ISABEL MARANT | SUMMER 2027 RUNWAY

The Isabel Marant Summer 2027 collection began in Los Angeles, when Creative Director Kim Bekker came across photographer Sam Haskins’s images of women taken in the 1960s; dressed or undressed, they were seductively shot in layer upon layer of hazy light, yet with the women’s strength and sensuality very much evident. That contrast shaped Bekker’s thinking for Summer 2027: an emphasis on airy, light dressing but grounded in pure, clear, confident shapes.

Each and every look has been elevated with artisanal handcrafted techniques—vintage-like embroideries, sprinkled with rhinestones, beads gently weighting fragile silk—and fabrics with the love-worn patina of life, yet always with this strong, graphic sensibility. For Summer 2027 the adorned meets the unadorned: tees and board shorts but in delicate lace and antique tablecloth linen; bold, round-shouldered white or black cotton sculpted blazers, over brooch-pinned swimsuits and macrame knit tubular skirts, or shorts dusted with sequins; and, more macrame knit, in the form of a slinky backless dress, or capri pants with a voluminous paper-thin black leather blouson.

Clothes are put together in a fresh way, with an emphasis on layering, whether it’s how it’s worn, or how it’s constructed: a leather halter top or a draped chiffon vest over loose shirts; short, floaty dresses, meanwhile, in layers of hand-drawn,
sun-faded floral and paisley prints –in part inspired by Isabel Marant Summer 2013—move with the air. The 1930s lingerie mood for day, in translucent shades of pink, green, and coral, switches for evening to a casual, effortless vibe, in smoke grey and black; a slip dress dotted with silvery flowers, or a gold embroidered jacket, and bias-cut skirt, all of which slide onto the body like a tee-shirt. 

Accessories are treasures, but never too precious: high basketweave ankle boots and slouchy plaited shoulder bags; beaded low-cut boots give a glimpse of cleavage; sparkly sandals come with matching anklets, and, the new embellished bucket bag hangs from woven thong straps. And the jewellery has that irresistible Isabel Marant sense of wanderlust: Chandelier earrings and necklaces made out of shells or seed-like beads, evoking the heat of summer.