On the gentle patina of archive Armani in Arena Homme Plus



Arena Homme Plus Armani by Alasdair McLellan


Max Pearmain
and Alasdair McLellan’s Armani tribute portfolio in Arena Homme Plus is a fab reminder of the casual greatness of Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans (aside from Giorgio’s soft tailoring legacy).

Pearmain’s mix and mismatch layered styling is complemented by McLellan’s contemporary lens and Piotr Chamier’s casting and all are underscored by Ashley Heath’s editor’s letter (below) celebrating the decades-spanning appeal of the recently departed sprezzatura master. (more…)



Random Recs: ‘Unplugging’, Soshiotsuki x Zara, Spud shoes, TURN Paris and more



Zara x Aaron Levine

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…

1/ Unplug me. I’m never sure if these anti-digital ’trends’ are real or if I’m just seeing them in my echo chamber because I want them to be. Nevertheless, Vogue Business has intel to back up its claim that unplugging ‘has become luxury’s most valuable currency’, reporting that The Global Wellness Summit’s The Future of Wellness trend report named ‘analogue wellness’ as its top trend for 2025. It also reports that 67% of Americans long for the “pre-plugged-in” era, while 79% of US Gen Zs actively aspire to interact more in the physical world. (more…)



Are we ready to dress up?



Dries van Noten ss26 by Morgane Maurice

Robert Armstrong made a good point a few weeks ago in the FT. “Intentional underdressing [normcore et al] has become ubiquitous and so lost its power. It’s less fun for the mogul to wear a hoodie when his toadies do too; this explains why dressing up is, slowly but surely, coming back in”.

With the long-awaited arrival of NikeSKIMS, this suggests we’ve reached the apex of casual underdressing. It only recently dawned on me why athleisure was so popular for the last five years. Firstly, it’s easy to wear – pull on and go. (more…)



Random Recs: a Tekla store, Claire de Rouen, Eddie Bauer, the future of shopping and more



Tekla x Auralee

A few snippets of digital ephemera and IRL recommendations I’ve enjoyed lately…

1/ CLAIRE DE ROUEN is returning to Soho. The much-loved art-fashion-photography bookshop is celebrating its 20th year with a new space in the centre of town next month. It was always a fave place to buy presents for those hard-to-buy-for types and now it also promises “screenings, signings, talks and exhibitions”. Along with the likes of Donlon Books, BookMarc, Reference Point and Tenderbooks, Claire de Rouen (below) is a great example of arty, bookish hangouts as ‘cultural third spaces’ where you can meet like-minded curious types, expand your knowledge and get off your phone for a few hours. (more…)