Like so many of us, Wooyoungmi designer Madam Woo watches the news and frets over world events. Unlike so many of us, instead of giving in to despair, she is instead dreaming of a better world. That’s where she started her cheery spring 2027 season. “She wanted to create something to really push the joy,” said an interpreter during a preview of the collection. “With lightness.” To do so, she imagined herself as a bird, able to cross the world with no boundaries or borders. “She felt like she was a voyager, wandering around everywhere, traveling around with no limits.”
That hopeful feeling was first expressed through madras suiting separates in mint green, dusty pink and pale yellow (the overall palette was beguiling sherbet hues), cut into wide, peak lapel jackets with trim, articulated shoulders. They were shown with argyle knits or shirts worn with ties featuring retro paisleys or groovy novelty prints, and with necklaces dangling with stones, giving an idiosyncratic prep affect.
To keep with the avian theme, there were feathers trimming the hem of a billowy madras robe coat or peeking out from sleeve cuffs or jacket pockets. They were evoked in a key item of the collection, sheer polyester-viscose shirting that was creased, pressed, and then dyed, so once the folds were opened back up, they gave the slightly abstracted appearance of plumage. One silk shirt featured the traditional Korean nature print known as the minhwa, here featuring cranes and trees, and similar designs were used as childlike patches on denim pieces like classic trucker jackets and pants.
There was a surfeit of outerwear styles, ranging from workwear chore coats treated to look sun-faded and a piped pajama shirt to cropped track jackets and beat-up-looking leathers. Shown mixed together and accessorized with socks paired with brogues and striped shopping bags, the collection had a sweet, innocent quality, but the tailoring elements helped maintain a sense of polish. One could easily pick through to find an item that suited them—roomy Bermuda shorts, a patterned knit cardigan, or that sheer, pressed material elongated into a floaty jacket.
While she may tap into her imagination to dream up these seasonal outings, Madame Woo said she keeps her feet planted firmly on the ground. So, sure, mixed on the runway there might be a thread of the effusive, but she believes that “the most important thing a designer can do is to create clothing men can wear right now, in the present.” Which may account for some guys in the front row eyeing the pieces hungrily as they made their way down the catwalk.
