Harris Reed shows us a new glimpse of his talent with his "Mise en scène" collection
Starting with New York, London, Milan and ending in Paris, Spring Summer 2022/2023 collections are upon us. After years of cancellations due to Covid pandemic we're finally ready for a normal month of shows - aside from London, which due to the death of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, finds itself in a period of national mourning.
In this stormy period for our society we take a closer look at Harris Reed who kicked off London Fashion Week with his new September 2022 collection: Mise en scène.
Fighting for the beauty of fluidity, half-American half-British Harris Reed designes to create conversation. Reed's design process takes inspiration from the current and political issues that Reed feels most connected to. The work he creates is built from assessing the responsability that fashion has to spark conversation in relation to the injustices that are happening within society today.
His new collection- Misè en scène- refers to the collective effort, community and collaboration that goes into every Harris Reed collection.
This season he explores the performative nature of dress, taking inspiration from the rigorous codes of a debutante Ball.
These traditionally female tropes, crinolines, corsets, headpieces and embellishments, are reimagined for a new fluid society taking centre stage.
The structure of gowns are exaggerated and inverted to create new silhouettes; a ball gown is literally upturned, its inner workings forced up above the model's head and caged in technical organza, whilst a white silk cape takes its cue from a crinoline that is upended and worn on the back.
Excessive metres of duchess satin, that might be expected to pool along the floor as a train, are instead elevated and create a huge orb around the wearer, focusing attention on their face.
Colours are rich and regal; peacock and royal blue, chartreuse and fuchsia are offset by black velvet, and white silk.
Proportions are exaggerated and distorted creating theatrical shapes including fishtail and ballet-like skirts, cinched in waists and oversized bustles that drape across the hips. Costume jewellery reaches new extremes, with celestial and lunar symbols cascading over the chest as a breastplate.
The headpieces are created with long term collaborator Vivienne Lake, in bluebell and spherical forms that balance and elongate silhouettes.
His demi-couture collection combines the rigours of traditional dressmaking with the liberation and experimentation on which Harris Reed thrives. As always, deadstock fabric has been given a new life in these designs.
