Ex-Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour was amongst these to take her seat at Emilia Wickstead’s spring/summer season 2026 present, her presence an indication of the designer’s more and more assured place within the British trend calendar.
Known for dressing the Princess of Wales in pared again however hanging designs – this season marked a shift for Wickstead: nonetheless recognisably her, however exploring extra daring cuts and colors.
Inspired by movie star photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s muses, Wickstead used the concept of delicate energy and managed publicity as a thread via the gathering.
One gown, in saturated cobalt blue, had a smooth balloon hem and a excessive gathered neckline: types that can proceed to pattern subsequent season. It moved simply however retained its form, an instance of Wickstead’s curiosity in balancing fluidity with construction.
Bold colors like cobalt blue have been used all through the gathering (Jeff Moore/PA)
A couple of seems later got here a pointy distinction in neon yellow: a gown with a drop-peplum skirt that skimmed versus cling.
The impact throughout these items was of garments designed to be worn, not merely checked out – Wickstead’s hallmark formality reframed for ladies who need confidence in addition to refinement.
Neon yellow was a standout colour (Jeff Moore/PA)
The similar theme carried via separates. A gray tank high and free pleated trousers, stripped of ornament, acted as a palette cleanser between the intense clothes.
The fundamentals cropped up within the type of gray tanks and plain pleated trousers (Jeff Moore/PA)
A pink V-neck sweater tucked right into a yellow lattice-print skirt was unexpectedly robust; the print might have been whimsical however felt deliberate due to the clear lower and stable material.
Wickstead’s signature preppy V-necks have been nonetheless seen (Jeff Moore/PA)
A denim-blue corseted gown with a flaring skirt nodded to workwear however stopped in need of costume. Square necklines, seen seams and naked shoulders appeared repeatedly, drawing the attention with out counting on overtly sexualised shapes.
Square necklines and seen seams have been new types Wickstead examined on this assortment (Jeff Moore/PA)
Print and sample have been dealt with with anticipated restraint. The windowpane test in yellow and purple reappeared in a number of seems – a shawl tied as a head wrap, a bias-lower skirt, a full gown – giving the gathering a stable anchor with out changing into a gimmick.
Windowpane test was a standout print (Jeff Moore/PA)
Black clothes scattered with small florals evoked Mapplethorpe’s flower research however saved their distance from literal reference. Even probably the most revealing look, a lime bustier with a black balloon-hem skirt, was held collectively by a easy ribbon on the shoulder, a small signal of Wickstead’s intuition for stability and symmetry.
Florals have been employed all through the gathering (Jeff Moore/PA)
What stood out was a brand new sort of boldness in Wickstead’s work.
Shoulders and backs are uncovered however framed; skirts have quantity however not weight; colors are intense however used sparingly.
Like her contemporaries, it appears this season, Wickstead is leaning into maximalism.
You might hint a line from Wickstead’s early made-to-measure clothes to those extra sculptural, extra assured items.
The workmanship was apparent within the clear joins of chiffon to seam, within the neat darting, in the best way the material moved with the fashions moderately than in opposition to them.
Clean cuts and darted seams have been obvious all through the gathering (Jeff Moore/PA)
The setting helped – a marble-tiled room within the designer’s Chelsea showroom with daylight streaming in let the garments communicate for themselves.
The muted sound of sneakers on stone underscored the gathering’s concentrate on wearability.
When Anna Wintour rose to go away on the finish, the gathering had already made its level.
Wickstead remains to be refining moderately than revolutionising, however this was a transparent signal she’s able to step past the area of interest of “ladylike” and into one thing extra related.