In The Mood For… Magda Butrym Pre-Fall 2024

January 20, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

The latest Magda Butrym collection, photographed by Vitali Gelwich in the cinematic, soc-realist halls of Warsaw’s Palace of Science and Culture, is a sexy take on the designer’s sensual eveningwear and razor-sharp tailoring. Kept in the color palette of signature rose-red, white and black, the line-up, mood-wise, is somewhere between Wong Kar-Wai’s elusive “In The Mood For Love” (just take a look at the scarlet gown covered in bouquets of flowers) and David Leitch’s explosive “Atomic Blonde” (the black leather coat is giving badass secret agent). Butrym feels more and more confident in playing around with the feminine and masculine codes, and that shows. Her pre-fall 2024 heroine is both chic and “don’t cross me” in her all-black, all-leather looks. In case of accessories, the ultimate highlights are the maxi-length, ribbed scarves, nonchalantly worn like feather boas, and the hand-crocheted shopper bag: a nod to the brand’s Polish heritage and love for artisanship.

Here are couple of my favorite Magda Butrym pieces you can get now…

ED’s SELECTION:

Spiral Appliquéd Satin Sandals

Gathered Cutout Floral-print Silk And Wool-blend Top

Embellished Satin Mules

Silk Satin-trimmed Wool Blazer

Strapless Ruched Floral-print Stretch-silk Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Like A Hug. Ottolinger Pre-Fall 2024

January 9, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Ottolinger is a brand that best captures the gritty, experimental ambience of contemporary Berlin. Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient‘s pre-fall 2024 collection seeks harmony between the idiosyncratic and a more grounded approach. “We’ve been creative and experimental for a long time, but with this collection what we wanted to achieve is like giving that big hug we all need right now”. A hug definitely comes to mind looking at all the furry and fluffy textures that enfold the models in the lookbook. The sage green jersey top and strap-embellished leggings worn with a fleecy chocolate miniskirt is a combination “that connects with what we grew up with, that’s almost dressed up but also casual” (a very good summary of style in Berlin). The furry fabric returned as a tailored jacket with wide-legged trousers, or as deep cuffs on green knickers.

The Ottolinger designers aimed to offer a collection of “softshell layers” that would be easy to master, even if many are rooted in traditional Swiss garb that’s anything but. Take, for example, the classic dirndl, the likes of which lives on mainly in vintage Oktoberfest photos, and which neither designer thinks they could wear. Unless, perhaps, it was reincarnated as a mesh crop top, a long printed dress paired with a tailored blazer, or exuberantly printed body-positive separates. Taking a cue from traditional men’s garb, lederhosen is revisited in mesh, or as shiny flared trousers in red and white chalet checks. Fun!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Contemporary. Helmut Lang Pre-Fall 2024

December 14, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Peter Do’s second collection – pre-fall 2024 – for Helmut Lang proves that the designer might be really the right match for the brand. Helmut Lang, the label, has been struggling for years with finding it’s tune. No wonder why: it’s difficult to position a contemporary brand without its namesake founder at helm. Just look at what’s going on at Ann Demeulemeester. Do, however, always seemed to have a similar aesthetical sensitivity to Lang, and while his debut collection last September was bumpy, the newest collection offers a more developed glimpse at his vision for the New York-based brand. You can easily see these slinky, less-is-more clothes hanging on racks in stores and imagine customers being attracted to their essential cool. You can also see @brendahashtag wearing every single look. Worth mentioning are the paint-splattered pieces, an OG Helmut Lang specialty, all done by hand by an artist from LA. And the raw denim is cut with adaptable flap pockets, versatility being one of Do’s signatures. The tailoring, meanwhile, is made with an attention to detail that seems rare at these price points – see the inner waistband of the trousers for proof. Excess straps and oversize proportions might seem like too much at the first sight, but all the zippers you see have a function: the sleeves come off a leather biker jacket, and pants zip into shorts or go from straight-leg to flared. A two-in-one bomber puffer in black with white accents was another standout.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Handsome Femininity. Victoria Beckham Pre-Fall 2024

December 11, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

“I like to put a bit of myself into my collections,” says Victoria Beckham. For pre-fall 2024, the designer followed the threads of the semi-autobiographical mainline show she put on in Paris: ideas stemming from the weekend country-life she lives these days on the one hand, and from her ballet-mad girlhood on the other. The collection informed both, her knack for styling – as usual – and by her empathy for making clothes that are actually useful. The contemporary-dance influence flows through her series of long, fluid dresses. Some have cutout necklines with wired curliqued inserts. What’s newer, but also well-established by now, is Beckham’s reputation for tailoring. That’s the side she refers to as “handsome feminity” in this collection – meaning the look of British heritage tweeds and preppy peacoats, styled together with turtlenecks, shirts, and cropped flares, or casualized with cargo pants or various permutations of denim pieces. She has a well-judged way of making these templates interesting as well as simple to wear.

Want some Victoria Beckham wardrobe update? Let me help!

Ed’s Selection:

Victoria Beckham – Satin Gown

Victoria Beckham – Tie-detailed Silk Crepe De Chine Blouse

Victoria Beckham – Ribbed-knit Turtleneck Top

Victoria Beckham – Cutout Two-tone Wool-blend Turtleneck Sweater

Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Frazzled Tweedy Woman. Chanel Pre-Fall 2024

December 9, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

When Virginie Viard is inspired, she nails it. Her latest Chanel métiers d’art collection presented in Manchester was just brilliant and full of wit. It’s clear that the city and its culture has truly stimulated the designer. Alive with a vibrant pop spirit born in Manchester and kept alive across the decades, the show embraced the creative dialogue between Great Britain and the brand – a dialogue that was started by Coco Chanel herself when she brought British tweed to Paris. The collection shimmers and shines with playful nods to British music culture, and it’s also an ode to the frazzled British woman all layered up in chunky knits and long scarves. Legendary bands like Oasis and Joy Division call Manchester home, after all, and the models – with their pearls, slept-in black eyeliner and side bangs – appeared as though they might have just washed off a hand stamp after sneaking back from a show at Pip’s Disco. “Manchester is the basis of a music culture that has changed the face of the world,” sais Viard. To play off of the “vibrant pop spirit” that she infused in the house’s tweeds and quilted leather, models were given smudged-up reverse eyeliner that read like slept-in makeup after a night of chasing afterparties. At dusk, as the looks strolled down the umbrella-dotted outdoor runway on Thomas Street to the sounds of Soft Cell and New Order, this appeared to be one of the finest Chanel collections by Viard to date.