LFW is the Fashion Week

1. Fringe is the Moment

Fringe has been on the rise for the past few seasons, and ss27 is no exception. This season, we’re seeing fringe used unexpectedly. Take, for example, the fringe-details of the Di Petsa show.

Here, the fringe is carefully placed to create artful designs. The pieces are thicker and deliberate. A fringe skirt; fringe draping from the bust of a top or the waistband of trousers; several fringe tassels dropping from a waist sash. Fringe can be chaotic and messy, but here we see it being used with artful precision and careful deliberation.

From the Erdem collection, more examples of the infinitely creative uses of fringe. We see bags entirely covered in long fringe tassels and fine fringe skirts. My personal favourites are the elongated lapels with fringe at the hems, giving the illusion of the model wearing a scarf. The use of fringe here is brilliant, providing contrast and texture to otherwise “simple” outfits.

Fringe is here to stay, and its designs are becoming more creative each season. Fringe is still the moment.

2. Cinched Waists, Tailored Jackets, and More

After this season, it seems that we’re moving away from oversized, shapeless silhouettes. For ss27, it’s all about cinched waists and expert tailoring, especially when it comes to a blazer. Patrick McDowell’s collection showcases this all too well.

This collection uses the contrast of exaggerated hips and a tailored midsection to emphasize the cinched waist. With sharp tailoring and expert craftsmanship, the illusion is feminine and timeless. Scarves are used as belts to tie around the waist, using accessories as shaping.

Annie’s Ibiza, true to the brand, also showcases this sharp, clean, and polished look. The waists are small, sleeves slim, and bodices precise. The tightness of the garments leaves no room for error. Tailored to perfection, a cinched waist blazer is a must have.

3. Belts are the Accessory of the Season

Every season, a new accessory takes over and for ss27, it’s belts – the bigger, the better. Talia Byre’s collection highlights this trend especially well. Monochrome outfits with a statement belt; the perfect contrast. It seems that belts may be the marker that we’re moving away from minimalism and embracing maximalist fashion.

4. Undergarments Exposed

My favourite trend of the season; it’s bold, unexpected, and just so effortlessly cool. Undergarments as outer garments, showing it all off.  We’ve seen glimpses of this trend with the rise of bloomers, but this season designers went all in. Now, in tandem with bloomers, it’s all visible bras, clothing slouching off the shoulder, sheer skirts. There’s a certain laissez-faire quality about this trend, as if you’ve just rolled out of bed and somehow managed to look incredibly fabulous regardless. An illusion of being so uninterested in fashion whilst being the most fashionable you can be. It’s relaxed, apathetic, and artfully undone. Frankly, it’s ingenious.

5. Fabrics: Sheer, Pleated, Draping

A noticeable trend this season were the fabrics used. In one word, movement. We see a lot of sheers, pleated, and draping fabrics being used. Unrestricted, easy movement, and structurally beautiful. Again, playing into this idea of an air of artful indifference. Maybe the ultimate trend of this season is effortlessness.

6. Notable Silhouettes

There are two silhouettes of note from ss27 – apron dresses and bubble skirts. It’s fitting that the two pop up throughout the collections, both filling the same want from fashion lovers; youthful, playful, and breathing fresh life into styles we know and love. Whether it’s the thick strapped apron dresses from A Letter or the Victorian inspired apron dresses from Bora Aksu. These apron dresses convey a subtle whimsical femininity; simultaneously commercially wearable and fashionably innovative.

Bubble skirts are the epitome of fashionable fun. They heighten the fantastical nature of collections, bringing a playful whimsy onto the runway. Ahluwalia does this trend particularly well with their midi length bubble skirts; a refreshing take on the mini skirt silhouette that we usually see. Well-constructed, artfully structured and imaginative, these bubble skirts provide a delightfully fresh silhouette to the London Fashion Week runways.

London Fashion Week did not disappoint! At Style Cartel, we’re excited to see what’s to come for Fall Winter 2027. Until next time! Follow us on Instagram: @StyleCartel and @StyleCartelMedia on TikTok, too, and leave a comment below!

The post Style Cartel’s 6 Favourite Trends from London Fashion Week appeared first on Style Cartel.

Manchester Fashion Week was a dazzling experience for everyone, but when you’re an incredible designer struggling to get funding, it makes the experience increasingly rewarding. This was the case for IGC’s Katendes, who, despite struggles, showcased his collection at this year’s fashion week.

Walking into the waiting room for the show, I’m greeted with a margarita can and a bottle of water. Juxtaposed with the dimly lit runway, this room is a blur of bright colours and sparkles. I meander around the room, starting up conversations with other excited patrons.

