Alfredo Martínez cited the different stages of sleep as the starting point for his spring 2027 collection. And while the show was clearly divided into three chapters, it wasn't entirely obvious how the concept of dreaming translated into the clothes, let alone how it connected to the poem by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz that the designer also referenced as an inspiration.
Still, none of that really matters when the clothes are good—and the clothes, it should be said, were good. They would have looked great in 1987, and they look just as good today. That year isn’t a random reference. It points to a very specific moment in fashion that also inspired the Guadalajara-born designer, particularly Yves Saint Laurent’s work during that period. And that influence was unmistakable.
Then there was the world of Latin American telenovelas, another cultural staple of the 1980s, with their strong women, larger-than-life heroines, and, of course, their villains. Especially the villains, always impeccably dressed, their elegance every bit as commanding as their personalities. “I really went all in on the drama this time, the kind of drama you see in soap operas, because I love it. It’s part of who I am, but I don’t bring it out that often,” Martínez explained before the show.
In previous collections, Martínez has drawn inspiration from specific women, including Paloma Picasso (fall 2022) and Carmen Mondragón (fall 2025). This time, however, he was thinking about a certain kind of woman—or perhaps a dream woman. There were several characters in this collection, although it might be more accurate to describe them as images, situations, and scenes rather than actual individuals. What they all had in common was a desire to look spectacular, regardless of what was going on in their lives. “There’s the woman who’s about to get divorced and is going to look spectacular; there’s the woman who’s just finished crying but still needs to look amazing when she goes out to face people; and there’s the woman who just accomplished something incredible and is feeling on top of the world. There are all these different kinds of women,” the designer said.
And if there’s one thing Alfredo Martínez knows how to do, it’s dress women who want to look incredible. In Mexico, he has become the undisputed king of sharp, structured shoulders and pencil skirts, two of his most recognizable signatures, both of which appeared throughout the collection. The palette moved between black, violet, and shades of green, from chartreuse to seafoam, with gold accents reinforcing that unmistakable sense of 1980s glamour.
The designer has rarely ventured into floral motifs, which made their appearance one of the collection’s most interesting developments. This time, he chose orchids, which took center stage in one of the show’s three chapters, appearing on fluid dresses and separates that felt softer without losing any of the strength or character that defines his work.
If there’s one thing Martínez has mastered over the years, it’s knowing how to revisit his own design codes, allowing them to evolve and finding fresh ways to interpret them without getting stuck in repetition. This season, he proved it once again with a collection full of drama, glamour, and characters worthy of a great telenovela. The connection to the stages of sleep may not have been entirely clear, but the collection found its strength where Martínez’s work usually does: in the clothes.