The SS27 Signals Buyers Picked Up

After a month of SS27 fashion weeks came to a close, Victoria Dartigues, buying director for womenswear and leather goods at Galeries Lafayette, named Celine, Saint Laurent, and Prada as the standout brands of the season. Through the designs and key items each brand presented this season, we look at what drove a buyer's choices.

Three Brands That Caught the Buyer's Eye

Celine — Personality Built Through Color and Combination

Michael Rider's Celine centered on trousers with fluid silhouettes, presenting color, accessories, and unexpected combinations. Pearls, colorful necklaces, and scarves serve as elements that add personality to each look. The buying director noted how the collection revived the joy of getting dressed through a wardrobe that is both refined and intuitive.

Saint Laurent — A Balance of Sensuality and Glamour

Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent emphasized the house's identity through gold-toned silhouettes, sheer fabrics, and bold femininity. The buying director praised how consistently the house codes, the collection, and the show's staging were connected. Its approach of harmonizing sensuality, lightness, and glamour is also an example of the return of femininity this season.

Prada — Expanding the Product Potential of the Skirt

Prada broadened the range of the skirt through a variety of silhouettes, from pencil skirts to pleats and utility designs. The buying director pointed out that the skirt had become a key current running through the collections from Milan to Paris. With similar moves appearing at Miu Miu, Dries Van Noten, and Loewe, the skirt has emerged as a key product category across the season, beyond any single brand.

Styling That Reflects Personal Taste

The buying director noted that the standard for styling is shifting from "This is the look" to "This is my look."

This means a shift away from following the complete looks brands propose as they are, toward completing a style by combining individual items according to one's own taste.

Color and print also support this flow. Pastels, vivid red, turquoise, and floral prints add variation to looks, while shirts, sheer blouses, and trousers with fluid silhouettes form the foundation for a variety of combinations.

Accessories and footwear likewise broaden the range of styling. Belts, scarves, costume jewelry, and bandanas are used to change the impression of individual items, while heeled flip-flops, pumps, and bow embellishments point in a feminine, lighthearted direction. It's a flow in which not only the design of the garment itself but the style created when it's combined with other items is becoming important.

EDITORIAL SMALL TALK

The change worth watching in SS27 is the way individual items complete a style.

For buyers, rather than reproducing runway looks as they are, an approach that proposes products customers can add to their existing styling, along with new combinations, may prove effective.