Girl Uninterrupted. Zimmermann SS24

December 27, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

I’ve never been a Zimmermann person, but since Lana Del Rey was wearing the brand’s dresses throughout her 2023 tour, I had to reinvestigate its ultra-girl charm. And I must say that I’m in love with Nicky Zimmermann‘s spring-summer 2024 offering. In a collection that contained three main and sometimes intermingling strands – sportily versatile knit pieces; volumized many-ruffled and guipure-edged georgette and charmeuse dresses; and slouchy but smart tailoring in denim and leather – you had a sense of breezy easiness. The pastel jersey looks resembled off-duty dancers’ attire, built for freedom of movement but not visually defined by technicality: a compelling alternative for the yoga-pant constituency. This sporty duality carried over into racerback white lace crops, which were used as formfitting eveningwear base layers over pretty, vaguely Sicilian baptism-gown butterfly-and-flower-pattern voile dresses edged with more cappuccino froths of lace. There was similar genre-blending in looks that placed spaghetti-strap, sometimes semi-sheer tiered mid-length backless dresses over appealingly generous, carrot-cut washed jeans, or light lace tops under textured tailoring. The dresses included a caped and draped robe in graduated dégradé patches of violet, orange, and pale yellow derived from abstract landscapes. Zimmermann said the often layered and backless flower-bomb gowns and shirtdresses had been purposefully given a washed, faded finish because “we want it to feel that the girls are walking and the flowers are just around them.” Sometimes garlanded with lace petals and handsome golden jewelry, including bunch-of-grapes earrings, these had a Dionysian freshness to them. As the viral TikTok sound sums up, “this is so Lana Del Rey vinyl“.

Need some Zimmermann wardrobe fix? Let me help!

ED’s SELECTION:

Grosgrain-trimmed Wool And Silk-blend Duchesse-satin Blazer

Gathered Silk And Wool-blend Mini Dress

Ruffled Tiered Gathered Floral-print Crepon Mini Dress

Asymmetric Floral-print Linen And Silk-blend Midi Dress

Large Leather And Macramé-trimmed Straw Tote

Crochet-trimmed Patchwork Paisley Linen Midi Dress

Pussy-bow Corded Lace-trimmed Striped Linen And Silk-blend Mini Dress

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Last Minute: COS Gifts Edit

December 17, 2023December 16, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

COS has your holiday season covered. The brand has knits in all shapes and textures, eveningwear that dashes with jacquards and sequins, and timeless accessories – basically everything that will come handy this holiday party circuit. As keyed to real life as COS’ capsule collections are, they’re not humorless. Think XXL polka dots and playful details.

Here’s my last minute COS gift guide!

FOR HER:

QUILTED MICRO BAG

ASYMMETRIC SEQUINNED MINI DRESS

HEART SIGNET RING

FRINGED CAPE

FAIR ISLE MERINO WOOL BALACLAVA

OVERSIZED FRAMED CLUTCH

OVERSIZED ORGANIC-SHAPED CLIP-ON EARRINGS

OVERSIZED POLKA-DOT WOOL-BLEND BLAZER

POLKA-DOT TAFFETA MIDI SKIRT

STUDDED WRISTLET POUCH

SILK-BLEND VELVET BLAZER

RIBBED CASHMERE SLIPPERS

FOR HIM:

SLOUCHY CROSSBODY

TRI-TONE WOOL CREW-NECK JUMPER

CHUNKY RIBBED WOOL SOCKS

QUILTED PADDED LINER GILET

PURE CASHMERE BEANIE

Contemporary. Helmut Lang Pre-Fall 2024

December 14, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Peter Do’s second collection – pre-fall 2024 – for Helmut Lang proves that the designer might be really the right match for the brand. Helmut Lang, the label, has been struggling for years with finding it’s tune. No wonder why: it’s difficult to position a contemporary brand without its namesake founder at helm. Just look at what’s going on at Ann Demeulemeester. Do, however, always seemed to have a similar aesthetical sensitivity to Lang, and while his debut collection last September was bumpy, the newest collection offers a more developed glimpse at his vision for the New York-based brand. You can easily see these slinky, less-is-more clothes hanging on racks in stores and imagine customers being attracted to their essential cool. You can also see @brendahashtag wearing every single look. Worth mentioning are the paint-splattered pieces, an OG Helmut Lang specialty, all done by hand by an artist from LA. And the raw denim is cut with adaptable flap pockets, versatility being one of Do’s signatures. The tailoring, meanwhile, is made with an attention to detail that seems rare at these price points – see the inner waistband of the trousers for proof. Excess straps and oversize proportions might seem like too much at the first sight, but all the zippers you see have a function: the sleeves come off a leather biker jacket, and pants zip into shorts or go from straight-leg to flared. A two-in-one bomber puffer in black with white accents was another standout.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Handsome Femininity. Victoria Beckham Pre-Fall 2024

December 11, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

“I like to put a bit of myself into my collections,” says Victoria Beckham. For pre-fall 2024, the designer followed the threads of the semi-autobiographical mainline show she put on in Paris: ideas stemming from the weekend country-life she lives these days on the one hand, and from her ballet-mad girlhood on the other. The collection informed both, her knack for styling – as usual – and by her empathy for making clothes that are actually useful. The contemporary-dance influence flows through her series of long, fluid dresses. Some have cutout necklines with wired curliqued inserts. What’s newer, but also well-established by now, is Beckham’s reputation for tailoring. That’s the side she refers to as “handsome feminity” in this collection – meaning the look of British heritage tweeds and preppy peacoats, styled together with turtlenecks, shirts, and cropped flares, or casualized with cargo pants or various permutations of denim pieces. She has a well-judged way of making these templates interesting as well as simple to wear.

Want some Victoria Beckham wardrobe update? Let me help!

Ed’s Selection:

Victoria Beckham – Satin Gown

Victoria Beckham – Tie-detailed Silk Crepe De Chine Blouse

Victoria Beckham – Ribbed-knit Turtleneck Top

Victoria Beckham – Cutout Two-tone Wool-blend Turtleneck Sweater

Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Frazzled Tweedy Woman. Chanel Pre-Fall 2024

December 9, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

When Virginie Viard is inspired, she nails it. Her latest Chanel métiers d’art collection presented in Manchester was just brilliant and full of wit. It’s clear that the city and its culture has truly stimulated the designer. Alive with a vibrant pop spirit born in Manchester and kept alive across the decades, the show embraced the creative dialogue between Great Britain and the brand – a dialogue that was started by Coco Chanel herself when she brought British tweed to Paris. The collection shimmers and shines with playful nods to British music culture, and it’s also an ode to the frazzled British woman all layered up in chunky knits and long scarves. Legendary bands like Oasis and Joy Division call Manchester home, after all, and the models – with their pearls, slept-in black eyeliner and side bangs – appeared as though they might have just washed off a hand stamp after sneaking back from a show at Pip’s Disco. “Manchester is the basis of a music culture that has changed the face of the world,” sais Viard. To play off of the “vibrant pop spirit” that she infused in the house’s tweeds and quilted leather, models were given smudged-up reverse eyeliner that read like slept-in makeup after a night of chasing afterparties. At dusk, as the looks strolled down the umbrella-dotted outdoor runway on Thomas Street to the sounds of Soft Cell and New Order, this appeared to be one of the finest Chanel collections by Viard to date.