Emilia Wickstead’s Autumn Winter collection blooms in bold painterly colour
The designer's new Poppy Print collection celebrates rich, expressive brushwork in jewel toned hues. Mustard and blue merge in designs that feel entirely contemporary yet rooted in a timeless sense of craft.
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There is a particular pleasure in a print that feels both spontaneous and considered, where the hand of the artist remains visible in every sweep and gesture. Emilia Wickstead’s Poppy Print collection achieves precisely this balance, drawing upon the language of abstract painting to create something that reads as entirely fresh yet fundamentally rooted in craftsmanship.
The collection pulses with colour: mustard and blue emerge as the primary protagonists, their warmth and coolness creating a visual tension that feels vital and contemporary. These are not demure florals, nor are they exercises in literal representation. Instead, the prints move with an expressive energy, suggesting rather than stating, inviting the eye to wander across their surfaces and discover new compositions within the larger gesture.
There is something quietly confident about this approach to print design. Rather than clustering multiple colours or patterns into competing narratives, Wickstead has allowed the boldness of the palette and the gestural quality of the mark making to carry the work. A single dress becomes a canvas. The silhouettes themselves remain elegant and understated, permitting the print to speak without distraction or embellishment.
Colour as narrative
The mustard tones evoke autumn itself, warmth and abundance, whilst the blue suggests a certain contemplative quality, the kind of shade that invites stillness. Together, they create a mood that feels distinctly of this moment: luxurious without being ostentatious, bold without demanding validation. These are prints for someone who understands that true confidence resides not in volume but in the courage of conviction.
The collection marks another thoughtful evolution in Wickstead’s design practice. Known for her meticulous attention to proportion and the poetry of feminine dressing, she has approached the Poppy Print with the same reverence one might bring to curating a gallery. Each piece feels individually considered, each print placement deliberate.
What emerges is a collection that speaks to a particular kind of luxury: the luxury of time spent in consideration, of colour choices made with intention, of craft that refuses to shout but instead speaks with quiet eloquence. For Autumn Winter 2026, Wickstead offers not merely garments but entire worlds of colour and possibility, rendered in designs that feel both of the present moment and timelessly beautiful.
Imagery courtesy of Emilia Wickstead (@emiliawickstead).