South London designer Richard Quinn became an overnight success story when the Queen attended his catwalk show in 2018. Last night he returned the favour with a showcase in her honour.
Certainly, Quinn’s brush with royalty seems to have been a source of inspiration for his spring/summer 2020 collection, which took place in a setting resembling a Cecil Beaton photograph brought to life.
The London Philharmonia Orchestra provided the music, culminating in a performance of Handel’s coronation anthem Zadok The Priest. Indeed, it felt more like a coronation than a fashion show, complete with ladies-in-waiting.
Quinn transported the audience at Bethnal Green’s York Hall into his fantasy world, presenting giant puffball dresses, above, exploded floral motifs and feather-trimmed bonnets.
His trademark head-turning gowns came with carpet prints, tulle capes and lattice details trimmed with sparkling stones. “It’s in a sports hall and it comes from the Richard Quinn studio under a railway arch in Peckham,” the designer said.
“But the point for me is to transport people, to create fantasy and escapism.”
