Florence Pugh opened Harris Reed’s autumn/winter show at London Fashion Week with a theatrical display. The 29-year-old We Live In Time star kicked off the show in a sculptural speared black gown with an organza veil and fluttering false eyelashes. Pugh’s black hooded dress and sharp-ended corset represented a folklorish figure, and the BAFTA-nominated actress presented an opening monologue centred on being brave and “unapologetically you”, which was finalised with Reed at midnight before the show.
“I want everyone to be very uncomfortable,” Reed said. “I think through uncomfortability, you look deeper within and question a lot about yourself and your surroundings.”. Harris Reed is best known for his genderfluid designs and dressing Harry Styles for Vogue’s first ever male cover.
Reed has made waves in recent years with his namesake label, whilst also being at the helm of the French fashion house Nina Ricci. Born in LA, the 28-year-old designer leapt onto the scene only five years ago, when his 2020 graduate collection from Central Saint Martins caught the eye of industry heavyweight Anna Wintour.
Famed for his intensely sculptural designs, there was no better setting for Harris Reed’s autumn/winter collection than the Tate Britain: one of London’s greatest architectural landmarks. Entitled ‘Gilded’, the collection was accompanied by edgy strings by live cellists who delivered their take on Metallica, and presented on a downlit runway with ultramarine floral pendants hanging in the middle like ominous orbs.
The high-ceilinged atrium and intense soundtrack set a dramatic tone for the high-octane collection. “Fighting for beauty of fluidity,” is Reed’s mantra. His free avant-garde yet timelessly Romantic designs entice everyone from Adele to Harry Styles and Beyoncé.
The collection was made up of three colours, with bursts of cobalt blue and yellow ochre against pitch black seeping onto the runway. Catsuits, high-rise tutus and caged corsets brought the maximalist and dynamic elegance Reed is famed for. The silhouettes brought old-school high fashion back to the ready-to-wear runway.
Alongside his avant-garde concepts were nods to the 1980s, a retro motif apparent in recent collections from Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney. Feathers, shoulder pads and pencil skirts imbued a comforting sense of nostalgia against the unorthodox spikes and spherical plumes of Reed’s other designs.
Towering heeled boots, known by fans as the ‘H boot’, were paired with each ensemble – once again a nod to the outrageous platforms of the past. As for the beauty, each model’s hair was slicked back and severe, with stern brows and striking eye lashes designed by Sofia Tilbury, Charlotte Tilbury’s global artistry director; the glamour wouldn’t look out of place in London’s Blitz Club 40 years ago.
The designs were quintessentially Reed, with ambiguous and capacious shapes gracing the runway in a remarkably blasé manner. The designer is consistently able to strike a balance between excessive extravagance and inherent nonchalance within his clothes.
Socialite Lady Mary Charteris was among those sitting front row, alongside make-up artist Bella Tilbury and Rita Ora’s sister and music manager Elena Ora. When the collection wrapped up, Reed himself stepped out for a victory lap closing the show, running off with a jump and a fist pump to the air.
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