The Duchess of Cambridge and Samantha Cameron are regular clients of fashion designer Emilia Wickstead. They would have been able to pick something straight off the catwalk from the Saturday morning show at London fashion week.
The collection, for autumn/winter 2015, had the trademarks that Wickstead has stuck by since quietly launching her brand in 2008. It was ladylike, demure and came with mid-century clean elegant lines and zesty pastels.
With hemlines below the knee and elbow-length sleeves, it makes sense that the New Zealand-born 31-year-old has become a favourite of women in the public eye.
A front row including Yasmin Le Bon, Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, all glossy in Wickstead looks, only underlined the point. She is now moving from dressing dignitaries to celebrities. This collection suggested that Wickstead is thinking a few steps ahead.
The trademark polish has been given a bit of an edge. Along with conservative with a small c crepe midi dresses and tweed skirt suits – a model wearing a cornflower blue one even resembled the Duchess of Cambridge – there was a section at the end with a PVC shift dress and raincoat as well as a mini in bold supersized checks.
This could be put down to inspiration from Wes Anderson films. The American director might seem too kooky to occupy Wickstead’s universe but he was namechecked in the show notes and, after the show, Wickstead said he provoked a “whimsical, retro feel but in a haze”.
The PVC was about “trying new things”, but crucially “very wearable – you can throw that raincoat over your shoulders and head out. My girl is easy going but she always has that Emilia Wickstead groomed detail to her”.
Wickstead is clear-eyed about keeping these themes central to ensure her brand’s commercial success. She has been working with the British Fashion Council’s business pillar James MacArthur to, as she says, “gain professionalism and a better set up. It might look bigger from the outside but the team is me and one other person”.
The venue for this show – a banking hall in the City of London – could be seen as a statement of intent. Wickstead might be plundering the esoteric world of Wes Anderson but the commercial business of growing a brand is at the forefront of her mind. A mix of the two might well prove a very happy medium.
PVC is becoming a London fashion week trend. Sibling, the brand designed by Cozette McCreery, Sid Bryant and Joe Bates, also used it.
In a strong collection, the shiny fabric had a punk edge. It was mixed with shredded knitwear, and a bright orange and pink colour palette and models wore mohican wigs. Other highlights on Saturday included JW Anderson and Simone Rocha. London fashion week continues on Sunday.
