The 1980s were no different. As more women entered the workforce, signalling a shift in economic independence, fashion leaned towards saturation and exaggerated form. Jane Fonda became an emblem of the fit girl. Her neon bright leotards, leg warmers and headbands transformed athletic wear into a cultural statement. Joan Collins’s high-impact wardrobe in the television series Dynasty became a reference point for fashion-savvy women everywhere.
Similarly, as we navigate tumultuous times – whether conflicts across the globe or a broader sense of instability – fashion once again uses colour as a means of expression and emotional release. At Prada, a citron-yellow jacket is worn over a shirt and with a black taffeta bubble hemmed skirt. Loewe’s floor-length dress, punctuated with elongated vertical stripes in electric hues and finished with a scuba-inspired zip-up, glided down the runway. “When colour returns, it is because the body asks for it before the eyes do. After long periods of holding back, the need to breathe becomes essential,” explains Lebanese designer Rabih Kayrouz. At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy’s bright red, flamenco-style skirt stole the show, delivering an instant sense of joy. And Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten sent down a two-tone orange-and-pink tailored blazer layered over a diaphanous fuchsia skirt.
Regionally, too, a similar sentiment follows. Scrolling through Emirati label Onori’s offering, a bright orange sequinned mini dress catches the eye. “I’ve always been drawn to colour because of how it makes women feel. It brings softness and joy, and can lift your mood instantly and brighten someone’s day,” says Sharifa Alsharif AlHashemi, founder of Onori. Elsewhere, Rabih Kayrouz’s spring/summer 2026 collection evokes happiness almost instantly. A deep purple shirt tucked into a sunshine-yellow skirt or a lime-green pleated floor-length dress topped with a blush-pink cape offer a moment of reverie, taking you into another realm. “Colour has never been decorative in my work. It emerges when silence becomes too heavy to carry. I don’t believe fashion reacts to trends; it reacts to life,” notes Kayrouz.
Photography: Dries Van Noten