SS Daley Launched Its Womenswear And Harry Styles Watched It

In the lead up to London Fashion Week, SS Daley’s spring 2025 show swiftly became the most hyped presentation of the season. Harry Styles would be on the front row! Cate Blanchett his seatmate! Rumours around the designer’s debut womenswear outing swirled. “I can neither confirm nor deny,” said Steven Stokey-Daley with a glint in his eye, just days out from his schedule slot.

In the end, the whispers proved to be true (although it was Emma Corrin, rather than Cate Blanchett, repping the thespians on the day). Styles, who bought a minority stake in the delightfully eccentric British label in January, watched as his bespectacled Liverpudlian friend sent his first solely female edit out into the hallowed halls of the Royal Academy, where just 100 industry faces were invited to join him.

Harry Styles joined team Vogue on the front row at SS Daley. Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Harry, delicious as ever in SS Daley’s Brideshead-with-a-twist separates and (well-worn) Vans, must have been feeling chipper about his investment, as the collection played out with all the hallmarks–sweet animal-print knits, crisp yet nostalgic high-waisted suiting–that put the beloved young brand on the map, but with the newness required to attract a fresh audience. “Half of it is a very clear overlap with the men’s [line], the other is a complete new exploration and development of ideas for the customer who wants more of their wardrobe to be from us,” says Stokey-Daley, noting that loyalists have often probed him regarding what, exactly, an SS Daley dress might look like.

The answer is a craft-driven exploration of the point where the codes of mens- and womenswear overlap. Think: strict tailoring meets splashy florals, starched shirting teamed with ceramic jewellery, and tuxedo bib pleats found on gathered dresses. Inspired by the British artist Gluck – who was born in 1895 as Hannah Gluckstein, but rejected gender pronouns and also went by the names Peter and Hig–Stokey-Daley became enchanted by the painter’s universe and the individuals who moved within it, such as the florist Constance Spry and journalist Edith Shackleton Heald.

Steven Stokey-Daley in his studio.

Before Gluck’s death in 1978, the creative donated some 70 garments belonging to past lovers—and just one piece of their own androgynous uniform–to the Brighton Museum. These, along with Gluck’s paintings of flowers arranged by Spry, and the quintessential doilies and tablecloths found in tea rooms (Gluck was a descendant of the Lyons family), formed the basis of Stokey-Daley’s latest work. His colourful, abstract suits and painstakingly beaded tops are, in fact, Gluck’s signature bouquets blown up to look like pixelated cross-stitch patterns, while the dog-printed silk blouses were born from a picture donated by one of the archivists Stokey-Daley befriended for the project. How could he say no to a Dalmatian? “We always have points of humour and levity and so, it’s a take on this,” he explains of infusing functional pieces with charm, individuality and, yes, pets.

An exclusive look at the first SS Daley womenswear days before the show. William E Wright

A beaded floral top blown up to look pixellated – the result of hours of craftsmanship on Hackney Road. William E Wright

It is the outerwear that the designer is most proud of, particularly the broadcloth trench coat belted over a white ruched shirt and feathered tie, and an organza slip with sunray pleats edged in black organza, which moves like water. “There are no bells and whistles,” he explains of stripping back his usual theatrics to focus on the work. “I really want this to just be about this.”

Leo, wearing a quintessential SS Daley knit, holding up the works in progress in the run-up to London Fashion Week. William E Wright

Describing himself as a “slow and steady wins the race type of person”, he thought long and hard about the decision to unveil womenswear now. “I think in this moment, London is about to show that it’s resilient,” shares the twenty-something still at the start of his career. “Forward motion and creativity and new ideas prevail–we have to think like that, otherwise I get a bit depressed.” With rapturous applause–and this season’s Queen Elizabeth II Award also under his belt–there is nothing to feel glum about in Steven Stokey-Daley’s world. Even Harry Styles says so.

This article was originally published on Vogue.com.