LFW ends with Richard Quinn's melancholic collection dedicated to Queen

On Tuesday evening, Richard Quinn closed London Fashion Week on a melancholic note.

In 2018, the late Queen Elizabeth He sat front row (on his own special padded blue cushion) at his debut show, so it's no surprise that his Spring/Summer 23 collection is dedicated to him, telling him she touched him "among so many others with his grace and kindness".

As the mournful siren song of This Mortal Coil played, models shrouded in black – some wearing floor-length lace veils, others in floor-length covers - birdcage length faces and beaded tiaras - walked slowly around the circular track. spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class= " dcr-10khgmf">< /figure>

In the middle sits an installation of hundreds of CCTV cameras and several televisions, broadcasting archival footage of the Queen.

After hearing the news of the monarch's death, Quinn said he took a moment to pause before doing a 360° t urn on the existing collection.

He and his team had created the 23 opening black looks in just 10 days, working through the night and sewing while watching the funeral.

L inspiration came from images such as those of Queen Victoria, who wore black for half her life after the death of her husband Prince Albert, alongside the veils worn by the late Queen and her sister the Princess Margaret at their father's funeral in 1952.

Sourcing materials from local shops near his studio in Peckham, south London, Quinn explored new fabrics, silhouettes and techniques. Embroidery was placed over French lace while some bulbous looks he described as "spatial" featured tiny sequins and feathers. ="inline" data-spacefinder-type="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-10khgmf">