaga Oversized Asymmetric Cotton-twill Trench Coat

Balenciaga Draped Plissé-crepe Midi Dress

Balenciaga Technoclog Rubber Mules

Balenciaga Bow-detailed Layered Lace-trimmed Satin And Jersey Top

Balenciaga Rodeo Large Leather Shoulder Bag

Balenciaga Lace-trimmed Wool Midi Skirt

Balenciaga Bat Cat-eye Acetate Sunglasses

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Rive Gauche. Saint Laurent Pre-Fall 2025

May 30, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Anthony Vaccarello‘s pre-fall 2025 collection for Saint Laurent serves as a subtle prelude to the winter fashion show we’ve seen back in March. While the ultra-boxy, exaggerated outerwear silhouettes are absent here, we instead get the first hints of bold, saturated colors (Vaccarello really knows how to use orange) and maxi-length skirts that echoed the show’s finale with their gargantuan volumes. The main theme for this lookbook line-up is the year of 1966, a pivotal moment in Yves Saint Laurent history: the launch of the Rive Gauche ready-to-wear label. The collection couldn’t get more ready-to-wear: Prince of Wales plaid blazers and skirts (Yves’ signature), leather jackets you want to wear (and wear out), boudoir lace slips and fluffy furs. The Left Bank allure is far from dead.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Modern Concept. Julie Kegels AW25

April 26, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels, an Antwerp-based fashion designer, found inspiration for her third collection after stumbling upon Judith Price’s 1980 book “Executive Style: Achieving Success Through Good Taste and Design” at a Los Angeles flea market. Fascinated by its view of modern design as a tool for corporate ascent, Kegels crafted a witty, layered exploration of late 20th-century aesthetics, branding, kitsch, and male “power dressing” drag. She staged her presentation in a Parisian theater, where a model dressed live onstage in a “tech bro” look – monogrammed Fair Isle sweater, undone blue shirt, and oversized navy trousers – all laid out on a caramel leather lounge chair she designed herself with Belgian label HARMO. A clever twist closed the show: a model zipped into a trompe l’oeil jumpsuit mimicking that first outfit, emphasizing how clothing shapes identity. Between these moments, Kegels showcased slouchy blazers, polo-knit dresses, wood-grain printed skirts, and playful deconstructions like waistbands stitched onto shirts. With her bold ideas – including a sensational evening dress made from wood veneer – Kegels connects the dots of concept, craft, and curiosity in a striking way, taking over the baton from Hussein Chalayan.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Coarse Sensuality. Rick Owens AW25

April 1, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s something definitely intriguing about Rick Owens’ recent collection. The designer dialed down on the performative and returned back to his core, dating back to his 1998 debut, “Monsters” – his first complete collection, a pre-runway line-up that marked the birth of a new era in fashion. Not that the designer is retrospective in any way (although he take over the Palais Galliera from June with a retrospective exhibition). But you can see and sense that certain coarse, undone beauty of his long, draped jersey dresses reflected in the new season evenigwear, covered with thin laser-cut leather fringes that rippled like gills as the models moved down the runway. Rough sensuality was also embedded in the breath-taking mille feuille tops (that looked as easy to wear as a t-shirt) and the oversized, fringed leather jacket worn by Kristina Nagel (have you seen her recent shoot for i-D featuring Rick and Michele Lamy? Obsessed). On the collection’s ambiguous power-dynamic between the elusive and the bold, quiet and loud, he said: “it’s a constant, trying to keep that balance: of shock and wonder, but you can’t let people dismiss you as just being out of the question.”

ED’s SELECTION:

Rick Owens Wool-felt Cape

Rick Owens Luna Draped Crepe-jersey Mini Dress

Rick Owens Twisted Cantilever Suede Wedge Mules

Rick Owens Bias Ribbed-knit Trimmed Satin Wide-leg Pants

Rick Owens Sahara Asymmetric Paneled Gathered Jersey Gown

Rick Owens Minimal Grill Beatle Leather Platform Ankle Boots

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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New Softness. Balmain AW25

March 29, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Olivier Rousteing‘s Balmain collection was one of the most intriguing and pleasing surprises of the season. You might have noticed that I might not be the brand’s number one fan and I barely ever write about it, but the new energy that pulsates in Rousteing’s autumn-winter 2025 line-up can’t go unnoticed. No shoulder pads in sight. Instead, sensual gray melange, layers of fleecy knits and body-wrapping cashmere. “I want to make a new softness, with shapes that are cocooning,” the designer mused. An unexpected color palette, consisting of bold orange, and a splash of zebra print made the largely understated, yet still charismatic and vivacious Balmain collection feel Balmain… but not in the old way. I want more of the new Olivier.