Runway
Step into a whimsical world with Teresa Helbig's latest collection, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. Celebrating 30 years of design, this runway masterfully blends dreamy fairytale softness with 1990s nostalgia and 1920s elegance. Explore a beautifully wearable lineup defined by pastel tulle, whispered chiffon capes, and playfully confident fur silhouettes.
Updated 11:06 am EDT, March 20, 2026
Published 11:05 am EDT, March 20, 2026
Photo Courtesy: © IFEMA MADRID
Step into a whimsical world with Teresa Helbig's latest collection, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans. Celebrating 30 years of design, this runway masterfully blends dreamy fairytale softness with 1990s nostalgia and 1920s elegance. Explore a beautifully wearable lineup defined by pastel tulle, whispered chiffon capes, and playfully confident fur silhouettes.
Updated 11:06 am EDT, March 20, 2026
Published 11:05 am EDT, March 20, 2026
Photo Courtesy: © IFEMA MADRID
Teresa Helbig’s collection is inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s tale “The Wild Swans,” and much as you would expect from a collection that takes its cues from a fairytale, there’s a dreamy softness to all the pieces. The color palette, too, is a reflection of this softness, with pastels and greys occasionally being punctuated by metallic beads or ribbons.
Beyond this, there’s an exploration of fragility and texture that’s impossible to ignore. Chiffon and tulle capes flow from shoulders, creating a whispery silhouette. Contrasting this is the use of fur in muted pastels. The whole effect is almost something from a children’s illustration, full of just enough whimsy to be visually interesting.
Interestingly, as I was browsing through this collection, I was struck by a sort of nostalgia. As someone who started to become aware of fashion in the 1990s, many of the pieces struck a chord with me. A grey gown, for instance, with a simple fitted bodice and a full tulle skirt in layered shades of ivory and grey, would have looked completely at home on a red carpet in 1998. More casual pieces, such as a white minidress with feathers on it, could have stepped right out of 2002. Given that Teresa Helbig has been in existence as a brand for 30 years, this seems like a perfect full-circle sort of moment, a flirtatious homage to their origins. I can’t say if it was simply because of this nostalgia or just the gentle fantasy of the collection, but I found myself smiling as I flipped through the pieces.
It wasn’t just Y2K-era fashion being harkened back to, either; a few pieces, such as a white floor-length dress with ribbon work on a dropped waist, harken back to the 1920s. The simple columnar silhouette and drape allow the embellishments to speak for themselves, a quiet elegance that would be equally at home on a beach as it would be at a formal event.
That seems to have been a guiding principle for this collection, a confident sense of subtle playfulness and femininity that absolutely refuses to take itself completely seriously. A hoodie of thick fur, like a sheep that has escaped from a pastoral shepherd, is a fun break from the more grounded pieces. Like the matching bloomers seen on other models, it would have been easy for them to look ridiculous if they hadn’t been rendered so seriously and with such skill.
All in all, for a collection based on a fairytale, it all looked shockingly wearable. If I weren’t allergic to color, any number of pieces called out to me, and I suspect I’m not the only one.
Jordan emerged from a cornfield in Indiana in 1986. She went on to gain education in history, art history, and literature. She has predominately made a living writing for a variety of media, as well as a dress/fashion historian. She currently resides in a bog in Sweden and emerges every so often to forage for cheese and point at dogs.
Get the latest fashion, culture, and art updates, including magazine releases release parties
Sponsored Content
