Among those who braved the Parisian transit hurdles to make it inside were multi-hyphenate artist Jaden Smith, supermodel Heidi Klum, and Klum’s 16-year-old daughter, Lou Sulola Samuel. Their arrival added a splash of star power to a venue that was already buzzing with anticipation, setting the stage for a collection that would proudly honor the rebellious, unpredictable heritage of the iconic British fashion house while pushing into bold new sartorial territories.
Once the lights dimmed, the presentation immediately established its theatrical and uncompromising tone. Farida Khelfa, the legendary French model and director, commanded the room as she opened the show, setting an authoritative yet effortless mood. She was accompanied by the striking performance of punk poet Stuart McKenzie, whose spoken-word cadence provided a raw, auditory backdrop that felt entirely at home within the Westwood ecosystem.
Adding to the theatricality of the evening was actress Natasha Lyonne, who delivered a memorable, playful runway cameo. Strutting down the catwalk with a vibrant, open leopard-print jacket, Lyonne shook her shoulders in a carefree gesture that captured the lighthearted rebellion of the moment. Her entrance served as a fitting microcosm for a collection that reveled shamelessly in contrast and visual juxtaposition.
On the runway, the clothes told a story of delightful excess and unexpected pairings. Piles of floral motifs clashed energetically against vivid prints, while casual beachwear rubbed shoulders with sharp, traditional court references. Woven throughout these eclectic elements were the unmistakable, signature punk codes that have defined the Vivienne Westwood house for decades, proving that the brand’s foundational ethos remains as vital and disruptive as ever.
Behind the vibrant aesthetic lies a deeply personal and multicultural creative process. Speaking about the origins of the collection’s striking color palette, designer Andreas Kronthaler traced the genesis of the clothes back to Barbès, the vibrant, multicultural neighborhood located in northern Paris. Kronthaler recounted visiting local fabric shops in the area, where he immersed himself in the surroundings and purchased vivid Bazin cottons. Embracing an intuitive approach to design, he chose different lengths of fabric "very randomly" and used those raw materials as the jumping-off point for the entire spring 2027 lineup.
This spirit of resourceful creativity was matched by another significant historical influence that shaped the collection. Another key inspiration for Kronthaler came from a late-17th-century garment known as a Cheat Jacket, which he discovered through his ongoing connection with a London costume institute. The historical piece featured an intriguing construction: its fancy, decorative fabric appeared only at the front, while the back was pieced together pragmatically from leftover scraps of material.
That humble, inverted design philosophy left a lasting impression on the designer, ultimately transforming into the driving conceptual framework for the spring 2027 collection. Kronthaler took the essence of the Cheat Jacket and reworked its silhouette across various modern material combinations, sending the resulting looks down the runway repeatedly to ensure the message landed. Emphasizing the importance of this structural choice, he noted that the back of a garment deserves just as much attention as the front, explaining that the collection as a whole is fundamentally about movement and dynamic form from every angle.
While faithfully keeping the enduring spirit of Vivienne Westwood alive and evolving, Kronthaler is simultaneously designing to satisfy his own particular creative pleasures. This season, that manifested in a pronounced focus on relaxed, sensual menswear, featuring hunky men dressed in slouchy nightshirts and swimwear. It was a mischievous, forward-thinking exploration of male seduction that challenged traditional runway norms.
Backstage after the show, Kronthaler elaborated on his vision for gender and style, arguing that fashion should transcend rigid boundaries. A man should be permitted to feel and look just as sexy as a woman, he suggested, noting that he personally does not see a valid difference between how seduction and beauty should be expressed across genders.
The inclusion of the flowing nightshirts in the lineup had a remarkably personal and amusing starting point. Kronthaler revealed that following a summer blighted by an intense heatwave, he had taken to wearing a nightshirt through the daytime, comfortably cycling and running errands in it around town. With characteristic wit, he shared that the garment was remarkably liberating, noting that there was practically nothing worn underneath it. Far from drawing criticism, the bold daytime look was met with universal warmth from the public. People loved it, he quipped, adding that everywhere he went, strangers would simply smile or greet him nicely, validating his carefree approach to comfort and personal expression.
