Inspiration from the British Royal Family Was Everywhere This Fashion Week
From a completely Diana-themed show to Erdem's collection inspired by a young Queen Elizabeth.
By Caroline Hallemann | OCT 7, 2017
August marked the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death earlier this year. It makes sense that the icon was top of mind for several designers at fashion week this season.
One look at Stella McCartney's Spring 2018 ready-to-wear collection appeared to channel a pregnant Diana circa 1982.
But that was nothing compared to Virgil Abloh's fully Diana-themed Off-White show, complete with Naomi Campbell in biking shorts. Abloh updated Diana's aesthetic for 2018, with modern takes on her most iconic outfits. See a few of our favorite looks from that collection below:
In addition to the tributes to Diana, Erdem's collection was inspired by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s, and specifically, the royal's 1958 encounter with Jazz legend Duke Ellington.
"Her father [King George VI] had been a huge fan of his music, and when they met, he was so enamored with her that he wrote a piece of music called 'The Queen's suite,'" designer Erdem Moral?o?lu told the Telegraph backstage at the show.
"Thinking about The Cotton Club, and Harlem, and Dorothy Dandridge, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday," Moralioglu said. "What if she went to New York, and what if Dorothy Dandridge ended up in Buckingham Palace?"
The result of that imagined scene was a collection filled with ceremonial ribbons and floral dresses, long gloves and romantic ruffles, which all somehow still felt modern. Even the hand-embroidered gown inspired by the one Elizabeth wore to her coronation had an edge to it; the styling was hardly prim and proper.
Left: A look from Erdem's Spring Collection; Right: Queen Elizabeth on her coronation day
A structured tweed blazer and high-necked blouse, for example, was paired with a mini skirt, an otherwise tame metallic pencil skirt featured a thigh-high slit and a rather traditional argyle cardigan was thrown over a less-than-conservative crop top.
Let's just saw we can't see the modern-day Queen wearing too many of these looks—Meghan Markle on the other hand? They'd fit her to a T.
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