PARIS — Navigating the French capital on the afternoon of a major Pride march is never for the faint of heart, but the city’s fashion elite proved that no amount of transit chaos could keep them away from the Palais de la Femme. Despite sprawling street closures and gridlock that brought parts of Paris to a standstill, a star-studded front row managed to arrive in time for the highly anticipated Vivienne Westwood spring 2027 show. Among those braving the traffic disruptions were multi-hyphenate artist Jaden Smith, supermodel Heidi Klum, and Klum’s 16-year-old daughter, Lou Sulola Samuel, all of whom secured their seats inside the venue to witness the latest visionary chapter of the iconic British fashion house.
The venue itself buzzed with anticipation as the audience settled in, bracing for the theatricality and subversion that have long defined the Westwood brand. True to form, the presentation immediately challenged conventional expectations, opening with a striking appearance by French fashion icon Farida Khelfa. Setting an artistic and rebellious tone, punk poet Stuart McKenzie performed live during the proceedings, his spoken-word cadence underscoring the raw, unapologetic energy of the collection.
The runway antics reached a playful peak when actress Natasha Lyonne made a memorable cameo appearance. Strutting down the runway with an infectious sense of fun, Lyonne shook her shoulders in a bright, open leopard-print jacket, perfectly capturing the irreverent spirit of the house. It was a fittingly vibrant entrance for a collection that unabashedly reveled in stark contrasts. Throughout the presentation, floral elements were piled aggressively on top of more florals, vivid and chaotic prints clashed with confidence, and relaxed beachwear rubbed shoulders with sharp court-dress references and the house’s familiar, time-tested punk codes.
The Multicultural Roots and Random Inspirations of Barbès
Speaking backstage after the show, creative director Andreas Kronthaler pulled back the curtain on the unexpected origins of the collection’s rich visual palette. According to Kronthaler, the journey began in Barbès, the bustling, multicultural neighborhood nestled in northern Paris. Drawn to the vibrant energy and textile offerings of the area, Kronthaler visited local fabric shops, where he immersed himself in the market and purchased a bounty of vivid Bazin cottons.
In keeping with an approach that favored intuition over rigid planning, Kronthaler explained that he selected varying lengths of the fabric “very randomly” and simply started designing from there, letting the materials guide the creative process rather than forcing a preconceived narrative onto them.
Another pivotal source of inspiration for the spring 2027 lineup came from a piece of historical garments history: a late-17th-century Cheat Jacket that Kronthaler encountered through his ongoing connection with a London costume institute. The historical garment offered a fascinating structural puzzle. Its fancy, high-value fabric appeared exclusively at the front, while the back was unceremoniously pieced together from leftover scraps and cheaper materials.
This humble reverse-engineering approach deeply influenced the structural philosophy of the new collection. Kronthaler took that historic concept and reinterpreted the silhouette using an array of unexpected material combinations, showcasing them repeatedly down the runway to drill the point home.
"The back is just as important as the front. The collection is all about movement," Kronthaler elaborated, emphasizing that garments must hold visual interest from every conceivable angle, reflecting the dynamic realities of those who wear them.
Redefining Male Seduction and Personal Freedom
While keeping the foundational anarchist spirit of Vivienne Westwood well and alive, Kronthaler’s recent creative endeavors are increasingly driven by his own particular pleasures and observations of modern life. For spring 2027, that meant turning a sharp, admiring eye toward male sensuality, showcasing hunky men clad in slouchy nightshirts and breezy swimwear. It was a mischievous, forward-thinking exploration of male seduction that challenged traditional runway norms.
"A man should be as sexy as women. I don’t see that difference," Kronthaler remarked backstage, articulating a design ethos that seeks to dismantle rigid gendered boundaries in evening and leisure wear.
Interestingly, the inclusion of the nightshirts had a deeply personal and humorous starting point. Reflecting on the oppressive heat waves that blighted the previous summer, Kronthaler shared that he had spent his days wearing a simple nightshirt out in public, cycling through the streets and running errands.
The impromptu fashion statement proved to be an unexpected triumph. "There’s nothing underneath, really. People loved it. Everywhere I went, they were just smiling or greeting me nicely," he quipped, embodying the very essence of effortless, unbothered charm that has always kept the house of Westwood at the vanguard of fashion.
