The late 19th century Swiss medium, writer and artist Hélène Smith joins the pantheon of Erdem muses. The designer was drawn to this fascinating woman, whose vivid descriptions and paintings of her past lives (as a Hindu princess, a member of Marie Antoinette’s court, and a visitor to Mars) influenced the surrealists and early 20th century psychologists. She was largely forgotten, until her paintings and drawings of alien faces and landscapes were shown at the 2022 Venice Biennale, bringing her to Erdem’s attention.

Inspired by Smith’s magical thinking, experiments with automatic writing and astral projecting over space and time, his collection began with her psychic sojourn in the court of Marie Antoinette. He opened either a group of panniered mini dresses embellished with trails of vintage lace and embossed with strange symbols, taken from Smith’s drawings of the Martian alphabet. Her delusions of being an Indian princess manifested as a draped gown, in acidic, alien colours and lavish silver bullion embroidery on luscious dressing gown coats.  

This designer’s research into every collection runs deep. For SS26, he sourced vintage fabrics and lace from the 1890s on several looks. But the storytelling never overshadows the clothes.

It’s not all party dresses at Erdem (although Erdem excels at them). His denim co-ords came with 18th century embroidery detailing (he called them “wearable secrets”) and Erdem cuts an excellent suit. Revelling in traditional tailoring details, he injects just the right mix of elegance and slouch.

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