The Buzz of it All

It’s time. The runway is ready. An excited buzz hovers around as we make our way down to the show. I find a seat near the middle. It’s starting.

The most incredible pieces, tailored to perfection, walk past me on the most striking models. The garments, a collection of earthy tones, create a statement that celebrates African heritage.

Let’s Talk History

The fabric used to create these pieces is made out of a material called lubugo, which translates to barkcloth, a material that holds a lot of history. Katendes said: “The fabric is one of the indigenous textiles we have in Uganda, but it’s also like the oldest textile on the continent. But the people in Uganda, where it originates from, look at this fabric as an evil fabric.”

Knowing the truth about these fabrics, Katendes wanted to help remove the negative connotation related to lubugo: “I saw fashion as one of the media to start these conversations. I wanted to make sure I do things that can inspire people to come close to the fabric and also break that stigma.

“I have to make sure that the people of Uganda love this fabric instead of fearing it.”

More Than Just Fabric

Manchester Fashion Week focused on sustainability: “This is a fabric that comes from the bark of a tree, so it comes from the tree skin. When it’s processed, the tree doesn’t die. So the tree can reproduce this fabric over 70 years, like once each year.”

The fabric, preserved by the Baganda people of Uganda, holds a deeply personal significance, connecting him to his ancestors and the traditions of his homeland. Believed to date back to the 13th century, it represents far more than a textile; it is a symbol of African identity, history and belonging.

Bringing this heritage to Manchester Fashion Week was therefore a moment of celebration, allowing a textile so deeply rooted in Ugandan history to be introduced to an entirely new audience.

“All I’ve been doing is like basically educate people about the dynasty styles and bring this textile that not so many people know about to Manchester. That was, for me, a celebration. Because so many people got to learn about this collection.”

The Story Behind the Seams

Growing up Katendes’ family struggled with financial instability, which led him towards fashion – a way to help them out of those struggles: “I saw, like, okay, fashion is actually something I can run to and start learning.

“Where I grew up, it’s like a slum or ghetto area. So we have a lot of people who are unemployed and, you’re exposed to a lot of challenges, but also youths who are misusing drugs. So for me, I feel like growing up looking at that, but also seeing that fashion is one of the things that can liberate me from this chaos happening around me. Somehow it connected me to fashion.”

He also used to be a breakdancer, which is another element he feels inspired his collection and his road to choosing to do fashion: “I realised the power of loving your culture, loving traditions, going back to the roots, and now you see that in my fashion. I feel like this spirit developed from hip hop.”

From Uganda to the Runway

Katende continually gives back to his community: “So, when we started IGC, it was more about teaching fashion skills to community people. It’s the backbone of IGC fashion.

“Fashion is something we can use to change the people living in this kind of situation because fashion saved us, but people don’t have opportunities to access this knowledge.”

“We go into these communities, we bring people together, and they try out how to use a sewing machine, they try out how to stitch, how to mend clothes, and all that. That’s a project which started in 2016.”

He also runs a project where he takes students under his wing for 6 months. “Loads of people are still having the effects of wars. They have less access to so many things, but they can use skills, and they can use them to support their families.”

Being able to show his collection at Manchester Fashion Week has come with years of struggle and preparation. Due to a lack of funding, he was unable to attend when invited in previous years. His connection to the industry through his sustainability work finally allowed him to show his collection.

He worked with fashion activist Lavina who also attended Manchester Fashion Week: “We were teaching about the lubugo fabric, and she was part of that panel. So after the panel, we got to [know each other], and she liked  IGC’s work. So she devoted herself to be like, okay, let me try to introduce you to people.”

Fashion with a Conscience

This year was Katendes first experience with Manchester Fashion Week; “It was a whole new experience. In Uganda you don’t have all these volunteers on one event. So most of the time you do your preparation by yourself. Backstage there were volunteers; all of them were helping out, making the work so easy for you.

“I feel like it was a community space for people to talk and network and connect. I loved it.”

Katendes runs sustainable fashion campaigns in Uganda. He is also preparing his collection for its next appearance at Lagos Fashion Week. He’s also holding an event in December to raise awareness of the negative effects fashion can have on the environment.

“It is comprised of a fashion exhibition, panel discussions and film screenings.” The event will provide different solutions to the struggles of the fashion industry on the environment.

The Future Is Fashioned Here

Every piece in IGC’s collection was a beautiful collaboration of different textures, silhouettes and colours. Knowing and understanding the backstory makes this collection all the more meaningful. The work Katendes is completing in Uganda, the sustainability factor of his materials and the understanding of this ancient lubugo are an inspiration to all.

“I’m a sustainable fashion designer. I like making fashion that cares for the environment, and this collection is expanding on that philosophy.”

