Moisturiser can work miracles. There are few better feelings in the world than stepping out the shower, clean as a whistle, and lathering your body in a thick cream. Instantly, you feel the hydration soaking into your skin, smoothing out any bumps and giving you a natural glow. It was this feeling of being freshly-moisturised that designers Cosima Gadient and Christa Bösch were attempting to capture yesterday (Oct 2), during their Ottolinger SS27 show in Paris. 

“Designed as a layer of confidence felt directly on the skin, the collection explores the tension between softness and attitude through signature deconstruction, twisted drapes, and body hugging cuts,” read the show notes. In this instance, the Berlin-based brand wanted fashion to act as nourishment, “leaving everyone even more radiant than when they arrived.” One woman who knows a thing or two about moisturiser is Heidi Klum, who came out of runway retirement to close the show. The model and Queen of Halloween wore a dishevelled suit, with a skintight bodice underneath. 

Klum wasn’t the only recognisable face on the runway either. Joining her on the catwalk were rappers Offset and Coi Leray, as well as designer and influencer Diya Joukani. Beyond the tailoring, there were several swimwear moments – lurex bikinis styled with jeans and pedal pushers. Plus, sweeping dresses made from fine silk viscose jersey, draped over the body like expensive cream. 

As well as the body-hugging looks, there were multiple loose, relaxed moments, seen in the oversized hoodies and tracksuit trousers. More than simply acting as an extra layer on the skin, when we apply moisturiser in the morning, we’re deciding who we want to be that day, what outfit we’re about to put on and what it says about us. At Ottolinger, whether you want to channel Heidi Klum or Offset, the options were endless.