Richard Quinn Spring/Summer 2027

Richard Quinn has never been particularly interested in understatement, and his Spring/Summer 2027 collection makes that clear. Presented beneath crystal chandeliers in a mirrored room, the show leaned into what Quinn described backstage as “hyper-glamour”, looking to the excess and confidence of the 1980s while continuing his fascination with occasion dressing.

The collection revolved around the evening gown in all its most dramatic forms. Velvet, satin and embellished fabrics were shaped into fitted waists, exaggerated sleeves, sweeping trains and floor-skimming silhouettes, while sequins and crystals caught the light with every movement. Florals, one of Quinn’s recurring signatures, softened the grandeur without making it feel restrained. Rather than making eveningwear more casual, Quinn embraced the idea that getting dressed up can still feel like an occasion in itself.

There was a sharper side to the glamour, too. Opera-length gloves and pointed stiletto boots reinforced the old-Hollywood mood, while flashes of black latex introduced something more provocative. Paired with romantic gowns and floral decoration, the material brought a fetishistic edge that kept the collection from becoming a straightforward exercise in nostalgia. The result was a tension between romance and attitude, softness and severity.

Helena Christensen closed the show, bringing the collection back to its central idea: glamour as spectacle. Quinn was not attempting to reinvent the evening gown for SS27. Instead, he continued to refine a distinctly recognisable world of red-carpet dressing, couture-level embellishment and unapologetic femininity. In a season where understatement often dominates the conversation, Richard Quinn makes a case for dressing up simply because you can.