critical review: dior's final flop, zebra print pops, & tory burch redeemed?

your guide to the 2026 resort collections worth talking about.

I never know how to start a newsletter.

Do I say, “Greetings!” Do I say, “Hello, everyone.”? Do I start with some amusing anecdote about my life?

Exhibit A: My week consisted of doing emergency surgery on a broken vintage snow globe. This involved taping the chipped piece of plastic over the leak, which, shockingly, did not hold. The result? A geyser of 30-year-old mystery water (with glitter) cascading down my legs, and a deeply damp piece of tape clinging on for dear life.

Or do I lead with a controversial “hot take” about fashion or pop culture?

Exhibit B: The Burberry festival campaign was cute, but I don’t think it’s some genius idea that will repair the brand or drastically increase profit margins by any means. Like, come on. They didn’t even feature Kate Moss.

The jury (me) is still out.

My last Critical Review was met with #positivity, so I’ve made the executive decision to carry on with the series. A series—where I spew (sort of) baseless opinions, blunt reviews, and well-researched (yet with zero authority) critiques about fresh fashion collections, pop culture news, or anything I find worthy of discussion.

Here’s the last edition for your viewing pleasure:

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In this edition of Critical Review, we’re talking all things 2026 Resort collections:

• Christian Dior

• Khaite

• Diesel

• Tory Burch

• Balenciaga

• Balmain

So, buckle up, grab your popcorn, and let’s get critical.

Siskel + Ebert being iconic, circa always.

Resort collections galore…and well…Dior!

Christian Dior: Resort 2026

Should we start off with the mother of all 2026 Resort shows —Christian Dior? Lets!

Anyone who considers themselves a “fashion person” is well aware of Jonathan Anderson’s ascension to the Dior Creative Director throne…meaning Maria Grazia Chiuri is out…meaning this was her last collection—one to close out a 9 year tenure.

*the world’s smallest violin plays, briefly*

Listen, stepping into this review, I had peaked at the collection a couple of times on Vogue Runway, and thought it wasn’t “so bad.” I had high hopes, truly. I was under the impression that the angle would be: Maria Grazia has ‘lightly soiled’ The House of Dior for 9 long years, but this final hurrah was a step in the right direction…albeit, right off a cliff.

But alas, feasting my eyes upon the collection in its entirety, I was less inspired. I felt a strong wave of chaos.

More couture than resort (honestly), the show was inspired by her native Rome—her childhood in Villa Albani Torlonia, the golden era of 1960s Roman glamour, the arts patronage of Mimi Pecci‑Blunt, and the mix of Renaissance statuary and Vatican vestments. Great, we love a theme. But a reference (or 6) does not a masterpiece make.

Sarah Mower of Vogue spoke to Grazia Chiuri at the show:

“To the designer, it was an enactment shot through with autobiographical meaning, cultural nuance—a bit of nonsense frivolity—and historical symbolism. And—she was laughing about this in the tented backstage area beforehand—it was deliberately intended to confuse. La Bella Confusione, a novel set in 1960s Rome was one starting point out of the many she infused into this show and its production. “A beautiful confusion,” she chuckled.”

You tell me: Is it the world’s biggest excuse to claim your inspiration is simply “confusion?” Is that a cop-out for creating a disjointed collection? Sure, I was confused with many of the styling choices, the copy/paste feeling of many accessories in certain looks, and the strange use of modern-day outerwear.

What blended it together was the color palette (easy-mode) and the wispy, romantic materials: sheer fabrics, satin, lace, and tulle.

I understood the intent—to create pieces that were both ethereal and strong. There were echoes of Roman structure throughout: bold shoulders, silk tailoring, column silhouettes, sweeping coattails. But the execution faltered in the styling department. Many looks felt visually disjointed. Heavy sheer and lace dresses often read as bulky instead of powerful.

The black lace masks were overused, especially in pairings that lacked synergy!! Way too Eyes Wide Shut, IMO. And don’t get me started on the modern peacoats thrown over floor-length lace dresses. They looked awkward and out of place. The styling further emphasized that a majority of these pieces are…pretty boring.

Let’s talk positive though.

I did enjoy the corset-style shiny moto jacket. This was one of few looks that was a cohesive blend of modern trends + the ethereal influences.

