Femininity is Fun. Miu Miu AW25

March 12, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Miu Miu was delicious. Delightful! This season, Miuccia Prada mused about the accessories of femininity – bras, furs, brooches. Are they relevant today? Do they lift up? At her reductionist Prada collection, she seemed to turn her back to anything superfluous. But at Miu Miu, the frivolous, younger sister, she seemed to fully indulge in all the “feminine” ornaments that in the end of the day bring utmost pleasure. With a cast consisting of Sarah Paulson and Lou Doillon, and Lotta Volkova’s phenomenal styling, the collection remixed different decades that shaped what’s affiliated as feminine today. 1920s flapper silhouettes accented with very-retro caps. 1950s knee length satin lingerie dresses (with the bra peaking out!). 1980s uptown power-looks, smoothed around the edges and completed with Deeda Blair’s hairstyle. It might sound like a lot, but the overall effect was absolutely Miu Miu. And it reminded us that fashion can be truly, truly fun to play around with.

ED’s SELECTION:

Miu Miu Short-Sleeve Cashmere Sweater

Miu Miu Intarsia Logo Cashmere Briefs

Miu Miu Leather Lace-Up Moccasins

Miu Miu Shearling Collar Oversized Jacket

Miu Miu Rose Print Knee Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Miserable. Balenciaga AW25

March 11, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

“Give us nothing” energy was delivered by Demna at Balenciaga. Unlike at Prada and The Row, here, the effect was absolutely depressing. I get that the Parisian crowds might find the radical mediocrity of purposely badly-cut men’s suits and shirts amusing, but for a person living in Poland, this is very triggering to see. It’s literally what you get on the streets during Women’s Day when all the guys buy their girls that one little rose, once in a year. Demna even had this infamous, sad-macho “archetype” in the show. Another nightmare: the ridiculously bad duvet jackets that you can get at any East-European bazaar. They were here, too, in different unflattering lengths. Don’t get me started with the tight polo shirts and the Puma collab. I get the irony and I’ve always enjoyed Demna’s mind – and sense of humor. But something is certainly off about his latest runway collections – and this one screamed “crisis”.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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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.