style

Scuba-Chic. Rabanne SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed


Similarly to Dries Van Noten‘s Julian Klausner and the Proenza boys at Loewe, Rabanne’s Julien Dossena was mentally by the beach this season, surrounded by surfers in spirit. His collection, however, felt among the most intriguing – especially in its brilliant menswear. There weren’t many looks, but each one, styled with scuba-diving pants, oversized flip-flops, and vintage Hawaiian-print shirts, exuded an undeniably cool attitude. The metallic flower necklaces – a nod to Paco Rabanne’s conceptual use of metal – added an especially striking touch. The interest in scuba style recalled Nicolas Ghesquière’s now-cult-classic Balenciaga collection from 2003. Dossena, who worked with Ghesquière for years, had the Louis Vuitton creative director cheering him on from the front row. As for womenswear, Julien played with 1950s pin-up references, making skirts fuller, florals bolder, and colors flashier. His use of exaggerated belt buckles gave the collection a tongue-in-cheek energy.

ED’s SELECTION:

RABANNE Lace-trimmed Chainmail Midi Skirt


RABANNE Chain-embellished Paisley-print Crepe Maxi Dress


RABANNE Paillette-embellished Twill Shoulder Bag


RABANNE Cropped Scalloped Stretch-lace Top


RABANNE Gathered Striped Wool-blend Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Proenza Boys. Loewe SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough’s debut collection for Loewe opened with a few sleek ideas – one of them being hourglass-shaped jackets in plasticine hues, paired with swimwear-inspired bodysuits. Yet, as the beach-and-surf-themed collection unfolded, something seemed to get lost in translation, particularly with the wrapped dresses designed to mimic towels.

This line-up was certainly a step ahead of much of what the duo produced during their later years at Proenza Schouler. Still, it didn’t quite feel like an essential or definitive introduction to their new chapter at Loewe. Yes, Loewe hails from sunny Spain, and scuba-diver silhouettes do align with a Balearic escapade – but overall, the collection felt somewhat flat and superfluous, especially after years of Jonathan Anderson’s incessant sophistication.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Wearable Twist. Carven SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Mark Thomas takes center stage at Carven after serving as Louise Trotter’s right hand – and his spring-summer 2026 line-up stands out as one of the most authentic and integrity-filled collections of the entire season. Together, he and Trotter had successfully positioned the French maison as a safe space for women who feel their best in minimalism that is sensual, off-beat, and warm – less serious than Phoebe Philo’s and more easy-going than The Row’s. Now that Trotter has moved on to the candy shop called Bottega Veneta, Thomas holds the heritage of Madame Carven entirely in his own hands.

Some of the looks – including a subtle silk print, a semi-sheer jacquard dress, and, more generally, a few of the déshabillé silhouettes – could be traced back to a white orchid that Madame Carven developed with botanist Marcel Lecoufle in 1993. The British designer has also revisited Carven’s sculptural “Esperanto” silhouette in a brilliantly modern way: a white safari-style jacket with zipper accents and ruffled trims featured that unmistakably chic, cinched-at-the-waist cut. An obvious top-seller for next season – just like the strikingly cool white slip dress with its oversized, “misfitting” bodice, or the lightweight black trench buttoned all the way to the top.

That’s precisely the kind of product that makes women fall in love with contemporary Carven: wearable, but always with a flirty twist.

ED’s SELECTION:

CARVEN Layered Cotton-gauze Gown


CARVEN Silk-jersey T-shirt


CARVEN Silk-satin Midi Skirt


CARVEN Knotted Leather Mules

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Silhouette. The Row Pre-Fall 2026

| Design & Culture by Ed

The Row has achieved a rare level of distinctiveness shared only by designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Giorgio Armani: you don’t need to see the full collection – just the silhouettes from afar – to know it’s theirs. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen maintained their signature no-photos policy at their intimate Paris presentation, and the images released for the pre-fall 2026 collection are neither lookbook nor editorial. They are supremely elegant black-and-white portraits of the models (and their comb-adorned hair) and the garments, photographed in the traditional, old-school couture way: front, side, back.

The collection features sublime sack dresses (which make Pierpaolo Piccioli’s attempts at Balenciaga look even more unfortunate), an absolutely heavenly full skirt with a beautifully cinched waist, airy balloon pants that convey sophistication rather than laziness, and a handful of crisp cotton shirts, probably meticulously studied on Charvet.

Once again, the photos reveal little – you can’t fully appreciate the subtle embroideries or sequin work – but they show silhouettes that unmistakably speak one name: The Row.

ED’s SELECTION:

The Row Vika Leather Sandals


The Row Lucja Oversized Belted Shearling Coat


The Row Violetta Asymmetric Paneled Silk-crepe Gown


The Row Idro Oversized Cotton-blend Corduroy Shirt


The Row Irene Lace-trimmed Silk-charmeuse Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Exaggerated Body. Jean Paul Gaultier SS26

| Design & Culture by Ed

Duran Lantink’s debut for Jean Paul Gaultier is a collection I’m still making up my mind about. For me, the core of the Gaultier brand has been utterly diffused by the revolving door of guest designers, each coming in for a single couture collection every six months. At this point, the brand could be almost anything.

On one hand, I think it was a wise choice for Duran not to revive Jean Paul’s archives too literally. On the other, this collection revealed that his own repertoire still feels somewhat limited. It could just as easily have been a Duran Lantink show – and honestly, it might have made more sense that way. The razor-sharp cut-outs, the “Lumps and Bumps”-inspired silhouette manipulations, the op-art stripes, the bodysuits printed with a haired male corpse – it’s all Duran through and through, like it or not. But we’ve already seen most of these ideas play out, in slightly different variations, within his own brand. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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