I love the honesty, sincerity, and, above all, playfulness of A Letter’s clothes. The London-based label, founded by Matt Empringham and Freddy Coombes, makes seemingly “normal” clothes that always hide a weird little tweak or twist. Their dresses look as if they’ve been taken straight out of a vintage dollhouse, yet the radically minimal silhouettes and clean lines keep them from becoming saccharine. Instead, they’re elegant – elegantly odd.

The shapes are subtly inflated, while the lengths are cut as if they’re just a few centimeters too high. There’s also a quietly fetishistic undertone hiding in the seams – blink, and you might miss the transparent PVC back of a 1950s-inspired dress. Yet Empringham and Coombes never shock simply for the sake of shock. Their fashion isn’t interested in Instagram dressing. It’s for girls who dare to be themselves, with A Letter acting almost like a little sexy envelope they can choose to dress themselves up in. Brands like this are what make London Fashion Week worth paying attention to.

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