September 16, 2022 |
To navigate the tricky terrain of staging a fashion show in the midst of national mourning is no easy feat, but Daniel W. Fletcher managed to do so with grace. The opening look at his SS23 show (which was set in the velvetine lower concourse of the Londoner hotel) succeeded a minute of silence and was a sleek, sheeny woollen suit that had a black armband hugging the models’ bicep. It was an immediate tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The mood was a solemn one as Fletcher’s figures glided down the spotlit runway in sartorially splendid suits. Yet, the blacks and navy blues were percolated by bursts of colours coming through in the way of postbox-red gingham shirts with matching breezy schoolboy short-shorts, banker-boy blue satin twinsets and pure-white boxy corsetry. The award winning designer also riffed on Savile Row motifs like Prince of Wales checks and boxy shoulders.
Dubbed Stand and Deliver, the immaculate white tie occasion was a love letter to the city of London; past and present. From King’s Road punks, to those in the home stands and the suited gents of The City, to Their Majesties across the decades and queer scenes in the 1990s. What resulted was a slew of country kilts spliced to the hip, louche pyjama sets, blazers, racing jackets and exquisite tailoring with pleated satin and faux fur cummerbunds, sailor-style neck ties, leather military caps and aristocratic faux fur stoles. Plus, the entire offering was sustainably constructed; deadstock textiles were provided by Nano Source, a fabric resale platform backed by LVMH. Hatton Labs made the sparkles and studs and the customised shearling bags were born out of a collab too, with Axel Arigato tapping into Fletcher’s careful craftsmanship.
Photography by Chris Yates.
