Dunhill‘s renaissance under Simon Holloway is revelatory. The designer brings uncompromising refinement to male wardrobe, done the British way through a Milan filter. The elegance he offers is radical. Kink-ly, even. “This collection is really a sort of mirrored version of what we started with in autumn, so it’s this quintessentially English wardrobe,” he said. The designer explored Dunhill’s extensive archive, whose ready-to-wear origins lie in creating sports tailoring for when the car was invented and driving was still a luxury pursuit, and so the collection began with a deliciously expensive-looking spread of butterscotch suede car coats and chocolate brown leather jackets. Then came tropical wool tailoring the color of clouds – sharply cut but with breezy movement – charming tennis garb with leather racket cases, and finally a set of tuxedos so immaculate they kill with their look. Most models wore leather driving gloves – a menswear accessory at the verge of extinction, looking totally viable in Holloway’s vision, even for summer. Doing traditional, occasion-driven menswear without veering into archaic territory isn’t easy, but Holloway has a knack for striking that balance. This collection felt fresh and cohesive, and its rigor – aspirational.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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