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The Sambucus Flower: Finding Strength in Togetherness

At the heart of RAY CHU’s SS27 collection is a flower with a deeply personal significance. The Sambucus flower, native to Taiwan, became the starting point for a collection exploring how something delicate can become powerful through connection.

“What drew me to the Sambucus flower is that each individual flower is incredibly small and delicate, but when they come together, they form this much stronger and more powerful presence,” Chu explains. “I really connected with that idea of strength through togetherness.”

The inspiration is rooted in the designer’s own background, giving the collection a connection to home while opening up a wider conversation about community and identity.

“It is also a plant native to Taiwan, where I come from, so there was a very personal connection for me,” Chu tells us. “I wanted to take something quiet and perhaps easily overlooked, and give it a stronger voice through the collection.”

It is a philosophy that runs throughout the collection. Rather than relying on one oversized statement, Chu explores how individual details can gain significance through repetition, placement and their relationship with the wider design.

From Floral Clusters to Fashion Statements

Translating the Sambucus flower into clothing meant finding a fresh approach to botanical design. Following the label’s exploration of three-dimensional floral elements through 3D printing for SS25, Chu wanted to develop the concept in a different direction for SS27.

“With the support of Swarovski, we combined floral embellishment with Swarovski ReCreated™ Crystals, building clusters across the garments almost like flowers coming together or droplets gathering on a surface,” Chu explains. “We also developed the Sambucus idea through our graphic prints and repeated botanical elements.”

The embellishments give a physical expression to the collection’s central idea. Individual crystals and floral elements come together to create a larger visual statement, echoing the natural arrangement of the flower itself.

Achieving that effect, however, required considerable precision.

“In terms of time and craftsmanship, definitely the Swarovski look. It took us around two weeks just to refine the placement of the crystals and floral elements,” Chu reveals.

“We didn’t want the embellishment to feel random or overly decorative. The balance, spacing and gradual clustering were very important, so we kept adjusting everything until the flowers and crystals felt organically connected to the silhouette.”

The result is an approach to embellishment in which craftsmanship supports the concept, rather than simply decorating the garment.

Bringing Taiwan to London Fashion Week

Cultural identity remains central to RAY CHU’s design language. Presenting the collection in London gives the designer an opportunity to bring Taiwanese references into an international fashion conversation without reducing them to nostalgia.

“It is extremely important to me,” Chu says when asked about bringing a piece of Taiwan to London Fashion Week. “London Fashion Week brings together designers from so many different cultural backgrounds, and I think one of the most interesting things is seeing how designers bring their own roots and identities into an international context.”

Chu points to designers such as Chet Lo and Ahluwalia as examples of how personal heritage can contribute to contemporary fashion.

“For me, being Taiwanese is naturally part of my design language, so I want to introduce elements of Taiwan in a contemporary way rather than treating them as something traditional or nostalgic,” Chu explains.

“It is about showing where I come from while allowing those references to evolve into something global and very RAY CHU.”

This distinction is important. Rather than treating heritage as something fixed in the past, Chu approaches it as a living influence that can evolve through new materials, techniques and silhouettes. The Sambucus flower is both a personal reference and a symbol with a message that extends beyond geographical boundaries.

Gender Fluidity and the Freedom to Express Yourself

Alongside its exploration of cultural identity, RAY CHU SS27 considers how clothing can create space for individual expression. Gender fluidity is not an additional theme imposed on the collection; it is embedded in the designer’s approach to silhouette from the outset.

“Gender fluidity is very natural to the way I design,” Chu tells us. “I don’t normally begin a piece by deciding that it has to be specifically menswear or womenswear. I think more about the body, proportion, attitude and how someone might want to express themselves in that garment.”

This approach allows traditionally masculine and feminine design codes to coexist. Sharp tailoring can meet transparency, structured proportions can sit alongside body-conscious silhouettes, and softer details can transform more architectural shapes.

For Chu, the aim is not to erase distinctions between masculinity and femininity, but to allow both to exist without prescribing how a garment should be worn.

“For me, gender fluidity isn’t about removing femininity or masculinity. It is about allowing both to exist at the same time and giving the wearer the freedom to decide how they want the clothes to represent them.”

It is a perspective that places the wearer at the centre of the design process. Instead of assigning clothing to predetermined identities, RAY CHU offers room for personal interpretation.

Swarovski ReCreated™ Crystals: Where Craft Meets Sustainability

The collection’s relationship with Swarovski also opens up a conversation about sustainability and the future of embellishment. For Chu, responsible material choices are becoming increasingly important, but they must work alongside the creative ambitions of the design.

