Edeline Lee was one of many London designers who was forced to change her show plans overnight due to the timing of the queen’s funeral. She postponed the concept show she had originally planned, and will do that in February. For spring 2023, she focused on a clutch of sharp looks for day and evening.
Lee is always thinking about how to help women feel strong — and comfortable — in their clothing. She has about 20 different body shapes and sizes in mind when she’s designing a single dress. “It’s a hard equation to hit, but I work at it. I want to be of service to women,” Lee said.
This season, she took a look at the women of Western mythology. She looked at Medusa with new eyes, and Athena, the warrior, dressed in softly draped robes. Although she wanted to build clothes that could serve as armor for everyday, and evening, there was nothing scary about this collection.
In fact, it was all about energy, motion and movement. A black evening dress with a bare shoulder was made from stretch chiffon; a long, draped white dress was overlaid with a long swinging fringe (inspired by Medusa’s deadly locks) that served both as armor, and embellishment.
The angled pleats on a long blue skirt resembled rays of sunshine, or lightning bolts. The was a closet full of soft power, and equally soft edges.
