For Resort 2026, Erdem Moralioglu reaches into the delicate, disciplined world of 17th-century science and surfaces with a collection that is anything but austere. Inspired by the trailblazing German entomologist and botanical illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian, Moralioglu finds fertile ground in a figure whose Calvinist values might seem at odds with the sensuality of fashion. Yet in true Erdem form, restraint becomes poetry, and science transforms into sartorial splendor.

Starched collars and Puritan ruffs, emblems of Merian’s era, are softened into guipure lace cocktail dresses and asymmetrical tops, their rigidity undone by modern tailoring and a touch of mischief. A strappy powder blue dress glistening with sequins and trimmed in lace nods to the era’s formality but dances freely into the present.

Throughout the collection, Erdem channels Merian’s devotion to the natural world. Her meticulous studies of flora and fauna emerge as vivid placement prints, painterly blooms, and intricate insect motifs. A shimmering silver sheath woven with metal threads carries the gravitas of a still life painting, while a leather moto jacket and skirt, boldly embroidered with wild florals, speak to rebellion—at once intellectual and aesthetic.

Botanical illustrations bloom into three dimensions: embroidered car coats, dramatic red-flowered evening gowns, and sparkling skirt suits offer a theatrical flourish that is both decadent and rigorously composed. The juxtaposition of chunky knits and delicate etchings showcases Moralioglu’s unique ability to balance opposites—restraint and excess, history and innovation, science and seduction.

In one of the most direct odes to his muse, Moralioglu prints Merian’s own drawings onto sarong-inspired skirts and dresses with handkerchief draping, each piece a walking tribute to curiosity and observation. Pins and embellishments echo her meticulous details, transforming the garments into living, breathing canvases.

Erdem Resort 2026 is a sensuous ode to inquiry and intellect—where historical formality finds new softness, and botanical wonder meets baroque drama. It is a masterclass in transforming archival rigor into modern romance, making Merian not just a muse, but a kindred spirit in the pursuit of beauty.