A Fantasy Festival Rotation from the Mind of Marco De Vincenzo
Review of Etro Spring 2026 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Psychedelic summer, Print Powered, Accentuated Movement
In case it had failed to register, 60 years since the first ‘Summer of Love’ will soon be upon us (in 2027 in fact) and designers are acting accordingly. In London, Daniel Lee at Burberry played on the evergreen link between music and fashion for his Burberry show, with the parka, fringed embellished dresses and leather jackets and crochet knits merging to create a new kind of festival wardrobe. And as we all seek some level of escapism during our downtime in the summer, expressing our love for sound and each other will welcome in a new type of festival uniform.
Etro has always been linked with a very bohemian type of chic, and now under the creative leadership of Marco De Vincenzo, who having established his evolved direction for the brand, is feeling comfortable enough to start referencing its hippie-lite legacy. And if next summer will mark the start of the ‘Summer of Love’ homages then De Vincenzo is ahead of the curve into ultra-luxe bold bohemiana.
Taking himself back to the ‘founding moment’ of 1968, when Etro was was born of Gerolamo “Gimmo” Etro’s travels, finding a home in the psychedelic movement and hippie trail, when young counter-culture adventurers would set out for freedom and enlightenment. This collection looks to capture that spirit, but without a sense of sentimentality which would feel like a rehash of the Etro of old. For spring 2026 the designer was playing into what the free-loving and free-living movement could look like in the future. Enter an intense combination of vivid prints amplified by ruffles and fringing to create a sense of perpetual motion, leather jackets with multi-coloured inlays update the souvenir style, while metallic jacquard tailoring and voluminous blouses are grounded with a flourish of printed denim worn effortless slouchy. Soundtracked by singer-songwriter La Nina del Sud a soundscape of mystic rhythms and traditional Neapolitan melodies flowed into the energy of the clothes, embedding them with an additional ancient element.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
In reiterating the past without sentiment, De Vincenzo is advancing the Etro house codes for a new generation. Leaving behind any negative connotations and opening his mind (and the customers) to a youthful new way of interpreting what it means to go against the prevailing culture and seek freedom. The ‘joy of psychedila’ is set to be mined by many more designers, but this is Etro’s stage, where it excels in illuminating the harmonious relationship between print and texture to energise the ‘act of dressing’.
