During last season\u2019s ready-to-wear runway show, British designer Emilia Wickstead turned to her daughter with a sudden thought and shared that she fancied a change. True to her word, for the current season, the designer opted to pivot away from a traditional live presentation entirely, creating an immersive collection film instead. The cinematic project was shown in her usual presentation venue, the brand\u2019s flagship Sloane Street store in London, produced in collaboration with renowned London restaurateur Jeremy King. <\/p>\n
The partnership was born out of a shared appreciation for atmosphere and hospitality. "It\u2019s the ability to combine what you\u2019ve learned and what you see that makes something special," Jeremy King remarks as the short film begins. Wickstead has long admired how King curates an environment within his celebrated establishments, and with this cinematic venture, she wanted to explore how clothes are lived in, moved in, and genuinely enjoyed in real life. To enhance the viewing experience for attendees, King\u2019s newly anticipated London restaurant, Simpsons on the Strand, provided classic snacks and martinis for guests watching the screening.<\/p>\n
The film opens with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of painters applying the final coats of color to a set composed of multiple pastel-colored rooms, while seamstresses meticulously work on the final touches of a peppermint strapless fit-and-flare gown, featuring a delicate floral print and a soft tulle overlay. As the atmosphere is set, the first model steps into frame wearing an understated pink striped shirt paired with a knit skirt, beginning the onscreen runway show. She walks briskly through the various rooms as if she has somewhere important to be, while the backdrop dynamically shifts from lavender to powder blue, and pale green to lemon yellow, actively recontextualizing the colors and tones of the garments as she moves.<\/p>\n
As a self-confessed old-school designer, Wickstead is known for her disciplined approach, typically picking a singular historical or cultural reference and sticking closely to it throughout a collection. For this season, her primary muse was the 1940s American Abstract Expressionist artist Lenore "Lee" Krasner. While art history often frames Krasner through her marriage to Jackson Pollock, Wickstead was entirely uninterested in that narrative dynamic. "I\u2019m only talking about her," Wickstead emphasized during the preview. "I like to celebrate women who should have been talked about more."<\/p>\n
The resulting collection brilliantly featured Wickstead\u2019s signature silhouettes\u2014such as her trademark fit-and-flare dresses and sharp architectural necklines\u2014which were slightly reworked to reflect Krasner\u2019s distinct penchant for reinvention and artistic independence. Several of the long, elegant dresses, rendered in rich pink silk or deep black chiffon, incorporated an asymmetrical bib of fabric. This versatile element can be folded down or tied up, allowing the wearer to adjust and reveal more or less d\u00e9colletage depending on the occasion. <\/p>\n
Further reinforcing the connection to her muse, many of the garments featured slightly frayed silk chiffon trims to introduce a deliberate, undone feel. Wickstead noted this was a direct nod to Krasner, who she observed "always wanted to do something a little unraveled." Additionally, a light cotton tweed was utilized across the collection for the very first time in a Wickstead spring line, appearing in tailored skirts, trousers, and dresses. This bespoke tweed was woven with delicate threads of beige, pink, and yellow, serving as a direct visual homage to Krasner\u2019s vibrant 1956 painting Prophecy<\/em>. Elsewhere in the lineup, hand-painted leaf and field daisy prints reflected not Krasner\u2019s own abstract canvases, but rather her lifelong, profound love of nature.<\/p>\n In order to keep the garments remarkably light and physically cool amid our increasingly hot summers, Wickstead cleverly engineered her fabrics. She utilized lightweight tweed panels set against black chiffon on the front of tops and dresses, or incorporated chiffon pleated inlays into tweed skirts and viscose dresses to create a much breezier feel during wear. Furthermore, the designer introduced feathers into her repertoire for the very first time this season. This tactile embellishment appeared by way of a removable thick trim on a bias-cut tweed minidress-cum-tunic, as a striking statement trim on a vibrant yellow longline dress, and through intricate, handmade feather flowers embroidered directly onto a yellow A-line minidress and a standout black gown crafted from luxurious viscose moir\u00e9.<\/p>\n The collection’s signature fit-and-flare gowns, rendered in cheerful floral patterns or crisp pink stripes, were thoughtfully designed with deep pockets\u2014"for paintbrushes," Wickstead remarked with a knowing smile, fully aware that her high-society clientele and royal followers would likely not wear the creations for actual painting. For moments requiring a more relaxed approach, the designer layered oversized knitwear over loose-fit striped cotton artist shirts, or crafted versatile apron dresses that could either hang loose or be securely tied to cinch the waist. "I feel like Lee might have worn this to the studio," she said, gesturing toward a pink-and-blue-striped knit and a gray oversized gilet featuring the signature daisy print adorning both the pockets and the back.<\/p>\n By thoughtfully modifying familiar necklines and waistlines, introducing unexpected feather trims, and skillfully layering prints and textures, Wickstead successfully experimented with her established design formula this season. The result is a collection that offers innovative, fresh ways to wear her clothes while ensuring that the loyal Emilia Wickstead customer can get plenty of practical mileage out of every individual piece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During last season\u2019s ready-to-wear runway show, British designer Emilia Wickstead turned to her daughter with a sudden thought and shared that she fancied a change. True to her word, for the current season, the designer opted to pivot away from a traditional live presentation entirely, creating an immersive collection film instead. The cinematic project was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[874],"tags":[1630,1625,875,1628,1629,1631,919,876,1627,1449,877,1626],"class_list":["post-1065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion-and-style","tag-artist","tag-emilia","tag-fashion","tag-film","tag-inspired","tag-krasner","tag-runway","tag-style","tag-trades","tag-traditional","tag-trends","tag-wickstead"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xesi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}