Madame Minimalism. Carven Pre-Fall 2025

June 11, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Carven‘s pre-fall 2025 collection, officially credited to the brand’s studio, is a good-looking transition moment between Louise Trotter’s work at the maison and the brand’s current creative director – and long-time collaborator of Trotter – Mark Thomas. The line-up, offering garments and accessories so wearable and easy-in-approach that it’s hard not to fall in love with their daily allure, is informed by blousy smock tops, wraparound apron shapes and a penchant for fabrics that appear structured to the eye yet soft around the body. One of the dresses with flannel on front and crushed lining in the back reminisces a 1950s couture dress with its strikingly simple, yet chic silhouette. Then you’ve got all the bubbly, t-shirt-inspired dresses and tops, minimal, timeless, versatile. The knits and cashmere shifts are pieces to be grateful for when you need to leave home looking pulled together. Carven became a go-to brand for less is more women who aren’t after The Row’s sophisticated oddness or Phoebe Philo’s contemporary strictness; the brand offers a warmer, cozier approach to minimalism. A madame minimalism.

ED’s SELECTION:

CARVEN Layered Cotton-gauze Gown

CARVEN Tie-detailed Cashmere Cardigan

CARVEN Organza Midi Skirt

CARVEN Louise Leather Clutch

CARVEN Oversized Satin-twill Jacket

CARVEN Wool-twill Mini Dress

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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The Romance of Grunge. Magda Butrym Pre-Fall 2025

January 23, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Introducing Magda Butrym’s pre-fall 2025 collection: a romantic, chic take on grunge.

Captured by Robin Galiegue and styled by Jacob K, the latest lookbook embodies real attitude and powerful sensuality – two elements that deeply inspire the Polish designer. The collection’s gritty, tough-at-heart energy is contrasted with touches of Slavic romanticism, a defining hallmark of the label.

The pre-fall 2025 collection thrives on contrasts, weaving together baby-doll silhouettes and porcelain-inspired florals with utilitarian aged leathers and charismatic, menswear-inspired silhouettes. It’s a dialogue between the refined and the rebellious, proper and raw. This is the spirit of grunge: the courage to clash unexpected style elements and finding utmost pleasure in playing with taste conventions.

The collection’s fearless essence was sparked by the documented style of grunge icons: PJ Harvey’s breezy vintage shifts, Courtney Love’s stage slip-dresses, Juliette Lewis’ broken-glamour and Kora’s unorthodox manner of dressing. Real women inspire Magda Butrym, so it was essential for the designer to convey authentic attitude – not just in the spontaneous layering of a masculine black leather vest over a delicate sage-green floral chiffon dress but also in the models’ dynamic, lively poses choreographed by Pat Boguławski in the lookbook.

Beneath the grunge-inspired layers, however, lies a space for unapologetic elegance – in its own way an act of rebellion in today’s fast-paced world. Statuesque refinement takes shape in a semi-sheer evening gown crafted from wire-structured silk, evoking the soft, sculptural beauty of a blossoming petal – or the calla lilies immortalized by Robert Mapplethorpe, the maverick artist celebrated for his erotically charged and groundbreaking work. Polka-dotted noble silks, ruched dresses, billow-y skirts, and the cascading drapes of earthy, mocha-toned eveningwear embody undone femininity – a grunge perspective compellingly reimagined by the designer.

