Talia Byre’s name is more prevalent than ever on the fashion circuit—especially in London. The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund nominee has in the past drawn intimate crowds to salon-style moments and conversations, supported by biscuits and wine, but spring marked her first show. “I’m excited!” Talia Lipkin-Connor briefly surmised of her feelings at a preview, surrounded by the reworked Ugg boots and flats that accompanied her spring looks.
Though edible confections were absent on show day, Lipkin-Connor instead delivered seasonal delights in the form of studded leather charms that swung from a weekender-proportioned take on her signature Bolter bag, leather sunglass holders suspended from models’ necks, and towel holders thrown over their shoulders. Eyewear was integrated into the fabric of the clothes. A bead-and-crystal waistcoat, worn atop a gray sweater, got the iPhones poised. These could be considered “finishing touches,” but they’re customary tidbits that are intrinsic to the woman (or women) she has created. Because if you looked closely at everything, there was an effortless attention to detail: a skewed knotted flourish in place of a traditional collar on shirting; a dropped shoulder on a cardigan, informed by knitwear her great-uncle sold at her namesake boutique, Lucinda Byre. “It should be very real,” she said. Everything was meticulously thought through.
Lipkin-Connor said the silhouettes were more exaggerated this season—a louche, thicker take on her beloved rugby top and a toweled iteration in the same cocooned silhouette, both with super-low V necklines, affirmed her sentiment. Flashes of her now-trademark stripes prevailed, alongside a first foray into florals—inspired by a wood-frame William Morris bed and the themes explored in Deborah Levy’s Real Estate, which she read in Hydra over the summer—that were hand-screen-printed onto several fabrics, including a cream devoré with a mesh overlay realized as balloon trousers and a matching zip-up jacket. “It’s the idea of wrapping, home, and comfort,” said Lipkin-Connor, pulling the tactile pieces from their hangers as the studio team made final tweaks to the new “apron” dress series. “It’s quite 1980s country mum,” she added, flashing a knowing smile.
Turning focus to a mannequin, Lipkin-Connor showed her eveningwear proposition. Maxidresses and shoulder-pad-bolstered tops were made in the same rigid grosgrain fabric as her bridal, “for consistency,” fastened with colorful grosgrain straps at the back that she loosely likened to the strong injections of color in some Renaissance paintings. These were a departure from her tried-and-true brand staples—jersey, nylon, and lightweight cotton are her usual calling cards—and it will be exciting to see how they develop.
A handful of carryovers, which grounded the collection, were present and correct, but new “stories” were the focus. To complement her legacy “warm-up” trousers, there were novel white poplin trousers, also available as rolled-up shorts. “I love each season to be a documentation of what’s happened in the studio,” she said—and you could tell. “You’ve seen it, it’s in the back of your mind, but you’ve never seen it done before…and then it’s a new and fresh take on it, but there’s a sense of knowing,” she petered off. “It should feel like an elevated continuation of the brand.” And it really was.
