Sumptuous. Max Mara Resort 2025

June 13, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Of all resort shows presented in farfetched destinations this season, it was the seemingly least fussy of them all that truly made an astounding impression. Ian Griffiths is lately doing wonders at Max Mara, but this collection presented in Venice is his best yet. “It’s a magical place”, said the British designer, “at the crossroad between the East and the West. It’s where luxury was born, Marco Polo was a trading genius who seven centuries ago introduced Western culture to the opulence of the Far East through the Silk Road.” The show was held at Palazzo Ducale, a gothic masterpiece so dreamy that John Ruskin, in his book The Stones of Venice, described it as “the central building of the world.” Models paraded at dusk in the external loggia, against the backdrop of San Marco square. The collection hinted at the Venitian flair for opulence and extravagance in the most sumptuous ways. Silk-tasseled belts cinched voluptuous, sweeping cashmere coats at the waist, caftans and billowing dusters had a breezy presence, and capes were enveloping like tabarri, the traditional cloaks worn by Venitian gentlemen in the 18th century. The silhouette was kept long and lean, or short and leggy; as always with Max Mara, decoration was used sparsely, yet the offering had a more elaborate feel than usual. Then, the finale looks: a billowy cape, a round-shaped cocoon, a layered asymmetrical halter dress, and a dramatic opera coat fit for a Fortuny muse were surmounted by towering matching turbans, courtesy of Stephen Jones. Sensational!

Here are a couple of my favourite Max Mara pieces you can shop now…

ED’s DISPATCH:

Max Mara Carpi Tasseled Leather-trimmed Cotton-poplin Blouse

Max Mara Garda Belted Athered Stretch-jersey Midi Dress

Max Mara Ritmo Pleated Wool Mini Skirt

Max Mara Yole Striped Linen Midi Shirt Dress

Max Mara Carbone Wrap-effect Camel Hair Maxi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Bourgeois Chic. Chloé Resort 2025

June 13, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Resort 2025 is the third collection we see from Chemena Kamali at Chloé, and so far we know for a fact that she really has a knack for revisiting and refreshing the maison‘s codes, from Gaby Aghion’s liberating femininity to Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo’s early 2000s frivolity. For spring, Kamali is taking a closer look at bourgeois chic from Karl Lagerfeld’s era. “There are all these stories to explore that haven’t really been told yet that are part of our history,” she said. This time her mood-board was covered with images of “the Art Deco years of Karl in the 1970s. He furnished the entire apartment he lived in, in Saint Germain, as this Deco masterpiece – everything was in black and gold, and white, cream and gold, and he used to lend it to Vogue and others for shoots. Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton, David Bailey, and Deborah Turbeville all shot there.” The billowing, floating volumes, off-the shoulder dresses, balloon-sleeved blouses, and square-necked smocks in diaphanous coin-dot lamé and swirling, pleated metallic florals swiftly teleport you to these days. But there’s also a breath of contemporary air. The boxer-ballet shoe hybrid wedged sneakers Chloé is launching this season (similar walked in a couple of Hannah McGibbon’s runways). “I wanted something that was soft, feminine, comfortable,” Kamali summed up. “And they had to be real. All the women in the office have been test-wearing them.” Collaged from a myriad soft pastel colors in hi-top and low versions, they look like a Chloé hit in the making. Also worth noting: the reissuing of Square Camera handbag with chain handle from Philo’s winter 2003 collection. Whoever still has it in their wardrobe, lucky you!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Is Gucci Really A Feeling? Gucci Resort 2025

May 16, 2024May 16, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s really interesting to observe how badly Sabato De Sarno‘s Gucci tries to force everyone into thinking the brand – in its current situationship – is a “feeling“. You rather catch feelings, especially the good ones, instinctively and spontaneously. Genuinely. Not when somebody signals it in such a straightforward manner. De Sarno’s first resort collection traveled from Milan to London, and it aimed to somehow tell a story that connects the city and the Italian brand. I didn’t grasp that press release blah-blah at all. Just like I didn’t entirely get the point of the location – Tate Modern – and the plant-filled runway setting. If you want to position a brand as an art-loving platform, instead of stripping a London museum to bare walls and place tons of greenery inside, why not focus around some actual artworks that are contextually or emotionally close to the designer?

