While London Fashion Week is no stranger to the influence of weighty external forces in recent years — including Brexit and the global Covid-19 pandemic — this season’s Spring-Summer 2023 shows once again took place against an extraordinary backdrop.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, much of the schedule was thrown into disarray — especially around her state funeral, which took place on September 19. Shows and events planned for that day were either postponed or canceled. Burberry — a royal warrant holder and one of the tentpole British labels on the calendar — was the first brand to announce it would not be staging its show (later following up with a rescheduled date). Celebrated Belgian designer Raf Simons, due to make his highly anticipated London debut with his namesake brand, also issued a statement confirming his show would not be going ahead as planned.

Speaking ahead of opening day, British Fashion Council Chief Executive Caroline Rush told CNN in a phone interview that she “absolutely” understood brands’ reasons for changing plans.

Still, the industry was quick to rally around many younger, emerging brands and designers for whom disruption could be critical.

“London is always known as a global capital for creativity. It’s the place where we have more emerging and independent businesses than any other fashion capital,” Rush said. “I think the sense of community that comes through those designers has been born out of the last couple of years and again we have seen it now through this period of adversity following the Queen’s death.”

On September 12, he was one of the first designers to announce his Spring-Summer 2023 show would go ahead — and posted on Instagram about the importance of “being there for small brands in London this week.”

Reed’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection featured vibrant colors and extravagant draping. Credit: Marc Hibbert

Looks played with scale and proportion, and many featured dramatic hats and headpieces. Credit: Marc Hibbert

In the run-up to the event, Reed’s Instagram stories teased snippets of late-night catwalk prep, emphasizing the often unglamorous and grueling reality of staging a show. On Thursday night, inside a renovated 16th-century church in the City of London, Reed set the tone for London Fashion Week with presentation that included a moving live performance by Adam Lambert and a collection oozing with elegance and sculptural artistry.

And despite events coinciding with a period of national mourning, there was much to celebrate. Simone Rocha unveiled her first menswear collection, while J.W. Anderson returned to the London schedule for the first time since 2020. Asian American designer Chet Lo made his solo fashion week debut with an array of spiky separates and accessories; back-to-back LVMH Prize winners Nensi Dojaka and S.S. Daley were also among those representing the best of emerging talent.

Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu went viral for her silent catwalk show on Saturday which included a selection of vampiric Victorian-inspired looks (some modeled by Amelia Gray, influencer and daughter of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reality star Lisa Rinna). And at Susan Fang, models even walked on water — thanks to a floating runway built on the surface of an indoor swimming pool.

Read on for highlights from London Fashion Week.

Michael Halpern’s voluminous opening look was a tribute to the Queen, inspired by an outfit of hers worn in 1957. Credit: Ik Aldama

A week of tributes

Designers who chose to pay respects to the passing of Britain’s longest reigning monarch did so in a number of ways. For smaller labels unable to alter the bulk of their physical collections, music (or a lack thereof) often became a form of eulogy. Adam Lambert sang a rendition of Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever?” at Reed’s show, while Michael Halpern opted for silence during his collection’s opening look — an homage to the late queen. That sartorial tribute was an undulating cerulean cape draped over a turquoise gown and head scarf, inspired by an outfit the Queen wore in 1957 while attending the opera with former French President René Coty.

“We wanted to do something that felt really respectful,” Halpern told CNN at his studio ahead of the show. “No music, no fancy lights, no nothing. Just a really beautiful, concise and modest walk with one girl on the runway at the beginning of the show.”

“She wore this really beautiful blue gown, and that’s the exact color of the (first look),” he added.

Models carried lily of the valley blooms during the Nensi Dojaka finale as a poignant tribute. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho

During the finale of Dojaka’s show, models each carried a sprig of lily of the valley — reportedly a favorite bloom of Queen Elizabeth II, and one that featured in her coronation bouquet in 1953. Christopher Kane, who returned to the schedule for the first time since before the pandemic, created a gray sweatshirt and skirt look that nods to the former monarch’s last official photograph, according to the show notes.

Perhaps the most extensive tribute, however, came courtesy of Richard Quinn. His career in fashion is inextricably linked with the monarch, who — after presenting him with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in 2018 — sat front row at his Autumn-Winter 2018 show. Quinn was quickly cemented as one of the country’s top talents, and in honor of his royal supporter, this season he opened his show with a funereal procession of 22 all-black looks — including long crystal-trimmed veils, jeweled crowns and a black wide-brimmed hat reminiscent of the queen’s style.

As models walked, a melancholic video montage of the monarch as a young child and woman played on suspended screens: rotating glimpses of the queen laughing off-duty, at her wedding to Prince Philip and, of course, footage from Monday’s state funeral flashed by. The entire collection was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II, “who touched him among so many others with her grace and kindness,” according to the show notes.