“It is becoming more and more important for us,” Chu says. “Sustainability has always been something we explore through materials, but I also want sustainable choices to feel desirable and visually exciting rather than becoming a limitation on the design.”

The collection uses Swarovski ReCreated™ Crystals, which are made using crystal manufacturing breakage, introducing a circular element into the material choice.

“That is why I wanted the majority of the crystals we used in the collection to be Swarovski ReCreated™ Crystals,” Chu explains. “They are made using crystal manufacturing breakage, so there is a circular element behind the material, while still allowing us to achieve the precision, light and craftsmanship that were important to this particular collection.”

For Chu, sustainability is not about compromising the visual impact of a design. It is about finding ways for responsible material choices and creative ambition to support one another.

“For me, the future is about finding ways for craftsmanship, innovation and responsibility to exist together.”

The RAY CHU Club: Building a Community Through Fashion

Beyond the individual garments, the collection also develops the idea of the RAY CHU Club — a concept centred on belonging, shared identity and the freedom to be different.

“There is also a wider idea of community running through the collection,” Chu explains. “We have been developing this idea of the RAY CHU Club — almost like creating a space where different people, identities and personalities can belong together.”

The concept echoes the Sambucus flower, with its individual blooms forming a more powerful whole.

“Individually everyone has their own character, but collectively there is strength,” Chu says.

This idea brings together the collection’s different themes. Taiwanese identity, gender fluidity and sustainability may each represent a distinct part of the designer’s vision, but they share an underlying interest in connection: to cultural roots, to personal expression, to materials and to other people.

Through the RAY CHU Club, fashion becomes more than an individual aesthetic. It becomes a potential meeting point where people can share a sense of belonging without having to surrender what makes them unique.

“Sometimes Strength Comes From Knowing Who You Are”

As our conversation comes to a close, we ask Chu what feeling they hope audiences take away from the collection. The answer returns to the flower that started it all.

“I would want people to leave with a feeling of quiet strength,” Chu tells us.

“The Sambucus flower is very small and delicate on its own, but when hundreds of flowers gather together, they become something much more powerful. I think that reflects how I feel about identity, community and even the RAY CHU world.”

In an industry often driven by spectacle and the pressure to make the loudest possible statement, Chu offers a different understanding of power.

“You don’t always need to be the loudest person in the room to have strength,” the designer reflects. “Sometimes strength comes from knowing who you are, finding the people you connect with, and allowing those individual identities to become stronger together.”

It is a fitting conclusion to a collection that places individuality and belonging side by side. Through its botanical embellishments, Taiwanese references and gender-fluid silhouettes, RAY CHU SS27 proposes that identity does not have to be isolated or prescribed. It can evolve through connection.

The takeaway? RAY CHU’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection celebrates what happens when cultural heritage, craftsmanship and personal expression come together. The Sambucus flower may be delicate, but its message is anything but: sometimes, our greatest strength comes from embracing our individuality while finding the people and communities that make us stronger.

Photo credits: 5elevenmag, https://www.5elevenmag.com/post/ray-chu-ss27

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Tradition, but reimagined

At the centre of JENN LEE’s SS27 collection is the qipao, a garment recognised for its elegant lines, precise construction and close relationship with the body. Rather than treating it as a fixed historical reference, Lee uses its distinctive silhouette as a foundation for experimentation. Traditional forms are reworked through unexpected materials, sharper contrasts and a more confrontational attitude.
The collection thrives on tension: structure against softness, restraint against sensuality, and heritage against reinvention. Instead of smoothing these contrasts away, Lee allows them to remain visible, giving the garments a sense of complexity that extends beyond their appearance.
There is something particularly compelling about this approach. In a fashion landscape where archival references and cultural inspiration frequently inform new collections, Lee’s work places emphasis on the actual techniques and knowledge behind the clothes. Tradition is not simply an aesthetic to borrow; it becomes a language to reinterpret.

Craft is the construction, not the decoration

One of the most significant aspects of the collection is its relationship with Taiwanese craftsmanship. Lee has explored traditional techniques and specialist knowledge, bringing artisanal processes into a contemporary fashion context. Details such as handmade frog closures, hand-stitched piping, rice-paste sizing and precise steam moulding demonstrate how craftsmanship can influence the structure and character of a garment.

These techniques are more than decorative additions. The closures, stitching and moulded shapes contribute to the garments’ visual identity, drawing attention to the skill involved in their creation. Each detail reinforces the idea that the construction itself can be as expressive as the finished silhouette.

This commitment also raises an important question about fashion’s relationship with heritage: how can traditional knowledge survive without becoming trapped in the past? Lee’s answer appears to lie in transformation. By incorporating specialist techniques into experimental silhouettes and unconventional materials, the collection allows traditional craftsmanship to evolve rather than simply be preserved as a historical reference.

