Dreaming Eli’s AW26 “The Court of the Maddest, Merriest Things Alive” Frames Female Friendship as Power

For Autumn/Winter 2026, Dreaming Eli presents “The Court of the Maddest, Merriest Things Alive,” a collection positioned as a defining chapter for the brand. More than a seasonal release, AW26 centres on a union—the long-standing creative and emotional partnership between founder Elisa Trombatore and Arian De Vos, whose dialogue has shaped Dreaming Eli since its beginnings.

In a statement accompanying the season, Trombatore describes the collection as a “love letter to female alliance,” rooted in the idea of female friendship as an underestimated but foundational force—what the brand calls “love outside of love.” The concept reframes connection beyond romance as a deeper anchor: a support net, invisible architecture and enduring form of care.

The collection imagines a contemporary “court” not built on hierarchy but on alliances. Each look functions as a character within this redefined world, exploring relationships layered with intimacy and self-assertion, affection and friction, competition and care. Rather than promoting sameness, the season emphasises individuality and difference, insisting that feminine strength emerges through diversity and the bonds women cultivate.

A key runway element is a new line of 3D-printed accessories created with Harry Mack, extending Dreaming Eli’s pearl-filament bag language. Body jewellery and headpieces in pearl-infused and matte thorn-like filaments wrap around the body, turning symbols of constraint into statements of reclamation and power.

Textural experimentation pushes the collection’s visual identity further: fabrics are distressed, ripped and burned to evoke garments with lived histories, then enriched with organic freshwater pearl encrustations—where destruction reveals richness. Techniques include hand-shirred silks, textured knitwear and hand-crushed pleated silks. New fabrications include a dense, short-haired stretch faux fur with a sporty-luxury finish, plus a stratified vinyl leather-effect denim embossed onto lace. Signature upcycled denim appears hand-painted for the first time.

Silhouette and volume remain central, with skirts inspired by Marie Antoinette’s court dress reinterpreted through draping and distressing. The line-up includes Dreaming Eli’s signature mini corset dresses, bodysuits and mini skirt sets, as well as tailored trousers, hybrid jackets merging motorcycle silhouettes with corsetry in vinyl-lace fabrication, and dramatic gowns defined by layered textiles and sculptural drape.

Dreaming Eli frames AW26 as both manifesto and memory—celebrating polarity, honouring difference, and asserting that feminine strength is not solitary, but relational.