After a string of low-key presentations over the past few seasons, Emilia Wickstead returned to the runway with drama and a collection inspired by the eerie 1990s TV series “Twin Peaks.”
She picked a room at the Royal Academy of Arts on Piccadilly to show off her signature tailored designs, which came in a gardener’s palette of pea green, raspberry and burnt orange. The colors were drawn from the costumes, interiors and teenage characters in the cult series that melded midcentury style with ’90s grunge.
Wickstead’s models criss-crossed the room in earnest, showing off pleated, checked skirts and long, matching jackets, and lovely satin slips or wool sheaths with delicate tucks and pleats.
An orange flecked tweed dress with a scooped-out back had a sultry air, as did a red satin gown with a deep V-neck, its color recalling the weird, paranormal “waiting room” in the mythical logging town of Twin Peaks.
Knitwear played a starring role in the form of matching, curve-hugging skirts and tops, and chunkier sweaters, too. Wickstead tucked a thick, corn-colored sweater into a ’50s circle skirt; paired a raspberry one with a pencil style, and layered an oversized, V-neck pea green knit over a pair of dusty rose trousers.
“It’s quite a simple, effortless way of dressing and I loved the uniform of it,” said Wickstead, who knows just how to add drama to everyday life.