Leathered flora and the unexpected qipao

Leather brings a particularly striking edge to JENN LEE’s SS27 collection. Its toughness challenges the elegance traditionally associated with the qipao (a traditional, form-fitting one-piece Chinese dress for women), introducing a sense of protection and defiance to a silhouette known for its precision. The result is a compelling contrast between the garment’s controlled construction and the attitude of the material.

Nature enters the collection through organic prints inspired by Taiwanese flora. Applied to rawhide surfaces using eco-printing techniques, these patterns introduce an element of unpredictability. While the tailoring remains deliberate and exact, the organic markings bring variation, allowing the material itself to contribute to the finished design.

It is this combination of control and spontaneity that makes the collection so interesting. The silhouettes demonstrate technical discipline, but the surfaces resist complete uniformity. Each element works against the other, creating garments that feel considered without becoming predictable.

Reds, Blacks and flashes of Lavender?

Colour plays an equally important role in establishing the collection’s mood. Vivid crimson satin makes an immediate impression, particularly when contrasted with a vertical line of black handmade closures. The fastening becomes part of the visual composition, drawing the eye along the garment while emphasising the precision of its construction.

Black extends the collection’s darker sensibility through leather, corsetry and accessories. It adds architectural weight to the silhouettes, reinforcing their sculptural qualities while introducing a more rebellious undertone. Against this intensity, pale lavender offers a softer, cooler contrast.

These colours allow the collection to move between different moods without losing its identity. Crimson feels assertive, black introduces a sense of shadow and structure, while lavender brings a more delicate dimension. Together, they reinforce Lee’s interest in the coexistence of seemingly opposing qualities.

Rather than relying on colour alone to create impact, the collection uses it to emphasise construction, material and silhouette. The result is a visual language in which every element contributes to the overall tension.

Femininity with an edge

JENN LEE’s approach to femininity refuses to settle into a single definition. The qipao’s fitted lines and controlled proportions evoke elegance, while leather, corsetry and darker styling introduce a more provocative attitude. The garments move between refinement and rebellion, creating a femininity that feels deliberate rather than prescribed.

References to the ancient courtesan add another layer to this atmosphere, suggesting allure as something strategic and self-possessed. Femininity here is not necessarily soft, passive or traditionally romantic. It can be assertive, mysterious and commanding.

The collection’s wider atmosphere further reinforces this duality, bringing contemporary industrial sounds into conversation with more traditional cultural references. This juxtaposition gives the clothes a sense of depth, positioning them somewhere between historical memory and a more experimental vision of the future.

What emerges is not simply a reinterpretation of traditional dress, but a broader exploration of how clothing communicates identity, power and sensuality.

Why we should care about JENN LEE’s SS27?

JENN LEE’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection stands out because its experimentation has a foundation. The sculptural shapes, striking materials and contrasting colours capture attention, but the deeper story lies in the relationship between craftsmanship and reinvention.

By bringing traditional Taiwanese techniques into conversation with contemporary leather, organic printing and corsetry, Lee creates a collection that feels both rooted and restless. It acknowledges the importance of the past without allowing it to dictate the future.

That distinction matters in an industry increasingly interested in heritage, artisanal production and cultural identity. The challenge is not simply to reference tradition, but to engage with it meaningfully and understand the knowledge behind a technique and considering how it can remain relevant within contemporary design.

For London Fashion Week, JENN LEE offers a reminder that innovation does not always mean starting from scratch. Sometimes, it means looking more closely at what already exists, recognising the skill and history embedded within it, and finding a new way to carry it forward.

Photo credits: 5elevenmag, https://www.5elevenmag.com/post/jenn-lee-ss27

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The Show

Rocky Star Couture returned to London Fashion Week with an Autumn/Winter 2026/27 collection that drew on the romance of decaying palaces, antique mirrors and shadowed interiors. The result was a vision of glamour that felt deliberately theatrical: opulent, sensual and touched by darkness.

The collection’s most compelling looks relied on the tension between elaborate surface detail and fluid movement. With corseted bodices gave the silhouettes structure, elongated gowns, and sweeping skirts softened for the overall effect. Rather than treating embellishment as a finishing touch, Rocky Star has made it central to the collection’s visual language.

Technical breakdown of the looks

In champagne and antique gold, one of our favourite standout looks wrapped the model in layers of shimmering, draped fabric. Fine strands and reflective details framed the face and cascaded over the body, creating a look that felt almost ceremonial. The palette was luminous without appearing overtly bright; its muted metallics suggested heirlooms weathered by time rather than newness for its own sake.

