2 min read
On a windy day in Copenhagen, Collina Strada brought its unconventional whimsy all the way from New York—and left a trail of tinsel along the Danish harbor. Designer Hillary Taymour, official guest of Copenhagen Fashion Week, showed her pre-spring 2027 collection, titled “Delirium in Bloom,” on a runway overlooking the water just before sunset. A string quartet played as models blanketed in tinsel and glitter—sprinkled on their skin and pasted over teased hair—appeared to creep home barefoot as if they’d recently had a little too much fun.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Copenhagen Fashion Week invited Collina Strada to show in the global guest slot. Unlike many other fashion weeks, Copenhagen requires strict sustainability parameters from its participants. Taymour, a champion of slow fashion already, was up to the challenge; she decided to use only deadstock material left over in her studio. “Every look grew from these parameters, proving that constraints can become catalysts for creativity,” she wrote in the press release, “Fabric manipulation became the foundation of the collection. Pleating, gathering, twisting, layering, patch-working, and sculpting fabrics transformed familiar materials into something extraordinary.”
Courtesy Collina Strada
In doing so, Taymour showed a softer, more feminine side of her usual wacky maximalism. The show began with dresses made of ethereal, cream-colored chiffon and tulle scrunched up asymmetrically, tendrils whipping in the wind. Color crept in softly throughout the subsequent looks in the form of soft pinks, juicy greens, and baby blues. Taymour dip-dyed and patchworked different colors together, then styled those new pieces with her signature baggy cargos. Standout looks featured ribbons crosshatched and beginning to unravel or layered densely together to take on the appearance of a textured stripe.
The designer played with glamour in a much more overt way than we’re used to from her; this was a party, after all. Models wore clingy sequined tops with metallic micro-minis and tiny, glittering bras with oversize cargo shorts. Despite all of this play, Taymour by no means abandoned the brand’s distinctive ethos; the candy-colored dreamscape retained her signature angst. She tweaked silhouettes, challenging the brain with asymmetry. She poked holes and shredded edges. A sort of warped smocking at the midsection upended a traditional pink and green skirt suit.
Courtesy Collina Strada
Amidst the hedonism, there was a sense of joy omnipresent in Taymour’s creations. In the pursuit of creativity, caution was thrown wholeheartedly to the wind. And that zeal extended past the models to the audience, as well. I was sitting among members of the American press, many of whom traveled from New York and attend Collina Strada shows every season. But the majority of attendees were local; here was a new crop of devotees for Taymour. The brand fits in here, both in aesthetic and approach. Her system-bucking quirk resonates internationally. That much was evident in the audience ensembles; these new fans wore bug-eyed sunglasses and giant cargo pants, just like Taymour.
Collina Strada SS 27
Open Gallery