2026 has been the year of the seemingly endless summer, with temperatures in Milan holding at a balmy 25 degrees well into September. 2027 is projected to be no different—if anything, it may be even hotter. Alberto Caliri’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection for Missoni seems to take this into account, with scarcely a transitional spring piece in sight. Almost as hot as the collection itself was the VIP guest list, featuring Jordyn Woods, Kelly Rutherford, and Taraji P. Henson. The collection is a masterclass in climate-catastrophe chic, anchored in a beachy, boho aesthetic that makes sensible heat-wave dressing seem like an attitude rather than the necessity it is increasingly becoming.
Loose, airy pieces dominate the collection. One look pairs a baggy, tasseled poncho with pleated trousers, both in a beige-toned palette. The outfit could just as easily be worn over a bikini at a beach club as on a sweltering day pounding the city pavement. It is cool in every sense of the word: the loose silhouette, sandy palette, and slightly askew straw hat are both lackadaisically chic and appropriate for the 40-degree heat waves we may encounter next summer.
Caliri shows several iterations of long, loose, sun-protective looks that don’t skimp on style. The third look, for instance, offers an example of modern, climate-adapted transitional dressing. In colder times, transitional dressing meant a lighter coat thrown over a cotton sweater rather than wool. Now, the outfit is dominated by summery pieces made for a world in which heat prevails. A chunky cotton sweater, held in place around the hips by a skinny belt, is there in case the temperature drops by ten degrees, but staying cool rather than warm is clearly the priority.
Look twenty-six uses this trick again, this time with a fair amount of pattern mixing. A multicolored blue jumpsuit is layered with a black-and-white cotton sweater and topped with a similarly monochrome hat. A slim navy belt and low-profile loafers anchor the outfit, while three boho necklaces are framed by the jumpsuit’s deep V. Once again, Caliri produces a look that is at once beachy, bohemian, sophisticated, and adapted to fashion’s changing needs. It comes as no surprise that Missoni, a house known for its beachwear, succeeds in this increasingly essential field.
Caliri’s collection isn’t all climate doom and gloom, however. It is a cohesive whirlwind of desert-island-cowboy chic that happens to be remarkably appropriate for a clientele increasingly confronted with climate concerns when choosing summer clothes. A few looks break from the collection’s generally climate-conscious silhouettes. Several skin-tight, halter-neck sequin dresses strut down the runway, for example, offering little protection from the sun or air circulation in hot, humid weather. With hair worn down and shoulders exposed, the styling prioritizes spectacle over comfort. Still, the dresses’ muted color palette, reminiscent of a desert-dwelling rattlesnake, anchors them firmly within the collection. Overall, Caliri takes on the challenge of changing climate conditions head-on without making it the explicit focal point of his collection. The result is a wardrobe that keeps its wearer cool in every sense of the word.
