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Writer's pictureBrittany A. Kilpatrick

LFW REVIEW - SPRING 2020: EMILIA WICKSTEAD: A REBEL WITH A CAUSE

Updated: May 20, 2022

Subtle textures and little use of embellishment allow these formal garments to be timeless and adaptable


Emilia Wickstead’s continuous objective is to have women enjoy dressing more formally again and be invested in the process of pulling together a look, as detailed by Wickstead in an interview with Amy De Klerk of Harper’s Bazaar U.K.. Wickstead’s pieces are meant to withstand use and feature a keen focus on design attributes that allow for such enjoyment, as detailed by The Business of Fashion and Wickstead in an interview with Luxe: Responsible Luxury. The Spring 2020 ready-to-wear collection continues building on these overarching objectives and tendencies.


The collection focuses on unadorned silhouettes, consistent with recurring brand aesthetics noted by Katie Rosseinsky of GraziaDaily.co.uk, with the exception of a few lightly embellished examples. Instead, the collection plays on texture, with many of the collection’s fabrics having the appearance of finely crushed paper or three-dimensional dots ingrained in their surface. The collection also featured both opaque and sheer fabrications.


The collection silhouettes vary, some are tailored, while others make use of draping. These silhouettes often experiment with extreme proportions demonstrated in flared pants, puff sleeves, a circular petal sleeve hybrid, as depicted in Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation, and a bubble dress, illustrated in The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Fashion.


The collection’s vibrant palette consisted of colors such as pale violet, canary yellow, aqua, crimson red, baby blue, and lemon yellow. Teal, pink, and black were colors utilized in gingham prints.


Some recurring design details, from this collection, include keyhole necklines, depicted in Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation, and cutouts. These features helped to modernize and prevented these garments from being considered too matronly.


Overall, Wickstead has maintained her brand’s sought-after aesthetics. Wickstead also managed to keep the garments from being attached to a time period, another objective she discussed in Luxe: Responsible Luxury. As a result, these garments will be less disposable, and more in line with the industry’s concern over sustainability.


Works Cited:


Alessandro, Lucioni (Photographer). Emilia Wickstead Runway Collection, Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear, London, Looks 1-36, https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/emilia-wickstead/slideshow/collection#1, Accessed 9 Nov. 2019.


De Klerk, Amy. “Emilia Wickstead on her Love of Dressing up and What Makes LFW so Special.” Harper’s Bazaar U.K, Hearst UK Fashion & Beauty Network , 17 Sept. 2018, https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a23127268/emilia-wickstead-may-fair-installation-interview/ , Accessed 10 Nov. 2019.


Luxe: Responsible Luxury Editors. “Emilia Wickstead: Fashion Fit for Royalty.” Luxe: Responsible Luxury, n.d., https://www.lux-mag.com/emilia-wickstead-fashion-fit-for-royaltylux-mag/, Accessed 11 Nov. 2019.


Rosseinsky, Katie. “Emilia Wickstead on the Art of Dressing Up.” Grazia (U.K.), Bauer Media Group 14 Sept. 2017, https://graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/news/emilia-wickstead-interview/ , Accessed 10 Nov. 2019.


Stipelman, Steven. Illustrating Fashion: Concept to Creation. 3rd ed., New York: Fairchild Books, 2011.


The Business of Fashion Editors. “BOF Partner: Emilia Wickstead- Company Snapshot.” The Business of Fashion, n.d., https://www.businessoffashion.com/organisations/emilia-wickstead, Accessed 10 Nov. 2019.


Tortora, Phyllis G. and Sandra J. Keiser. The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Fashion. 4th ed., New York and London: Bloomsbury and Fairchild Books, 2014.


Video Citation:

"Emilia Wickstead London Woman SS 2020." YouTube uploaded by IMAXtree.tv, 15 Sept. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ7S3K7koec, Accessed 4 Mar. 2020.


Source: IMAXtree.tv's YouTube Channel

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