Fashion's Language of Desire:

Fashion's Language of Desire: Three Perspectives on What We Crave

Fashion has always been about want—what we long for, how we present ourselves, what stories we tell through fabric and form. Three recent campaigns and collections caught our attention for how they speak to different facets of desire, from rekindled partnerships to heritage reimagined, to the quiet longing that lingers after celebration fades.

Dakota Johnson's Sheer Valentino Moment in Cruise 2026 Campaign

Valentino's "Nocturne": Desire in the Liminal Hours

Valentino's Cruise 2026 campaign, titled "Nocturne," stars an ensemble cast exploring intimacy and the poetics of everyday life under Alessandro Michele's creative vision. The campaign was photographed by Marili Andre and included a moody video component directed by Renell Medrano, set to Chopin's "Nocturne In E Flat" .

Michele described the concept as inhabiting the threshold "just before the night comes," with scenes set in a hotel where "intimacy and anonymity coexist" . The cast includes brand ambassador Dakota Johnson alongside Marisa Berenson, Dev Hynes, Anne Imhof, Tate McRae, and Devon Teuscher—each representing different facets of contemporary creative life.

Dakota Johnson appears in two striking looks. She wore Look 5 from the Cruise 2026 collection—a transparent bejeweled beige shawl layered over a feather-trimmed mini dress , leaning into her documented affinity for "naked dressing" while keeping focus on the Valentino Panthea bag. The underlying mini dress featured an ivory lace bodice with crisscross satin ribbons, topped with metallic embroidery creating a drop-waist effect over a sequin sheath .

The desire here is multifaceted—for creative connection, for vulnerability in that suspended threshold between day and night, for intimacy in transient spaces. It's about the satisfaction of working with someone who understands your aesthetic language and the longing to capture those quiet, in-between moments when we're most ourselves.

The desire here is for creative connection—Johnson reuniting with a designer who understands her aesthetic language. It's about the satisfaction of working with someone who gets you.

Maison Margiela's "Snowstorm": When Desire Becomes Reflection

Maison Margiela's Holiday 2025 campaign invites reflection rather than celebration. Titled "Snowstorm" and directed and photographed by Frank Lebon, the campaign reinterprets traditional holiday motifs through the house's deconstructive lens—metallic confetti and the brand's numeric logo reimagined as a swirling snowstorm that evokes both celebration and disruption.

The visuals capture moments after the party ends, when silence and debris become unexpectedly profound. It's described as a "cinematic meditation on ephemerality, preservation, and process"—essentially an autopsy of festivity that uses a lack of spectacle to sharpen its message.

Models wear silk masks, shifting focus from individual identity to silhouette, texture, and the emotional resonance of materials—a long-standing Margiela practice rooted in anonymity and craft. The featured looks from the Avant-Première Spring-Summer 2026 collection emphasize tension between vulnerability and control, using bias-cuts, foiling, and fading color gradients to reveal beauty in imperfections and the traces of time.

This is desire turned inward—the longing not for more, but for meaning. It's about wanting to sit with what remains after the noise subsides, finding profundity in the aftermath.

Sabyasachi's "A New India": Desire Wrapped in Heritage

Sabyasachi Mukherjee's 2025 couture line, "A New India," reimagines Indian heritage for the contemporary bride through vintage embroidery meeting sharp modern silhouettes, handwoven fabrics paired with bold color, and heirloom-worthy jewelry .

The collection features statement lehengas, panelled suits, and accessories including oversized jhumkas, uncut polki chokers, and vintage-inspired pieces. Burgundy makes a comeback in the collection, particularly suited for winter weddings, while unembellished full-sleeved blouses let jewelry take center stage .

The collection speaks to "a new India rising—thoughtful, discerning, globally aware," with jewelry rooted in old wisdom but created for a new world Sabyasachi. Signature elements include rich textures, intricate craftsmanship, and silhouettes that celebrate tradition while feeling effortlessly fresh.

Here, desire takes the form of cultural pride and transformation—wanting to honor where you come from while stepping boldly into who you're becoming. It's the longing to be rooted and modern simultaneously.

The Thread That Connects

Each of these fashion moments speaks to a different form of wanting: Johnson's campaign about creative partnership and vulnerability, Margiela's about introspection and the desire for depth beyond surface celebration, Sabyasachi's about cultural evolution and personal transformation. Together, they remind us that fashion isn't just about clothes—it's about identity, connection, and the perpetual human desire to express who we are and who we want to be. Sometimes that desire looks like joy, sometimes like contemplation, but it's always deeply, essentially human.