From Khaite’s whisper-thin chiffon to Balenciaga’s loosely gathered caftans, this season’s runways took their cue from the curtain.

When Scarlett O’Hara pulled down Miss Ellen’s green velvet portières to make a dress in Gone with the Wind (1939), curtains became the stuff of fashion legend. Nearly four decades later, Bob Mackie took the joke one step further for Carol Burnett’s 1976 parody, leaving the curtain rod resting across her shoulders. For <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/color-trends-spring-summer-2027-runways-photos">Spring/Summer 2027</a>, the window treatment is back on the runway, this time with considerably more restraint.
Curtain dressing comes in two forms. The first is sheer: chiffon, organza, and lace that fall straight from the shoulder and let the light through, much like a voile panel at a sunny window. The second is the swag, where fabric is bunched, knotted, and gathered loosely around the body until it lands somewhere between a tieback drape and a toga. Either way, the fabric is left to hang and slip as it pleases, loosening the sharp shoulders and stiff volume that ruled only a few seasons ago.
From the gilded Trocadéro to a glass penthouse in Williamsburg, designers drew the curtains across New York, London, Milan, and Paris. It didn’t take long for the look to reach front rows and after-parties, too. Below, L’OFFICIEL breaks down the sheer and draped looks of Spring/Summer 2027—on the runway and off.

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">On the Runway: Spring/Summer 2027</h2>

Saint Laurent SS27. Getty Images.

Zoe Saldaña at the Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week. Getty Images.

At <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/saint-laurent-spring-summer-2027-show-runway-photos-set-see-all-the-looks-anthony-vaccarello-finale">Saint Laurent</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/anthony-vaccarello-exits-saint-laurent-official-announcement-new-creative-director-next-move">Anthony Vaccarello</a> set what turned out to be his final show for the house at the Trocadéro, beneath gold chandeliers and with the Eiffel Tower lit up behind the runway. Gold took over 49 of the 59 looks, but the collection closed in black. One gown gathered a cloud of sheer black chiffon at the shoulder, twisted it across the torso, and let it fall into a sweeping skirt slit to the hip. The front row was dressed to match: <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/zoe-saldana-interview-cartier-ambassador-campaign">Zoe Saldaña</a> arrived in a sheer black Saint Laurent slip scattered with sequins, styled by Petra Flannery with an oversized blazer draped over her shoulders.

Christopher Esber Spring/Summer 2027. Courtesy of Christopher Esber.

At <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/christopher-esber-spring-summer-2027-collection-runway-photos-review">Christopher Esber</a>’s return to Paris Fashion Week, 47 looks—shown in an underground theater laid with leopard carpet—leaned into the drape. A navy printed scarf wrapped over one shoulder, rose into a fluted collar at the neck, and knotted into a long sash at the hip. It was cinched with a studded buckle over black satin trousers. Elsewhere, a cobalt lace minidress with cap sleeves was sheer from its high neck to its scalloped hem.

Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2027. Getty Images.

For <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/balenciaga-spring-summer-2027-collection-runway-photos-see-all-the-looks-pierpaolo-piccioli-celebrities-front-row">Balenciaga</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/pierpaolo-piccioli-balenciaga-archives-cristobal-moda-lofficiel">Pierpaolo Piccioli</a> titled his Spring/Summer 2027 collection Les Coraux de la Liberté and set the runway among sculptures of red and orange coral. He brought the techniques of his July couture debut for the house into everyday dressing, but his sheer looks came with an edge. A black top and skirt were cut into long ribbons that swayed open over lace briefs and combat boots. A sheer white blouse dotted with small appliqués gave way to a skirt of feathers.

Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2027. Courtesy of Balenciaga.

The draped side was softer. Blush chiffon spilled from a high neck into a floor-length cape over matching trousers, and a bubblegum-pink caftan, gathered at the throat, fell loosely past the knee. The pinks nodded to the Indian flower markets pinned to Piccioli’s mood board.

Dior Spring/Summer 2027. Getty Images.

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/jonathan-anderson-most-surprising-moments-loewe-dior-debut-jw-anderson">Jonathan Anderson</a>’s <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/dior-spring-summer-2027-collection-runway-photos-review-paris-fashion-week-celebrities-front-row-jonathan-anderson">Dior</a>, shown in the Jardin des Tuileries, moved between the two directions. Pink-and-white striped organza tumbled into a tiered skirt beneath a chunky ribbed cardigan. A celadon chiffon dress, strapless and draped from the bust, ballooned into two soft pouffes at the hips before falling loose around the calves.

Christian Dior SS27. Getty Images.

The same silhouette later returned in pale pink, carried with a lilac bag on the shoulder. A pleated pink bodice flared into a sheer, tiered chiffon skirt, finished with a multicolored fringed bag and red pumps.

Jennifer Lawrence at the Dior Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week. Getty Images.

Anya Taylor-Joy at the Dior Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week. Getty Images.

In the front row, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/jennifer-lawrence-emma-stone-golden-globes-2026">Jennifer Lawrence</a> wore a draped blue slip dress trimmed in lace. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/anya-taylor-joy-method-dressing-red-carpet-premieres-press-tours-dune-mad-max-mario-movie">Anya Taylor-Joy</a> chose a sheer black lace blouse with a matching lace overlay that opened like a curtain over a black pencil skirt.

