The Drg Style Index: Fred Perry X Margaret Howell, Sophie Hulme, La Bouche Rouge, Louis Vuitton and more…
Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands and industry stories currently buzzing on my radar…
PERFECT PAIRING: FRED PERRY X MARGARET HOWELL
I first saw this collab on the SS19 runway back in September. Margaret Howell rummaged through the Fred Perry archive and took inspiration from early tennis sportswear, including the OG Fred Perry polo shirt for this men’s and women’s capsule collection. I like the look of the jersey-lined bomber; it’s all available from Margaret Howell from 16th May.
SOPHIE HULME STEPS BACK
I received a sad email from one of our greatest technical handbag designers, Sophie Hulme this week. She’s closing her brand due to health reasons, explaining that she lives with not one but two rare conditions that have made it challenging for her to continue running the business. A real shame as her bags really are among the best out there, and a reminder that designers are people, not robots.
LA BOUCHE ROUGE GOES VEGAN
Refillable lipstick company La Bouche Rouge is going vegan. The super-chic French company is swapping out its leather cases for a ‘vegan leather’ version made of recycled polyester. The lipstick formulas are already cruelty-free, but going forward they will be bees wax-free to make them also vegan-friendly.
LOUIS VUITTON’S BAG OF THE FUTURE
Nicholas Ghesquiere’s collections for Louis Vuitton don’t always move me in 2D images. On the catwalk I find them over-styled, although when I see them in the showroom I can always appreciate the design and workmanship of individual pieces. For the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2020 show, staged in Kennedy Airport’s old TWA terminal (soon to be a hotel), Ghesquiere cranked up the OTT-o-meter to 11, with retro-futuristic suiting mixed with American street wear. The real talking points though were the prototype bags boasting in-built digital screens that effectively turn your handbag into a phone. Gimmicky showoffery destined for museum vitrines, or the future of luxury air travel? For me, the execution isn’t beautiful enough but I appreciate the concept.
IN OTHER NEWS…
NYFW is streamlining. This is good news and something I think London should take note of. I’d much prefer a tight 3-4 day London Fashion Week than one that stretches over 5 days. The reason the first day of LFW is slightly weaker then the days that follow, is because key press and buyers are still in New York. So the ‘big’ designers are reserved for day 2, 3 and 4 when everyone is here to see them. Same for the last day. Editors leave for Milan and skip that day, so why not lose it altogether? There are too many unnecessary shows so maybe it’s time to be bold and tighten things up
Nike is using augmented reality to sell you your perfect-sized trainers (please can all e-tailers do this…)
Society hoaxess Anna Sorokin (aka German heiress Anna Delvey) got sent down. The would-be entrepreneur and art patron has been sentenced to 4-12 years in prison, but her dream of celebrity stardom has already come true; there’s a Netflix series in the works. Read the original story here and the update here
There’s a flurry of midlife manifestos* about to hit the book store shelves this summer
This Soil Association market report on the beauty industry is worth a download
House of Fraser is investing in luxury mini stores, an interesting move considering consumer confidence is so unsteady right now. I do admire a risktasker though. Maybe this is a vote for the buy less but better movement?
*if that link doesn’t work, try Googling the title
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES:Margaret Howell, Sophie Hulme, La Bouche Rouge, Louis Vuitton/Vogue Runway
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13 May, 2019 @ 2:47 pm
Looking forward to getting a good look at Margaret Howell x Fred Perry – and that is a shame about Sophie Hulme.