Reverie by Caroline Hu Spring 2027

For Spring 2027, Caroline Hu turned a 2,000-word fairy tale of her own making into a collection caught somewhere between romance and ruin. The story follows a girl who leaves home, enters a decaying castle and becomes trapped in a strange, unfamiliar world. It gave Hu a framework for exploring uncertainty, transformation and the environments we find ourselves in.

That narrative appeared across the clothes through patchworked fabrics, intricate beadwork resembling tiny ants and pannier dresses layered with Sophie Hallette lace. Lines from the story were hand-embroidered onto garments, while an embroidered image of a girl riding a flying horse and holding an apple pushed the collection further into its surreal territory. The references felt deliberately imperfect, as though fragments of the fairy tale had escaped onto the clothes.

Hu balanced the fantasy with a more practical wardrobe. Tailoring, outerwear and trousers brought a sense of everyday dressing to the otherwise elaborate collection, making the contrast between the strange and the familiar part of its appeal. Her reference point was Interview With the Vampire, particularly its combination of romance and grit.

Rather than presenting a neatly resolved fantasy, Hu left the story open-ended. That uncertainty mirrored her own feelings about what comes next, both creatively and personally. The result was a collection that found beauty in the slightly broken, without allowing the idea of decay to overwhelm the clothes.