Despite the obvious limitations of the moment, the world has hardly stood still for Molly Goddard. Since the U.K. went into lockdown for the second time this winter, the designer has been forging ahead with her eponymous label, recently dropping a capsule of exquisite bridal dresses that’s primed for the current boom in micro- weddings. (At eight-and-a-half months pregnant, Goddard and Tom Shickle, her partner in life and work, are close to marking another happy milestone in their personal lives too.) “This collection was maybe the toughest to put together because of all the restrictions,” said Goddard, speaking via Zoom from her home in West London this morning—she’s been isolating since January, under doctor’s orders. “There was so much uncertainty even in the logistics, but that didn’t stop us from taking risks. In a way, I think we really went for it.”
Goddard is well known for her daring otherworldly confections, though this season she took to honing the down-to-earth signatures in her repertoire. She leaned into the quirky Britishisms that make her work sing, starting with an extended offering of her adorable Fair Isle sweaters for both men and women. Goddard takes pride in the fact that much of the collection is manufactured in the U.K., and for fall she worked with a Scottish factory to produce traditional tartan kilts that looked especially good on the male model in her virtual fashion show, paired with colorful knits and a slouchy blazer.
Tailoring has gradually become a mainstay for the label as well, and this time around it was a men’s suit in charcoal gray with subtle ruching through the waistline that stole the limelight, prompting several male staffers at Vogue to inquire about Goddard’s new online preorder service. And though it was hard to ignore the exuberance of the tulle evening dresses in her lineup—she opened and closed the show with two especially flirty strapless numbers—the taffeta frocks with angular bows were just as attention grabbing layered over raw denim pants for day or with knee-high metallic boots for party time.
“I missed the library and going to markets—all the people-watching!” said Goddard wistfully of making the collection. Though her new clothes may have been conceived in isolation, they gave glimpses of just how playful reemergence could look this fall.
By Chioma Nnadi for Vogue