When designer Wes Gordon talks about a Carolina Herrera handbag, he works his way through it one detail at a time. “Every ornament serves a purpose: Tassels guide the zipper, jewel-like polka dots become a delicate clasp, straps give shape to the bag itself,” he explains. This philosophy—no adornment without intention—guides the house’s offering of accessories for Spring/Summer 2026.
Last season’s show saw Madrid transformed into Gordon’s personal runway, its historic boulevards and Plaza Mayor imbued with vivid color (hot pink, for starters). That collection was unmistakably Herrera, carrying the sharp elegance of New York, even as it bloomed in the Spanish capital.
For Gordon, this was a defining moment. There would be the Herrera from before Madrid, and the Herrera that came after. Over eight years as creative director, the American designer has expanded the house’s purview, and working in the Spanish city pushed it further. If New York is Herrera’s DNA, Spain offers a new landscape upon which to express it. “When I started thinking about this collection, I knew where the show would take place. It really informed every decision I made as a point of inspiration—it’s there throughout this season,” Gordon noted pre-show.
The collection centers on three flowers—the carnation, rose, and violeta—in a nod to Spain’s history and, specifically, La Movida Madrileña, a creative explosion in 1980s Madrid as the country blossomed into a democracy. Handbags act as a contemporary through line between the heritage-inspired garments on display.
The Pia clutch, inspired by Carolina Herrera’s granddaughter Olimpia, carries her “infectious sense of youth.” The milky white, rounded Vega evokes the moonlight at Hacienda La Vega, retelling Mrs. Herrera’s own stories of time spent at the Venezuelan estate in leather and hardware. Meanwhile, the arc-shaped Consuelo calls back to a longtime friend of Mrs. Herrera who was known for carrying—and whispering behind—a folding fan. The impish secrecy is expressed by delicate straps and clasps and pops of bright hues.
“Herrera breathes color,” says Gordon. “It was important to offer something for everyone, from classic red and graphic black to playful shades from the Madrid runway like violeta, saffron, and rioja.”
Collaborators further broadened Herrera’s legacy on the runway. Jeweler Mar del Hoyo of Levens translated the Herrera ethos into glass-blown jewels and pearl pieces while Andres Gallardo crafted carnation-inspired porcelain baubles. Heritage cape-maker Casa Seseña lent archival capes, a model of which Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was reportedly buried in.
That synthesis—of many hands working toward one vision—is captured quite eloquently by John Keats’s line from Endymion (which also happens to be in the designer’s Instagram bio): “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.” In Madrid, Herrera’s beauty not only endured; it evolved.
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