Elsewhere, the collection’s darker side emerged through gunmetal, silver and charcoal tones. Crystals, sequins, pearls and metallic beadwork caught the light against shadowy fabrics, while delicate feather details introduced texture and movement. Sheer panels and fluid draping kept these richly worked looks from feeling overly heavy, balancing the drama of couture with a sense of ease.

That contrast is what gives the collection its identity. Rocky Star pairs the discipline of sculpted construction with the softness of transparency and movement, creating clothes that appear intricate up close but remain striking from across the runway. The effect is less about minimalism than about the confidence to embrace ornament, atmosphere and spectacle.

So where are Rocky Star taking us?

With A/W 2026/27, Rocky Star Couture offers a modern interpretation of old-world opulence. Their gowns and embellished silhouettes evoke a forgotten grand interior, yet their sensuality and fluidity keep the collection firmly in the present. In a fashion landscape often drawn to restraint, Rocky Star makes a case for couture as theatre, and dressing as an occasion in itself.

Photo credits: FashionEVO, “Rocky Star Couture Unveils A/W 2026/27 at London Fashion Week,” 21 September 2026. https://fashionevo.style/rocky-star-couture-aw-2026-27-london-fashion-week/

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Matières Fécales: Fashion as Protest

Matières Fécales, the Parisian fashion house, presents the 99 Per Cent show for SS27. The timely collection continues the brand’s social commentary on the political and social climate of contemporary society. Following the 1 Per Cent show, where greed and fear were used as symbols of sin, the 99 Per Cent collection embodies the anger of the general population. Matières Fécales takes the ordinary, denim, hoodies and everyday streetwear, and transforms them into punk-inspired looks that feel deliberately anti-establishment.

One of the most striking moments is a model carrying a prosthetic dead body while wearing a look from the 1 Per Cent collection. The image suggests that wealth and power cannot exist without the labour and participation of ordinary people, confronting the relationship between the elite and the masses.

The collection draws from rebellious subcultures through leather punk references, while wet-look dresses evoke motherhood and amber-coloured ballgowns suggest fire. Nationalistic flags become symbols of protest, turning familiar political imagery into something unsettling and confrontational.

The colours of the French flag appear across slim-fitting dresses, embodying a commitment to protest, while American-flag balaclavas suggest a nation fighting for freedom beneath a concealed identity. The collection epitomises the complicated feelings of the masses towards governments, inequality and systemic corruption. Rather than accommodating elitist fashion, Matières Fécales rejects conventional ideas of beauty and respectability, turning fashion into an anti-establishment weapon.

Vaquera: Fashion as Antagonism

The New York label Vaquera, founded by Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee, brings a curated punk energy to Paris Fashion Week. The collection marries New York chaos with Parisian sophistication, blending French-maid imagery with American beauty ideals and pop-cultural references.

Traditional Parisian style codes of the 1920s and 1930s are modified into pieces that challenge the social ideals associated with them. Electrocuted hairstyles and tweed boater hats create a meeting point between 1980s rock glamour and old-school Parisian chic. Pops of neon contrast against military khaki and navy, elevating the familiar French-maid silhouette and transforming it into something louder and more confrontational.

The designers closing the show with a karaoke-like duet to I Got You Babe, while five looks returned to the runway in different neon shades, emphasises Vaquera’s ethos of turning American glamour and pop culture into theatrical performance.

SS27 demonstrates how Vaquera uses fashion as antagonism: clothing becomes a form of confrontation. Traditional French codes are Americanised and distorted through punk attitude, creating a tension between elegance and rebellion. The result is fashion that does not simply seek to be beautiful; it challenges the viewer to question what beauty, femininity and glamour are supposed to look like.

Rick Owens: Femininity as Defiance

Upcycled industrial straps were reimagined as ceremonial gowns, while parachute silk introduced a sense of weightlessness against the collection’s more severe, architectural elements. Futuristic tulle silhouettes further complicated traditional notions of femininity, oscillating between fragility and strength, the sacred and the subversive.

Ottolinger: Deconstruction as Sensuality

Ottolinger’s Moisturizer collection for SS27 explores the sensuality of the human body. Models move through the collection with glossy, glowing skin, drawing attention to the parts of the body revealed through the clothing. Designers Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient began with the simple ritual of applying moisturiser after waking up, expanding this intimate moment into a question of identity: who do you decide to become that day?

The collection uses peep holes to reveal glimpses of tattoos, while lace dresses cover only specific areas of the body, creating an erotic tension between skin and fabric. Here, deconstruction becomes sensual. The garment is not simply broken apart; it is reconstructed around the body in order to expose, touch and enhance it.

