2026 started slow, but in the blink of an eye it’s already March. I started the year a little discouraged and frustrated, needing a clearer path and something concrete to focus on, and I was, and still am, impatient as hell throughout the whole process. During Menswear FW26 in January, I was carrying a lot of uncertainty and even more FOMO. I did way fewer shows compared to SS26 in September. That was what I wanted all along, but I still couldn’t accept it because it felt like I didn’t do enough. By the end of Menswear FW26, I made a decision: I was going to push my writing alongside my photography, and I wanted to go beyond the backstage. I majored in fashion design, and I am naturally curious about the whole process behind a collection. Getting that kind of access feels like a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s factory.
Getting a publication to feature both my photographs and writing is not easy. I am clearly not a journalist, and no one gives a fuck about my opinions YET. But I managed to find one that shared my vision of putting emerging designers in the spotlight. I am not going to spoil the details, you will just have to wait until it’s published.
I definitely felt myself leveling up this womenswear FW26 season. For starters, I got accredited for Emporio Armani and GCDS backstage. That felt like a big deal to me, because just a year ago I was standing outside their show venues photographing attendees and influencers, and this season I was inside. The first time walking into that big room was intimidating, but honestly, waiting outside for 40 minutes for the first show to finish was worse. My mood had fully flatlined by the time I got in. Still, I managed to get some really good shots despite the heat and the crowd.
GCDS’s FW26 in two words: fun and cheeky, literally. The models were tall as hell, especially in those heels, their asses were at my eye level. One of my best friends “kindly” pointed out that being short is my superpower, and as I am clenching my fists to admit, she is not wrong. Some of those shots from the waist down actually slay, and I am literally seeing details others might not catch.
The best thing that happened to me this season started about a week before fashion week. I was given the opportunity to follow Simon Cracker’s work closely, and it was genuinely an honor to be one of the first people to see his FW26 collection. Simone is such a gentle soul and a really talented artist. I am really happy to have followed his work since last year. I cannot wait to show more of what he does in the future.
This season I am also experimenting with my flash setup and post-production. I am going back to the time when I was not afraid to color grade my photos like crazy, and I am bringing back the era of crushing the blacks. With more control this time, of course. So if you think my gallery looks inconsistent lately, that is why. I am experimenting.
I have to admit, despite dressing like a child of Dracula raised by a priest, I had a hard time channeling that same vibe in the photos I took at Aendör Studio’s backstage. I am happy with the results, but to me they lack the melancholy that their photographer @karym.ava pulls off so naturally. She has a real eye for it, you feel the weight in her work. I took a different approach and went for more of a horror movie shot in an underground Berlin techno club kind of vibe.
I could not decide between two color grades for the look above. The sepia version makes it look like a cursed old photo you find in a vintage shop, and I am so fucking here for it.
Jarel Zhang’s show made me question my relationship with flash. Using flash, even in daylight, has very much been my thing ever since I figured out how to use it properly. During this presentation, I had to shoot the whole show without it, and looking at the photos afterwards felt like seeing them naked. But they turned out pretty good, and it reminded me that I do not just rely on flash to get a good shot.
To close this out, a throwback to January. PDF’s FW26 was the first truly theatrical show I have experienced in my whole short career, and it made me miss the fashion shows I grew up watching — Hussein Chalayan, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Chanel. Those shows always had something to say beyond the clothes, and safe to say I MISS THE DRAMA. PDF’s “Life Al Dente!” was a classic theater show in 5 acts, ending with a runway, and the whole thing ran over an hour. Time flew. Some people might argue that a show like this overshadows the garments, but I think what actually matters is whether you can see the people in the room wearing what was just shown. And every single person there, I could see it on them without a second of doubt.
vinaliliani.com 
Leave a comment