Altuzarra Spring 2027: The Joys of Self-expression

by · WWD
Altuzarra Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear CollectionCourtesy of Altuzarra

Joy and freedom.

It’s the message Joseph Altuzarra sent down his expressive, striking spring runway show in the gilded ground floor lobby of the Woolworth Building, where the designer has his headquarters.

His idea began with a book of photographs of Casa Susanna, a 1950s to ‘60s retreat in the Catskills where men would dress as women. Altuzarra was captivated by their joy — the book, filled with images of their love and freedom of authentic self-expression, was placed on each showgoer’s seat — and how it also encapsulated the liberated feeling of summer. 

“We were looking a lot around the idea of how someone would have made their own clothes or taken menswear and twisted it into something that felt really feminine. The idea of ripping, sort of becoming more yourself,” he explained. 

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The inspirations became a collection that shifted in spirit from the more quietly luxurious romance he’s been presenting over the last few years into a bolder lineup that began with striking punk-tinged femininity, as seen through his show-opening raw silk taffeta ’50s full madras skirts and twisted shift dresses, contrasted by mannish ’50s workwear and biker jackets in exaggerated trapeze shapes and harder-edged leather grommet belts. 

The juxtapositions continued with workwear pants and soft T-shirts, cardigans and sharp tailoring accented with removable menswear collars and cuffs nicely contrasted by delicate layered slip and linen handkerchief layers. 

“We took a really masculine fabric, tropical wool, and then it’s torn open. Underneath you have this incredibly feminine, exuberant embroidery,” he said of the show’s transition to reveal more of an intimate side via lingerie details, exposed beneath ripped-open tanks and shifts (another in bubblegum pink was zipped up the side, revealing his own version of a ’60s camp movie poster). And vintage-y pleated and hand-embroidered body-skimming dresses and whisper thin gauzy knit cocktail dresses edged in crystals and dégradé sequin hems added moments of soft glamour.

Optimistic color, texture and a liberating feeling of the beauty of self-expression — Altuzarra’s collection had it all.