Carolina Herrera\u2019s show in Madrid continues to reverberate throughout Spain \u2014 proving parent Puig\u2019s multimillion-euro investment in it was worth it.<\/p>\n
Coverage of the Thursday night show in Plaza Mayor \u2014 where I grew up walking as a child \u2014 ran all over Spanish media throughout the weekend. More than 70 looks swept through the square, while 1,500 guests \u2014 including some traditional Spanish high society some reality show newbies and I am sure a few footballer\u2019s wives \u2014 watched a spectacle that doubled as the launch of La Bomba, a fragrance named after Jackie Kennedy\u2019s nickname for Carolina Herrera<\/a> herself, according to rumors. Puig, Spain\u2019s fragrance giant, made it clear: This was fashion as a cultural and business power move. And it positioned Puig as a high fashion player at the level of the French conglomerates.<\/p>\n More from WWD<\/strong><\/p>\n For me, it was a moving event, Wes Gordon\u2019s first Herrera main season show outside New York. And the designer recognized the gravitas of the occasion, with numerous references to Spanish culture and fashion. Gordon spoke backstage about Vel\u00e1zquez and El Greco, and you could see it in the lively palette, the sculptural coats, and the nice yet predictable grand volumes. But what impressed me was that he didn\u2019t just use Spain as the stereotypical destination backdrop. He invited the country\u2019s designers from past and present into the conversation \u2014 Sybilla, Palomo Spain, Casa Sese\u00f1a, Andr\u00e9s Gallardo; local voices and artisans who reinterpreted Herrera\u2019s codes with sincerity and newness.<\/p>\n Then there was the music. For me, it was personal. The soundtrack \u2014 Alaska and Ol\u00e9 Ol\u00e9, among others, were the anthems of La Movida. I grew up listening to those songs in Spain\u2019s \u201880s, when the country was shaking off Francisco Franco\u2019s shadow and rediscovering its voice. To hear that soundtrack shake Plaza Mayor during a Herrera show felt like two parts of my life \u2014 fashion and personal history \u2014 suddenly colliding. Pedro Almod\u00f3var and Bibiana Fern\u00e1ndez sat front row, living reminders of that era. My emotions crescendoed when the towering gowns walked by to the song No Controles by Ole-Ole.<\/p>\n The clothes themselves were pure Herrera \u2014 florals, flamenco swirls, blood red against inky black \u2014 but Gordon turned them into a love letter to Spain, to Latin culture, to reinvention. This wasn\u2019t just a collection; it was a moment where heritage, fashion and identity came together. I\u2019ve sat through hundreds of runways. Many a blur. But this one felt extremely personal to me. Because fashion\u2019s real power isn\u2019t just in the clothes, but in the way it makes you feel seen. For me, Herrera in Madrid was a reminder of who I am, where I come from, and why fashion matters.<\/p>\n Ole, Wes!<\/p>\n Launch Gallery: Carolina Herrera Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection<\/a><\/p>\n Best of WWD<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for WWD’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carolina Herrera\u2019s show in Madrid continues to reverberate throughout Spain \u2014 proving parent Puig\u2019s multimillion-euro investment in it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":442259,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[149477,2000,299,104,52923],"class_list":{"0":"post-442258","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-carolina-herrera","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-spain","12":"tag-wwd"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115245558800518172","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=442258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/442258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/442259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=442258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=442258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=442258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}