Shakespeare wrote some of history’s greatest love stories so it’s only natural that he’d inspire a line of wedding dresses. Meet Poeza, the latest addition to Justin Alexander’s manufacturing portfolio, which has unfettered romance at its heart.

Chief executive officer and creative director Justin Warshaw, who also operates Savannah Miller, Viktor & Rolf Mariage, and the Justin Alexander Signature brand among others, said while these are more trend-driven, “Poeza was designed with a focus on intentional simplicity, offering an alternative for brides drawn to a quieter form of luxury.”

If the bard famously asked “What’s in a name?,” Poeza’s says it all. A derivative of “poezja,” the Polish word for poetry, the brand’s philosophy draws from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 about the everlasting nature of true love.

To explain Poeza’s origin, Warshaw waxed poetic. Each season, new gowns will correspond to a verse in an original written piece, “transforming the garment into a line of the bride’s story, composed in fabric and spoken through form,” he said.

Poeza’s spring 2027 debut is appropriately titled “Chapter I: Dawn.” The poem reads: “Before the day begins, Proem moves first,” referring to a silky chiffon number with Venetian lace tracing the bodice, spilling into a waterfall basque waist. “Then Incepta awakens the horizon,” with its exposed corset before “The air clears with Lucent,” defined by a demure boatneck and cap sleeves. 

The morning continues through to grander moments, like Rivelle with its Princess Di-sized poufs and the flower-bedecked Petaline, eventually drawing to a close with Avelin, “a final balance of softness and resolve.” Winking to Shakespeare’s most iconic heroine, Juliette’s namesake sleeve shape is prominent throughout. 

Launching adjacent to Justin Alexander Signature, Poeza will be available to preview on a by-appointment basis for editors and buyers during NYBFW. So far, 80 retail partners have signed on to distribute the collection, which ranges from $4,000 to $7,500.