Victoria Beckham may have opted out of London Fashion Week this season – but that didn’t stop her gracing the FROW at Supriya Lele today. Alongside Jourdan Dunn and a handful of other famous faces, energy was high – and so were expectations – for one of London’s brightest design talents’ AW22 show.
However, the palpable buzz in the audience almost instantaneously turned into unanimous silence when the lights went down – people were ready and waiting with bated breath for Lele’s vision to be realised, and it delivered tenfold.
Lele’s signature structural, elegant draping was back for this season in a big way: mesh was gathered at hips, layered diagonally, and worked into baby tees. Elsewhere, chocolate brown silk satin made up a handful of strikingly constructed dresses, tops and trousers, which will no doubt be snapped up by every it-girl’s agent upon release later this year. One top, featuring classic-Lele asymmetrical cut outs, sent a cape trailing behind, and heads in the audience following it.
As well as these inclusions of well-loved Lele design motifs, the designer gave us new silhouettes, all injected with the same sauce. Navy leather trousers had a dipped waistline, revealing the colour blocked lace underwear underneath. Lime green crossover tops were layered on delicate white lace shrunken tees, also complemented by the lime green thong strings sat on the models’ hips. Shoes were equally as impressive, giving us Italian kitten heels, all by NEOUS.
The whole thing felt playful and nostalgic, yet entirely refreshing. Supriya Lele’s woman is strong and sensual in equal measure. And perhaps this is what Lele does best – play with references of the past, but updating them with innovative cuts, fabrics and silhouettes, appealing to the current trend landscape as well as slotting into a timeless territory.
The collection was a confident and cohesive offering, that felt like it was a specifically curated version of every it-girl’s dream wardrobe; it was a triumphant showing, and a fitting ending to an already dynamic London Fashion Week – just ask Posh Spice.
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