Magda Butrym’s enduring fascination with Slavic heritage is vividly present in the pre-fall 2025 collection, manifested through unexpected handmade crochet details. A semi-sheer crochet skirt adorned with floral doilies surprises with mini-pannier padding. Lace embellishes the bustier and hemline of a floral slip dress and peeks out from beneath leather shorts, while the grunge-inspired bride-to-be wears a white crochet veil. The collection also revisits the headscarf – a quintessentially Slavic code. Reimagined in butter-soft leather, knitted mélange, or faded floral prints, the updated babushka look exudes sharp, feminine chic.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Beauty Is Back. Valentino Pre-Fall 2025

December 15, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

As some of you might remember, at first I was very on fence with Alessandro Michele’s debut take at Valentino. It just felt very archaic to me at the time. But something clicked for me the moment Donald Trump won the elections in the U.S. (here’s the post on that). I suddenly realized I need escapism. A sweet, decadent, indulgent escapism – exactly what Michele is known for through his unhinged vision he channeled at Gucci (with Gucci’s ready-to-wear limits) and now at Valentino, where he’s got the ultimate couture know-how.

This week, Alessandro’s third act for the Rome-based brand got released, and it’s his best one so far. I really liked how Lyas described it as “punk”. It really is punk whilst pretty much everything in fashion right now is pure conservatism, from bland “quiet luxury” minimalism to “office-core” – on the way of trad-wives and white-cube ad campaigns. Michele’s vision couldn’t be further from all that. It’s full-throttle boheme, striking with artisanship and well-traveled, idiosyncratic approach to styling.

His Valentino is of course very vintage-y. Now you might say I’m a hypocrite – I just shaded the Anthony Vaccarello’s nostalgic Saint Laurent collection. But here’s the thing: while you can trace Vaccarello’s vintage-obsession to exact, well-documented references, in case of Michele it’s totally not the case. Alessandro’s history-mania has echoes of Diana Vreeland’s “the eye has to travel” way of thinking. He takes from the past, remixes it, and recontextualizes it. Plus, it’s really striking to see how he not only is inspired with 1970s and 80s fashion (and Valentino Garavani’s work from that period), but also does his best to measure up to the craftsmanship standards of these times.

The pre-fall 2025 collection is transfixingly beautiful and dreamily opulent. The silk dresses are made out of patches of prints, from robust paisley to wallpaper florals; the lace is so intricate it looks like porcelain, and the lush, dense embroideries on velvet jackets and big-sleeved, peasant blouses is beyond. And I went completely crazy for the bags, especially the fringed, knitted pouches. Bode looks kind of poor next to these works of art. New Valentino is heirloom-status fashion. If this is what the label’s ready-to-wear looks like in Alessandro’s hands, I can’t wait for his first haute couture outing.

Unabashed beauty is so back, baby!

Here are some of my favorite pieces from new Valentino…

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Resin and Crystal Butterfly Brooch

Valentino Embellished Pointelle-knit Cotton Socks

Valentino Polka Dot Ruffle Organza Mini Dress

Valentino Polka-dot Silk Head Scarf

Valentino Twill Paisley Fringe Scarf

Valentino Nellcote Suede Fringe Shoulder Bag

Valentino Garavani Après L’hiver Shearling-trimmed Metallic Brocade Coat

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Recession-Chic. Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2025

December 3, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

For Balenciaga‘s pre-fall 2025 collection, Demna isn’t only the creative director – but also the photographer. The newly-released lookbook is basically a roll of unretouched, fitting photos, taken with an iPhone. Not that Balenciaga didn’t have a budget for Juergen Teller or Mark Borthwick, but this is a signal: recession is here, and it’s hitting the fashion industry. Far-fetched destination shows also don’t feel right at this very moment.

This savvy mode appeared to be the right medium for Demna. This collection is the essence of his Balenciaga, stripped from flashy moments or big statements. The only gloss you can find is in the merch-like t-shirts depicting the brand’s ambassadors, from Isabelle Huppert to Nicole Kidman. Just brilliant and truly witty. I also loved the straightforwardness of the collaboration with Scholl: the spike-heeled sandal mule is both fashion-forward and orthopedic. The collection was primarily about Demna’s love for dystopian deconstruction: take the jersey underpants sliced open to be worn as micro-skirts and swathed mega-scarves made from cut-up coats and trenches. These looks – and the cocoon-ish, Cristobal-ish echo behind them – are very recession-chic.