The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

bitedesignerprofile and contemporary femininity. His garments were re‑en- ergised, cut into flared coats with sweeping movement, sculpted skirts curved around the body with architectural precision, and dresses balanced structure with a light, almost flirtatious ease. The tweeds were brighter, the wools softer, and the linens sharper, carrying a sense of heritage reimagined for a woman who wanted history in her clothes. The designer played with volume in joyful ways, send- ing out A‑line coats that swung dramatically, skirts that sculpted the hips before kicking out into movement, and jackets that combined crisp tailoring with unexpected softness. The collections had a youthful energy, but they were grounded in craftsmanship. Every seam, pleat, and panel cut was precise, as if by someone who understood fabric from the inside out. Costelloe’s Irish roots were present in the textures and fibres, but the execution was unmistakably London. In the 2010s, Costelloe’s collections marked a shift into a lighter, more playful chapter of his design language, where he allowed whimsy, movement, and colour to take centre stage. His silhouettes comprised babydoll dresses with airy volume, flounced hems that bounced with every step, and painterly prints that splashed colour across the runway like brushstrokes. These pieces carried a fresh, youthful romanticism with spirited femininity that moved freely and confidently. The collections became known for their energy. Season after season, Costelloe opened London Fashion Week with a burst of optimism: models striding out in dresses that seemed to catch the air, fabrics that fluttered, and col- ours that lifted the mood of the room before a word was spoken. The 2010s proved his ability to evolve gracefully, to embrace lightness without losing rigour, and to show that romanticism, when handled with intelligence, can be as powerful as structure. This decade thus far, the sculptural linen and tweed collections felt like a powerful return to the architectural confidence of his early career, but with the freedom and boldness of a designer who no longer needed to prove anything. The silhouettes grew larger, more expressive, more sculpted with oversized coats that wrapped the body in sweeping lines. These dramatic sleeves curved and ballooned with sculptural intent, sharply tailored dresses that held their shape like soft armour. Linen and tweed, the fibres that had anchored his work for decades, became the medium for this late‑career experimentation. He pushed them into new territories, cutting linen with almost architectural precision and shaping tweed into fluid, unexpected forms. Coats swung with exaggerated volume, sleeves unfurled like sculpted petals, and dresses combined sharp tailoring with expres- sive movement. Every curve was balanced by a clean edge and oversized gesture anchored by impeccable cut. His last collection, the SS26 ‘Boulevard of Dreams’, unfolded as a richly atmospheric tribute to late‑1960s California, drawing on the sun‑drenched glamour and mystique associated with the late American actress and model, Sharon Tate. Rather than recreating the era liter- LFW SS23 LFW AW24