After taking the Carolina Herrera resort collections to Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City, Wes Gordon decided to bring spring 2026 collection to Madrid. He took over the Plaza Mayor, which dates back to the 16th century, erecting a 450-meter runway in Carolina Herrera’s signature shade of pink. Gordon went all-in, looking for inspiration in his host country’s history. “It’s a mixture of the Golden Age of Spain, which is the 15th and 16th centuries, and the Movida which was in the ’80s,” he explained the day before the show at a makeshift atelier in a hotel ballroom.
The Móvida, refers to a cultural movement that emerged in the 1980s following the fall of Francisco Franco, that reflected young people’s newfound freedom and manifested itself through the arts, especially music and film. (The director Pedro Almodóvar, closely associated with the movement in his early years, was present at the show, and a during our preview Gordon referred to many looks as “very Penelope” as in Cruz.)
The show opened with a grandiose black ballgown that seemed to be made from as many meters of taffeta as the runway was long “right out of the Prado,” as Gordon described it. It was a sweeping statement that the designer was smart enough to know only needed to be made once.
With this collection, it seems Gordon has hit his stride; among the 77 looks there prevailed a modern and youthful spirit, especially with his choice of an ankle-length silhouette which felt fresh on his “Meninas” voluminous skirts. Toreador-inspired black pedal pusher pants, like the all-over beaded versions worn with a structured corset and accessorized with a simple fringed cord, were also clear winners.
Gordon often involves local artists and artisans in his destination collections—capes from heritage maker Casa Seseña, glass accessories from Levens, and ceramic flowers from Andres Gallardo; but this season he also collaborated with two contemporary designers. The Madrid-based Sybilla created a series of shift dresses with floating panels in shades of Herrera red and black, and Palomo Spain’s Alejandro Gómez Palomo took on the classic white blouse; his tunic and ankle-length styles with a popped collar and voluminous sleeve were certainly a highlight.
And oh, the florals! “Herrera is a house of flowers,” Gordon said matter-of-factly, and for spring he zeroed-in on three very Spanish ones: the rose, the carnation, and the violet. A white cotton corseted dress layered over a white button-down shirt, all embroidered with red carnations was one of the looks that best captured the designer’s mood for the season, another was the opulently embellished gold pieces that closed the show. “Everything was pushed, from textile development to embroideries; just to really live up to the vocation,” Gordon said at our preview. “I’m most proud of this collection today.” On the runway, it showed.
