Issue #15 July 2026

Week of 5 July 2026

Lisa’s take

Most interviews in fashion are decided before the first technical question. They are decided in the first two minutes, when you explain what you do and why you do it.

The candidates who struggle are not the ones with thin portfolios. They are the ones who cannot talk about their work without reading from it. They point at the screen and say 'this is a project I did.' They do not tell you what problem they solved.

Start with the decision, not the description

Instead of 'this is a colour story I put together for a womenswear brief,' try 'our customer was fatigued by maximalism, so I pulled back to a tonal palette and let the fabrication do the work.' One version describes a task. The other shows a thought process.

Speak to the result

You do not need sales figures to talk about outcome. 'The buyer chose three of my five options for the range plan' is a result. 'The creative director asked to see more from that direction' is a result. If you produced work that moved something forward, say so plainly.

Prepare three stories, not thirty

Pick three projects you can talk about cold, with no notes. Know the brief, the tension, the decision, the outcome. Everything else in your portfolio is supporting evidence. Those three stories are your interview.

If this is something you want help preparing before a round of applications, reply to this email. I am happy to work through it with you.

Anyway, here's your week in fashion.

The week in fashion

Couture week just handed us the year's first real fashion story, and it had nothing to do with clothes.

Pierpaolo Piccioli Steps Into Balenciaga

Paris Couture Week kicked off with the debut everyone's been waiting for. Pierpaolo Piccioli showed his first collection for Balenciaga this week, after leaving Valentino behind. Duran Lantink took his own bow at Jean Paul Gaultier too. Two houses, two totally different energies, one very packed schedule. Early word from the front row: Piccioli's Balenciaga already feels sharper and more architectural. His Valentino was soft-focus by comparison.

Margiela, Unfiltered

"Personal Archives" opened in Paris this week. Over 200 photographs, drawings and objects, pulled straight from Martin Margiela's own collection. No spin, no brand messaging, just the man's private references laid bare. Margiela hasn't given an interview in years. This is about as close as most of us will get to how his mind actually works. If you're in Paris before it closes on 8 July, go.

The Scandal Luxury Can't Shake

Milan's courts are still working through subcontractor investigations. They've named Tod's, Loro Piana, Valentino, Dior and Giorgio Armani so far. This isn't going away quietly, and it shouldn't. Heritage marketing only works if the story behind the label holds up. Right now, several of these stories don't. Expect more houses to get pulled in before the year's out.

Menswear's New Mood

Paris menswear settled on a look this season: loose, soft, deliberately unglossy. Highsnobiety is calling it "aspirational realism," which is a fancy way of saying men are done trying so hard. Think unstructured tailoring, soft shoulders, fabrics that move instead of holding their shape. Celine and Dior both leaned into it, and it's a relief after a decade of logo-heavy maximalism. I'm into it.

McKinsey's Verdict on Luxury

The State of Fashion 2026 report landed this week, and its luxury chapter is blunt. Shoppers no longer buy the value story at these prices. Consumers can smell a markup with no craft behind it, and they're not forgiving about it. Houses that can't explain what they're actually charging for will keep losing ground. The ultra-high end and the smart mid-market are both eating their lunch.

Where Did the Club Kids Go?

A third of UK nightclubs have shut since 2020, and fashion's subcultures grew up on nightlife. Dazed's piece on London's disappearing scene is worth your time. Fewer venues means fewer places for kids to try on an identity before committing to it in daylight. Style doesn't come from nowhere. It comes from rooms that are increasingly hard to find.

Paris couture wraps this week. I'll be watching what Piccioli does next more closely than anything else on the calendar.

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