24 September, 2025

Cold eroticism at Jil Sander SS26

Jil Sander ss26

In the absence of a ticket, I watched Simone Bellotti’s debut SS26 show on YouTube. As one of 13 key designer debuts this season, it’s one of the first shows that will be discussed big. Coming from a very critically successful few seasons at Bally, Bellotti has engineered a lot of good feeling from the press.

I loved this debut. It felt stripped back to the spare linear silhouettes of OG Jil Sander, with a pure colour palette that nodded to Raf-era. Within that I particularly liked the cold eroticism of Lucio Fontana-esque cutaway slashes in the skirts and cut-out back details, unexpected pops of silver, some great bags and the flat shoes. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Business of fashion, Designers, Fashion shows, News fashion shows, Jil Sander, Simone Bellotti, SS26

8 July, 2025

Michael Rider’s Celine Spring 26: first impressions are in

Celine Spring 26 by Michael Rider

Sunday saw quite the buzz around the New New Celine show – the debut by Michael Rider, a well-liked alumnus of Phoebe Philo’s Celine, Nicholas Ghesquiere’s Balenciaga and Polo Ralph Lauren.

The result was – quelle surprise! – an amalgam of Ralph, Phoebe’s Celine and Hedi’s Celine. What does that look like? Classic Ralph-like preppy-isms (camel coats, primary colours, blazers and rugby shirts), Phoebe-era scarves and bags, and Hedi’s cool factor in the skinny pants (hated those!) and indie-Oxbridge haircuts. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Fashion shows, Menswear, News Celine, designers, fashion shows, Hedi Slimane, luxury, Michael Rider, Phoebe Philo, Ralph Lauren, SS26

4 July, 2025

On Willy Chavarria SS26, refined subversion and a menswear succession moment

Willy Chavarria SS26

“I’m not interested in luxury as a symbol of privilege. I’m interested in luxury as a symbol of truth in one’s own character. Exquisite tailoring and craftsmanship worn to elevate one’s personal intent — that’s power. That’s fashion.” Willy Chavarria, SS26

Boy, was I fortunate to see this quote in action last Friday, from my Paris menswear front row seat at Salle Pleyel. From the sober-but-powerful opening scene (to José Feliciano’s California Dreamin’) of 35 men in long white tees, shorts and socks, referencing the recent dehumanisation of U.S immigrants in Salvadoran prisons, the collection then went on to exuberantly reflect Chavarria’s personal exploration of identity, resistance and “refined subversion”. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Brands, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Fashion shows, Magazines, Menswear, Music, News, Trends fashion shows, Giorgio Armani, long read, menswear, models, Omahyra Mota, Ralph Lauren, SS26, trends, Willy Chavarria

7 March, 2025

The culture of fashion: how the catwalk soundtrack got its groove

Michael Clark Bodymap fashion show - photograph by Robert Rosen courtesy BodyMap

Models! Clothes! Music! Fashion show soundtracks are increasingly part of shaping a brand’s identity. And in the digital era they’re about to become even more important…

The year was 2017. Kim Jones was menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton. At the appointed hour, his first models sloped onto the Paris runway in iterations of slouchy 80s overcoats, baggy flannel trousers and Basquiat-style suits with untucked shirts. Then the kicker – internet-breaking Speedy holdalls emblazoned with red-and-white Supreme logos. And to add the crucial fourth musical dimension: Honey Dijon’s mix of Sound Factory bangers including Chez Damier’s Can You Feel It (MK Dub), completing the downtown New York nostalgia trip.

Since then, other notable catwalk soundtracks have included LaQuan Smith’s AW23 Ballroom fabulosity-fest; Benji B’s eerie David Lynch-like Chromatics mix for Jil Sander SS25 and Saint Laurent’s long-term music collaboration with DJ SebastiAn – so integral to the brand, they packaged it as a box set and sold it in Saint Laurent stores. (more…)