Story by Editor-at-Large CAROLINA OGLIARO
Whispers of Elegance: Erdem’s FW25/26 Collection Weaves Time, Beauty, and the Art of the Unseen
In the hallowed halls of the British Museum, where history’s whispers intertwine with the present, Erdem Moralıoğlu unveiled his Autumn/Winter 2025/26 collection, a symphony of elegance and introspection that resonated deeply with the audience.
The collection drew inspiration from the ethereal artworks of Scottish artist Kaye Donachie, whose moody and abstract designs evoke a sense of timelessness and emotion. Erdem translated this artistic essence into garments that melded feminine silhouettes with a touch of the avant-garde, creating a dialogue between artist and subject, between classic beauty and contemporary edge.
Models glided down the runway adorned in pieces that spoke of both strength and fragility. Delicate fabrics were juxtaposed with structured tailoring, embodying the duality present in Donachie’s art. The color palette ranged from deep, melancholic hues to soft, wistful tones, mirroring the emotional spectrum of the artworks that inspired the collection.
In a deliberate move to highlight the intricacies of the clothing, the makeup was kept minimal, an embodiment of the “makeup no makeup” aesthetic. This subtle approach allowed the natural features of the models to shine, ensuring that the focus remained steadfastly on the garments themselves. The simplicity of the makeup underscored the collection’s themes, emphasizing that true beauty often lies in authenticity and understatement.
The audience, including luminaries such as actress Lily James, was enraptured by the seamless fusion of art and fashion. Erdem’s narrative prowess was evident, as each piece told a story that transcended fabric and thread, inviting onlookers to delve into a world where past and present coalesce in harmonious elegance.
Erdem’s Fall/Winter 2025/26 collection was a masterclass in craftsmanship, a seamless interplay between structure and fluidity that evoked both historical reverence and modern sensibility. Signature elements of the house, intricate embroidery, rich brocades, and impeccably tailored silhouettes, were reimagined through a lens of quiet opulence. There was a poetic dialogue between strength and delicacy: razor-sharp jackets cinched at the waist with an almost architectural precision contrasted against flowing chiffon gowns that billowed like specters of a bygone era. Luxurious fabrics, silk jacquards, velvets, and delicate lace, were layered with exquisite intention, each piece carrying the weight of meticulous handwork. A muted yet deeply romantic color palette of stormy blues, inky blacks, and antique golds added an air of timelessness, while subtle deconstruction, raw hems, and asymmetrical draping, brought a contemporary edge. Every garment was a love letter to both the past and the present, weaving historical references into silhouettes that felt undeniably modern, reaffirming Erdem’s ability to craft clothing that is at once regal, relevant, and profoundly moving.
The air hummed with the residue of something ethereal as if history itself had been draped in silk and set into motion. Each silhouette, a fleeting apparition, had traced the space between past and present, leaving behind not just fabric, but feeling. Applause swelled like the rustling of pages in an unwritten novel, a gentle crescendo of reverence. And then, like a dream dissolving with the dawn, only echoes remained, of whispered stitches, of velvet shadows, and of a beauty too delicate to hold yet impossible to forget.