What else did I like? Grazia Chiuri CLEARY saved the best for last. It’s almost like she knew these were the only worthy looks…

Two beaded gowns debuted towards the end of the show (middle + right)—both complete with beautiful embellishments, creating the illusion of draping. Iconic, honestly.

And the final look AKA the best look—a pleated gown with the bodice embroidered to look like a man’s chest…marble sculpture style. All three of these looks were lovely, powerful, perfectly embodied the theme, and yet, they seemed like outliers. If only the entire collection was more “in line” with these dynamic looks, it could have been a swan song worth remembering. *Sigh*

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Khaite Resort 2026

I’ll be honest, I’m not super knowledgable about Khaite, but their Resort 2026 collection caught my eye. Why? Because I spent an hour last week trying to find a cute zebra print bag. I had been feeling a pull towards incorporating a POP of zebra into my wardrobe to balance out all the black I typically wear.

While my internet search fell short, I happened upon Khaite’s new collection that validated my recent obsession with the animal print pop (not that I need validation, but I was glad to know someone else “got it.”).

It’s cool, it’s glamour, it’s rock n’ roll chic. It’s very of-the-moment. I think zebra print can lean tacky if used incorrectly, as with most animal prints. It was certainly the through-line of this collection and they found dozens of ways to elevate it. Every application was more perfect than the next—my favorite being the oversize zebra bowling bag (bottom right look).

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Diesel Resort 2026

Glenn Martens has done a fantastic job with Diesel these past 5 years and even with the #bignews that he’ll be stepping into the Creative Director position at Maison Margiela, he continues to keep sharp focus on the luxury denim brand.

And yes, he will be the Creative Director at both Diesel + Maison Margiela simultaneously.

The Resort 2026 collection wasn’t anything insanely out-of-the-box for the brand, but I enjoyed a majority of the looks. How would I describe them?

• Deninnovative (innovative denim, duh)

• Club chic

• The personification of graffiti walls

It felt like a natural, more sophisticated descendant of the Brat Summer aesthetic —like club-goers transitioning from PARTYGIRL to job interview (in the best way). There are a ton of interesting fabric treatments, layering, and distressed details throughout that make you rethink everything you know about denim.

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Tory Burch Resort 2026

“Obviously I’m interested in the combination of masculine and feminine, twisting things and taking classics but making them different.” —Tory Burch on her 2026 Resort Collection

Have I given Tory Burch a lot of flak? Yes.

The recent, almost overnight buzz, countless celebrities/notable fashion people singing their praises, and the sneaky (suspicious) way they’ve dominated my social feeds has me scratching my head. I’ll admit. I’ve not been a fan of any of their recent collections, although their use of intriguing color combinations is something I can admire.

This collection, however, is a bit different…meaning I have less negative things to say. Goodie! Though I’m still not sure who their target audience is, the Resort 2026 collection contains pieces of intrigue. Again, their strange (complimentary) uses of color are refreshing. My favorites include:

• Pea soup green + crushed grape

• Oxblood + olive green + crushed grape + peachy nude

• Blood red + Chinese olive + dark jade green

I finally felt the preppy meets sporty meets vintage vision in this collection. Some of the looks, honestly, gave me toned-down Michele Valentino vibes —the ruched dresses, furs, and fishnets. Though I’m not a fan of the logo or Tory Burch’s particular brand of “glitz,” I did enjoy the slouchy, sequined polo top with a cone-breast illusion. I thought it was a clever use of Tory Burch’s signature sequins (that I normally hate).

All in all, it was a decent collection. I’m not mad about it.

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Balenciaga Resort 2026

You know who else had an (almost) swan song? Demna—Creative Director for Balenciaga who will be transitioning to the House of Gucci to (hopefully) fix the wrong doings of every Creative Director following Alessandro Michele.

While this wasn’t his last collection for Balenciaga, per-say (since he’ll be debuting a final couture show in July), it was his last ready-to-wear collection.

“This collection embodies the multitude of design codes that have been part of my creative vision and research on fashion at Balenciaga for a decade,” the designer said. “It combines pieces from 35 different collections with new pieces and garments from my personal wardrobe, representing the volumes, silhouettes, and attitudes that have defined my vision and my questioning of the contemporary wardrobe, what people actually wear, how they wear it, and what the fine line is between luxury and fashion.” —Demna

The concept of the collection is fun —a love letter to his time at the Spanish luxury house. That being said, I enjoyed some parts of it…but had a visceral reaction to others. It felt like American Psycho meets trash pile meets coked-up ski resort.

