Based on the first look Christian Cowan sent down the runway today, you’d never guess what inspired his new spring lineup. The light-wash denim tuxedo, with heavy black panels and retro-style clasps, was one of his many designs that nodded to Old Hollywood—but in a rough, undone approach.
It might be hard to imagine Marilyn Monroe in such a piece, but that was precisely the point: Cowan wanted to give an edge to the Golden Age of Hollywood, which we know was far from perfect or glamorous behind the scenes. “I wanted to pay homage to the silver screen icons,” said Cowan, who himself has a Jane Russell tattoo on his chest. “But I also wanted to reflect how miserable the public made their lives. It’s a love letter to the woman who played with the coded language of glamour.”
As a result, Cowan took Old Hollywood signatures—slip dresses, fur-trimmed caftans, beaded evening frocks—and twisted them by making them more 2026 party girl. They were a little more disheveled, like what New Hollywood stars would wear clubbing in the 2000s. The best example was a cream silk slip dress that was all tattered and raw-edged at the back—a shoulder strap slung off the shoulder, clinging on for dear life.
To make his vision a little more thoughtful, Cowan made use of many vintage fabrics this season, ranging from the 1920s to 1950s. He has experimented more with costume design lately, and his turn to Broadway has clearly been influencing his own line: Cowan tried to find ways to remain historically accurate while also subverting things. A strapless, sheer burnt-yellow dress, for instance, was made from a bridal vail from 1946: The designer dyed it and added silk panels. Another glamorous gown, a strapless taffeta number with ruffling at the neckline, was made from dyed taffeta from the 1950s. “I let the fabrics inform the direction of the pieces,” he said.
It felt like a grown-up collection for Cowan, who in the past has leaned into dressing New York’s young party girls. (He couldn’t help himself with one glitzy look, though, the bodice covered entirely in crystals.) There was an attention to craft and fabric that felt refreshing, even if some of the pieces still veered tacky-chic—but maybe that was the point. The closing look was one such case: A model sauntered down in a red lace gown, her hips padded to the heavens. It felt like something a Marilyn impersonator might wear and that was intentional, too. “A lot of the discomfort back then came from the undergarments, so we showed pieces that they would never be able to show,” said Cowan. The industry trade magazines would have had a field day with that one.