Last season, Kim Shui staged her New York Fashion Week show on a boat ride along the Hudson River. This time around, she brought showgoers to a Manhattan alleyway. Clearly, those are two very different settings (one of which has more rats), but both are iconic representations of New York City.
For her Spring 2027 collection, Shui drew inspiration from various layers of performance. As she told Fashionista backstage after the show, “Being in New York, using the street as the runway, is performance itself.” The collection’s starting point was Peking Opera, a traditional Chinese performance art known for its expressive, dramatic performances and bright, elaborate costumes. This translates into the looks through the use of feathers — a signature trim seen in traditional Peking Opera performer costumes.
The feathers then led Shui to draw inspiration from birds of paradise (the animals, not the plants) and peacocks. Sculpted headwear, Qipaos in saturated hues, embroidered matching sets and corseted gowns permeate the lineup. This is by far one of Kim Shui’s most dramatic collections yet. “I wanted to play with a little bit more drama,” she said. “I wanted to be more experimental and out there.” But even as Shui challenged herself to embrace drama, she still exercised plenty of restraint, which kept the collection from veering into costume territory.
“Ancient forms of spectacle and natural forms of beauty are not confined to the past; they continue to exist around us, refracted through the city,” the show notes read. “Across nature, theater, fashion and the city, the collection finds a shared language in the ways we adorn, transform and reveal ourselves.”
Ahead, see every look from Kim Shui’s Spring 2027 collection.
Kim Shui Spring 2027
Photos: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
Kim Shui Spring 2027. Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight
* This article was originally published here