The Berlin-based label creates designs that work with the body rather than against it, accentuating its sensuality. Womenswear and menswear are presented alongside each other, while rapper Offset appears in a nude latex tracksuit, further blurring the boundaries between clothing, skin and performance.

Leather, latex, exposed skin and muscular silhouettes create a highly physical form of sensuality. These garments make the body impossible to ignore. Yet this sensuality can also be read as darker: intimacy becomes exposure, desire becomes obsession, and clothing becomes something that grips and reveals the body.

Darkness therefore does not need to appear through overtly gothic or punk imagery. It can exist emotionally through desire, obsession, restraint, vulnerability and protection.

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There is something intriguing about the version of ourselves that only comes out behind closed doors. For Spring/Summer 2027, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini explore that idea at The Attico, turning the bedroom into a starting point for a collection that feels intimate, sensual and unapologetically feminine.

Titled Quando Nessuno Guarda, meaning “When No One Looks,” the collection is about the woman beyond appearances. The one who does not need to perform, follow expectations or explain herself.

The clothes reflect that freedom. Liquid tailoring sits alongside lingerie inspired pieces, utilitarian silhouettes and dramatic eveningwear. Cargo pencil skirts and velvet robes bring a relaxed sensuality, while chandelier dresses deliver the high impact glamour The Attico does so well.

What caught my attention is the play with shape and texture. Metal wire incorporated into fabrics allows certain silhouettes to shift and transform, while twisted draping, crumpled finishes and shimmering textiles give the clothes a beautifully undone quality. Nothing feels too perfect, and that is part of the appeal.

The Attico has always embraced a woman who can be several things at once. This season, that duality feels especially interesting, moving between softness and strength, intimacy and spectacle, the woman everyone sees and the one she keeps to herself.

The verdict? The Attico Spring/Summer 2027 is sensual, expressive and full of personality. A reminder that getting dressed can be less about who you want the world to see and more about who you are when nobody is looking.

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Demna’s Gucci is starting to click. For Spring/Summer 2027, the designer presented The Store Show, transforming a Milan convention centre into a fully realised Gucci boutique. Models moved through the space as if shopping, with the set offering a first look at the retail concept the house plans to introduce more widely. It was an unusually literal way to present a collection, but it made sense for a designer still figuring out what Gucci means to him.

After a year spent digging through the house’s history, Demna is bringing its different personalities into sharper focus. There’s the polished, old-money side, the rebellious prep-school girl, and the woman who would rather be at a Tom Ford-era Gucci after dark. This season, they finally feel like they belong in the same wardrobe.

The collection opened with equestrian dressing: fitted riding jackets with miniature Horsebit details, crisp white breeches, knee-high boots and immaculate trenches. The tailoring was sharp, with strong shoulders and a more sculpted silhouette. It was Gucci at its most proper, but never quite prim.

Things got more interesting when Demna started to mess with the formula. Oversized leather bombers, rugby shirts and tartan kilts brought a rebellious prep-school energy, while exaggerated layering gave familiar pieces a slightly unexpected feel. Horsebit hardware appeared across the collection, sometimes as a subtle detail and elsewhere as a statement in its own right. The house codes were there, but they felt less like a checklist and more like something to play with.

Then came the glamour. Faux fur worn over lingerie, body-conscious evening gowns and high slits brought a distinctly sultry mood to the final looks. A black cutout dress had plenty of attitude, while a powder-pink gown felt softer and almost undone. The contrast was the point: impeccable tailoring on one side, clothes that looked ready to slip out of place on the other.

That tension is where Gucci gets interesting. Demna isn’t trying to make the house one thing. He’s playing with the space between polished and provocative, wealthy and rebellious, classic and a little bit chaotic. The collection feels more considered than simply piling on references, and the clothes have enough character to hold their own without relying on the spectacle around them.

For Spring/Summer 2027, Gucci feels sharper, sexier and more self-assured. Demna’s vision is beginning to take shape, and the pieces are finally making the case for it.

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Step inside the Barts North Wing at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and the room doesn’t just hold an audience; it holds a century of secrets. Victorian ceilings stretch overhead, the corridors hum with things they’ll never say out loud, and you get the distinct, spine-tingling sensation that the walls are watching you right back. It is the kind of impeccably gothic backdrop that makes you half-expect Tim Burton to pop out from behind a pillar taking frantic notes.

It was the ultimate stage for Elisa Trombatore to present Spring/Summer 27, and the only place dark enough to confront a question most of us spend our adult lives actively avoiding: what actually happens to the wide-eyed dreams of childhood once you grow up, move to London, and start carrying the heavy weight of every heartbreak, scar, and hard-earned lesson along the way?

