7 July 2026 |
Standing Ground’s Michael Stewart is a designer so committed to craft, technique and sophisticated silhouettes that it was perhaps inevitable that he would end up showing at couture. And so it came to pass. The talented Irish-born, London-based designer, took over the gilded salons of the Irish Embassy in Paris for a show that dripped with sophistication. “I’m a perfectionist” said the designer and it shows. He was more than ready for his couture moment.
His first look showcased his signature embedded beading technique, tracing graphic lines on an impeccable smoke grey jacket. The technique appeared again, edging a peplum jacket, defining a raised collar, streaking down a velvet column dress like rivulets of rain. “I’ve used it in a myriad of different ways, and I think there’s something really nice about finding a technique and pushing it forward and developing it further and further,” he said, making the case for slower approach instead of a constant churn of ideas. “I think you shouldn’t feel the need to move on so quickly because there’s so much richness when you start working on something. And I think we shouldn’t feel pressure as designers to abandon everything and come up with something new every season. There’s so much wealth in what we do that we can continue to develop.”
The designer worked with another famous perfectionist, Mr Pearl, on the moulded corsets that rose in contrast to the fluidity of his hip-draped skirts and taffeta ball skirts. His wedding dress, worn by Kristen McMenamy, was a celebration of Irish craft. It was made from Carrickmacross lace by Irish artisans. Stewart said: “In total we had 26 hands on the making of this dress, and it took them 4,000 hours.”
Photography by Ik Aldama.