Monse Spring/Summer 2027. Courtesy of Monse.

In New York, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/monse-spring-summer-2027-laura-kim-fernando-garcia-interview-quotes">Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia</a> staged their first Monse show since leaving Oscar de la Renta, in a glass penthouse above the former Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg. The collection centered on the “broken” tulip, a bloom prized for its streaked, irregular petals during the 17th-century Dutch tulip craze. It appeared on a sheer slip printed with tulips and finished with sculptural stems dangling from the waist. A pale chartreuse dress, meanwhile, was wrapped across the bust and shoulder above a skirt of long, loose threads.

Khaite Spring/Summer 2027. Photography by Hanna Tveite.

At <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/khaite-spring-summer-2027-collection-runway-photos-review-see-all-the-looks-celebrities-models">Khaite</a>, Catherine Holstein found her starting point at Venice’s Gritti Palace. She shrank the brand’s usually generous proportions in favor of lace, florals, and lingerie-like constructions, all finished by hand. A sheer ivory blouse with fluttering sleeves was tied loosely at the waist over embroidered floral trousers. A black look layered sheer tiers over a skirt edged in a crisp ivory ruffle.

Proenza Schouler Spring/Summer 2027. Courtesy of Proenza Schouler.

For her second collection at <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/proenza-schouler-spring-summer-2027-rachel-scott-designer-nyfw">Proenza Schouler</a>, Rachel Scott worked with cowling and seams that wrap the body. A burgundy sequined column was draped over one shoulder and cinched with a slim leather belt. A sheer black top, cut into a deep V and paneled in pale yellow, hung loosely over slim black trousers, with a red clutch in hand.

Carolina Herrera SS27. Getty Images.

Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2027. Courtesy of Carolina Herrera.

Celebrating the house’s 45th anniversary at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater, Creative Director Wes Gordon looked back to the Park Avenue glamour of <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/carolina-herrera-spring-summer-2027-collection-runway-photos-show-review">Carolina Herrera</a>’s early ’80s. A blush slip dress floated over the body, finished with frothy peach ruffles at the waist and hem. Elsewhere, Gordon tucked a crisp white button-down, a nod to Mrs. Herrera’s signature white shirt, into a sheer seafoam skirt that was gathered at the waist with an oversized bow and fell in a full sweep to the floor. Red drop earrings and matching heels finished the look.&nbsp;
Coming off of strict tailoring of recent seasons, the appeal of curtain dressing is easy to see. Khaite and Carolina Herrera kept their sheer layers light enough for a summer afternoon, Balenciaga cut black fabric into swaying ribbons, and Monse let loose threads trail to the ankle. At Saint Laurent, Proenza Schouler, and Christopher Esber, fabric was knotted, twisted, and slung over a single shoulder, while Jonathan Anderson gathered it into soft pouffes at the hips for Dior. Sheer or draped, the season’s most romantic looks were the ones that left the fabric free to move.

<h2 dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Off the Runway</h2>

Alix Earle wears a white Gucci halter-neck gown with draped detailing and a thigh-high slit, paired with a black embellished clutch. Courtesy of Instagram/@alixearle.

Alix Earle wears a sheer black Gucci minidress with floral lace and shimmering embellishments. Courtesy of Instagram/@alixearle.

In Milan, Demna’s Spring/Summer 2027 Gucci show, staged inside a life-size replica of an imagined Gucci flagship, brought out guests who played both sides of the trend. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/alix-earle-fashion-style-most-controversial-outfits">Alix Earle</a> went sheer in black lace for a night out during fashion week. She then switched to a white halter gown draped low at the sides and slit to the thigh, a silhouette that would look right at home in Gucci’s late-’90s archive.

Anastasia "Stassie" Karanikolaou wears a sheer black Gucci minidress with lace detailing, paired with black open-toe heels. Courtesy of Instagram /@staskaranikolaou.

Stassie wears a floor-length red Gucci gown with an asymmetrical neckline, draped bodice, and long sleeves. Courtesy of Instagram /@staskaranikolaou.

Anastasia Karanikolaou did the same, moving from a black lace slip to a red off-the-shoulder column ruched across the body.

Livia wears a sheer black Saint Laurent lace dress with a matching jacket, layered gold jewelry, and narrow sunglasses. Courtesy of Instagram /@livia.

Livia wears a voluminous silver-grey Saint Laurent gown with exaggerated puff sleeves, gathered ruffles, and statement earrings. Courtesy of Instagram /@livia.

Then there’s Brazilian creator Livia Nunes Marques, a Saint Laurent regular whose looks Vaccarello has reposted on his own Instagram. First came delicate black lace layered under a shaggy black jacket and gold chains. Then came a voluminous silver-grey gown from the house’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, its cascading ruffles and exaggerated sleeves set against Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain.
For those taking the trend home, sheer pieces work best layered over a simple slip or a lingerie-inspired base, the way Khaite and Carolina Herrera styled them. Draped looks ask for little more than a strappy sandal and a bare shoulder.&nbsp;
Draw them, drape them, or let the light pass right through. This season, the curtains are meant to be worn.

Curtain Call: Spring/Summer 2027’s Sheer and Draped Dressing

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Curtain Call: Spring/Summer 2027’s Sheer and Draped Dressing