Outfit
It’s been cold as hell the past few days, but today, we needed to bring out the almighty Balloon Skirt by Comme des Garçons. It’s insulated enough to keep these gams warm, so we’re all good.
Because of these freezing (not rly) temperatures, I’m mostly seeing your classic wool overcoats with a hoodie, scarf wrapped around, and chunky shoes. There have been some impeccably dressed people here, but the ones that are really standing out are the older locals — wearing the smallest of glasses, or a pop of colour with an all-black outfit.
Personally, I’m all for both of these things, so I will be adopting this as best as I can back home. Vancouver, we gotta step our fitussy up. Seriously.
The Row
One of last year’s top brands, The Row continues to assert its dominance within the “quiet luxury” market by releasing their tasteful, and very wearable, Fall 2025 collection. One thing that immediately stood out to me wasn’t just the collection itself, but the photographs used. Rather than straightforward images showcasing each look, we saw a more experimental version of The Row. We saw blurred images, split-screen visuals, and even images of the garment alone, but with a twist by having them distorted in shape, or blurred as well.
This artistic approach not only showcases the brand’s forward-thinking creativity — it gives us a wonderful combination of their usually minimalist designs with an added layer of mystery and intrigue. Look 12, as seen below, could be a still from a David Lynch film (RIP).
Though simple to some, The Row never fails to release garments that are 1) wearable, 2) comfortable, and 3) designed to last (also shout out Designed To Last, a newsletter absolutely worth checking out). The Olsen twins have perfected their craft, furthering their care for high-quality fabrics and designing garments that leaving you looking bold yet sophisticated.
I’m not a customer of The Row, as I can barely afford one of their sweaters, but I certainly want to become one.
Stein
Kiichiro Asakawa knows exactly what he’s doing, and he is doing it right. Stein, along with the likes of an Auralee, have been building plenty of buzz over the last few years, with each collection being stronger than the last. The Japanese label made their Paris debut this week, drawing in a lot of new attention.
Wool, wool wool. Just by looking at these images, you can already tell how comfortable each garment must feel on a cold, rainy day like today. The fabric adds a layer of character to an otherwise sleek and casual look — along with the distressed, dirtied denim shorts that you would see out in the country after tuning up your ATVs, or some Upper West Side leather-daddy pieces (e.g. look 30). The collection is very cohesive and, similar to The Row’s, offers endless possibilities of mixing and matching without any hesitation. Something I didn’t see in Louis Vuitton’s latest collection… just saying.
(Also, seriously, what is happening at Kenzo?)
As I mentioned in a previous post, we are continuing to see the rise of elegance in menswear. Stein, along with the likes of Auralee and Lemaire, continue to add fuel to the fire with remarkable collections like this. Though it would be nice to see more variety in colour choices — says the guy that only wears black and navy — I can confidently say that we’re only to going to hear more about Stein. Truthfully, if we see another recap article for 2025 going over top-selling brands of the year, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Kiichiro’s work up there.
Prada (written by Edward Luetkehoelter)
On Sunday, January 19th, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons took to a tower of scaffolding with a single strip of twisting art-nouveau carpet (Vogue’s Luke Leitch ID’d the pattern as one by Catherine Martin) to show their newest menswear show – one predominantly concerned with Western fashions (in the cowboy sense), strugglings with youth, and Prada’s signature ugly-chic styling. If you’re familiar with Raf Simons oeuvre, those first two concerns are ones he’s grappled with for years – the former largely since his debut at Calvin Klein in 2017, and the latter since his now-defunct (still shocking) eponymous label’s debut in 1995.
This show took the cowboy drawl in the direction of upturned (sometimes floral) cowboy boots, western-yoke knit sweaters (look 33), glossy oversized puffer jackets that seem pulled from the closet of a Heavy Duty Ivy enthusiast (look 21). There were also endless uses of ragged shearling draped along the shoulders, which felt a bit like some fur trader left to fend off the cold. A look of slim jeans paired with a tight tee, printed with a floral that looks pulled off a 70s couch cushion, felt like something a closeted teenager stuck in the midwest might wear out after pilfering his sister’s wardrobe, which, barring the midwest bit, is a pretty alright analogy for this whole Raf/Prada affair (I do mean this affectionately).
Speaking of adolescent nightlife, and circling back to Raf’s struggles with youth, the very first look felt it may’ve been an ode to that past he’s always fighting to get back. It was a tight look, a clinging wooly or cashmere-y knit top with what seems like emulations of dermal chest piercings, a big swinging anchor chain (which I can’t quite place for meaning), and completed by those universal western boots and perfect slim trousers.
