Richard Quinn’s SS20 collection inspired by the Queen

South London designer Richard Quinn became an overnight success story when the Queen attended his catwalk show in 2018. Last night he returned the favour with a showcase in her honour.

Certainly, Quinn’s brush with royalty seems to have been a source of inspiration for his spring/summer 2020 collection, which took place in a setting resembling a Cecil Beaton photograph brought to life.

The London Philharmonia Orchestra provided the music, culminating in a performance of Handel’s coronation anthem Zadok The Priest. Indeed, it felt more like a coronation than a fashion show, complete with ladies-in-waiting.

Quinn transported the audience at Bethnal Green’s York Hall into his fantasy world, presenting giant puffball dresses, above, exploded floral motifs and feather-trimmed bonnets.

His trademark head-turning gowns came with carpet prints, tulle capes and lattice details trimmed with sparkling stones. “It’s in a sports hall and it comes from the Richard Quinn studio under a railway arch in Peckham,” the designer said.

“But the point for me is to transport people, to create fantasy and escapism.”