Richard Quinn Creates a Surreal Fairy Tale for Autumn/Winter 2021

The designer is back with a cinematic, dream-like presentation. 

Tell everyone Richard Quinn is back. Not that he was ever truly gone; following a collaborative collection with Moncler last year, the designer did skip two London fashion seasons, but in between providing NHS doctors with scrubs made of his deadstock floral textiles and dressing up stars like Kylie Jenner, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa, Quinn was also dreaming up a whole new set of creations – and how to present them. The result is a 25-minute surrealist film, with bold references like Tim Burton movies and tales such as Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland.

Courtesy of Richard Quinn.

Co-directed by Quinn with Christopher Gaunt and J&J and entirely produced in London, the film kicks off with a group of latex cats – think Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in 1992’s Batman Returns, but even more provocative somehow – making their way under Soho’s neon lights while other characters get steamy behind shop windows and crowds in extravagant gowns and puffers walk by. 

In addition to Quinn’s signature exaggerated femininity, many of the pieces feature floral and crystalized patterns, including polka-dots and pied-de-poule-inspired motifs. Models in this segment carry new accessories, such as the Viper Boot and the Daisy Bag, and everything happens to the beats of Sam Smith’s “I Feel Love.”

Courtesy of Richard Quinn.

Next, we meet our starry-eyed protagonist, who picks up a music box where ballerinas dance in black latex beneath ruffled dresses and matching headpieces, both of which are intricately embroidered with crystals arranged in floral motifs. The hero is then pulled into this world, where she joins the dancers before waking up in another dream, this time at Richard Quinn’s atelier. 

Courtesy of Richard Quinn.

Mannequins come alive and drag her to a fantastic ball, where she showcases a sleek floral dress complete with an exaggerated bow at the back and a matching tight blouse underneath – sort of a reimagined version of Marilyn Monroe’s look in her iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” performance in 1953’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

In the next scene, the hero finds herself in a fully printed floral room, predominantly in white and blue, full of dancers in latex suits and matching floral dresses. We then move on to a purple room, where a crowd of cats dressed in latex and leather rub against each other and dominate other latex-wearing dogs. 

Courtesy of Richard Quinn.

The film closes with a wedding scene featuring all of the collection’s looks, along with a fully embellished priest, nun, bride, and groom. Like many of the womenswear designs in the lineup, the “wedding dress” features oversized puff shoulders and ruffles, plus a crystallized heart detail at the collar. In the purple room, the characters dance to Underworld’s “Born Slippy” (famously featured in Trainspotting’s soundtrack) – and here comes the realization that this isn’t just a dream: everything we saw so far actually exists in all its wonder. 

Courtesy of Richard Quinn.

Watch Richard Quinn’s full Autumn/Winter 2021 film below:

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