Review of S.S. Daley Fall 2023 Fashion Show
Wave After Wave
By Mark Wittmer
Continuing to build on the literary inspiration and success of his previous collection, which came right after he was awarded the LVMH prize, S.S. Daley’s Fall 2023 collection transformed a moment of personal uncertainty into a poetic celebration of journeying forward.
Speaking to the genesis of the collection backstage after the show, Daley shared that he was inspired by a suite of songs by Kate Bush – The Ninth Wave, which was originally released as side two of her legendary album Hounds of Love and which was in turn inspired by a Tennyson poem – that narrates the story of a sailor lost at sea, both in terms of external action and in the character’s imagination.
This season for the first time I let the connection really reflect my own emotional state. I’m obsessed with Kate Bush, and The Ninth Wave in particular; I discovered that her reference point for that collection of songs was a Tennyson poem that speaks about being lost at sea – which was kind of how I felt at the moment.”
– Steven Stokey-Daley, S.S. Daley Creative Director and Founder
It’s no surprise that the designer felt a bit blown about by the winds of change: between his last two shows he was awarded the prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Designers, bringing with it increased scrutiny and pressure to the brand while filling the already rapid pace of the fashion calendar even more.
But it seems as if this feeling of being lost lasted just a brief moment, as the collection shows that fresh wind is filling the designer’s sails as he carries his vision confidently forward. The show’s opening by legend of stage and screen and queer icon Ian McKellen demonstrates that the brand has certainly reached new levels of cultural pull, but this was just the beginning.
From the sailor through time’s opening peacoat, the nautical theme is present throughout the collection, but deftly woven into Daley’s contemporary interrogation of the dress codes of the British class system. Sailor caps perch atop school-boyish suits; trench coats reveal voluptuous silk linings. Preppy boat shoes are treated with distressed edges and neon-hued soles, while other looks saw their models go barefoot.
While it does feel like a nod to the unabashed masculinity of the gay sailor trope is put to work in serving Daley’s liberated and fluid recontextualizing of classic codes, the feeling is one of delicateness and poeticism. Familiar and practical pieces from the language of nautical construction and design is emphasized and made fluid, like the elongated tie closures on many of the garments, the ballooning pleated pants, or the knit mantles whose loose threads are left to dangle and dance with the movement of the wearer. As if gathered and sewn by sailors over the course of their journeys, delicate moments of patchwork and hand-stitching illuminate pieces across the collection.
While the brand’s commitment to gender fluidity is still fully honored, it feels like more attention is given to what we might typically call “womenswear” pieces than we’ve seen in past collections (a smart way to widen the design scope and appeal of the brand). Printed silk dresses flow and fall in wave-like ripples, while the final look deconstructs and hybridizes a classic white button-up with a sheer evening gown.
Success is not without its personal questions and crisis: confronted with its greatest success yet and a promise that it would only continue to grow, S.S. Daley rose to the challenge and met the intimidation and promise of this open horizon with a sensitive and confident body of work that embraces the shifting waves of life’s voyage.