Thoughts from Spring Summer 2027 womenswear catwalks in London, New York, Milan and Paris.
Fashion has spent a considerable amount of time teaching us to look expensive, immaculate and faintly unavailable. For SS27 it would appear the women wearing the clothes would like some fun. She’s mixing things up, loosening the rules and occasionally leaving the house looking as though getting dressed involved a minor disagreement.
There are proper clothes here, and plenty of beautiful ones. But the interesting part is what happens when good taste stops supervising.
1. The skirt has been promoted
At Prada, every look featured a skirt; at Chanel, narrow shapes around the knee made a persuasive case for showing a little less leg and a little more intent. This is a season in which the bottom half of an outfit gets to carry the conversation. Wallpaper*’s season review
The appeal is versatility with personality. Change the top, change the shoes, change the entire character. A skirt can suggest board meeting, bad behaviour or lunch with somebody whose opinion matters.
The takeaway: give the skirt something unexpected to work with. The matching jacket can have the afternoon off.
2. Your bra would like to attend
Underwear has secured another invitation to the outside world. Fendi showed embroidered satin triangle bras, while Erdem layered bralettes over shirting and London newcomer Goyagoma paired them with denim and workwear. FashionUnited’s catwalk report, British Vogue’s London review
The useful development is the styling. A bra over a shirt creates a different proposition from a bra beneath a jacket: more graphic and more playful.
The takeaway: treat lingerie as a deliberate layer. It should look as though it was invited, even if the rest of the outfit is surprised. However, I mention lingerie as fashionwear with caution. How many of us could wear this look without feeling we have forgotten our top. Every season we are given this option and to be honest this look is looking tired.
3. Perfectly dressed is looking a little uptight
KNWLS spliced dresses and reconstructed trench-coat sections into skirts. Simone Rocha showed camisole gowns with snipped straps and skirts with disrupted hems. These apparently precarious clothes were carefully engineered to intentionally disarray. British Vogue’s report on dishevelled dressing
There’s something appealing about clothes that leave room for a woman to look as though she has a life. The charm sits in the interruption: an awkward layer, a slipping line, an unexpected piece of fabric. This only works when you are dealing with high end silks not high street polyester.
The takeaway: introduce one disturbance in your outfit. A longer underskirt and lace shouler camisole.
4. Clothes that defy gravity
Dior’s featherweight organza tailoring, Hermès’s perforated suede and Louis Vuitton’s exceptionally light constructions put air into the equation. Designers explicitly connected this pursuit of lightness with hotter summers. Wallpaper*’s analysis of lightness
This feels like a meaningful shift in what luxury can offer. Beautiful clothes should allow their wearer to enjoy the lunch, the city and the journey between them. Looking exquisite while quietly boiling is a rather limited lifestyle proposition.
The takeaway: pay attention to weight, lining and movement. A garment’s best feature may be the fact that you forget you’re wearing it.
5. Volume is taking up space
Bubble and pouf silhouettes appeared at Loewe and Dior, with shorter versions at Miu Miu and Zimmermann. Comme des Garçons took volume into sculptural territory. FashionUnited’s silhouette report
The pleasure here is physical: clothes with bounce, shape and a presence of their own. After so much discussion of investment pieces, it’s refreshing to encounter a skirt whose principal ambition appears to be making an entrance.
The takeaway: let one piece occupy the room.
6. Colour has two moods: soothing and shameless
Lilac appeared at Bottega Veneta, Erdem and Conner Ives. Meanwhile, London delivered emphatic pink at Aaron Esh, Roksanda and Talia Byre. The season accommodates both a gentle disposition and an outfit that can be spotted in a crowd. Marie Claire’s SS27 edit, British Vogue’s London colour report
My vote is for choosing colour by temperament. Lilac has softness without the anonymity of another beige purchase. Hot pink supplies its own opening line.
The takeaway: decide how much attention you fancy before getting dressed. Some mornings call for a whisper. Others deserve a public announcement. Lilac is synonymous with mature fashion so take this colour with caution.
7. The finishing touches are getting ideas
Satin shoes appeared at Prada, Celine and Jude; statement scarves featured at Miu Miu, Tory Burch and Saint Laurent. These are relatively small interventions with considerable capacity to change an outfit’s intentions. Marie Claire’s accessories and styling report
A satin shoe gives ordinary clothes an evening engagement. A scarf adds movement, colour and the suggestion that you might have an excellent story about your weekend.
The takeaway: before replacing the whole wardrobe, try changing the punctuation. One expressive accessory can make familiar clothes look more interesting.
8. More is more, and it’s been hand-applied
SS27 had quite a lot to say about getting dressed, and some of it could be heard approaching. Prada’s crystal flowers, Dries Van Noten’s sequinned blooms and Chanel’s embroidery and beading made surface decoration a substantial story. These were clothes with something happening on them.
The range matters: delicate sparkle, dense decoration, feathers and appliqué all offered different degrees of commitment. At Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, even denim acquired elaborate ornamentation — occasion wear jeans apparently jeans. Vogue’s season report
Decoration supplies much of the season’s personality. A familiar skirt or pair of jeans becomes the talking point through its surface, while the wearer can keep everything around it pleasingly straightforward.
The takeaway: let one embellished piece do the entertaining.
9. Fashion has brought a plus-one
SS27’s collaborations produced some particularly good encounters between practical clothes and extravagant imaginations.
Erdem × Barbour: the dog walk has a dress code
Erdem’s SS27 look paired a forest-green waxed-cotton Barbour bubble jacket with a grey knit and crystal-embellished pink satin micro shorts. Country practicality above, rather ambitious evening plans below. It neatly captures the season’s pleasure in mixing useful clothes with something gloriously excessive.
Chopova Lowena × Dr. Martens: sensible shoes, questionable intentions
Tartan stompers gave Chopova Lowena’s exuberant clothes suitably assertive foundations. A partnership that makes instinctive sense: both parties understand the appeal of arriving with a little attitude. British Vogue’s London review
Aaron Esh × On: the trainer gets an after-dark invitation
Esh’s streamlined interpretation of On’s Cloud trainer brought a sporting specialist into his London wardrobe. Useful for anyone whose evening involves considerable standing around looking interesting. British Vogue’s collaboration round-up
Talia Byre × Topshop: the brogue joins the party
Byre’s Topshop brogues supplied a grounded finish to her expressive clothes — and offered a familiar high-street name a place in a more individual fashion world. British Vogue’s London review
Burberry × Celia Birtwell: heritage lets its hair down
The textile designer’s bold florals and playful motifs brought fresh energy to Burberry. This was a collaboration with a distinctive creative handwriting: Britishness with a mischievous streak and considerably better prints than the average garden party. Wallpaper*’s print analysis
10. Copenhagen: the practical woman has plans
Copenhagen’s SS27 wardrobe had room for gardening, lunch and a mildly theatrical entrance. At Skall Studio, MKDT and Munthe, roomy dresses, utility pieces and baskets suggested a woman could wear the clothes and do anything in them. Lemon yellow supplied the sunshine; peplums at Baum und Pferdgarten, Gestuz and By Malene Birger added shape. Who What Wear’s Copenhagen catwalk report
Copenhagen strengthens the thought that useful clothes become much more engaging when you give them a little personality. A basket large enough for the weekly shop can still make an entrance. A practical shoe can wear jewellery. There’s no reason the woman doing everything should have the least interesting outfit.
The takeaway: find what you like and be a bit more playful x
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