What did I love?

• Oversized blazers

• Giant coats, layered coats, ridiculous puffers

• Comically large bags

• Sheer bra dress (final 2 looks)

• Britney Spears tees

What did I hate?

• Every fit that looked like me, “being ugly” around my apartment

I have a pair of sweatpants that shrunk in the wash that I refuse to get rid of. These may very well be those pants.

• Bug sunglasses + floral dresses

• Cropped fur lined skinny jeans

Demna says he was inspired by…well, himself. But, I’m not fully convinced it wasn’t inspired by: Joey wearing all of Chandler’s clothes.

The end.

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Balmain Resort 2026

Clueless, but make it modern. Balmain’s Resort Collection is fresh. The visuals are stunning, in and of themselves. It’s fashion. It’s art. Through line? Angles.

Every photograph and every piece feel so meticulously crafted to fit into this space age, powerful femme, sculptural dream —a masterclass in fashion photography and art direction. Sure, there are some “trendy” elements throughout, like the use of butter yellow, blush pink, belted handbags, and fold-over boots, BUT Balmain turns the volume up to 100. Olivier Rousteing’s designs have me describing the collection as “of-the-moment,” instead of #trendy, which is a testament to how he’s taken seemingly overplayed “trends” and made them actually unique.

My favorite aspects of this collection?

• Giant rounded, spacey belt bags

• Use of floral with black

• Exaggerated belted handbags

• See-through fold-over boots

• Whimsical chairs !!!

• Giant shoulder pads

• Belting motif in the gowns towards the end of the collection (Look 47, 50, 51)

Critical Review Recs Section —What I’ve Been Buying for Summer

1. Tibi Larry Heel — Got these little witch shoes at the Tibi on St. Simons Island, GA, AKA the birthplace of Tibi, AKA my hometown. They are ridiculously comfortable, and not to mention…on sale.

2. Lands’ End Boat Tote — I tried to get an LL Bean Boat & Tote BUT they were sold out of red, sadly. So, I got a zip top from Lands’ End… and it’s a summer miracle. It’s massive. You could fit 2 small dogs inside, comfortably.

3. Lands’ End Canvas Pouches (CLOWN COLORS) — Say hello to my new makeup bags. These are way sturdier than any regular makeup bag I’ve bought from TJ Maxx, tbh. I have been sleeping on canvas for far too long.

4. Creative Pragmatist Book (2nd Edition) — Listen, you guys know I’m a certified creative pragmatist. I absolutely adore every styling resource

   Amy smilovic
   comes out with, so I had to snatch this up. So far, it’s brilliant. Anyone interested in personal style needs this in their home.

5. Grace Coddington Memoir — Current summer read? The memoir of famed Creative Director of Vogue, Grace Coddington. Anna Wintour is an enigma, but Grace is magical. I’m far more fascinated with her as a figure. The unsung queen of Vogue.

6. E.L.F. Camo Liquid Blush — I’m not a makeup girl, but I’ve been in the process of transitioning to more of a lightweight routine. As someone steering away from heavy powder and extreme contour only to be described as “Marnie getting married” (IYKYK), this liquid blush is great. It’s cheap, blends smoothly, and looks pretty natural.

7. Amazon Tabi Flat Dupes — I’m saving up for real Tabis, but I bought these as a gateway drug into the world of split toes. I’d can confidently say, I want 100 pairs now. These are very comfortable, don’t give me blisters, and are lightweight. Highly reccommend for anyone wanting to see if HOOVES are your speed.

8. Old Navy Tanks (Specifically this blue one) — Old Navy tanks are pretty classic…and affordable. I recently got this dark powder blue one that I’ve been wearing the hell out of with a pair of thrifted Old Navy orange terry cloth shorts.

9. Sol De Janeiro 62 Perfume Mist — I know, basic. But, in the summer, we want to smell fresh, beachy, and most importantly… not that serious. Why would I waste my Gucci Bamboo perfume, when I could still smell great for like $35?

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   Additional Obsessions

   I have this Uniqlo Boat Neck Tank in every color and I basically have been living in them this summer.

   Thanks to someone in the

   Totally Recommend
   chat, I bought these bra clips to turn my regular push up bras into racer backs…SO no straps when I’m wearing tanks.

That’s all folks.

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