The first half of Richard Quinn’s Spring-Summer 2023 show resembled a funeral procession: all-black, regal-inspired looks. Credit: Kate Green/BFC/Getty Images

Crowns, veils and wide-brimmed hats were sent down the runway as a video montage of Her Majesty’s life played in the background. Credit: Kate Green/BFC/Getty Images

The female gaze

Rocha — a renegade romanticist whose subversive and often gothic take on femininity has won her many accolades, including the prestigious British Womenswear Designer Award in 2016 — made her menswear debut with a gender-inclusive collection this season. In the fresco-covered halls of London’s Old Bailey criminal court, the Irish-British designer offered a new spin on masculine dressing, with tutus, ribbon-laced ballet flats and bow-strewn backpacks. Khaki trench coats were adorned with red and green crystals arranged into poppies, while chunky belt-chains (like those typical of late aughts emo fashion) contrasted with delicate ruching.

Bow-topped backpacks, pearl earrings and embellished belt chains were key accessories in Simone Rocha’s show. Credit: Ben Broomfield

Models strutted down the runway in ribbon-tied ballet flats, too. Credit: Ben Broomfield

Molly Goddard trimmed suits and shirts with her signature ruffles. Credit: Ben Broomfield

Men’s skirts also featured on Goddard’s runway. Credit: Ben Broomfield

All across the Spring-Summer 2023 schedule, collections were thrumming with feminine energy. Chinese designer Yuhan Wang found inspiration in female pilots, as she reimagined aviator uniforms and helmets in florid prints and ethereal fabrics like silk organza. For Halpern, the enduring glamour of his mother — who continued to host, and dress accordingly for, lavish house parties fit for a New York City socialite, even after the family relocated upstate — shaped his Spring-Summer designs. Rejina Pyo presented this season on the 28th floor of a London skyscraper, with an array of office-appropriate tailoring, evening dresses and mules made for walking — all against a spoken soundscape exalting the beauty of working women.

Brazilian designer Karoline Vitto’s collection of cut-out mini dresses and off-beat evening wear, staged by the nonprofit talent incubator Fashion East, was a love letter to “the most controversial and overlooked aspects of the female form,” according to the show notes. In a partnership with the casting agency AAMO, Vitto’s show exclusively featured curvy and plus-size models between UK sizes 10 and 20, in the hopes of setting a precedent for the industry.

Designer Karoline Vitto’s collection focused on “the female form” with cut-outs and curvy lines. Credit: Chris Yates

Vitto’s show only cast models larger than a UK size 10 (US 8). Credit: Chris Yates

Haute hardware

Buckles, straps and harnesses were inescapable this season. Poster Girl, creator of the peek-a-boo It-Girl party dress beloved by Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa, sent a slew of looks down the runway often featuring three belts at a time. Rocha recreated garter belts from oversized parachute straps that dangled beneath dresses, while Yuhan Wang made body-strapped backpacks complete with utility pouches in pink lace and chintz fabric.

Kane, who took cues from science and human anatomy for Spring-Summer 2023, fashioned multi-strapped corsets out of clear plastic and tiny metal buckles. The “skeletal structures,” as Kane referred to them in his show notes, “emphasize the strength and importance of the abdominal area and exterior muscles.”

Belts and buckles were a key component of the Poster Girl show. Credit: Niklas Halle’n/AFP/Getty

Yuhan Wang gave harnessed backpacks a whimsical, feminine touch. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

And Christopher Kane showcased “skeletal” clear corsets with numerous buckles. Credit: Chris Moore

Edward Crutchley’s iridescent collection was inspired by “the waters of change,” according to its show notes. Credit: Chris Yates

Standing Ground, another label championed by the non-profit Fashion East, presented a collection inspired by ancient forms and burial grounds. Credit: Olu Ogunshakin

But despite being influenced by the past, the presentation looked decidely futuristic. Credit: Olu Ogunshakin

Rixo’s latest collection, packed with bold prints and vibrant colors, was inspired by a trip to Goa. Credit: Romina Introini

Chet Lo staged his first solo show, full of club kid-worthy pieces featuring the spikes that have already become synonymous with his emerging brand. Credit: Stuart Wilson/BFC/Getty

The sculptural spikes also adorned Lo’s accessories, from hats to bags to belts to full face masks. Credit: Stuart Wilson/BFC/Getty

16Arlington unveiled a collection heavy in pastels, satins, distressed leather and gemstones. Credit: Rowben Lantion

Beyond her menswear looks, Molly Goddard fashioned wide tulle skirts in highlighter neons. Credit: Niklas Halle’n/AFP/Getty

Halpern’s collection was inspired by the enduring glamour of his mother and her extravagant wardrobe. Credit: Ik Aldama

Halpern also became the latest designer to embrace Barbiecore with an immersive runway collaboration.
Credit: Ik Aldama

Inflatable domes were part of an inventive swimming pool set design at Susan Fang’s show. Credit: Niklas Halle’n/AFP/Getty

Dilara Findikoglu’s collection featured corsets, hoisery and blood-stained lips. Credit: Lia Toby/BFC/Getty

Amelia Gray, daughter of reality star Lisa Rinna, was among the models in Findikoglu’s show. Credit: Lia Toby/BFC/Getty

Top image: Harris Reed Spring-Summer 2023 at London Fashion Week.