The Tamesis
Last season, Ashley Williams set out to rescue country vibes from blandness. In the fall of 2026, she was consumed by it. Quite literally, her characters morphed into the domestic scenes they once inhabited: plastic headboards cinched gauze skirts, toilet paper bracelets wrapped around wrists, silk scalloped bedspreads beckoned from the navel of quilted cardigans and shift dresses. Williams references Carol Anne in 1982 horror film poltergeistcommunicating with spirits through household appliances.
The London-based designer was also inspired by 80s bedrooms and retro fantasy children’s furniture – covetable and dreamy. At the same time, we carry with us into adulthood false ideas about how we present ourselves outside of work, social situations, and at home. “I’m always interested in different ‘versions’ of a person and how that manifests in physical space,” William said.
All these confusing ideas, set in a congealed palette that plays out like a stained VHS tape from thirty years ago, play out in a series of character studies. Among them were a grandparent wearing a faux fur-lined houndstooth jacket, and a girl wearing skull-and-crossbones gloves and a tulle skirt in pastel yellow and pastel pink for a ballet performance. Of course, giggly, off-kilter prints abounded (Williams’ timeless “I <3 ME" print has been a staple of London uniforms for years), appearing on hospital gowns, tracksuits, drop-waisted dresses and loungewear. These include interior-style flowers, a sleeping cat, a centaur in a woodland and some pills. Other iconic designs, like the "pajama pants," were cast in lace-lined, cough syrup-colored satin. The mini dress was made from a sweet, pleated mint-colored fabric that comes from the same factory as Prada—"our most fashionable fabric," Williams said. In addition to these more luxurious textures and heavy wools, Williams also indulged in familiar synthetic fibers such as the shiny polyester, wool and reflective strips of '80s lingerie.
Danny Reed’s look continued the weird and whimsical fever dream, and there was more to it when you squinted at the accessories: Velcro cutout thigh-high boots-cum-orthopedic slippers worn with thick socks, and a long blue-washed wig, a continuation of the toy-like jewelry and hair accessories from the YVMIN collaboration, clipped into bangs and caressing shoulders. After teaming up with Starface acne patches, Williams and her characters will skip school while sick, hopping from London to Paris showrooms and then to Shanghai for Fashion Week.
