In Need Of POV. Chanel SS25

October 7, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s quite difficult to review this studio-designed Chanel collection, because there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s a grey-zone. And grey-zones easily change into danger-zones. In case of a brand like Chanel, not offering any point of view except for tweed, denim and bit of feathers, can be deadly in the long run. Clients might fall for the logo, but for how long? Chanel needs personality.

In December, we’re expecting the new designer announcement. According to Chanel’s spokesperson, it will be somebody who will stay with the brand for the next decade: the brand wants longevity in this new chapter. I might not be number one Hedi Slimane fan, but I fully admit: he can offer that to Chanel. The Jacquemus rumors? People will go crazy for the French dream in the first season, but this isn’t a designer who can orchestrate a brand like this in long-term. Also, real dress-making skills are needed at hands. Seeing John Galliano at Chanel would be a beautiful fever dream. Phoebe Philo is certainly the woman who could lead this maison with grace. Just like the Olsens, who are auditioning well with their latest The Row collections. But there are also fair chances Chanel is preparing a secret in-house designer to take on the role.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Inventive Sensuality. Victoria Beckham SS25

October 6, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Victoria Beckham took the surrealist pill this season and came up with a collection that’s strong and inventive. The opening dresses and tops were made out of silk chiffon which had been dipped into a resin so it looked like they had been molded directly onto the body, sculpted close to the torso or floating skywards. Ethereal, romantic and sculptural, the surreal touch brought a sense of much-needed artisanship to Beckham’s fashion – which usually feels plain when separated from runway styling. Then, a series of cool tailoring statements, like slouchy pea green trousers with a deconstructed waistband over which sat a polished burgundy leather blouson. That combo is one of the most distinct looks of the entire season thanks to its sharpness and unobvious sensuality. What was intriguing was how Beckham manipulated all of this to flash a bit of skin or show off the body. “We talk about the relationship with our bodies and the process of getting dressed,” said Beckham, “but this time, it’s about what happens when we take our clothes off too; this idea of what we have against, or showing, our skin.” It seems that Victoria either hired a new, very skillful design team that stimulates her – or she really is becoming a designer’s designer.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Quotidian. Carven SS25

October 6, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Louise Trotter‘s Carven is easily one of the best designer-and-brand pairings in a while. The spring-summer 2025 collection, which opened with a minimal dress in shade of champagne and constructed to hover just slightly away from the body, was about sense of an intimate world taking shape in unexpected ways. While the shoes were slippers and puffy mules, there was nothing sleepy about the collection as it beautifully balanced easy nonchalance with sophisticated chic. Trotter – just like Phoebe Philo or the Olsens – understands that dressing women means understanding their relationship to their clothes; her silhouettes are considered yet never overworked. The intriguing ambiguity of a rounded trench on Marte Mei and the extended white tuxedo shirtdress topped with an ample collarless black jacket on Jessica Miller were both standouts. Wherever the Carven woman is wearing these looks (you can imagine them in different circumstances), for Trotter they represent “the quotidian, the rituals.”

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New Avant-garde. Duran Lantink SS25

October 5, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Duran Lantink is one of the most exciting names in Paris. His bigger-than-life clothes are editorial favorites, and innovative approach to fashion – an actual rarity. His extremes of silhouette shaped an avant-garde aesthetic that is already being picked-up by the establishment. Still, nobody has mastered the Duran method, and he’s the beautiful outlier.

This season, the designer went to the beach, inserting inner tubes of padding in one-piece swimsuits and adding several cup sizes and generous uplift to bikini tops. Full-body bodysuits, meanwhile, were padded at the joints, making the models resemble insects or aliens. Other looks were accessorized with handbags worn as bonnets, the straps tucked under the chin. “It was really important to think a bit more about wearability, but still in a very fun way,” he said. The exceptional silver jewelry belonged to Carla Sozzani and was made by her companion, Kris Ruhs. The sculptural necklaces claimed space in a similar way to Lantink’s bold designs. It all worked.

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Gimme More. Balenciaga SS25

October 4, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Something was definitely off about this Balenciaga outing by Demna. Not in a conceptual or ironic way – this would be make the collection spark with the designer’s signature knack for disruptiveness. What worries me is spring-summer 2025’s flatness of meaning behind the clothes. The models – who walked on an extra-long, wooden table – opened the show with lingerie, which was actually an illusionist layering of bras and garters on flesh-colored body stockings. Then, the collection shifted to Demna’s well-known twisted take on streetwear. Shrunken polos, garments made out of stitched together hoodies, well-worn baggy jeans… we all know this story. The finale was about eveningwear that was totally mild and whatever. The show was accompanied by a remix of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More“, the ultimate anthem of over-consumption of mass media and pop culture. When I heard it, my first thought was: Demna’s exhausted. We kind of all are.

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