“I really like this picture,” Emilia Wickstead said while leafing through her pre-fall collection book, pausing at a trio of women wearing a set of knee-length dresses in various shades of power blue. “I just love a girl gang.” It’s true: Wixtedt’s collections often begin with a certain women’s fair — 1930s Paris, Hitchcock blondes, even a circle of creative women ensconced in London and New York.
Wickstead had a particular reference this season — namely, François Sagan’s Bonjour Trustee and the 1958 film adaptation starring a young Jane Seberg — but it was also influenced by the fact that Wickstead’s daughter had recently become a mother at age 13 and for the first time. “I wanted the spirit of it to be about these young, lively, selfish, angry, interesting teenagers.
There was a distinct sense of fresh palette of icy blue, butter yellow and crimson collection. It was inspired by 1950s swimsuits and brands like Sports Girl and Esprit, like the tequila sunrise stripes she was obsessed with as a teenager, and an unflattering print of sailboats on the waves. Of course, there were plenty of riffs on these motifs, too: floral jacquards inspired by vintage tablecloths and curtains, here reinterpreted as a glittering pattern on skirts and column dresses, and a handful of visible lace bindings and sandwiches dropped down the bottom. There was a series of particularly beautiful dresses that featured a length of fabric that extended from the bust or waist band, which was thrown over the opposite shoulder like the shawl worn by Deborah Kerr as the young woman’s stepmother. Bonjour Trustee.
All this was set against the backdrop of a fishmonger on West London’s Goulbourne Road: Bonjour TrusteeThe South of France setting is, yes, but also a lively backdrop to show just how versatile Wickstad’s designs can be. (Styling helped on that front, too, with crisp cotton day dresses layered over striped knit tops, and cardigans buttoned like shawls over the models’ shoulders for an extra nonchalant touch.) “I wanted to do some looks that you could feel glamorous and easy to carry in your suitcase,” Wixtedt said on purpose. “Such a youthful, ‘I just threw this thing away’ approach.” Since launching her brand in 2008, Wickstad’s clientele has grown along with her—now, she’s excited to dress her teenage daughters, too.
