French-Extreme. Saint Laurent SS26

September 30, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

While watching the Saint Laurent livestream and seeing all the celebrities arrive, I couldn’t help but wonder: are they real? Do they walk on the same earth we mortals do? Those girls and boys feel so distant – so distanced. And that’s exactly how Anthony Vaccarello narrates his Saint Laurent. The outdoor show, staged against the Eiffel Tower and awash with white hydrangeas, could not have been more pompous or otherworldly – but that’s its appeal. As in Vaccarello’s recent collections, this one revisited themes from Saint Laurent’s archives, repeated and perfected over and over again to near death. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

SAINT LAURENT Tallulah Patent-leather Wedge Sandals

SAINT LAURENT Leather Jacket

SAINT LAURENT Leather Skirt

SAINT LAURENT Draped Wool-jersey Mini Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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A Lot. Bottega Veneta SS26

September 28, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Louise Trotter took her time to deeply absorb the Bottega Veneta‘s 60 years of codes and craftsmanship – not rushing last season, but instead offering a substantial collection now. It’s a collection with many avenues for customers to explore once the clothes and accessories reach the stores, from myriad interpretations of intrecciato to an array of ultra-tactile textures. I’ll say it loud and clear: the techniques, the artistry, and the sheer beauty of each individual piece Trotter presented are beyond words. Yet this may also have been the trap she fell into – the collection felt overpacked and overstimulating. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Polarizing. Versace SS26

September 27, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

The fashion industry hasn’t witnessed such a polarizing collection – especially a debut – in quite some time. After Dario Vitale’s late-evening show for Versace yesterday, my DMs were ablaze until morning with radically different opinions. Some people loved it, calling it a startlingly fresh moment for Milan. Others, however, had no mercy for Vitale’s effort. Personally, I would love to hear Donatella Versace’s thoughts. Her complete absence from the show was… loud.

What is Versace without a Versace at the helm? Dario Vitale, formerly of Miu Miu, has a tough nut to crack. One thing is certain: his debut collection was confident. Gone are the days of Donatella’s flawless blondes in sky-high stilettos. In their place comes a sexuality aimed at younger clients – brisker, messier, slouchier, a bit more kinker. At moments, I felt I was watching a very dolled-up Magliano show – which would be head-turning if it were, in fact, Magliano. But is Versace truly ready to dive headlong into such vintage-heavy territory, straight into the 1980s without a filter? Donatella herself tried many times to revive Versus Versace with near 1:1 references to the brand’s past, and those “new” takes on the diffusion line never succeeded. Many of Vitale’s looks could easily have been sourced from a vintage boutique in Rome or Florence, allowing one to cosplay Gianni’s early career days head to toe. On one hand, the collection was about sensuality (“Honcho”-style in case of menswear, which was executed far better than womenswear, with a homo-erotic gaze) and youth; on the other, it smelled faintly of a mothballed closet. Yet the truth is: today’s “contemporary” audience is deeply nostalgic. Maybe this is what they want – rather than Phoebe Philo or Prada, two female-led brands that actually look forward.

It will be fascinating to see where Vitale takes Versace in the coming seasons – those choices will be decisive. For now, what I see is a cry for the past, one that also eclipses Alessandro Michele’s Valentino. The difference? With Michele, you know it’s his style through and through – not a costume.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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A Need, Not A Want. Daniela Gregis SS26

September 25, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

You’d never guess which collection – an entire collection, not just two looks! – has stolen my heart this season. Daniela Gregis is a brand beloved by clients who shop not at Hermès or The Row, but at Dover Street Market and 10 Corso Como. Founded in the 1980s and now helmed by Daniela’s daughter, Marta Bortolotti, the label has no social media presence yet maintains a cult following. Its signatures are roomy sack dresses as effortless as T-shirts, ultra-fine knitwear, and an off-beat allure that feels a little granny-ish, delightfully quirky, and utterly specific.

This season’s collection distilled the Gregis style language to perfection: checked tunics and shawls cocooning the body, cloud-like dresses that from afar resemble crumpled paper, parachute volumes designed for comfort and ease. The layering? Heavenly. The color palette? Vibrant and uplifting. And yes, I’m already stealing the double-flannel shirt trick from the men’s looks. That curcuma-shade shirt is a need, not a want.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Pop. Conner Ives SS26

September 24, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

The Conner Ives show was a standout highlight of London Fashion Week. The designer – who first took the world by storm with his “Protect the Dolls” fundraiser T-shirts (with all proceeds donated to Trans Lifeline, raising $600,000 for the charity to date) – brought the dolls back to the runway this season. Though he has long cast a higher proportion of trans models than most, this time the vast majority of the lineup was trans or gender nonconforming. His tribe of high-voltage beauties celebrated the magic and power of pop.

“Pop music will never be lowbrow,” Ives declared. With his idols in mind – Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, and contemporary pop princess Addison Rae – the designer delivered ultra-feminine, party-ready dresses in acidic tones. A fabulous bias-cut gown in shocking pink silk crepe, topped with a brown chiffon overlay, was styled with faded feathers plucked from an early 20th-century burlesque fan and arranged around the model’s neck like the hackles of an elegant bird. Just fabulous. An especially brilliant stroke of design brilliance appeared in one of the finale looks: a gown covered in leather sequins, painstakingly laser-cut from discarded jackets and then hand-embroidered onto silk chiffon over six weeks. Drama! The collection also included cool, sporty separates for day.

After so much mildness and plainness on the spring runways, Conner Ives’s collection arrived as a much-needed antidote – full of glamour, bravado, and charisma.