Absolutely previews the new Spring/Summer 2020 collection from Deborah Lyons, Soon We’ll Be Strangers
By Zoë Delmer-Best
First launched in 2016, Deborah’s eponymous brand is fast becoming a favourite amongst fashion connoisseurs. With impeccable tailoring, timeless style and flattering cuts, Deborah’s designs are powerful, strong, and yet they have a confident softness that emits capability. When asked about who the clothes are designed for, Deborah pictures her target consumer as successful female CEOs and entrepreneurs: “They are working women who are always doing really interesting things,” she says. In short, her designs are made for women who dress for success.
But that’s not to say her clothes are overly regimented. In her upcoming collection, Soon We’ll Be Strangers, beautifully tailored pieces are softened with choices of sumptuous fabrics (most of which have come from British mills) and the addition of the occasional ruffle, puff sleeve and bow (or all three) add a romanticised and whimsical element to the collection.
The theme behind Soon We’ll Be Strangers reads like something from a modern fairytale. “I had this idea of a girl living anywhere in Britain, someone who is from anywhere or nowhere, who is ready to get out. It has a very British feel,” says Deborah, and with the fanciful combination of luxurious fabrics, striking tailoring and influences coming from both the modern and old, the collection certainly does seem like something from a timeless fairytale in which the wearer is the narrator of their own story.
When designing a new collection, following the latest trends is not of the utmost importance to Deborah, albeit a happy coincidence that often occurs. What’s more important, in her opinion, is to make collections which are timeless and have staying power. “I want fashion to return to being something that is really meaningful and lasting,” she says. She quite rightly believes that we should move away from the direction of fast fashion and start to really love our clothes as individual pieces. Put simply, her message is clear: we need to enjoy wearing clothes that makes us feel good, in an environment that’s good for us.
Like this? Check out our review of Hurr Collective.
