Elsewhere | FW '26

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Elsewhere | Festive '26

Stories we grew up believing

Every culture has its own version of the same idea: that somewhere between the world we can touch and the one we can't, there are beings that don't quite fit either. Half bird, half human. An animal that carries a god across the sky. A creature that makes no logical sense but somehow feels completely real.

In South Asian and Southeast Asian traditions, this isn't a footnote — it's central. Deities are rarely shown alone. They arrive with a companion animal or bird, a vahana, that carries meaning of its own.

Elsewhere takes that thread and pulls it into clothing. It's less about mythology as subject matter and more about mythology as a mood — the specific kind of wonder you had as a kid, before anyone told you where the real world ends and the imagined one begins.

To get that feeling into fabric, we leaned on techniques that are slow by nature: hand smocking, hand embroidery, appliqué, and lacework. Silk carries the richness, cotton keeps things wearable. The result moves between the two — pieces that feel a little precious and a little everyday at once.

What's in the collection

Dresses: Frida, July, Chloe, June, and Joana cover a range from easy day dresses to pieces with a little more occasion weight to them, all carrying the collection's embroidery and smocking work in some form.

Tops: the biggest category in the edit, running from relaxed to structured: Lily, Gaia, Elsa, Amelia, Lido, Quad, Jae, Leni, Louie, Jane, Farmer, and the Peasant top. Some lean into fuller sleeves and smocked yokes; others sit closer to a simple blouse silhouette with embroidery detail at the neckline or hem.

Skirts: Wrap, Emily, and Umbrella. These are built to work outside the collection too, easy to pair with a plain top rather than only with the matching pieces.

Co-ord sets: Gaia, Lido, Lounge, Jane, and Farmer, for anyone who'd rather not think about pairing separates. Each set repeats a top or shirt silhouette already in the range, styled as a top-and-bottom combination.

Shirts: the 80'S Shirt, Moira, and Judy sit apart from the rest with a more tailored, menswear-leaning cut, a contrast to the softer smocked pieces elsewhere in the collection.

Loungewear: the Lounge Pant, Lounge Shirt, and Lounge Set, made for lower-key wear. Same fabric language as the rest of the collection, just in easier, less fitted shapes.

Saree: the Smocked Saree, offered in three colourways. It takes the collection's smocking technique, usually seen on tops and dresses, and applies it to a traditional saree drape.

The prints

The prints are where Elsewhere's storytelling really shows up. Floret and Blue Floret are the collection's core florals—one in a lighter, more neutral base, the other saturated in blue—and they recur across the widest range of styles. Aqua Floret, Aqua Fleur, and Ivory Fleur are softer takes on the same idea, meant for pieces that need less contrast and a quieter presence.

Fresco moves away from a clean floral outline into something closer to a painterly wash, with softer edges and blended tones. Sai is one of the collection's more distinct motifs, tied most directly to the mythical-creature theme running through the story, and shows up across tops, sets, and the saree.

Blue Marigold is warmer and more festive than the other florals, built around a marigold motif rather than a generic floral. Coral works as a solid, used mostly to break up the floral-heavy range and give a few pieces a plainer base. Green Tex brings texture rather than a clear pattern, and Brown Checks stands out as the one grid-based, non-floral print in the collection, mostly seen on the Wrap Skirt. 70'S Striper, used on the 80'S Shirt, is the one retro stripe in the mix, matching the shirt's slightly vintage cut.

FAQs

Q1. What is the Elsewhere collection about?

A: It's Cord Studio's Festive '26 collection, inspired by folklore and mythology — particularly the idea of mythical beings that sit between human, animal, and divine, drawn from South and Southeast Asian storytelling traditions.

Q2. What techniques are used across the collection?

A: Hand smocking, hand embroidery, appliqué, and lacework, done across silk and cotton pieces.

Q3. What categories does the collection cover?

A: Dresses, tops, skirts, co-ord sets, shirts, loungewear, and a saree—largely womenswear, with dresses and co-ord sets making up the bulk of the range.

Q4. What are the main prints in Elsewhere?

A: Floret and Blue Floret, Fresco, Sai, Blue Marigold, Aqua Floret, Aqua Fleur, Ivory Fleur, Coral, Green Tex, Brown Checks, and 70'S Stripe.

Q5. Is there a saree in this collection?

A: Yes, the Smocked Saree, which applies the collection's signature smocking technique to a traditional saree silhouette.

Elsewhere | FW '26

Jane Set

Pareo Pant

Ira Gillet

Farmer Set

Smocked Saree

Leni Top

Maya Dress

Audrey Top

Smocked Saree

Emily Skirt

Umbrella Skirt

Rose Top

Gaia Set

Peasant Top

Peasant Top

Frida Dress

July Dress

Lounge Set

Farmer Set

Louie Top

Lido Set

Judy Shirt

Lido Top

Noreen Dress