Ever since Emilia Wickstead dressed Poppy Delevinge for the British Fashion Awards (and effortlessly rocked her own mustard two-piece), she’s been a designer I’ve been keeping a close eye on. The British-based, New Zealand-born, Central Saint Martin’s graduate has made a name for herself as a made-to-measure atelier, but has expanded her offering to include seasonal ready-to-wear collections. Her shapely silhouettes combined with spot on colour combinations and rich fabric choices mean her collections ooze a unique sophistication unlike any other – and her newest collection is no different.
In February I was lucky enough to see her AW17 collection fresh off the runway at London Fashion Week. Denim and wool knits alongside stripes and graphic inspired prints formed the basis of the collection – with the short, sixties style dresses standing out against the floor sweeping voluminous silhouettes of column gowns. There was something quite nostalgic about seeing these shapes re-worked into elegant designer pieces. This particular collection was said to be inspired by Erwin Blumenfeld’s ‘Fantasies’ series, taking us back to the Soho club cigarette haze of sixties London. An aristocratic vibe combined with romantic elegance, Wickstead not only manages to create a world that we all wish we could inhabit on a daily basis, but does so to the highest level of craftsmanship and creativity.
