‘We love Willy’: Fashion critic Dylan Kelly reviews Willy Chavarria SS27 Menswear

Welcome to the Front Row Review, the fashion week column that calls on some of our favourite frow-mates for their off-the-cuff opinions…

Since moving his New York Fashion Week show to Paris last year, Willy Chavarria has taken the French capital by storm and not looked back. He’s presented politically charged collections that paid tribute to the US citizens imprisoned by ICE, and championed his Latin  roots through last season’s poignant ‘living film’. For SS27, the Mexican-American designer returned with Comunión, a collection “devoted to our communal spirit, seeking joy in existence as sustenance in times of chaos and darkness.”

In a quiet conclave of the Espace Niemeyer, the French Communist Party’s former headquarters, the front row filled with guests like Maluma, Gaspar Noe and Tove Lo, plus all the fashion press – including journalist and self-proclaimed Willy stan Dylan Kelly. You might know Kelly from his viral ‘Walk with Me’ series, videos that concisely unpack fashion topics with fab celeb cameos – so who better to talk to us about the latest Willy collection?

Fresh from the front row, we called Kelly to chat about his favourite pieces, the inspired casting, and the box of cigs that stole the show – here’s what he had to say.

Hey Dylan! I’m sure all anyone wants to talk about is the heatwave, but how is it really?

Dylan Kelly: Trying to make an outfit for a fashion show in this heat is impossible!

What did you wear to the show?

Dylan Kelly: I wore Willy. A pink t-shirt underneath one of his pink leather vests, a yellow bag and then the adidas collab shorts, which I really love.

What was everyone else wearing?

Dylan Kelly: It’s funny to see people’s takes, because they’re either committing to a full suit and sweating it out, or it’s just a t-shirt and shorts. It’s kind of like a dress down fashion week, which is fun to see. I’m actually liking the heat for that reason.

Did Willy bring the heat on the runway?

Dylan Kelly: Absolutely!

And you were in the Espace Niemeyer, the old HQ of the French Communist Party.

Dylan Kelly: The venue was really interesting, it felt like this underground lair. But it was a breath of fresh air when the show started with a meditation. The first words that came out of the speakers were, ‘tell your body that you are safe and you can relax’. It put the whole room at ease. Starting that way was so intentional, and then everything that came after was gorgeous.

How did you find the collection?

Dylan Kelly: There was a real sense of optimism. We all know that Willy is so politically-driven in his design ethos, and has put on several shows that’ve made the room uncomfortable on purpose. But this one had violins in the centre, floral dresses, bright colours – a happy tone to the show, which felt like a different sort of approach for Willy.

The casting looked fab as well.

Dylan Kelly: Clever casting is another thing that he’s so good at. I spoke to him about it and he said he likes people who ‘look like they’ve been through something, and there’s a little bit of pain behind their eyes, but they’ve come out on top’, which is really fascinating.

There’s also more body diversity on a Willy catwalk, which we love to see.

Dylan Kelly: Yeah, absolutely. And age diversity, too. It’s so nice to see an elderly woman and an elderly man walking next to the new 16-year-old model coming up. Everyone can wear this brand and you see that at the show every single time.

What are the pieces you’re stealing for yourself?

Dylan Kelly: Every time he does this specific shade of teal, I see that colour and it is Willy. He used that on boxers, some shorts, a jacket and a bag. If I were to get all those pieces and place them together, it’d be this perfect monochrome mint moment.

Any styling hacks you’re stealing from the show?

Dylan Kelly: He really played with the midsection a lot, so there were boxers peeking out from dress trousers but at different levels. It almost looked like the boxers were a corset in a way. I thought that was fun.

The cigarettes in the waistband of the first look was also great.

Dylan Kelly: It was very Carine Roitfeld, and I love that. That one really stuck out to me. I immediately thought, ‘okay, so this is the kind of show we’re doing.’ It felt really current and young – like, people are putting their cigarettes in their waistband, that’s something I’ve been seeing lately.

What did you think of Romeo Beckham’s walk?

Dylan Kelly: Okay, so I was like, ‘is that Romeo or Cruz?’ because they have the same face, but I couldn’t remember who had the hair. But it was a good walk! He made London proud.

Who would you want to see in the collection?

Dylan Kelly: Bad Bunny. I’d like to see someone who can pull off these grand colour stories, and I feel like he doesn’t shy away from that. Also it could work in the context of Harry Styles’ current tour – what [stylist] Harry Lambert has been doing with all the colourful suiting.

Finally, how did you feel after you left the show?

Dylan Kelly: Really inspired. It was the type of show where you left and everyone was like, ‘I loved that’. That’s the kind of feeling I get every time I go to a Willy show, so it just makes it exciting to be there. We love Willy. Je t’aime!

Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page for Chavarria’s SS27 collection