This season, Wild Rose & Sparrow unveils Ex Libris, the Spring–Summer 2026 prêt-à-porter collection.
Conceived as a triptych, the collection unfolds in three chapters, each inspired by the maison’s most treasured literary leitmotifs. Co-designers Ariana and Liana Dancu draw upon the interplay of literature and art, weaving cultural references into silhouettes that blur the boundaries between narrative and attire.
Ex Libris
Chapter I: Coven
The opening chapter pays homage to gothic literature. Dark silhouettes evoke reinterpreted Victorian detailing through black novelty lace, sheer tulle and diaphanous silks. Sirenesque gowns skim the body with lace paneling, miniskirts gain volume from Victorian inspired bustles, and diaphanoussilk chiffon mimics the translucent quality of peering at a figure underwater. A floor-length lace gown draped with a tulle caplet nods to Gustav Klimt’s Mermaids. Taken together, this chapter conjures the portrait of a coven, radiant with equal parts sisterhood and fortitude.
Chapter II: Chevalière
The second chapter is inspired by medieval heroines and heraldic imagery. Scarlet silhouettes part from the preceding darkness: structured jackets in stiffened cotton, heavily embroidered textiles evoking medieval tapestries, and beaded motifs glinting beneath knife-pleated skirts like chainmail. Antique chatelaines, keys and chainmail purses are styled as bijoux, while fleur-de-lys ribbons that reference the designers’ Montréal home embellish the waistlines of corseted and structured silhouettes. Shades of vermillion and kermes red echo medieval illuminures. The closing look is inspired by J.W. Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott: a seraphic gown in gossamer silk chiffon, its bodice and sleeves swathed in hand-sculpted gold thread.
Chapter III: Sonnets
The final chapter is an ode to sonnets and poetry. Here, Edwardian elements are reimagined in ethereal cottons and airy lace, evoking the tenderness of sonnets and their ephemeral beauty. Guipure appliqués and broderie anglaise adorn gowns in white and cream, while Edwardian collars part from their canonical styling and are placed on hips and around waistlines. Sheer paneling plays against embroidered cotton, while bloomers, chemisettes and delicate cotton pieces capture the intimate essence of sonnets. The collection closes with a floor-length tiered gown in white cotton, its open back and windowpane bodice embodying Wild Rose & Sparrow’s romantic soul and devotion to craft.
Ex Libris is, ultimately, a collection of stories rendered in fabric. Three chapters, one vision: a world unapologetically romantic, steeped in history and literature, translated into prêt-à-porter with both poetic sensibility and meticulous craftsmanship.
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