Waters of The World. Hodakova SS27

September 30, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Hodakova’s spring-summer 2027 was a bit of a mess – but sometimes, chaos is needed, right? It was particularly funny to see how infuriated the guests were as the venue’s sea-salt-covered floor heavily smeared everyone’s shoes. Fashion people like their comforts!

On the runway, Ellen Hodakova Larsson was channelling a lengthy story about the sea, sailors and sirens. Some pieces were literally wet – and made me think of going to a banya just to sweat it all out – while eveningwear was made out of fishing nets, both industrial and handmade. One all-black ensemble was cut from leather treated to resemble oversized fish scales.

This ode to the ocean came with an elusive melancholy that has become something of Ellen’s signature. That sadness has its roots in Hodakova’s sensitivity to the treatment of animals – and Mother Earth in general. The waters of the world are being exploited by humans more than ever, not to mention all the waste we keep dumping back into them. Something to think about amidst a fashion month that, overall, seems to pretend that everything’s OK.

ED’s SELECTION:

Hodakova Upside Down Trench Coat

Hodakova Upside-Down Pleated Bermuda Shorts

Hodakova Inside-Out Suit Reconstructed Sleeveless Midi Dress

Hodakova Argyle Knitted Draped-Sleeve Sweater Vest

Hodakova Flip Cotton Button-Down Shirt

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Home Duties. Julie Kegels SS27

September 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels has just won this year’s LVMH Prize and today opened Paris Fashion Week. The business is growing, the brand is evolving, and with that comes a whole new set of duties for the Belgian designer – home duties, that is. At its core, Kegels’ label has always had a distinctly domestic feeling. She loves exploring intimacy, often through the things that surround us and the way we live. Her woman is constantly caught between rushing and taking it slow. The lace-trimmed negligee is simultaneously done and undone; sheer underskirts are dusted with powder (who hasn’t had a make-up malfunction?), while she remains perpetually ready to leave, jewels already in place.

There is also Kegels’ very Belgian affection for trompe l’oeil and optical illusion. The tights have dropped crotches, the trousers seem to be slipping down, and dresses are abruptly cut in unexpected – and increasingly risky – places. This season, some are quite literally slashed as if by a serial killer. It is this kind of perplexing oddness that makes Julie Kegels’ work so intriguing: it constantly plays with what we think we are seeing, refusing to settle comfortably into any one category or definition.

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Humanity. Bottega Veneta SS27

September 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

After the overall feeling of robotic coldness and algorithmic calculation that ruled this Milan Fashion Week, Louise Trotter’s emphasis on tactility at Bottega Veneta is hard not to fall for. It’s a reminder that we’re still human after all. The clashes of textures, techniques and colours are zesty and intelligent; this is a wardrobe – and a set of ideas for dressing – for people who, at the end of the day, love culture.

The only thing I wish Trotter would reconsider is the voluminous silhouette she feels so comfortable with. Sometimes the baggy dresses and tailoring come across as unresolved. Not that they’re slouchy – but it would be refreshing to see the designer shed some of the layers and come closer to the body.

ED’s DISPATCH:

Bottega Veneta Foulard Intrecciato Leather Belt

Bottega Veneta Nodo Small Intrecciato Suede-trimmed Leather Pouch

Bottega Veneta Gondola Studded Intrecciato Leather Clogs

Bottega Veneta Embellished Wool-blend Blazer

Bottega Veneta Striped Wool-blend Pants

Unfinished Thought. Ferragamo SS27

September 26, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Maximilan Davis’s Ferragamo tenure has its ups and downs. This season, it’s unfortunately the latter. The collection read like an unfinished thought. The Anthony Vaccarello-ness of it all – vinyl coats and pencil skirts, see-through jerseys, that kind of modern-day Saint Laurent “power dressing” that in general feels very yesterday – is super confusing, noting that Davis usually has good ideas of his own. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Ferragamo Molly Embellished Suede Pumps

Ferragamo Draped Satin- And Lace-paneled Silk-chiffon Midi Dress

Ferragamo Hug Leather Shoulder Bag

Ferragamo Layered Wool-blend Blouse

Ferragamo Layered Knitted Midi Skirt

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram.

Hey, did you know about my newsletter – Ed’s Dispatch? Click here to subscribe.

Architecture. Tod’s SS27

September 25, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

A year ago, I visited the Olivetti showroom in Venice, tucked discreetly beneath the colonnade of Saint Mark’s Square. Designed by Carlo Scarpa, the space stuns with the way it sustains a sense of harmony in possibly the busiest place in the Floating City. Modest in scale but rich in detail, like all of Scarpa’s architectural gems, it’s full of warmth within its overall 1950s minimalism.

Matteo Tamburini’s Tod’s is like Scarpa’s Olivetti – only the context is Milan and the local fashion industry, where other giants shout at the top of their lungs, but all you hear is some mumble jumble. Meanwhile, Tod’s delivers the most supple, butter-smooth and effortlessly chic take on reduction, where there’s no place for the superfluous, and functionality isn’t merely pragmatic, but beautiful.

A close-to-the-body fitted top with elegantly tucked sleeves, like napkins at your favourite restaurant; a leather dress that doesn’t look like a weight to carry, but like caramel dripping down the body; perforated bags and knits – a very Carlo detail, IYKYK – that simply feel breezy and light. Tamburini chooses subtlety over noise and serves a collection that is fully wearable – and somehow exists outside of any trend cycle. Like any great architecture.