Why It Matters What Female Designers Choose To Wear

The most anticipated moment at a fashion show is no longer the first look or even the finale. The one that always proves worth the wait is the designer’s own catwalk turn – because it’s what they choose to wear themselves that reveals everything about who they are and how they want their brand to be perceived. This is a woman at work, in the centre of a universe of her own making.

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The current obsession with what female designers are wearing is timely in a world that prioritises personality. As consumers, we want to deepen our connection with the names behind the labels and look for direction from these power players on how we should dress.

Take Miuccia Prada, for example. A style pin-up for the ages, she rarely strays from wearing her namesake Prada and Miu Miu. And her influence extends far beyond what hangs in her stores, too, with a fan-run Instagram account dedicated to everything she’s ever worn (see @whatmiuccia) counting fashion icons such as Marc Jacobs and Alexa Chung among its 76,000 followers.

Pietro D'Aprano

Miuccia Prada.

Mrs Prada’s approach isn’t universal, though. During her tenure at Alexander McQueen, Sarah Burton tended to opt for a more relaxed uniform, usually pairing a white button-down shirt with jeans – a whole world away from the vibrant, detail-heavy collections she presented on the runways. Now, as the recently appointed creative director at Givenchy, Burton her simple but reliable style formula remains, allowing the fantasy of her work to shine, putting it front and centre as always.

As consumers, we want to deepen our connection with the names behind the labels and look for direction from these power players on how we should dress.

But there’s also a new generation of female designers to consider and, arguably, their wardrobe choices matter even more. So it would make sense to champion your own creations, as we can see with Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons. The close friends and design duo are their brand’s best and most convincing wearers, forever in top-to-toe Chopova Lowena. Simone Rocha is also exemplary at showing how to wear her eponymous label from dusk until dawn, and menswear-first designer Bianca Saunders has quipped she reserves her womenswear for her personal wardrobe.

Pascal Le Segretain

Chemena Kamali.

While the success of Chemena Kamali’s vision for Chloé can’t be solely attributed to how well she wears her own pieces, her strong personal style certainly helps. The same could also be said for Victoria Beckham, Emilia Wickstead, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen of The Row, who have long been studied by their customers (and imitators) for what exactly to buy.

Of course, the industry is still without one active example in this conversation. Her name might be finally on the label after more than a decade of service at Céline and Chloé, but you can’t help but feel the profound absence of a Phoebe Philo post-show bow. We can only imagine how copied that look would be.

paris, france march 06: phoebe philo walks the runway during the celine ready to wear autumn/winter 2011/2012 show during paris fashion week on march 6, 2011 in paris, france. (photo by michel dufour/wireimage)

Michel Dufour

Philo at the close of her AW12 Céline show.

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