Presented in a garden courtyard with a live brass band, Raynor’s S/S ’27 collection, The Gingers vs. The Elders, built a fictional English rivalry around two opposing households. Guests chose either a ginger or elder raffle ticket on arrival before finding a 1968 Bentley parked at the center of the space. The scene was part country-house tradition, part sporting event, and unmistakably Raynor.

The designer imagined the collection through the characters who might gather to watch such a rivalry unfold: a Wimbledon tennis manager, a country-club eccentric, or a retro Lioness. It gave the show a strong sense of place without becoming overly literal. The English countryside provided the backdrop, while competition, humor, and a touch of social tension gave the collection its character.

The clothes moved easily between these references. Scarlet gingham appeared across zip-front cotton tops, peplums, long skirts, and relaxed trousers, while tailored jackets and shorts brought a sporting influence into the mix. Bright checks continued throughout, before crochet, knitwear, florals, feathers, and fringe loosened the collection’s more structured elements.

Rather than separating tailoring from craft, Raynor allowed the two to coexist. A peach crochet bodice was layered with pale-blue feathers, while a lime-green trench coat worn with glossy black boots cut through the softer colours and textures. The clothes felt considered without becoming too precious, balancing the eccentricity of Raynor’s characters with pieces grounded in an everyday wardrobe.

“It’s been a labor of love,” Raynor said backstage, describing the crochet and “very intricate handmade textiles” used throughout. He also returned to print design, something he had focused on before graduating but had not brought into his collections since. For S/S ’27, he created patterns inspired by sunlight filtering through blinds and flowers, an idea that came through in the collection’s interplay of texture, color, and lightness.

There were hints of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Billy Elliot, ’90s sportswear, and the familiar rituals of the village fête. But Raynor did not treat these references as costume. Instead, he used them to build a world that felt recognisable before pushing it somewhere more playful and fashion-forward.

The final look, a strapless pink gown covered in fringe, brought the collection to a close. As it crossed the grass, the fringe moved with every step—a fitting final reminder that, in Raynor’s hands, the village green is never simply quaint.