The front row at Carolina Herrera’s New York fashion show carried special significance this season. Among the guests watching the Spring/Summer 2027 collection designed by Wes Gordon were Olimpia Báez and Carolina B. Lansing, the founder’s two granddaughters, seated together just a few places away from their grandmother.
This was no ordinary show. Carolina Herrera is celebrating its 45th anniversary, and Gordon built the collection around some of the signatures that have defined the house throughout its history, from black-and-white polka dots and crisp white shirts to ruffles and the high-impact glamour of the 1980s.
© AFP via Getty ImagesFor Olimpia and Carolina, the occasion also came shortly after the cousins stepped into the spotlight together elsewhere in New York, where they supported two Spanish fashion brands looking to strengthen their presence across the Atlantic.
Olimpia Báez Puts the Spotlight on Carolina Herrera’s Polka Dots
Olimpia, the daughter of Carolina Herrera de Báez and bullfighter Miguel Báez, known as El Litri, chose a simple combination with unmistakable ties to her family’s fashion legacy.
© WWD via Getty ImagesShe wore a fitted white ribbed cotton tank top with a clean, minimalist silhouette, allowing the centerpiece of the look to take full focus: a long white ruffled skirt covered in black polka dots. The print needs little introduction within the house. Polka dots have been part of Carolina Herrera’s visual vocabulary since its earliest collections and continue to appear regularly in Wes Gordon’s designs.
They also have a strong connection to Spanish style, an aesthetic reference Herrera has drawn on for decades without allowing it to slip into costume territory. On Olimpia’s skirt, the lightweight fabric and fluid, movement-filled silhouette gave the classic pattern a distinctly contemporary feel.
© WWD via Getty ImagesOlimpia, who has studied design and fashion in Paris and New York, completed the outfit with pointed-toe satin heels in an ochre shade and a small matching clutch. For jewelry, she wore Cartier’s iconic gold Love bracelet alongside delicate earrings. Her hair was styled half-up with natural waves, while luminous makeup completed the understated look.
Carolina B. Lansing Goes Bold in a Black Halter Dress
Beside her, Carolina B. Lansing took a completely different approach.
Carolina Herrera’s granddaughter opted for a black halter-neck dress with a dramatic thigh-high slit, creating a noticeably bolder silhouette than her cousin’s. The design was covered with Carolina Herrera lettering in pink, a graphic detail that gave the dress a distinctly late-1990s and early-2000s feel.
© WWD via Getty ImagesClassic pointed black shoes balanced the statement-making dress, while Carolina wore her glossy mid-length hair loose and finished the look with fresh, luminous makeup.
Carolina had already experienced a major fashion moment connected to her family in November 2025. At Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris, she wore a custom Wes Gordon creation for Carolina Herrera.
The ivory-and-black mermaid-inspired gown featured polka dots, a dropped waist, ruffles and an oversized bow, bringing several of the house’s most recognizable codes together in one design.
Carolina Herrera Celebrates 45 Years While Looking Ahead
The New York show celebrated four and a half decades of Carolina Herrera without turning the anniversary into an exercise in nostalgia.
Wes Gordon, who has served as creative director since 2018, approached the Spring/Summer 2027 collection by revisiting the house’s established codes and translating them for the present.
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesThe show took place at the David H. Koch Theater, where nearly 28,800 yellow tulips transformed the promenade into a sweeping floral installation.
On the runway, polka dots, white shirts, ruffles and evening silhouettes appeared alongside references to 1980s popular culture.
One of the collection’s standout collaborations involved the Andy Warhol Foundation, bringing the artist’s famous portrait of Carolina Herrera onto selected pieces. Another collaboration with The New Yorker revisited the magazine cover published during the week of Herrera’s very first fashion show.
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesTogether, the references created a dialogue between the brand’s past and present at a moment when its next generation is becoming increasingly visible.
From Rockefeller Center to Their Grandmother’s Front Row
The cousins’ appearance at the show came only days after another notable moment during New York Fashion Week.
Olimpia Báez and Carolina B. Lansing attended an event hosted by Nicky Hilton at Loft & Garden at Rockefeller Center, where they showed their support for two Spanish brands, PARIS/64 and Flabelus.
© Getty ImagesThey were joined by guests including Paris Hilton, Laura Ponte, Natalie De’Banco, Priya Shukla, Emily Rockefeller, Alessia Fendi and Alessandra Ford at an event that highlighted the international expansion of two companies founded in Spain.
PARIS/64 has taken its leather goods from its factory in Illueca, Spain, to its first New York store, while Flabelus has transformed its reinterpretation of the traditional furlane slipper into an international business.
