Richard Quinn RT Spring 2023

Richard Quinn closed fashion week — with two shows in one. The first was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, and the second was the show he had originally planned months before her death.

During the Queen's lifetime, she only attended one parade in London, and it was Quinn's in 2018, when she presented him with the first Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

After her death on September 8, London Fashion Week tore up the original schedule and canceled parties and other events.

Designers also found ways to pay homage. Some have done this by featuring her favorite flower, lily of the valley, in their shows; others did it with a minute of silence.

Quinn honored the queen with 22 more looks that opened her show, and moving her show to the Tuesday evening, one day after the funeral. It took him and his studio 10 days to create the additional looks. They sewed all night and even while watching Monday's funeral.

The exhibit space was draped in black curtains and rugs. There were CCTV cameras and several television screens hanging in the middle of the room showing video footage of the Queen.

Models walked the room in mesh, lace, polka dot or embellished veils pearls draped the black garments.

"We wanted it to be appropriate for the times, and it's really historic", said said Quinn, who also credited the Queen for the brand's success. "That's how everyone first got to know us, and it will always be part of our journey and our history," he added.

Quinn also referenced the funeral of King George VI in 1952 in the collection and also inspired by couture. There were even nods to the silhouettes and fabrics of Cristóbal Balenciaga's black creations.

The tribute was deep without forcing. Quinn understood the moment and executed it with precision, and better than any other designer during the four days of London Fashion Week.

"Fashion is always a commentary on what's going on," Quinn said, adding that in his view, the Queen was "one hundred percent a fashion icon".

The public's eyes were equally riveted on the second part of the show, which featured 26 looks that Quinn had already designed with his team.

This time, models strutted around in Quinn's signature disco hues and floral prints that, from a distance looked like bacteria colors found on a Petri dish.

He said he was inspired by space and science fiction, with faces of models coming out of the decoration cocoon dresses, bodysuits and catsuits. It was "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" meets "Mars Attacks!"

Quinn ended the show with a white lace wedding number, softly rem...