Erdem's spring collection is a love letter to Barbette, the trapeze performer who dazzled audiences in the 1920s and 1930s. Sparkling underwear meets masculine layers, with socks in about a third of the looks.
Erdem Spring 2027: It Was Always About a Duality
Barbette, and the dresses
Erdem Moralioglu's spring collection is a love letter to Barbette, a trapeze performer who dazzled audiences in the 1920s and 1930s. He told the story in a mini-lecture backstage: Barbette was born Vander Clyde in Texas and first dressed as a woman after replacing a sister in an act.
What I loved is that he built from Man Ray's photographs of Barbette in costume. Sparkle-embroidered leotards, bras and underwear turned up in about a third of the looks, and socks appeared in about a third as well. It is delicate and slightly cheeky.
The duality he described is easiest to see in the dresses, which run from tiny and short to lingerie-light to ball-gown fantasy. That range is the real story, so I want to start there.
Crisp shirts and soft blouses
The shirts are my favorite part of the day wardrobe. Moralioglu now offers everything from crisp shirts to easy pajama suits, and a white collar or bow showed up in about a quarter of the looks. It is a small, clean detail that keeps all that sparkle honest.
I like thinking about the shirts as the masculine side of the duality. A floral silk pajama shirt is soft and a little undone, while an embellished poplin shirt feels almost schoolboy in comparison.
His denim and rose-print day jackets round it out as decorative yet cool. Put a lace blouse under one of those and you have a day look that carries the whole idea.
Bags in a whole world
Bags were part of this fully realized Erdem world, and about one in five looks carried one. They are the quiet finish on a very busy collection, and a floral or top-handle shape suits the theme nicely.
The news is that all of it will be available in the store Erdem is opening in New York at the end of next May. It feels right, since this season's story is about an American. Feathers appeared in only a handful of looks, so the bag is one of the few other accents that stay delicate.
Sparkle under a sharp jacket
Moralioglu called it a joyful moment and found the idea of gender in our time urgently relevant. To me, this is the best collection he has made, and it is the first time I have wanted the underwear layer and the tailoring in equal measure.
I would wear a sparkly layer under a sharp jacket, with a white collar peeking out and a small bag in hand. What sticks is his line that it was almost like Barbette was not trying to be a woman or a man, and how clearly the clothes say it.
