Collina Strada Spring 2026 Collection
As the sun set over Manhattan’s southern tip, Collina Strada transformed a downtown helipad into a runway where the East River shimmered in the background. Against this cinematic backdrop, Hillary Taymour unveiled what many consider one of her strongest collections to date, marked by shadowy doubles, exaggerated silhouettes, and a message of resilience.
Each model walked alongside her mirrored twin dressed in black, embodying the idea of the “shadow” —the political, cultural, and systemic forces that follow us, often invisible yet impossible to ignore. “It’s about acknowledging what came before us and learning how to move forward with light,” explained Taymour. The mirrored casting also revealed a pragmatic layer: presenting pared-down black versions of her exuberant looks offered a different lens on her silhouettes, stripped to their purest form.
The Spring 2026 collection balanced chaos with precision. Tops with empire waists ballooned into voluminous shapes; cargo pants came reimagined with peplum details; and shirt-dresses ended in bubbled hems, creating a sense of playful distortion. The energy was deliberately unsettled —a nod to the undone opulence of the ’80s reinterpreted through the eclectic spirit of the 2010s. Still, each look felt complete and cohesive, reflecting Taymour’s skill in translating experimentation into wearability.
Textile innovation, a hallmark of Collina Strada, pushed the collection further. Taymour continued her commitment to upcycling, famously insisting, “Not a single scrap goes to waste in this studio.” A standout piece was a long blue checked coat crafted through a painstaking three-layer process: fabric squares were cut, frayed, and reassembled, resulting in a garment with the luminous, kinetic energy of a James Turrell installation. Other highlights included a delicate recycled wedding dress —with a black counterpart conceived, as Taymour put it, “for the funeral”— and playful separates that proved just as versatile as they were theatrical.
