Emilia Wickstead – London Fashion Week AW21

For Autumn Winter 2021 Emilia Wickstead imagines a woman blossoming through the lens of cinema and more specifically three films she drew inspiration from: Teorema (1968), by Pier Paolo Pasolini, I am Love (2009), by Luca Guadagnino and Rear Window (1954), by Alfred Hitchcock.

The first two are set in Milan and although the respective stories take place in different periods, they both depict the bourgeoisie, Italian women framed in their interiors. The collection notes mention that our heroine is at the precipice of discovery and transformation. One world is ending, and another is beginning.

The collection exsudes timeless elegance and glamour, with a combination of soft neutral tailoring, designed for every-day comfort and ease and glamorous evening gowns.

Timeless wool jackets are lightly sculpted at the waist. Tapered stirrup trousers in lux jersey are relaxed, yet elegant. Scarves are draped blanket-like across the shoulders.

A sleek, off the shoulder dress reimagined in charcoal wool has an air of 90’s minimalism, also seen in a precise, strapless duchess satin dress paired with matching black opera gloves. Modernity and classicism meet to create a sense of uniformity, purpose and simplicity.

Another source of inspiration is Rear Window. Wickstead notes that Hitchcock’s brief to Edith Head was that Grace Kelly “was to look like a piece of Dresden china, nearly untouchable”. The exaggerated rose print, rendered in lemon and lapis blue against pristine white twill seems directly inspired by the brief.

The colour palette is simple, elegant with beige, olive green, rich purple and pastel blue, referencing the transitional 1960’s Italianate interiors, and opulent at times with the gold brocade.

Models evolve in an entirely fuchsia space, for a more dramatic effect. The space was designed by Emilia to create frames within frames.