London — Britain's Queen Elizabeth made a
surprise appearance in the front row at a fashion catwalk on
Tuesday where she watched a show by emerging designer Richard
Quinn.
The 91-year-old monarch, dressed in a pale blue suit, sat
next to Anna Wintour, editor in chief of American Vogue
magazine, as models displayed a series of bold and brightly
coloured designs at the end of London Fashion Week.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth, center left, sits next to fashion editor Anna Wintour as they view Richard Quinn's runway show before presenting him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. (Yui Mok/Pool photo via AP)
She later presented the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award
for British Design to Quinn.
The Award has been initiated in recognition of the role the
fashion industry plays in society and diplomacy, Buckingham
Palace said in a statement.
It will be given annually to an emerging British fashion
designer who shows exceptional talent and originality, whilst
demonstrating value to the community and/or strong sustainable
policies, the statement added.
London-born designer Quinn established his namesake label in
2016. The London Fashion Week website said of him: "Specialising
in womenswear and textiles his collections are bold and emotive
creating a forward-thinking, unafraid vision.
"Richard creates garments with attention to innovative
fabrications, focusing on his ability to combine unique
handcrafted skill with a refined high fashion sensibility."
On Monday, the Queen invited fashion designers and models to
a reception at Buckingham Palace, her London home.