With Regards Croisés, the Parisian designer turns a simple glance into a language of attraction, curiosity and human connection.
Before we speak, we look.
Photography by: Alex Korolkovas
A glance can last a second, but somehow say everything. It can mean curiosity, attraction, recognition, tenderness, or simply, I see you. That fleeting moment is the inspiration behind Valerian Hughes’ Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Regards Croisés, presented during New York Fashion Week on September 15.
For Hughes, fashion becomes another form of communication. One that doesn’t need translation.
The Power of a Glance
Inspired by his travels and encounters across different cultures, Hughes explores what happens when two people meet for the first time.
Regards Croisés, which translates roughly to “crossed glances,” is built around that invisible connection that happens before a conversation begins. There are no borders or languages in that moment. Just two people seeing each other.
And that idea gives the collection a surprisingly intimate quality.
Dressing the Person, Not the Label
The clothes themselves play with the same idea of openness.
Fitted silhouettes appear alongside oversized, unisex proportions, while short jackets and more generous outerwear bring a relaxed attitude to tailoring. Drawing from Hughes’ experience at Yves Saint Laurent, the collection follows a simple philosophy: clothing should enhance the person wearing it, never take over.
That makes the collection feel sensual without being overly precious.
Structured linen and denim give the looks definition, while chiffon and pleated details introduce transparency, softness and movement. Nothing feels completely fixed. The garments shift with the body, responding to every step, turn and gesture.
Where Masculine Meets Feminine
The color palette moves through tonal blues, white, orange and red, giving the collection a confident rhythm without defining exactly who should wear what.
Masculine and feminine codes naturally overlap. Tailoring becomes fluid. Structure becomes movement. And traditional ideas about who gets to wear certain silhouettes start to disappear.
There isn’t one way to be elegant here.
A Collection About Being Seen
Presented in New York, a city where cultures, identities and perspectives constantly collide, Regards Croisés feels especially at home.
The collection isn’t really asking us to choose between Paris and New York, masculine and feminine, structure and softness. Instead, it finds beauty in the space between them.
That is ultimately what Hughes seems most interested in: proximity. The invisible space between two people when something passes between them, even if neither says a word.
Before the conversation. Before the introduction. Before we know someone’s story.
There is the glance.
And sometimes, that’s where the story begins.