And now the clothes. Yes, resort 2025 is in some way better than De Sarno’s previous attempts, because at least it’s not repeating three styles throughout 50 looks. And there’s finally some range in terms of style. But here’s where the real problem starts. If not for the eventual Gucci logos and appearance of Jackie and Blondie bags, it’s really difficult to catch where the actual Gucciness is hiding in this collection. Not to mention De Sarno’s footprint which still feels blurry and indistinct. Some of these 1970s-inspired looks gave hints of Miu Miu and Coach. The pleated finale dresses could easily be Victoria Beckham (ironically a designer who often has trouble with finding her own voice – at least the eveningwear is emblematic!). The denim part of the line-up felt like the many iterations Pierpaolo Piccioli used to deliver at Valentino (where Sabato worked at before Gucci). Some of the outerwear and pieces covered with sequin-embellished checks could equally have a Burberry tag on and no one would question that. What was most confusing however were the vintage-y pussy-bows that instantly made you think of Alessandro Michele’s highly-memorable debut for Gucci, an instant breakthrough for not only the stagnating brand at the time, but 2010s fashion in general. Their presence seemed to say that there’s a large Gucci client base that wants that kind of style back as they don’t identify themselves with De Sarno’s reductive minimalism. So… I think Gucci fails to be a (good) feeling. Especially in times when the demand for luxury is decreasing and people investing in fashion want ingenuity and authenticity.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Stimulating. Bottega Veneta Pre-fall 2024

May 3, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Bottega Veneta has released a stunningly stimulating, pre-fall 2024 collection. It’s so evident that Matthieu Blazy found his groove at the brand: his last runway shows are delightful to the senses. But it’s the pre-collections that really validate whether a designer has formed their vocabulary for a house, and Blazy definitely knows what his direction is. While other brands try to propose total looks and stay in one aesthetic lane, the Belgian designer rather pursuits the idea of style that’s diverse and truly authentic. Bottega Veneta isn’t a brand that intentionally creates Instagrammable products – even though social media is increasingly raving about Blazy’s take on the brand. People are catching up with his celebration of humanity which is conveyed in the striking artisanship Bottega stands for.

For pre-fall, “the initial talk I had with the team was what would’ve been the ready-to-wear of Bottega when they started to make the bags in the late ’60s and ’70s. Of course, the idea was almost to work on something anachronic – we don’t want to go too literal, it was the idea of a modern time traveler.” The development process involved lots of photo research, including in old Interview magazines – “Andy Warhol loved Bottega,” he explained – to see “how people layered and mixed and matched.” It led to results like the suede skirt layered over suede pants, and the trim crewneck and striped collar shirt tucked belted gray jeans. The spirit he was channeling was “bourgeois, but decontracté,” he suggested, pointing to a checked button-down worn with a leather bomber and a khaki twill pencil skirt, and another checked button-down with a full skirt. There is much more to restlessly drool over in this lookbook: the pastel pant suits, the colorful suede intrecciato separates, the homoerotic-coded bandana bag, and a vibrant horizontally striped knit dress with the nubby pile of a carpet. Each piece is a wearable, meaningful artwork – that might be the ethos of Blazy’s Bottega Veneta.

Need a Bottega wardrobe fix?

ED’s SELECTION:

Jodie Mini Knotted Leather And Shearling Tote

Printed Leather Straight-leg Pants

Canalazzo Striped Intrecciato Leather Pumps

Printed Denim Shirt

Layered Cotton-blend Poplin And Bouclé Shirt

Small Solstice Shoulder Bag

Jacquard Feather Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Great. Ralph Lauren Pre-Fall 2024

May 2, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

This Ralph Lauren collection had to grow on me for a moment. But when I saw Anok Yai in her finale look, consisting of a cowboy hat and stunning body-skimming sequined gown, being applauded by the all-American designer – who himself wore a blue western shirt, a pair of well-worn jeans and grey New Balance trainers – I was like “wow, this is it“! The pre-fall 2024 collection, which Ralph presented a couple of days ago in New York, is a reminder that he’s a great designer. One of the greatest. A living legend. “The woman I design for has a beauty that comes from an inner confidence,” he noted in his press release. “My collection is inspired by that woman, her sense of timelessness, her individuality – a style that is forever.” The show’s opening song, Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” seemed chosen to call attention to that constancy, as did the first model Christy Turlington, whose career began in the 1980s on Lauren’s runway. Turlington wore neat tailoring, a tie tucked into the waistband of her trousers, with an RL 888 leather tote in the same shade of buff gray as her clothing. Neckties and power suits were recurring sights on the autumn runways; for Lauren they’re not seasonal affectations, but rather pieces that he’s returned to over the years, sharpening and fine-tuning them. City sophistication and red carpet drama are essential parts of his repertoire, as well. These were represented by a chunky cardigan and cocktail dress combo (so good), the pinstripe jacket he threw over a silk charmeuse shirt and long skirt in gunmetal gray. Yes to all that, forever.