It’s been a whirlwind week for Henry Zankov—the Brooklyn-based designer showed his debut collection as Artistic Director of Diane von Furstenberg last Thursday (Madame von Furstenberg was front row to support him and also made an appearance this afternoon) and took to the runway again today with the latest from his namesake label, not to mention he’s getting married next month, too. The future is certainly bright for Zankov, but it was the past that he described as the starting point for his Spring-Summer 2027 collection, shown in a sparse yet expansive space downtown.

“I was looking at the ’60s a lot,” Zankov said during a preview ahead of the show, grazing over the images on his moodboard. “I started looking at photographs from the 1960s or just things that felt like they were from the era—like Vanessa Beecroft’s work from the early 2000s and then Luigi Ghirri’s photographs of beaches. There was something about the colors and the cinematic feeling of everything.”

Another source of inspiration was the 1963 film Bay of Angels and its leading lady, French actress-slash-singer-slash-screenwriter Jeanne Moreau, who goes to Cannes, falls in love with a man, and basically gambles away all of her money. Zankov titled the range “Le Tourbillon,” in reference to Moreau’s hit song, which played at the start of the show.

Moreau’s glitz and glamour were also woven throughout the collection—a sequined green wrap was tied around the waist of a maroon and yellow dress, a pink silk charmeuse dress was given a bubble hem (Zankov called it “the dumpling”), and a sweater vest covered in silver paillettes was styled over a sparkly pink button-down and an equally tricked-out midi skirt. But it was perhaps most evident in a black gown of pleated chiffon accented with feathers. “We wanted to put them on in an unexpected way so it’s never just placed how people normally do it,” Zankov said.

Courtesy of Zankov

The designer, who was born in Russia, has paved his own way in the New York fashion scene and is often credited with bringing color, pattern, and effortless layering into the monochromatic mix. Luckily, there was no shortage of those elements today—bold stripes in retro colors appeared throughout, on polo sweaters, mini dresses, scarves, and hot pants. Graphic prints were done in collaboration with Zankov’s friend, painter Philippine de Richemont, whose drawings were reinterpreted as intarsias. An eye-catching metallic silver crop top, shown with a futuristic, body-hugging cardigan and skirt set, also harkened back to the past—Soviet-era Russia and the Space Age.

Another heavy-metal standout was a skirt in the same shiny material, worn with a glistening button-down that caught the light with each step. The look was accessorized with colorful strappy sandals, Zankov’s own (last season’s footwear was provided in partnership with The RealReal) and a first for the label. “If it’s something a little bit more casual then we put it with a heel,” says Zankov. “That is kind of the way that I see our woman and the way that she dresses. You can take it apart, mix it together and somehow it all works.” Truer words may never have been spoken.

Courtesy of Zankov