Emilia Wickstead Bows are In
Article and backstage photos by Natalie Worgs Emilia Wickstead presented her latest Spring/Summer 2019 collection at Phillips Gallery, Berkeley Square this London Fashion Week. This season, my aim was to work solely within the styling and production team, this is where the real action takes place. I arrived at Emilia Wickstead’s studio in Ladbroke Grove a few days before the actual show to meet stylist Melissa Levvy and the production team. On the first day it’s straight to work, no hanging about, as we reviewed the process of the next four days. First thing I noticed was how organised the space was with the walls covered neatly with supersized boards all dressed with pictures of models, the full collection, shoes board, inspiration behind the collection, fabrics, and the photographic station used to take detailed pictures of the models in their final runway look. In the main room, designer Emilia Wickstead, the model casting team, stylist, lead seamstress, and interns kept the organised system going as models entered the room, were greeted and then kindly asked to get changed. Ready and waiting would be the dressers with shoes and the first looks to try on. The doors stayed open for three long days and nights to allocate try-ons and photograph the models from all over the globe like Akiima and Maggie Maurer. Casting isn’t easy after walking in multiple looks; models can be asked to try on another 3 looks and walk around the arrowed-out space on the floor. Wickstead and the stylist had the job of matching 40 looks with the right model, with a few wearing two looks. For this season, stylist Levvy wanted to bring more diversity to the runway after I discovered that they only had one non-white model per show in the previous season, however this season they had five. Wickstead’s collection embodies powerful women who enjoy romance, hold power and have sex appeal. The collection could be a ‘feminist’ fairy-tale with a strong kick-back to 80’s tailoring. She works hard for the money. She’s the kind of working girl who’s going places in the next stage in her life wearing key pieces in pink, green, red, gold, white, light blue, crimson and florals. Wickstead took inspiration from actress Sigourney Weaver, but slightly softening the tough exterior. She did this with the lighter than a feather trench coat; red and cream wide-shoulder padded trouser suits with double up hidden zipper styled with a white, large lapel shirt; cream or camel luxury suits matched with a crop bra or shirt and matching leather gloves dependent on the suit colour; pink shiny smock coats and dresses created in the same PVC looking fabric accompanied with a head piece embellished with black crystal jewels; there’s also floral cape dresses wrapped up in the back with huge decorative bows that formed butterfly-like wings. Shoes and bags didn’t match with the mini corporate A4 sized briefcases, but came in a choice of flats or heeled, pointed front slingbacks with rectangular square panels that came in pink, yellow, black and paper-made floral. Wickstead introduced bows as the hair trend accessory for next season so take note of the high pony tails doubled up with bows or the bowl like hats with cut outs tied into a huge bow.