Patrick McDowell Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Wong Kar-wai’s In The Mood For Love was the starting point for Patrick McDowell’s spring 27 collection titled Love. It’s also the designer’s partner’s favorite film.
In it actress Maggie Cheung wears 21 cheongsams of different prints (though 46 were actually custom-made when filming began). It was one of those prints McDowell translated into the green stripe silk material that was the protagonist of today’s show, taking inspiration from the film’s dominant hues of red and green.
It opened the show in the form of a silk wool skirt suit carrying hand painted roses, and went on for two more looks, a midi sleeveless dress and a pair of separates, this time sans appliqués. A floral briefcase and an umbrella were a couple of other clever nods to the 2000 Hong Kong drama, while a bejeweled flask was this writer’s favorite prop because it was both funny and practical.
During a preview McDowell said that they wanted this collection “to feel a bit more fresh.” They succeeded without losing sight of their customer or what makes their brand. Making a reappearance were many of McDowell’s signatures, such as buttons in the shape of flowers, ribbon and freesia appliqués (their mum’s favorite flower). A new, stand out detail was the Pandora earrings and charms that had been embroidered on silk wool jackets and the black gown that walked second from last.
McDowell, who launched wholesale last season, is a pretty savvy business person—this has been well documented. Besides Pandora, their collaborators this season included Aspinal Of London, Jane Taylor London and of course Certilogo, the company behind the collection’s digital product passports.
The show closed with the least structured garment McDowell has ever sent down the runway: a cloud of a wedding dress, strapless and with a drop waist, made of silk crepe de chine, silk georgette and tulle. The model walked to the tune of Etta James’s song ‘At Last.’
