A tattered black gown blurs the line between bride and widow in Dreaming Eli’s “Dreamers in Exile,” the Spring/Summer 2027 collection shown at St Bartholomew’s Hospital during London Fashion Week on September 19, 2026. Ripped lace, distressed silk and reworked corsets look pulled from a gothic heroine’s wardrobe.
Italian designer Elisa Trombatore drew on memories of growing up in Sicily and her adult life in London, where techno and raves became part of her world. She described the collection’s cast as “26 characters, 26 different women in different phases of their lives,” each with her own walk. Among them were The Dutiful Bride, The Broken Dream and The Raver.
That sense of character shaped the performance as much as the clothes, with acting coach Sarah Methuen and movement director Elettra Giunta credited on the show. Victorian-style long skirts and puff sleeves gave way to miniskirts, sweatpants and a leather jacket. Two models appeared connected by a long braid until one cut it, separating them, while the soundtrack shifted from lyre music to electronic beats.
Trombatore’s story centers on memory and growing up, but horror fans will recognize the visual language: damaged fabric, constricting silhouettes and bridal gowns that suggest mourning. For anyone imagining a gothic bride or Victorian ghost this Halloween, there is plenty of inspiration.
Her earlier collections push those unsettling visuals further. Autumn/Winter 2025’s “Between My Heart and Ribs” used red to evoke trauma and power, with raw threads arranged like veins. Its bloodied lace has drawn comparisons to Sissy Spacek in the 1976 film Carrie, though Trombatore has not been documented citing the film as an inspiration.
The dead and the monstrous have also figured in her work. Autumn/Winter 2024’s “The Dead Woman Talks Back” drew on Victorian poet Christina Rossetti and deconstructed gothic dress. For “Mother of Pearl, Daughter of Flesh,” Trombatore turned to the mythological monster Scylla, exploring how to give women described as monstrous their humanity back.
