Yesterday afternoon, Erdem presented a remarkably assured Spring Summer 2027 collection at the Roundhouse. A sophisticated interplay of masculine and feminine codes, the collection explored androgyny through the figure of Barbette, the Texan born trapeze artist who became a sensation in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. Born Vander Clyde Broadway, Barbette performed within a space between identities, moving fluidly between masculine and feminine personas with a theatricality particularly suited to Erdem Moralıoğlu’s romantic vocabulary.
Models emerged through dry ice as the lights gradually lifted inside the pitch black Roundhouse. A pulsing soundtrack established the rhythm, filling the space and lending the presentation a new, unfamiliar energy.
Tailoring immediately established itself as one of the season’s defining propositions. The opening look, a cropped tuxedo jacket finished with a fringed scarf lapel, introduced a more disciplined silhouette, while Edwardian shirts and weighty overcoats appeared sharply structured alongside the collection’s more delicate pieces. Their presence brought a new sense of gravity to Erdem’s established language of lace, silk and intricately constructed floral gowns.
Crystal encrusted bodysuits and briefs evoked the showgirl aspect of Barbette’s world, while boudoir lingerie was layered beneath feather hemmed opera coats that trailed behind the models with an almost weightless breeze. Cropped wool sweaters released cascades of crystals from their hems, set against even more heavily embellished gowns. Elsewhere, gossamer tulle was scattered with crystals and dangling fabric flowers, each one catching the white light as they moved.
The collection’s outerwear introduced billowing military green bubble jackets, worn with bare legs and loosely styled hair arranged into wispy, playful plaits. Floral gowns restored the delicacy that has become so synonymous with Erdem, continually interrupted this season by sharper silhouettes and a more assertive physicality.
Crucially, the collection never settled entirely into the familiar prettiness of the Erdem house. Barbette’s influence, acting as the season’s singular muse, gave Moralıoğlu permission to make his romanticism far more ambiguous. For a designer so closely associated with historical femininity, it was exciting to see Erdem turn towards tailoring and gender fluidity without abandoning the craftsmanship and detail that makes his work so recognisable. Spring Summer 2027 has certainly broadened the house’s vocabulary, suggesting a new realm of possibility for the brand.
