Ian McKellen Makes Surprise Runway Appearance for London Fashion Week — See His Look

Wendy Geller
·1 min read
British actor Ian McKellen attends British fashion label S.S.Daley's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection catwalk show on the third day of the London Fashion Week, in London, on February 19, 2023. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)
British actor Ian McKellen attends British fashion label S.S.Daley's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection catwalk show on the third day of the London Fashion Week, in London, on February 19, 2023. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)
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NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty

Sir Ian McKellen brought a bit of poetic panache to London Fashion Week!

The iconic British actor, 83, surprised those present at the S.S. Daley Autumn/Winter 2023 show Sunday night by striding out to open the event, giving a dramatic reading of the poem The Coming of Arthur by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

McKellen was dressed in the designer's nautical theme of the evening, wearing a sailor's cap, trousers, striped scarf, and navy peacoat with the image of a nude male figure featured on one side.

TOPSHOT - British actor Ian McKellen attends British fashion label S.S.Daley's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection catwalk show on the third day of the London Fashion Week, in London, on February 19, 2023. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - British actor Ian McKellen attends British fashion label S.S.Daley's Autumn/Winter 2023 collection catwalk show on the third day of the London Fashion Week, in London, on February 19, 2023. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Niklas HALLE'N / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP via Getty Images)

NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty

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The designer, Steven Stokey-Daley, is the winner of last year's LVMH prize and emerging designer gong at the British Fashion Awards and is known for incorporating theatricality into his runway events. However, according to Vogue, McKellen himself was the one to approach the designer with the idea to open the show.

"You don't say no to Sir Ian McKellen," Stokey-Daley told the outlet of the surprise proposition by the Lord of the Rings actor. "To be honest, I couldn't really believe it."

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In addition to McKellen, Stokey-Daley's celebrity fans include Harry Styles, who wore the designer to accept his trophies during the 2023 Brit Awards earlier this month.

McKellen was knighted in 1991 for his service to the performing arts, and has won a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award and six Laurence Olivier Awards over his six-decade career.