Debonair. Wales Bonner SS26

As Grace Wales Bonner gradually prepares for her new, high-profile role at Hermès (her debut will arrive exactly a year from now), the autumn–winter 2026 collection under her namesake label serves as a reminder of why she is so perfectly suited to one of Paris’s most prestigious menswear positions. It is a serene meditation on debonair elegance, informed by modernist architecture. Her thinking this season revolves around Indian modernism and modernist architecture more broadly, approaching modernism as a means of renegotiating and creating new identities, while also exploring something graphic, almost uniform-like in its clarity and restraint.

There is no shortage of such propositions, whether in the tailcoat and tuxedo trousers – tailored in indigo linen and paired with a linen wingtip-collar shirt, softened through washing – or in a Madras-checked jacket with a leather collar. This season, Wales Bonner also added John Smedley, the Derbyshire knitwear manufacturer founded in 1784, to her select circle of suppliers, delighting in its archive and fine British craftsmanship. She has long favored collaboration with highly specialized makers, valuing depth of knowledge and precision above all else.

One can only imagine what awaits in January 2027 – after all, great things take time.

ED’s SELECTION:

adidas Originals x Wales Bonner Karintha Sequined Satin Sneakers


Wales Bonner Anthem Embroidered Mesh-trimmed Jersey Track Jacket


Wales Bonner Presence Studded Organza Blouse


Wales Bonner Echo Leather-trimmed Organic Denim Jacket


Wales Bonner Java Macrame Fringe Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Gentle Masculinity. Giorgio Armani AW26

Leo dell’Orco saved Milan Men’s Fashion Week with his gently masculine Giorgio Armani collection. As the passing of the Italian maestro still feels absolutely shocking – and I remain in denial – the brand is clearly in very good hands, guided by his protégé and a rigorously disciplined team. After seeing today’s show, I truly don’t want to hear the Hedi Slimane rumors anymore. What was sent down the runway was a genuinely aspirational vision of menswear – one that is neither performative nor toxically pumped up.

This was pure Armani: elegance, solidity, timelessness. It’s impossible to count all the menswear staples I loved in this line-up – from Giorgio’s signature bombers, first introduced in the 1980s, to a cropped trench coat; from heavy-duty reversible shearling coats (buttoned only at the neck, a quintessentially Armani gesture) to tailored jackets in fluid velvet (the colours – ah!). It truly felt like a candy store – only this one offers extra-fine dark chocolate, with no sugar added.

Giorgio Armani has always stood for continuity – something designers like Phoebe Philo and Hed Mayner have clearly taken up – serving excellence, quietly and consistently. That tradition is beautifully nurtured.

ED’s SELECTION:

Giorgio Armani Men’s Herringbone Cashmere and Wool Bomber Jacket


Giorgio Armani Men’s Silk Denim Effect Button-Down Shirt


Giorgio Armani Men’s Woven Leather Tassel Loafers


Giorgio Armani Men’s Silk Stripe Neck Scarf


Giorgio Armani Men’s Stripe Chenille Double-Breasted Shawl-Lapel Sport Coat

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Melancholy. Prada AW26

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’s joint effort at Prada may not have been conservative in concept, but it unmistakably foreshadowed recession – economic, political, cultural. The show venue at Fondazione Prada resembled a ruined palace or temple constructed from spolia. The clothes sent down the runway – on models decidedly less hunky than those seen at other houses – bore visible signs of distress. Slender, waist-cinched jackets were deliberately creased, their worn wool appearing raw and coarse. A beige leather coat was frayed at the edges, as though it had been worn – and lived in – for decades.

There was something deeply melancholic about the collection as a whole, something distinctly 1930s in its sense that the good days were coming to an end. Prada’s runway tailoring felt resolutely anti-Bezos, anti-Vance. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Prada Men’s Wool Knit Stripe Crewneck Sweater


Prada Men’s Poplin Chest Logo Full-Zip Shirt Jacket


Prada Men’s Hawaiian-Print Short-Sleeve Shirt


Prada Men’s Collapse Nylon and Suede Low-Top Sneakers


Prada Men’s Solid Short-Sleeve Sweater


Prada Men’s Re-Nylon Snap-Front Jacket

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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