Luxe Asceticism. The Row Resort 2026

March 11, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Back in Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons read the room with their beautifully wrong Prada collection that challenged the ideas of femininity, beauty and perfection. Their women, wearing creased sack dresses and crude leathers, looked as if they barely woke up, not really caring about their appearances. This new rawness felt unexpected and refreshing amidst all the glossy and flashy moments in Milano.

That new (lack of) energy arrived to Paris. Remember quiet luxury? You thought she’s dead just because Alessandro Michele is doing Valentino? Well, she’s back. But now her name is “give us nothing”. And she’s isn’t that obvious.

Sleepiness and (undeniably good-looking) sloppiness is what The Row’s latest collection emanates with. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen draped their models in greyish wools and cashmeres, wrapped their heads with black felt, and gave them tights (no shoes were in sight). The collection read like a harsh and disciplined exercise in reduction, heavily informed by references to Hermès-era Margiela and early Yohji Yamamoto. This wasn’t the stale minimalism of New York shows (do you even remember that Calvin Klein debut by Veronica Leoni?), but some sort of new level of luxe asceticism. The Olsens know how to intrigue. The brown, cropped mink-fur coat styled with nothing but black tights was a tectonic moment of extreme chic.

ED’s SELECTION:

The Row Stepny Oversized Wool And Cashmere-blend Turtleneck Sweater

The Row Lana Patent-leather Pumps

The Row Lidia Silk Midi Dress

The Row Isotani Belted Cashmere And Silk-blend Cardigan

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Femme. Chloé AW25

March 10, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Oh to be a Chloé girl in the Chloé world. Undone hair and blushing, au naturel. In her floor-sweeping silk skirt (she doesn’t care whether it gets wet in a Parisian puddle) and embroidered, satin jacket that looks like an antique find at Paul Bert Serpette. Chemena Kamali envisions her woman (or rather an eternal girl) through a nostalgia-tinged lens, frivolously mixing various Chloé references across decades: Lagerfeldian dolman-sleeved blouses, McCartney’s feminine sense of fun, Philo’s Paddington bag (it’s so back). There’s also a sense of naughty decadence about that femme: the scarves with fluffy pompoms caused a stir on social media, accidentally (or not) sparking the world-old debate: to fur or not to fur? The autumn-winter 2025 had an unexpected shift: from soft-focus romantic boho girl (but done in the 2000s London it-girl way) to the shoulder-padded and miniskirted power-look of early ’80s. “In a way, a woman’s wardrobe evolves naturally over time. It’s uncurated. You buy things throughout time, you collect them, keep them, give them away, sometimes you rediscover them.” A valid point made.

ED’s SELECTION:

Chloé Luna Cutout Leather Ballet Flats

Chloé Ruffled Silk-georgette Blouse

Chloé Bracelet Embellished Textured-leather Shoulder Bag

Chloé Cropped Leopard-print Cotton-velvet Straight-leg Pants

Chloé Kick Suede And Leather-trimmed Mesh Sneakers

Chloé Oversized Belted Shearling-trimmed Leather Coat

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Ethos. Dries Van Noten AW25

March 10, 2025March 10, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julian Klausner‘s debut runway collection for Dries Van Noten felt familiar – in a good way. It largely did feel like a Dries collection, maybe except for the tasseled jacket and evening dress near the show’s finale. The meaty, chunky knits, beautifully layered tailoring and omnipresent play with sumptuous textures made this line-up feel like an ode to the founder of the brand – and his very, very loyal clients who went through a spiritual crisis once the designer announced his departure. Klausner isn’t planning to erase the Dries Van Noten ethos, but prolong it. The broad-shouldered coat in transfixing cardinal purple or the stunning, fluid-like dress with a green velvet bow at the neck are the best proves for his great intentions.

ED’s SELECTION:

Dries Van Noten Paneled Metallic Crinkled-leather Sneakers

Dries Van Noten Checked Woven Maxi Dress

Dries Van Noten Double-breasted Snake-print Woven Blazer

Dries Van Noten Pleated Printed Matte-satin Midi Skirt

Dries Van Noten Gold-tone Multi-stone Cuff

Dries Van Noten Faux Shearling Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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To Seduce. Tom Ford AW25

March 9, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Haider Ackermann’s debut collection for Tom Ford is a triumphant return to fashion this incredible designer has deserved for years (that memorable guest collection for Jean Paul Gaultier and the on-going collab with Canada Goose were proper warm-ups). The evening Ackermann presented his vision for the brand, a palpable energy was perceivable in Paris, especially in the vicinity of Place Vendôme.

Electrifying sensuality. Flirtatious elegance. Powerful sexuality. “To seduce” is how the designer summed up his collection of sublime, sublime tailoring, stinking-hot leathers and flou silhouettes. What made this collection stand out is the way Ackermann didn’t fall for any of the re-editions tropes – there were no in-your-face look-backs at Ford’s Gucci or Yves Saint Laurent days in sight – but he effortlessly stayed in Tom’s deeply sensual vocabulary, perfectly balancing it with his signature touch. The shirting is to die for, just like the silky robes and maxi-length numbers. The final look, a grey dress textured to look like alligator’s leather, was as easy to wear as a t-shirt (actually something many women used to say about Azzedine Alaïa’s dresses).

This is a seamless debut any designer dreams to have. There just wasn’t even one superfluous thing about it. And the casting was utterly hypnotizing, too. Ethan James Green and Saskia De Brauw in creamy cashmeres. Kristen McMenamy in an hourglass-shaped tuxedo. Silver foxes in razor-sharp tailoring and leather gloves. Chic heart-throbs – or maybe heart-breakers?

Oh, how we missed Haider for all these years since he departed from his namesake brand (good riddance, Anne Chapelle – read more about the way she sacked Ackermann and stole his name here). How lucky we’re he’s back for good. Fashion needed him – and some real, good sex.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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It’s Complicated. Alaïa AW25

March 9, 2025March 9, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Azzedine Alaïa was an unparalleled maestro of technique and finesse, making women not only look their best – but feel their best. He came up with wearable solutions that let the wearer, without much effort, become an impersonation of chic, an IRL goddess. His dresses – just as daywear – enhanced the body, but never restricted it. Just look at this midnight blue velvet gown from spring-summer 2003 haute couture collection that’s currently showcased at Fondation Azzedine Alaïa:

You just put it on and feel fucking good.

Pieter Mulier,contemporary creative director of Alaïa, has proved many times he has the artisanal know-how that Monsieur Azzedine would appreciate. But this season, something went off course. The Belgian designer tried hard to reinvent the wheel, but the result felt forced and unresolved – rather than innovative. It’s difficult to imagine a woman – not a runway model – radiate with real confidence in those tubular skirts and hyper-padded jackets. These technical novelties made the collection read as complicated and demanding – but not as in intellectual, Prada way, or conceptual à la Comme Des Garçons, but as in difficult to wear. The massive, floor-sweeping coat in the end didn’t help.

The collection, in overall, gives me the impression of Alaïa’s newly-opened boutique on Saint-Honore. Confusing, massive and frankly, cold. Antonyms of Azzedine Alaïa’s legendary hospitality and sincerity.