London Fashion Week: 5 Things to Know About Supriya Lele’s FW22 Collection
London Fashion Week favorite Supriya Lele brought high-profile fans including Victoria Beckham out in Storm Franklin for the unveiling of her fall/winter 2022 collection, which featured a sprinkling of suitably rain-proof looks alongside the draped dresses she’s made her signature. Read on for five key takeaways from the show.
JEFF SPICER/BFC via Getty Images1/5AW22 is attitude-laden
Lele doesn’t play favorites with her looks, but she will admit to a weakness for the floor-length leather coat with a low-slung belt and funnel-neck, which encapsulates the “tough, confident femininity” the designer set out to capture with her new collection. “I was like, hmm, weather-appropriate!” she laughed backstage, as Storm Franklin whipped his way around the Old Selfridges Hotel outside. Elsewhere, voluminous outerwear silhouettes drew on the vintage sports and ski jackets Lele wore as a teenager.
JEFF SPICER/BFC via Getty Images2/5Low-rise pants still reign
Were you watching, Julia Fox? Because your next pair of pants just made their way down the runway in London. An established Supriya Lele signature, skin-tight, ultra low-slung pants returned for fall/winter 2022, with an added V-shaped dip at the front to show off a glimpse of underwear. A look that’s arguably even cheekier than the visible thong.
JEFF SPICER/BFC via Getty Images3/5Supriya continues to play with color
Along with dresses that drape artfully around the body, and those hipbone-grazing waistbands, the distinctive use of color – from canary yellow to kingfisher blue – made the collection recognizably Supriya. “The signature colors are still in there, but there are different tones,” she said. “There’s loads of brown – that against the chocolate leather was really nice.”
JEFF SPICER/BFC via Getty Images4/5Paloma, the unofficial queen of the FW22 runway, walked in the show
Paloma Elsesser’s bombshell presence and Lele’s peekaboo fabrics made for an explosive combination on the runway, as witnessed by a FROW that included Jourdan Dunn and Victoria Beckham, who attended with her son Romeo’s girlfriend, Mia Regan. “I’m obsessed with Paloma!” Lele said of having the girl of the moment walk in her show. “Adore! She’s just the perfect woman, for me, she embodies everything – she looked amazing.”
JEFF SPICER/BFC via Getty Images5/5It was a celebration of the body
The sensual dresses are guaranteed to appeal to A-list fans of the brand like Bella Hadid and Dua Lipa, who long ago fell for Supriya’s ’90s- and Noughties-inspired silhouettes. For fall/winter 2022 Lele’s twisted shapes manifested as halternecks and keyhole cut-outs, all designed to flatter and celebrate the female form. The combined emphasis on strength and sex appeal added up to a confident display – and an enthusiastic response from the crowd. “It’s so nice,” Lele said of the support for her collections in London. “I’m so excited. I feel really good about it.”
This story originally appeared in British Vogue.