All this talk of Raf isn’t to say that Miuccia Prada’s sensibilities were excluded – again, ugly-chic styling reigned supreme (e.g., looks 5, that sister-stolen affair, and 45, a sleeveless shearling hoodie with floral shoulders), and one knit in particular, a short-sleeve situation in look 53, felt particularly like part of the Miu Miu-niverse. Overall, this was an eclectic show, an Americana show, and, given the visible scaffolding, maybe a deliberate attempt to try and fail to completely make sense of how the world is right now. Prada said, in an interview before the show (and as quoted by Leitch in his Vogue review) – “[the show] is a bit of an answer, as always, to what is happening[,]”. It is the eve of an exceptionally controversial presidential inauguration.
I think I can see what she’s getting at.
(Chris’ take:
After looking back at their show, and better understanding the additional commentary by Miuccia Prada, I can still say that I’m not loving this collection. As a whole, Raf definitely led the charge in creative direction, as the wearability often seen in Prada — despite its often odd-fitting, or bold/ugly colour choices — isn’t as prominent as past collections.
There’s a playfulness to it that I can appreciate during these turbulent times, however, I can’t help but wonder if Raf is settling back into his old ways. This all-star partnership as produced memorable collections, though I won’t be adding this one to the list.
Raf, don’t overextend your stay. Don’t be like Coldplay.)
Magliano (written by Edward Luetkehoelter)
I first became familiar with Luchina Magliano’s eponymous label after his FW2023 show, a dark happening which I could only mentally categorize as: “sexy disheveled professor”. After his FW2025 collection, I have refined my category… to “sexier disheveled professor”.
Magliano seems to thrive on an interplay between overt weirdness and deadpan eroticism. On his website, you’ll find the “condom beanie” (guess what it looks like) a few rows away from the affectionately ugly “gattone” knit sweater. His FW2025 collection takes these expectations and runs with them: a black and silver belt, made into a little bow, which seemingly requires two hands to undo, a tight fitting knit sweater with an MS paint illustration of an SUV, a twisty wool skirt and top set with three logo hits – once on the skirt’s folded down waistband, and twice on a slyly revealed boxer.
This sort of atypical sexuality, at least in this collection, was inspired by Luchina’s home turf of the Riviera Romagnola, where, according to the designer, the beaches often turned into debauchery, and where the winters would turn the resort Lido di Spina from a ideal sunscape to a blustery seascape – the runway itself was designed to emulate this dark strip of nighttime sand, the site of a “search for a violent moment of revelation that brings hidden emotions to the surface”*.
Luchina insists that one “cannot fight chaos with chaos”*, and that the clothes are simplified to ease this emotional search. I’m not sure whether I’d call the looks simple, especially ones like look 9, which has moto leggings, a capacious rhombus of a bag (box?), a grey knit wool bomber, ballet heels, and some strappy undergarment. Nor would I call look 28 simple, consisting of a longline black bomber with a buckled bottom cinch, a teddy bear adorned scarf, 5-inch shorts, and sporty trainers.
Whether or not I agree with Luchina’s definition of simple matters little, though, because all these looks continue his perfect sexy (two-hander belts, playfully flipped beltlines, shirts that appear in the process of being torn off, look 33) disheveled (creasing, stain adjacent knit motifs, bunching and tearing) professor (see below) legacy. The models frequently dip into the 55+ age range, and, particularly in the male looks, there’s a pleasant chucking of the waifish beauty standards that we’ve seen blowing back up in these past few years. I don’t know about the kids, but, according to Magliano, the middle-aged are alright.
Closing Notes
So far, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed collections by Auralee, Magliano, Stein, and Setchu. I’ll be reviewing Walter van Beirendonck’s shortly, along with Lemaire’s, and will be releasing another article tomorrow afternoon. Also, today I had the pleasure of visiting Gathering’s showroom in Paris, and I will be releasing a little reel — showcasing some of my favourite pieces from their collection, and an interview with Haider, the founder of the UK-based brand.
I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful each piece is, and after trying several pieces on, I can confirm how ridiculously comfortable each one is. Truly phenomenal work by the ever-talented Haider, who may still be working on those posters for their showroom. Who knows.
As always, much love to you, and thank you for your support. It’s been a wonderful trip so far and I hope to continue doing this in the future.
Thanks for reading!
Your support is greatly appreciated as I continue working towards growing this newsletter and slowly turning it into something bigger. The end goal is to turn this into a publication, featuring interviews with individuals within the fashion realm, covering collections and shows, etc. Maybe we can make it to fashion week - who knows.
If you can, please like, subscribe and share this puublication if you found it helpful, fun, or if it just helped pass the time tbh.
Thank you for your support. Love ya.
- Chris
I'm an absolute fan of The Row and Stein, can never afford any of it though 😭
The row is always so gas every god damn season i swear.