The Runway Rundown: Harris Reed Dances With The New As He Opens LFW
The American-British designer, Harris Reed, presented a collection at Tate Britain that proved an apt next step in his eponymous brand's evolution.
In the hallowed halls of the Tate Britain, 27-year-old designer Harris Reed showed a refined collection, Shadow Dance, that pulled focus not only to his signature silhouettes but with a new play on colour and print. It was out with the usual in-situ performer (Adam Lambert, Kelsey Lu and Sam Smith have appeared previously) to instead hone its attention fully on the clothes, illustrating Reed's growing confidence as a showman and his ability as a dressmaker.
Seven seasons in, Reed's established himself as a go-to red-carpet designer but it's the clients who choose his pieces for life's milestones that were the muse this time. 'What's most exciting for me this season is the fact that these are pieces that I can see for occasions in so many people's lives,' Reed told ELLE UK in a pre-show preview. 'And so for me, whether that is Harry [Styles] up on stage in front of 30,000 people in a pussy-bow blouse or it's one of our amazing clients who's turning 40 in Gloucestershire in a castle wearing a fishtail gown by us for her biggest night of her life.'
Here, everything you need to know about Reed's 'Shadow Dance' collection.
Royal References Reigned
On the points of inspiration, Reed returned to his royal references. ‘I always think that the more rich the research, the richer the outcome,’ he said. ‘I was looking at this idea of paper dolls and Victoriana, which came together by looking at Queen Victoria's paper dolls.' It was then part inspired of the way a young Reed would cut up his magazines, creating miniatures of his own to execute cut and paste abstract ideas.
Silhouette Was Key, But With Fresh Influence
Reed's DNA has long placed a focus on silhouette and this collection was no different. 'It's been really exciting to kind of re-envision the silhouettes I've also done in the past,' he said. 'So for me, Shadow Puppets was a perfect way to play with light and find these incredible shapes and find new ways of looking at my classic circle hats, against things that were a bit more traditional and push silhouettes in more of an interesting way.' The result was peplum waists with slim column skirts or fishtail gowns that accentuated the curve of the model.
New Hemlines Reached Fresh Heights
Something which felt new for Reed was a look to high-cut hemlines, which he said came from understanding his clients' demands for pieces that can be worn for all of life's occasions and not just for gown-demanding events. 'This season has really become about who wears our clothes and who is that customer. And so, what I think is really exciting is the fact that the individual this season is someone who likes to make a statement and likes to make it a moment.'
He Flirted with Print
Pushing his design sensibility, Reed explored print for the first time in collaboration with luxury wallpaper purveyor Fromental, with Reed lifting its floral prints to reapply across his gowns and corsetry. But this was more than a point of inspiration. Reed and his team spent hours soaking the deadstock wallpaper to then lift of the prints which where then sponged onto the fabrics and hand embroidered. The idea came while Reed was in the midst of decorating his first home. 'I cheekily asked if I can dive into their archive and basically upcycle old rolls of paper that were not large enough to be used, but were large enough for me to intricately pull apart and rework into details for the collection.' It worked well, with one of these options sure to make their way up the Met Gala stairs with its underwritten floral 2024 theme.
The Setting
After several seasons showing at Tate Modern, Reed took his audience further down the river to the Tate Britain. There, inside its main vestibule, the designer kept the lights down low with spotlights following each exit down the halls of the 19th century venue. In lieu of a performer, as guests have come to expect at a Reed spectacle, the designer instead chose a string quartet to soundtrack the collection. 'Instead of having a performer, I wanted to have instrumental music to really focus the attention on the clothes, on the embroidery, and on the bead work.'
The Front Row
Reed has captivated the A-list, with a starry turnout always expected. This season, it was Charithra Chandran, Golda Rosheuvel, Kaya Scodelario, Zawe Ashton and Tsunaina who sat together, while across the show space Maya Jama, Sabrina Elba and Grace Carter cheered on the designer.
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