Victorian, Vampire, Sultry

Trombatore’s notes imagine an empty house with eroded curtains, set against a burning sky, where two curtains move in a slow wind “like two lovers going through life together.” Naturally, the North Wing gave that image a home: a place with stories to tell and tears absorbed into its fibres. Thus, it felt tender, a little ruined, and entirely deliberate.

On the runway, the look was Victorian with a vampiric edge: regal, sultry and unashamedly sexy. Corsetry led the way, with boned bodices and lingerie-inspired pieces that gave the silhouettes real structure, holding you together when everything else feels frayed. Grounding dainty dresses with chunky platforms, the collection made the bold contrast work. Softness on top, weight underneath, and a wearer who is clearly carrying her past and striding forward anyway.

Although the palette stayed neutral, black and white, but this was not minimalism. The layering, distressing and detail were rich enough that the clothes did all the speaking, turning every patch and tear into a badge of honour.

From Sicily to London

The story starts in childhood, with Sicily at its centre: inherited traditions, old photographs, domestic objects and the small traces of home that you pack away in your emotional carry-on. Yet, it isn’t nostalgia in soft focus, though. Rather, Trombatore knows that the rituals that give us belonging also draw its borders, meaning the familiar is never entirely innocent. Anyone who has walked back into a family kitchen as a changed, weary person will recognise the feeling.

Then the dreamer leaves. London, with its urgency and perpetual speed, turns her into a wanderer, piling on the late nights, the lessons, and the baggage. Consequently, the body becomes a living record of the journey, with tattoos acting as physical scars for what was lost, survived, and ultimately carried forward. Each character on the runway marked a stage of this accumulation: innocence, desire, disillusionment, resistance, and renewal. It’s a coming-of-age story without the tidy ending, because true emotional baggage doesn’t vanish—it just gets tailored.

The Craft and the Verdict

The distressing has grown up, mirroring the weight we carry. Silks are broken and manipulated, while cotton and gauze are layered, with white set against a harsher black and blush and rose in the mix. Hand painting returns from last season and goes further, with adorned fabrics that look vintage and lived-in, like old photographs collaged with ruffles and pearls—every version of your past self, strung together to make the baggage-toting adult you are now.

New this season is screen printing, drawing on baroque Sicilian churches and tribal-inspired tattoos. It’s holy and hell-raising in one print, capturing the internal friction of moving through life. Dreaming Eli pushes last season’s vinyl to the edge, combining denim, lace, and vinyl until they read as a tough, protective skin. Ripping through hand-cut lace exposes the layers beneath, laying bare the truth that what you survive writes itself right on the surface.

Underfoot, the Wild Hearts Bleed Platform Heels return in a satin finish, with blush and rose joining the core

colours—built sturdy enough to walk you through any emotional storm. The New Pearl 3D bags, 3D printed with Harry Mack and engineered by Unit9, tie the collection together as the ultimate vessels for your heaviest secrets.

Final Thoughts

The cleverest thing about SS27 is that it refuses to pretend we arrive unblemished. The dream refuses pristine preservation in glass, and it refuses surrender. It crashes against reality, embraces the scuffs, and turns out more complex, more grounded, and thoroughly wearable. Adulthood doesn’t kill the dreamer; it just gives her heavier bags to style.

If Dreaming Eli isn’t on your radar yet, this is the season to fix that. The dream gets scarred, patched, stitched with pearls, and turned into the chicest baggage you’ll ever own.

On the constant edge between dream and reality, it’s in this fight—and with all this baggage—that you truly exist.

The post Dreaming Eli: Death Becomes Her (Or, How to Wear Your Baggage) appeared first on Style Cartel.

There is something about Maximilian Davis’s vision for Ferragamo that feels increasingly confident. For Spring/Summer 2027, the designer looks to desert references and vintage safari dressing, bringing together strong tailoring, supple leather and fluid fabrics in a collection that feels both polished and effortless.

The standout pieces are the sleeveless leather safari vests and pencil skirts, alongside sharp coats and high waisted tailoring. Scarf like draping, sheer silk and warm, earthy tones bring softness to the more structured silhouettes, while statement belts and the house’s signature Gancini details keep the collection distinctly Ferragamo.

The menswear is just as compelling, balancing clean tailoring with a relaxed sense of swagger. Across both wardrobes, Davis shows an understanding of how to make strong silhouettes feel modern without overcomplicating them.

What I appreciate most is the attention to fabric. The contrast between substantial leather and almost weightless silk gives the collection depth, while the restrained styling lets the craftsmanship speak for itself.

The verdict? Davis continues to find his footing at Ferragamo, delivering a collection that feels refined, assured and quietly sensual. It is modern luxury with just enough attitude.

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