Designers / Brand portrait
The Row: why a simple shape asks for a closer look
Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s house puts fabric, proportion and precise tailoring at the centre. Here is a way to understand that restraint.
The house notes
Behind the name,
a point of view.
Meet The Row, Miu Miu, Chanel, Dior, Khaite and Balmain through design ideas, documented objects and house histories.
Designers / Brand lens
Miu Miu: the pleasure of an outfit that does not quite match
A house shaped by Miuccia Prada’s experiments with contradiction. Why a slightly unexpected pairing can feel more personal than a perfect set.
Designers / Object-led history
Chanel through the 2.55: how a practical detail becomes a signature
Quilting and a chain strap make a useful starting point for reading Chanel’s design language beyond the logo.
Designers / Archive explainer
Dior’s Bar suit: a house identity written in proportions
An ivory jacket and a dark pleated skirt became a lasting reference. What the 1947 ensemble can teach us about reading shape.
Designers / Brand portrait
Khaite: the tension between structure and softness
Catherine Holstein’s New York label describes itself through opposing elements. A closer look at why that balance matters.
Designers / House history
Balmain: architecture, ornament and the power of a repeated line
From Pierre Balmain’s postwar couture to the Labyrinth motif, a guide to reading structure and decoration together.
More designer studies
Search designer storiesDesigners / Collection lens
Prada’s most interesting layer is the one underneath
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons make a case for an outfit that changes as you move through the day.
Designers / The detail
Loewe: when the surface becomes the story
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez put playful making at the centre of their second Loewe collection.
Designers / Viewing guide
How to look at a designer’s new chapter
Gucci’s Primavera collection offers a starting point for reading change at a fashion house.
Designers / Viewing guide
Why the full look still matters
Use Saint Laurent’s official Winter 26 collection to practise reading a silhouette from head to toe.
Designers / New York notebook
A small knot, a whole design language
Tory Burch’s Fall/Winter 2026 detail offers a useful lesson in looking closely.
Designers / Designer study
Madeleine Vionnet: why the direction of fabric matters
A 1938 dress offers a way into bias cutting, drape and the difference between simple appearance and simple construction.
Designers / Close reading
Cristóbal Balenciaga and the space around the body
Why a garment’s outline can be shaped by the air it leaves inside—and why loose does not mean unconstructed.
Designers / Fashion history
Le Smoking: the power of changing a dress code
Yves Saint Laurent’s 1966 tuxedo is a starting point for thinking about formalwear, context and the suit as a complete idea.
Designers / Process explained
Issey Miyake: when pleating happens after sewing
Changing the order of making can change the garment. A closer look at the idea behind garment pleating.
Designers / Designer study
Elsa Schiaparelli: how one unexpected detail changes everything
Surreal fashion is more than an unusual shape. It can make a familiar object behave in an unfamiliar way.
Designers / Ways of seeing
Rei Kawakubo: looking between familiar categories
What changes when “beautiful”, “finished” or “wearable” stops being the first question you ask?
Designers / Object lesson
The Chanel jacket: look past the surface texture
A museum-documented suit reveals how lining, hem and silhouette contribute to a recognisable design language.