Altuzarra looks to the photographs of Casa Susanna for Spring Summer 2027, drawing inspiration from the Catskills retreat where men gathered during the 1950s and 1960s to dress as women and briefly experience freer, more authentic versions of themselves. The photographs’ laughter, intimacy, playfulness and release provide the collection with its emotional foundation, guiding an exploration of self-invention, nostalgia and summer freedom.
SPRING SUMMER 2027
Presented in the historic lobby of New York’s Woolworth Building, the collection gradually shifts from structured menswear references toward expressive femininity. Utilitarian worker jackets and bomber silhouettes introduce familiar masculine codes. Garment washing fades their edges, creates curling finishes and gives each piece the appearance of previous wear. Leather outerwear carries an aged, personal quality, while embroidered poplins and linens bring delicate decoration to practical materials.
Americana runs throughout the collection through references to mid-century summer culture. Faded leopard prints join tiger-print knitted jacquards finished with raw, torn edges. The tiger motifs reference adventure films from the 1950s and 1960s and the childhood fantasy associated with Tarzan.
An invented film titled Sweet Hearts inspires another group of pieces. Dresses, tops and skirts resemble lengths of movie posters wrapped directly around the body, converting their graphics and colors into clothing. Handkerchief-hem daisy dresses and airy madras taffetas recall sun-bleached fields, beach towns and bohemian summer dressing. Bandanas, knots and wrapped constructions appear throughout the collection, giving garments an instinctive, informal quality.
The collection becomes increasingly intimate through delicate embroidery and dresses and skirts with lingerie references. Pleated patchwork dresses combine satin, crepe de chine and chiffon, suggesting pieces assembled from fragments of vintage slips and forgotten clothing. Seam lines reference antique lingerie construction. Embroideries revisit motifs from earlier Altuzarra collections and adapt them through a more personal perspective.
Color intensifies as the collection progresses. Saturated reds, royal blues, acid yellows and vivid pinks appear alongside rich neutrals and classic menswear browns. Crinkled gold lamés carry a weathered finish that suggests repeated wear over many evenings.
Gauzy knits edged with crystals dissolve into degradés of sequins, drawing from the theatrical femininity found in performances at Casa Susanna. Crystal jewelry appears to unravel over knitted cardigans, creating the impression of broken necklaces permanently caught within the garments.
The final looks bring the collection’s ideas of revelation and self-invention fully to the surface. Dresses, tops and skirts appear torn or split apart to expose embroidered linings covered with sequins, crystals and saturated color. Decorative elements emerge from inside the clothing as the wardrobe leaves everyday uniforms behind and becomes increasingly romantic and expressive.
