Ulla Johnson Resort 2027 brings coastal grandmother ease to the runway

The 42-photo gallery makes one thing obvious: Ulla Johnson’s Resort 2027 was built for motion, not display. Shot in Lisbon and shaped by Cassi Namoda’s paintings, the collection took Johnson’s love of artisanal color and pushed it toward a sharper, more commercial register, with the designer calling the season “high summer, deep winter” and saying it touches “every occasion, temperature and destination.”

The strongest retail read sits in the pieces that can actually live in a vacation wardrobe. A more technical raincoat, hand-crocheted sets made with artisans in Peru, and sequined ombré knits give buyers a spectrum that runs from airport to dinner, while still carrying Johnson’s signature hand. That breadth matters because Johnson is also building out shoes, handbags and fragrance, and she said the brand’s forthcoming London store will bring “a whole new woman into the fold.”

For readers tracking coastal grandmother as a real fashion signal, not a mood board, the appeal is in how Johnson softens the edges. Namoda’s paintings fed the palette, which moved through fresh lime greens and pale blues, but the clothes never drifted into preciousness. Instead, the collection leaned on movement, texture and ease, with the kind of silver evening pieces and embellished finishes that still feel wearable after sunset rather than overworked.

That is what makes Resort 2027 commercially intelligent. Johnson said the brand used to be known so much for volume and ruffle, yet this season expands into leather, more special materials and quieter polish, with the leather business already “selling like crazy” at Madison Avenue. The result is coastal dressing with a grown-up spine: sunlit, tactile, and practical enough to travel, but elevated enough to make the hotel terrace look like a place to be seen.