Fashion season takeaways: Spring and Summer 2027

The spring and summer 2027 fashion season has come and gone, and the sentiment is optimistic. The best shows of the season were forward-thinking without chasing trends; they listened to what the customer wanted and helped to define the 2020s. 

Accessories were a focal point of most collections: bags, sunglasses, shoes, jewelry, belts and anything that can be layered into an outfit.

Brands want to make products at a lower price point for new customers to buy into because luxury spending has gone down in response to the economy. Brands are also more likely to have an IT bag or pair of shoes than an IT garment.

Utilitarian and sportswear can be seen in the pockets, zippers and amount of lightweight fabrics utilized. This has been a growing design style used with luxury fashion. It is focused on creating real clothes and comfortable clothes. Mesh and sheer materials are also featured in this category.

The Loewe and Hermes collections are an amazing example of this direction in fashion. Chloe also had a handful of rain ponchos with hats that were some of my favorite looks from the season. 

Creating wardrobe staples was another consensus among designers this season: coats and jackets that will last a lifetime. These pieces make a proposition to the buyer that the price per wear will be low and it will never go out of style.

Ralph Lauren, Bottega Veneta, Burberry and Miu Miu were all making this proposition.

The specific shows I wanted to highlight made a statement about culture and clothing.

Matieres Fecales

The brand Matières Fécales has had a nonstop rise since their debut at Paris Fashion Week a year and a half ago. The creative director couple Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran crafted their avant-garde futuristic-punk alien aura on social media in the 2010s. They built a small following that has now translated into a momentum few ever get.

This season they followed up their Fall/Winter 26 collection titled “The One Percent” with a show entitled “The Ninety-Nine Percent.” It was held at Paris's Monument à la République which symbolizes liberty, equality and fraternity. The show featured ninety-nine models of color and three acts: Family, Tribes and Gods. The collection was theater and art, not just fashion.

Hannah and Steven heavily reference their own cultural identities, using them as a narrative arc for the brand's collections. They consistently reference other designers. Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Demna’s Balenciaga and Christian Dior are clear references. The clothes are derivative but it does not matter because they have been reinterpreted by the hands of visionaries who have a message for the world. If I had to watch a show from this season again, it would be this one.

Gucci

Demna has had a controversial start at Gucci. Many thought of his clothes as a satirization of Tom Ford’s era at Gucci and that his subversive and ironic design codes were conflicting with the typical Gucci customer. However, this season he made his vision for the brand clearer.

He cast models like they were actors for a movie and a Gucci store was the set. He wanted to bring rich old ladies, emos, streetwear freaks, wives, mistresses, mobsters and bourgeois youth all together to show that anyone can walk into Gucci and feel Gucci. The featured clothes ranged from layered outerwear, mountainous furs, bodycon dresses, oversized and sharp tailoring to equestrian old money looks. There was something there for everyone.

This collection was sensual and refined, which is very Gucci. 

Chanel

Matthieu Blazy has made Chanel his own in the span of one year. This time last year, he was part of a fashion industry shake-up of creative directors, and he landed at Chanel after a few years at Bottega Veneta. Under his direction, Chanel has seen an increase in sales and online discourse. 

This season he turned his focus to the history of Gabrielle Chanel herself. The collection was a case study based on a quote from Coco about owing everything she had done to her inner child. The theme of the collection was women who make up the woman. He took inspiration from his predecessor and asked how her philosophy on clothes would look for today's woman.

The show traced the history of Coco Chanel by starting with a model carrying Coco’s original handbag. The collection had Edwardian corsetry, intricate beading and cinch-waisted jackets. There was inspiration from Blazy’s time at Margiela as well, with the exposed inner workings of the tailoring. 

Then there were billowing gowns, huge ballet tulle skirts and colorful art-inspired sets that showed the playful side of Chanel. The final stretch of the show represented Chanel now. The iconic Chanel tweed was reimagined with sequins and organza. Suits were worn against bare skin and fastened with an exposed chain usually inside Chanel garments. 

This show did something that many legacy fashion houses have struggled to do. It looked forward rather than reinterpreting old design codes. It says something about the moment. With the trend of buying vintage and preloved luxury, many legacy houses are essentially competing with themselves. However, Chanel has not worried about this even though their past products are still heavily demanded.

Prada

The Prada collection zoomed in on one thing: the skirt. All sixty-three looks featured a skirt. Miuccia Prada famously said, “A skirt is my white T-shirt.” She is the best Italian fashion designer working today and along with the legendary Raf Simmons they crafted an interesting collection.

They wanted to talk about the stress we all are experiencing in the world. The tops were leather jackets, bras, sweaters and muted button-up shirts layered with a bra or sweater on top. The materials carried the theme of stress as well, with juxtaposing worn leather jackets and fun floral mini skirts. Bright colored skirts with black sheer overlays subdued the fun. If there was color, patterns, or warmth, darkness was closing in on it.

The models looked like they were pulled off the street and placed on the runway. Unkempt hair, light makeup, a bag and sunglasses showed a woman on the go. It was an excellent collection that made you stop and think. Prada knows what its followers want and they honed in on that. The collection is reminiscent of Joan Didion.

CELINE

CELINE had my favorite show of the entire fashion season. It opened with the iconic Dorian Corey monologue from Paris is Burning about leaving your mark on the world. I was sold from then on. The purpose of the show was to create real clothes. Michael Rider, the creative director of CELINE, spoke about the spontaneity of getting ready for the day. 

The show opened with a little black dress styled with a big bag, black pumps and yellow sunglasses. From there, we saw simple clothes worn with an everyday confidence we all aspire to. The color palette was black, white and midnight blue with splashes of scarlet red, sky blue and pastels. 

There was joy stitched into these clothes. Sharp masculine tailoring contrasted with fluid silks. Belts were heavily featured in this collection; they were used to create shape. Billowing oversized athletic trousers tied with a skinny belt and body-hugging gowns encircled with a huge oversized belt. The show had impeccable styling.

This collection was about personal style and creating ourselves every day to be comfortable in our own skin. Michael Rider wanted the clothes to be fabulous and speak for themselves. Creating intrigue and tension in clothing by combining eclectic pieces that become cohesive is CELINE’s argument for personal style.

Other amazing collections were Chloé, Dries van Noten, Givenchy, Isabel Marant, Jil Sander, Roberto Cavalli, Simone Rocha and Valentino.

The clothes shown this month were great for the most part. In my opinion, using clothes to show the world your identity was the main takeaway from the season.