Royals' favorite designer Richard Quinn presented a feminine, romantic and floral-themed autumn/winter 2024 collection at London Fashion Week.
The curved walkway, which ran through the vast, listed 1901 ballroom at Andaz London, was marked by huge bouquets of pink and white roses and floral-themed curtains that reached down to puddles.
A live band, including a string quartet and pianist, quickly put guests in a trance as the show began.
The London-based fashion and print designer incorporated vintage-inspired bridal gowns that emphasized curves and accentuated long limbs, similar to high society elegance.
Quinn is said to be inspired by the late Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family. She made a surprise front row appearance at her LFW show in 2018, alongside US Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and awarded her the first-ever Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
The designer also dedicated his spring/summer 2023 collection to her, because she moved him “among so many others with her grace and kindness.”
While each piece in the new collection has been “designed to last” and “made with the future in mind.”
The show notes said: “Without worrying about hype, clothes exist to be appreciated, passed down from mother to daughter for days to come.
“From their internal structures to their exterior fabrications, these pieces focus on shape, volume, [and] craftsmanship that recognizes the art of fashion design.”
For some pieces, models appeared in black and white versions, each as stunning as the other, including an off-the-shoulder A-line midi dress that featured huge handcrafted roses on the bodice and long sleeves. The dress had pockets on the structured and embellished bottom half.
A jumpsuit with flapper fringe, sheer panel details, and a Tudor-inspired billowy collar was another example of this intentional repetition.
There was a classic white dress with a traditional bridal veil and a black A-line midi dress with a wrap neckline and bow waist.
While chiffon garments with a floral theme also stood out in the collection. From a floral-themed black flared jumpsuit with a high collar with spectacular black feathers, to an oversized long dress, also finished with feathers.
Backstage, Terry Barber, global creative director of makeup art at MAC Cosmetics and a key artist on the show, said he was inspired by the '80s, the Victorian era, “mannequin skin” and the look of some characters in the film. The Hunger.
Most of the models wore MAC Retro Red Matte Liquid Lipstick in Feels So Grand.
“I wanted the lips to have a tight shape,” Barber explained. “We have not forced or stolen [erased] the lips. We kept it pretty straight, tight and structured. So they look super chic, like Yves Saint Laurent models used to look in the past.
“We haven't covered much skin. We've used a lot of powder and MAC's strobe tint, with a bit of concealer and foundation around the face, including the lids and underneath, to make the eyes look almost washed out, almost quite Victorian combined with a very hard red mouth. We also used a MAC pearl tint and a pearl highlighter on top.
“Although it is just skin and a lip, they are two very worked and perfected elements. The retro matte liquid lipstick is based a little bit on Russian red – that's the red that Madonna wore on the Blonde Ambition tour, it's that blue red. It's sharp. Feels So Grand is based on that.
“We applied one coat, then powdered the edge of the lips, and then put another coat on top. I didn't want it aligned. I wanted it by show of hands. Some of the models also have a net over their face, but that makeup doesn't move.”
Some models also had their hair in vintage French rolls, which hairstylist Sam McKnight also admitted was inspired by Yves Saint Laurent models from the late '70s and early '80s.
“They're high-shine updos, styled with Sam Mcknight products, including Love Me Do Nourishing Shine Oil,” said McKnight, the show's lead hairstylist.
