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The British designer Molly Goddard took over the Seymour Leisure Centre in West London to showcase her Spring/Summer 2023 collection. Bryanston Place exploded with a fabulous display of colourful tulle as guests poured into the Art Deco-style gym, on a windy but bright Saturday afternoon. Goddard has earned a reputation as one of the most established and exciting new names in British fashion, and her latest collection doubled down on what she does best, then offered something fresh and new.
“I was thinking about red carpets pre-internet,” she explained in the collection notes. “These are images I love and often go to for inspiration, dressing felt more for the party and for yourself. Much more casual, laid back. No step and repeat and no posing. People looked like they were out to have fun.” The opening looks certainly spoke to that late ‘90s red carpet sensibility, understated minimalism in the form of structured skirts worn with shrunken white T-shirts, or statement blouses worn with jacquard-print trousers.
Elsewhere, strapless gowns were made in durable calico and cotton and paired with fabulous coloured cowboy boots, creating a formal/casual blend that feels more relevant than ever at a moment where social media dictates that even day-to-day dressing is an occasion for a “look”. That juxtaposition extended to ruffled ball gowns cut in jersey, and evoked one of Goddard’s most enduring inspirations, the American designer Charles James. “I’m interested in [his] exploration of creating shapes on the body, creating proportions of the body… pushing fabrics to their extremes,” explained Goddard.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Molly Goddard collection without the designer’s signature use of tulle. She showed voluminous tulle dresses and skirts in a cornucopia of wonderful colours—vibrant lilacs, lime greens, strawberry pinks and tangerines—layered together cleverly with shrunken cardigans, or over form-fitting printed dresses. Polka dots and Peter Pan collars added a touch of twee, but Goddard never gets too cutesy—everything, however whimsical, is rooted in a day-to-day wearability that feels quintessentially London.
