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Everything We Were Expecting From Harris Reed Is Now on the Runway
Paris Fashion Week marks Harris Reed’s debut for Nina Ricci. Though we had a sneak peek at this collection in February. This was when Florence Pugh wore a vibrant orange gown inspired by the Nina Ricci 1988 collection to this year’s BAFTAs. This was our first look into the world of Nina Ricci under Harris Reed.
Harris Reed and His First Success
Harris Reed has made quite a splash in the fashion world. First, he graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020. Then he had his own shows at London Fashion Week. Followed by dressing Harry Styles for the cover of Vogue. Reed is skyrocketing to the top of the industry. And when he was announced as the new creative director of Nina Ricci last September, it made me excited about a brand that I personally didn’t feel much of a connection to. So, I went into this show with my expectations high. I was wanting Harris Reed to completely change my attitude towards this fashion house, and he did just that.
Harris Reed is famous for dressing the stars, and that’s exactly what this collection was. The looks were extravagant, the silhouettes were huge, the patterns attention-grabbing, and the textures indulgent. It was clear that these were looks destined for the red carpet. Sat front row were celebrity stylists Law Roach and Marni Senofonte. This reinforced our ideas about who exactly will be wearing these looks. Marni Senofonte has worked closely as Beyoncé’s stylist for many years now. And the global superstar wore one of Harris Reed’s iconic halo-esque headpieces on her cover for British Vogue last July. So maybe we will get to see Beyoncé in Nina Ricci soon?
Diversity and Non-Binary Dressing
One of the most refreshing aspects of Reed’s show was the diversity that it displayed. Reed’s personal brand champions non-binary dressing and inclusivity in fashion, and this is something that he has brought over to Nina Ricci. While Paris Fashion Week is not the most inclusive of environments, to say the least, the Nina Ricci show offered a pocket of positive representation. Reed took to Instagram to share:
“All I truly want is for people to feel is joy, a massive sense of fun and most fucking importantly, acceptance. This next chapter of Nina Ricci is truly about showing Diversity across Gender, Size, Age, Race and Beauty what are we truly doing if we are not embracing ourselves and being bolder than life, it’s 2023 so time to dress up look in the mirror and tell ourselves we are feminine, we are beautiful and we are fucking here to stay!”
Conclusions
This is the magic of Harris Reed. Yes, his designs are innovative and unique. He is quite easily my favourite designer in the game right now. But beyond his genius is the atmosphere that he creates. It reminds me of the air that surrounded Vivienne Westwood.
Vivienne Westwood’s shows felt fun and rebellious and like you had been rooting for the underdog, and they had won. It was an environment curated for misfits. And though Reed’s designs are very different, apart from those sky-high platforms that seemed very reminiscent of Westwood, the environments felt similar. Reed’s shows feel like spaces that celebrate individuality and champion boldness which is really what fashion is all about. Now Reed has injected this spirit into Nina Ricci, turning the fashion house from one that wasn’t even on my radar into the one I can’t wait to see on the red carpet.
