What makes us feel glamorous? The question at the heart of Julian Klausner’s Spring/Summer 2027 women’s collection led him to explore glamour in a way that feels light and wholesome. To translate this message onto the runway, his team set out to examine the archetypal movie star. Spring/Summer 2027 looks in-between: a dolled-up actress finishes a day of filming, her heels echo along the street as she travels the city, a massive clutch in hand. Off duty, she charms in her personal way of dressing up.
Klausner's fourth womenswear runway collection holds great significance in fashion. He comes across as a designer with a fully realized and trusted vision. Having developed a distinct language for the house, he embodies a sense of play in his work. His sensibilities are attuned to those of Dries Van Noten himself and much like Dries, Klausner's attention to materials and prints is central: fabrics, colors and motifs are meticulous. A deeply personal and universally felt emotion provides the collection with its starting point.
The collection brings to mind earlier glamorous journeys. Autumn/Winter 2013 menswear took inspiration from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Top Hat (1935), while Spring/Summer 2016 womenswear explored the Old Hollywood iconography of Marilyn Monroe, and Spring/Summer 2016 menswear presented Dalí-inspired surrealism.
For Spring/Summer 2027, dazzling women in motion appeared in graphic-printed skirts, as did workwear in sheer organza, and a selection of Technicolor jewelry. My favorite pieces showed how easily these elements could find their way into your day. A sheer beige field jacket was worn over leopard print with an oversized matching bag. A floral top with a pink satin neckline appeared with a graphic skirt, while dangling charms and silver boat shoes added to the playful mix. A navy and burgundy rugby shirt was tucked into a glossy cobalt skirt, with clusters of jewelry at the neckline.
Klausner and his team are thinking about how women ritualize acts of glamour: fastening a belt, pinning a brooch, trying something on to see how it feels. Bette Davis once described glamour as “something you can’t get at.” That elusive quality leaves room. In Klausner’s world, a character takes shape through the things she chooses and the pleasure she finds in wearing them. It feels timely as MoMu celebrates the Antwerp Six while the Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice presents its inaugural exhibition, The Only True Protest Is Beauty.
Van Noten’s influence reaches well beyond the runway. His belief in the emotional possibilities of materials finds a continued expression in Klausner. He understands its personal appeal and provides space for women to make their own distinctive expressions through clothes. The result is a blockbuster with the wearer in the leading role.
