Michael Rider

Ode to a revitalising scarf



The Sartorialist

I said a few weeks ago that I didn’t think Michael Rider’s Celine would radically change the way we dress. I still don’t, other than I think he’s succeeding in shifting the tyranny of ‘quiet luxury’ into a more colourful direction.

And one key way he’s doing that is with the silk square scarf.

Formerly Hermès territory, the Celine scarf feels more sporty, vital and graphic. Hermès scarves can also be graphic but there’s often a lot going on in them. (Some have as many as 47 colours, requiring 47 engraving films, as I once discovered on an Hermès workshop tour.) My favourite Hermès scarves were always the geometric ones I loved the Sugimoto (below), Josef Albers (below) and Natalie Rich-Fernadez’s Delaunay-esque ones of a few years ago. (more…)



Coupling up (continued)



Tommy Ton double bag

In an era of post quiet luxury careful consumption, styling becomes all-important. Some say stylists were the unsung heroes of the recent menswear shows (I concur!) and they demonstrate plenty of ways to invigorate an existing wardrobe without extra outlay.

One of my favourite tricks is doubling up and I’m seeing this play out a lot on runways and IRL. I’ve already covered double shirts and the layered tees from Celine SS26. Some other easy multiples to consider…

Double belts are becoming a regular feature of Michael Rider’s Celine collections (below) and there’s also an argument for wearing a belt on naked skin, with another looser one over your clothes for an erotic charge à la Hermès in Harper’s Bazaar (more…)



Shop the post: short skirt, flat shoe



Celine ss26

On the back of summer’s big shorts revival I’m anticipating an equally enthusiastic short skirt comeback. It chimes with the tennis-core vibe of the last two summers, as we got more comfortable with getting our legs out and teaming tennis-adjacent skirts with low profile Keds, Supergas, sneakerinas and jazz shoe silhouettes*. (more…)



Not your mother’s Versace



Versace SS26 by Dario Vitale

Oh, the Medusa head medallion-clutching at Versace SS26!

It was the most polarising Fashion Month debut so far and I get it. But in a way, polarising is good.

Let’s break it down.

After a few very campy Instagram teasers, the show itself (the first from new creative director Dario Vitale) was a much younger, messier, some say Miu Miu-coded affair. (more…)