Freeing. Ponte AW25

May 8, 2025May 8, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

See the animated version of the collage on my Instagram.

I was chatting recently with a friend who works in fashion, and we both came to the conclusion that Ponte – Harry Pontefract‘s highly elusive brand-slash-concept – is the most exciting and subversive thing to emerge in quite some time. It’s just so daring, transgressive, and disruptive of all possible industry norms. And lead by a truly rare talent.

“Operatic” is how the designer characterized his autumn-winter 2025 corseted dress and matching stole crafted from the fleece of approximately ten sheep. The fleeces were hand-felted and stitched together, then meticulously brushed out over the course of a week by a dedicated hairdresser to achieve maximum volume and softness (Kristen McMenamy is wearing the striking piece in the latest issue of Double Magazine, lensed by Juergen Teller). Another look embraced precision and minimalism: a pair of jeans made from deconstructed garments, stripped of every stitch, grommet, and fastening, then starched into a crisp, paper-like form. “It was quite beautiful just to do something as generic as denim,” Pontefract noted, explaining that time will naturally alter the rigid silhouette, softening it into drapes – an evolution that mirrors nature’s own cycles. Time is an important theme for the designer. You don’t really hear about brands that so consciously reflect on how it’s clothes will change – or even deteriorate – over time.

Having worked with Jonathan Anderson, known for his fashion “glitches”, Pontefract offers a quieter, more introspective approach. His label is small, his designs intimate. Here, boundaries blur – between past and present, body and garment – in ways that are both lyrical and provocative. Consider, for instance, a strap-on tutu–belt bag crafted from 40 meters of tulle. There’s a palpable boldness in this work, both in concept and execution. “We don’t and shouldn’t make things just because we think they’ll sell,” Pontefract said. “And I think that’s quite freeing.”

Collage 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!

Modern Concept. Julie Kegels AW25

April 26, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Julie Kegels, an Antwerp-based fashion designer, found inspiration for her third collection after stumbling upon Judith Price’s 1980 book “Executive Style: Achieving Success Through Good Taste and Design” at a Los Angeles flea market. Fascinated by its view of modern design as a tool for corporate ascent, Kegels crafted a witty, layered exploration of late 20th-century aesthetics, branding, kitsch, and male “power dressing” drag. She staged her presentation in a Parisian theater, where a model dressed live onstage in a “tech bro” look – monogrammed Fair Isle sweater, undone blue shirt, and oversized navy trousers – all laid out on a caramel leather lounge chair she designed herself with Belgian label HARMO. A clever twist closed the show: a model zipped into a trompe l’oeil jumpsuit mimicking that first outfit, emphasizing how clothing shapes identity. Between these moments, Kegels showcased slouchy blazers, polo-knit dresses, wood-grain printed skirts, and playful deconstructions like waistbands stitched onto shirts. With her bold ideas – including a sensational evening dress made from wood veneer – Kegels connects the dots of concept, craft, and curiosity in a striking way, taking over the baton from Hussein Chalayan.

Collage 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!

Royal Lightness. Loro Piana AW25

April 17, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Season after season, Loro Piana channels a style so mature, refined and understated, that one wonders whether the (largely anonymous) creative team behind it is pursuing some sort of perfection. It might actually be in reach of the Piedmont-based brand with the yarns and fibers they source, and the sumptuous cashmere apparel that ends up in their boutiques. Loro Piana isn’t doing fashion; rather, the label gives its clients elegant solutions. The autumn-winter 2025 collection has plenty of them, for both women and men, but this time around with a horseback sensibility – seen through an aristocrat’s lens. That prince – or princess – isn’t scared of getting their hands dirty while planting tulips or hunting truffles. Patterned intarsia knit sweaters, gaucho pants, rustic workwear jackets (well, the name does come across quite absurd noting Loro Piana’s clients largely non-worker status), thick flannel shirts, rubber boots ready for muddy walks… the list of essentials goes on and on. The womenswear is regal, but with laid-back moments (like the oversized tweed suit in ochre). The menswear vibrates with dandy-ish flamboyance, refreshingly queer-ish. It’s worth noting that this season the brand debuted a yarn-slash-fabric called “Royal Lightness“, a new blend of silk and cashmere. Reportedly, it feels otherworldly in touch.

ED’s SELECTION:

Loro Piana Happy Day Large Leather-trimmed Felt Tote

Loro Piana Cashmere Sweater

Loro Piana Silk-jersey Head Scarf

Loro Piana Elise Quilted Silk-cloqué Midi Skirt

Loro Piana Cropped Quilted Silk-cloqué Jacket

Loro Piana Francis Tasseled Leather Loafers

Collage 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!

Finesse. Danielle Frankel AW25

April 14, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

I said it once, I will say again: Danielle Frankel is the contemporary maestra of bridalwear. Her designs are so exquisitely crafted and majestic in execution that you will inevitably desire to wear one of her dresses not only on that most special day, but on many other occasions. Dominated by bold, architectural, Art Deco shapes and Erté-inspired forms, the latest collection stuns with incredible construction and finesse.

Take the micro-pleated dress that swishes and swirls around the body, like flowing water. Except this isn’t a styling trick; the micro-pleats in the dress are actually hundreds of micro-bones holding the shape. Then, there’s the hand-painted silk chiffon made in collaboration with a French artist who moved in to Frankel’s New York atelier for a few weeks and created a breath-taking, impressionistic floral gown in dark green as well as the hand-painted organza cocoon worn by Kristen McMenamy in the lookbook.

Frankel makes all of her dresses in Manhattan’s Garment District, and she has a talented group of designers in her atelier that can rival any haute couture house. The finale gown, also modeled by McMenamy, is made of 100,000 petals which took the atelier four months to sew by hand. Somehow, it looks effortless – just like any truly great couture garment.

Collage 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!

Boutique Pleasures. Abra AW25

April 9, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Abra – the brand name, but also Abraham Ortuño Perez‘s widely-known nick among industry insiders – grew from an accessory label to a ready-to-wear obsession. The designer, who did some of the biggest footwear hits for the likes of JW Anderson, Loewe and Jacquemus, is on a roll with his (very) personal endeavor. The autumn-winter 2025 collection is dedicated to the very pleasurable feeling of wanting to dress and look like those mythical, sophisticated city folk do in big fashion capitals, that he and his mother used to dream up in “fashion boutiques” when he was a child. “It’s this whole feeling of being from a small town and buying something imported, something from Paris!”, he mused. A nostalgic spark ignited Ortuño Perez’s whimsical yet sincere collection – a cheeky ode to peripheral boutique “hits” reimagined for the woman who dreams in fashion, not trends. His muse? Storefront mannequins of the late ’80s and early ’90s, dolled up in glitzy metallic lamés and over-the-top wigs. Perez gave us all that – and more. The show kicked off with faux-fur coats sculpted into giant roses. Only Perez’s playful lens could render them so fantastically offbeat. Then came hybrid coats – fur, gabardine, and suiting – riffing on “Working Girl” power dressing, now with rounded shoulders and leggings replacing pencil skirts. Closing the show was a trio of lamé dream dresses: one unraveling in fluid drapes, another with an off-kilter crinoline, and a third bursting with ruffled tiers. These were certainly THE boutique showstoppers.

Collage 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!