Zaldy Spring 2027 Ready-to-Wear

This evening marked designer Zaldy’s second time showing his new menswear line during New York Fashion Week, though that’s not to say he should be confused with being a newbie. For years now, Zaldy has been the go-to designer for RuPaul’s extraordinary drag looks, not to mention he’s been steadily outfitting pop stars for the stage, from Britney to Gaga. It’s no wonder, then, that he’s continuing to lean into theatrics with his own namesake label: Tonight, he turned the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel into a pirate ship deck, where models walked the plank—err, runway—in looks that were loosely pirate themed.

No, this did not mean adding cheesy eye patches or fake parrots on the model’s shoulders. For Zaldy, he was imaging pirating as more of a concept this season. “I was thinking of this idea of pillaging and plundering—having different cultures come together for the first time,” he said of his eclectic approach. “It was about having the fun and freedom to mix things up with fabrications, textures, and colors.” The theatrical pirate ship setting was merely for entertainment, but the clothes went deeper, seeing how far he could reference things and combine and renew them.

His first look, for instance, was a boxy, tweed-like jacket with panels of croc embossing—paired with a silky white top with long neckties, which you’d definitely see in one of those Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He wanted to fuse things together you’d never expect. Like the black, sheer deep-V top, made of stripes of sports mesh and chiffon. It was a little bro, yet a little gay too—just the right combo, really.

In some instances, Zaldy wanted to pirate his own fashion history, too—making references to past works he’s done and bringing them into the now. A black and white cotton-eyelet pair of shorts referenced one of his early childhood designs. “When I was 12, I cut tape out in squares, and I made this checkerboard jacket that I spray-painted with masking tape. I wanted to do that technique again,” he said. There was a level of fabric manipulation that was fun to take in, even if some of it looked scratchy or rough to the touch. Zaldy also proved he can do traditional glamour, like his pink and green brocade evening suit with a mossy silk top. This served as a reminder that, while his ideas can be out there, the execution and craftsmanship is always right.

But of course, a Zaldy show is always going to be sexy, so the designs that leaned more sizzling were the more memorable ones. (Last season, he essentially showed biker daddies.) One statement patchwork jacket was cropped right above the chest, putting the abs on full display. But it wasn’t just a thirst trap ode: The jacket actually referenced his own Filipino culture. “I wanted to pirate my own culture. We have these beautiful buttoned jackets,” he said. His take on it involved covering it in stripes of fabric ranging from made-in-Africa textiles to vintage ribbons from the 1940s. A real delightful mishmash.

Unexpected this season, meanwhile, was the presence of more women’s looks during the show. Zaldy has largely been known for womenswear over the years, so it felt like time to start reintroducing it as his menswear gets more noticed. Again, he dug into his archives to do so—such as the pink and green diagonal-striped slip dress that was originally worn by Karen Elson back in his 2005 show. He modified and revived it. For now, it would be more wise of him to focus on the men’s, especially since there is such a gap in the New York market for whimsical menswear, but who could blame Zaldy for having a bit of fun. “I really just wanted fun clothes for the summer time,” he says. “Last season was very tight and solid. For this one, I allowed myself to go for it, and to not be scared.”

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