Huishan Zhang Fall 2025: The ‘Valley of the Dolls’ at the Dorchester

Edie Sedgwick, Twiggy and the leading ladies of the classic film “Valley of the Dolls” were just a few of the ‘60s pin-ups on Huishan Zhang’s glamorous mood board of rebellious women.

The opulence continued into the Dorchester Hotel, which has seen the likes of Kate Moss, Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot pass through its halls.  

Zhang’s models were no different from those stars.

His women walked out in transparent raincoats that protected their tweed twinsets and carefully embroidered dresses from the British rain. 

“The raincoats are a rebellious touch to the put togetherness of the ‘60s,” said the designer backstage.

Each outfit was refined with perfect cuts, but there was room for playfulness: lampshade dresses knotted at the hem; pinstripe suits with silver threading, and Big Bird feathers bonnets.

Zhang has managed to combine British sensibilities and clothing archetypes with the need for glamor for his Asian and Middle Eastern clientele. There was as much elegant hand embroidery as there were clean-cut skirts and shirts.

“The collection is about a young girl in the hotel who is enjoying the playfulness of her own wardrobe, but she wants to look very chic during the day and [flirty in the evening]. It’s about combining the two ideas rather than putting them against each other,” he said.

Zhang is always subtle when it comes to juxtapositions. Each outfit was styled with fingerless leather gloves or shiny below-the-knee boots that counterbalanced the feminine flourishes.