Harry Styles was front row to watch designer Steven Stokey-Daley’s first full foray into womenswear.
The London Fashion Week collection for Stokey-Daley’s label, SS Daley, comes hot on the heels of the designer winning the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
Former One Direction singer Styles is a minority investor in the SS Daley brand, and is no stranger to wearing its clothes, most notably for the Golden music video in 2020.
To sit front row at the spring/summer 2025 show, Styles wore a navy two-piece with white detailing and a white scoop-neck top underneath, paired with a new short and spiky haircut.
Daley has previously made a name for himself with menswear, he often draws upon historical themes, as well as having a keen eye for tailoring and a sustainable approach to fashion.
For his first full womenswear collection, he also looked to the past, taking inspiration from the British artist Gluck, who was born in 1895 and died in 1978.
According to the show notes, Gluck was “known for wearing tailored and utilitarian clothes, yet often painted lovers and friends whose style was femme”.
The collection very much followed in this vein.
There were moments of sharp, clean tailoring, such as a navy suit with white piping, wide-legged trousers and a voluminous white collar underneath, or the tweed two-piece with baggy shorts and a structured blazer over the top.
These were balanced with softer, more romantic garments, such as semi-sheer skirts, jumpers with lace detailing and a vibrant trench coat with a floral pattern that almost looked to be hand-painted on.
“Gluck used clothing to curate their identity, then observed the fashion of a lifetime of lovers. This collection is about the universe around Gluck, allowing us to go deep into the techniques of womenswear.
“As with our men’s collections, every piece matters, designed to create a full wardrobe,” Stokey-Daley said of his jumping-off point for the season.
While Daley might look to the past for his inspirations, it still felt like a very fashion-forward collection, one befitting the new recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award, which has previously been won by Richard Quinn and Priya Ahluwalia.
Cutting-edge elements included beaded skirts where floral patterns looked pixelated, deconstructed trench coats and the way the garments were made.
Liverpool-born designer Daley is known for his innovative approach to sustainability, using deadstock and donated fabrics to create his collections.
Daley has won himself legions of celebrity fans over the years, he even had actor Sir Ian McKellen open his autumn/winter 2023 runway show with a poem.
Styles was not the only famous face on the front row to see Daley’s first full womenswear collection, The Crown star Emma Corrin was also in attendance.
Corrin and Styles share a stylist, Harry Lambert, and Corrin was decked out in what looks to be a unique piece from the collection: a white beaded top with that pixelated floral motif, worn over dark loose shorts.
Singer Laura Mvula, who performed at Thursday’s ceremony where the Duchess of Edinburgh presented Daley with the prestigious fashion award, was also in attendance, wearing a statement pink, orange and black kaftan-style dress.
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour seems to have given Daley her stamp of approval, watching the show in a bright blue coat and her signature sunglasses.
