Courtney Zheng's Deadly Valentine Collection Trades Girlhood for Emotional Armour
Inspired by a Charlotte Gainsbourg song and the films of Lars von Trier and Tom Ford, the Australian designer's Fall/Winter 2026 collection is her most confident yet.
Courtney Zheng has become one of the Australian designers to watch, known for romantic, feminine clothes with a sharp undercurrent. Her Fall/Winter 2026 collection, Deadly Valentine, feels like a turning point: more grown-up, more restrained and more sure of itself.
The inspiration
The collection takes its name from Charlotte Gainsbourg's song of the same title and explores love, loss, inheritance and renewal through clothes. The visual references are telling. Zheng points to the films of Lars von Trier and Tom Ford, two directors known for beauty with an edge of darkness and control.
Emotional armour
The clothes themselves are built on restrained silhouettes that hold a sense of tension beneath the surface. Zheng frames them as emotional armour, pieces that look composed and polished while carrying something more complicated underneath. It is a shift away from the more overtly girlish mood of earlier collections and towards a more confident, womanly expression.
Why it matters
Australian fashion has a wave of young designers building distinctive, story-led labels, and Zheng is a strong example. Deadly Valentine shows a designer finding her voice rather than chasing trends, which is usually the moment a brand starts to build a lasting following.
Where to discover
The collection is available through courtneyzheng.com.
Source: Grazia. Image courtesy of Courtney Zheng.
