January 15, 2026 |
As Pitti Uomo 109’s guest designer, Hed Mayner chose the Palazzina Reale di Santa Maria Novella, a modernist white-marble insertion within Florence’s main station complex, as a suitably dislocating stage for his AW26 co-ed show. The location’s civic severity sharpened Mayner’s ongoing project: nudging archetypes just far enough off-centre that they feel newly inhabitable.
This was a winter wardrobe built on volume and adjustment rather than drama. Boxy suiting came airy and deliberately loose, sometimes Japanese-collared and gently cinched at the waist, in taupe wool gabardines that carried their structure forward. Jackets pushed shoulders ahead of the body, sleeves curving away from the elbow, while belted overcoats squeezed bulk into shape. Flood-length trousers pooled into socks; oversized blazers hovered around the torso with casual intent.
Elsewhere, softness intervened. Silk pyjama sets and draped tunics slipped easily beneath the collection’s heavier propositions, tempering structure with ease. A colossal faux fur coat made a case for excess as insulation rather than spectacle. Tiered dresses were pleated and distressed at the hem while a draped silver sequin dress and a matching twinset for men caught the station’s harsh lighting with a controlled, silvery glare. Silver-foiled denim, suede tunics peppered with pleats, gingham capes and high collars all contributed to a sense of clothes in quiet motion.
Accessories grounded the proposition. White trainers arrived lived-in, Reebok’s heat-warped NPC Insigna boots elongated and strange, while suede stompers and scrunched leather boots added weight. Chains – more dog collar than jewellery – dangled from necks and belt loops. Mayner’s wrongness, once again, felt exactly right: wearable, slightly unsettled and insistently personal.
Photography courtesy of Hed Mayner.
