(Heart)Warming. Barrie AW23

October 29, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s nothing as (heart)warming as cashmere knitwear. Barrie, one of Scotland’s oldest knitwear manufacturer and since 2012 a Chanel Métiers d’Art house, elevates that credo like no other brand. Conceived by artistic director Augustin Dol-Maillot, Barrie collections bring together creativity, heritage and the most thorough attention to detail. For autumn-winter 2023, the brand looks at the painterly Scottish landscapes for inspiration, as scenic as the regional weather can be challenging. Classic earthy shades are clashed with bright tones and pops of colour (that red used in the knee-socks and bonnets!) and a hint of sparkle are the key elements of the current season. The warmth of colours and textures applied in the knits provide a wardrobe for both, a Parisienne with her well-worn vintage 2.55 handbag, and an avid mushroom hunter who just loves a stylish forest gear.

Mark your calendars, as Barrie is dropping its capsule collection co-designed with Sofia Coppola on the 2nd of November… I’ve seen its preview, it’s really something to add to your festive wish-list! Here’s Margaret Qualley teasing the collection:

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Barbarian Romance. Chanel Pre-Fall 2013

April 23, 2023April 25, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

On Monday, May 1st, the 2023 Met Gala will take place. This year’s Costume Institute exhibition, “A Line of Beauty,” will celebrate the oeuvre and life of Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibition will see Andrew Bolton and Wendy Yu, curators in charge, examine the work of Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019). Throughout his lifetime, Lagerfeld worked at prominent fashion houses such as Balmain, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, in addition to founding his namesake brand. More than 150 pieces will be on display in the exhibition, many of which will be accompanied by Lagerfeld’s sketches. In the following days, I will look back at my all-time favorite Chanel collections, designed by the one & only Karl. Hope some of these magnificent looks will end up on the red carpet on the first Monday in May…

“Dressed to kilt.” How else was Karl Lagerfeld going to define the collection he showed for Chanel outside of Edinburgh for pre-fall 2013? The thick tweeds, the argyle knits, the charming cardigans, the man-styled essence of Chanel all came from Scotland and the time that Coco spent there with her lover the Duke of Westminster. But the fashion show’s venue was Linlithgow Palace, where Mary, Queen of Scots, was born almost seven centuries ago, and her tragic life gave Lagerfeld the perfect opportunity to gloss Chanel’s easy pragmatism with an element of doomed romance. It was a fantastic combination. Maybe that’s because it was kind of personal for the designer. The first French poem he ever learned, at the age of six, was all about Mary. Then there’s that umbilical connection between Scotland and France, which history recognizes as the Grand Alliance. And in Lagerfeld’s team, he had Sam McKnight on hair and Stella Tennant (I miss her so much) on all-round fabulosity. In other words, there was something quintessentially Scottish in the air. “Barbarian romance,” Lagerfeld called it. Linlithgow’s courtyard was lined with flaming braziers, spitting sparks into the snow flurries. Guests made their way up spiral stone stairs to the palace’s great hall and chapel, open to the heavens since marauding Hanoverians torched the building in January 1746. After the show, they made their way back down a labyrinthine wooden construction to dinner in a tented fantasia that had hardened souls gasping with wonder. With impressive ease, Lagerfeld translated the sense of occasion into something that grandly allied Chanel’s original Parisian proportions with Scottish tradition. Picture Stella Tennant in a drop-waisted kilt-pleated coat. But also imagine that kilt in chiffon and lace. And the tartans and tweeds, the Fair Isles and argyles that would have garbed lords and ladies of the glen reconfigured in languid knits and patchwork, layered in swingy jackets, accessorized as delightfully with jewels, feathered hats, flowing scarves, and patterned tights as one could wish from a collection that was created to celebrate the “métiers d’art” of the Chanel ateliers. True, there were a few costume-y moments, in which it looked like the models had slithered straight off a canvas in the National Gallery of Scotland. A final passage of white wool gowns touched with lace and feathers, meanwhile, was an almost operatic exercise in pure technique.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Holland & Holland

July 25, 2016 | Design & Culture by Ed

In modern-day times, nearly everything is done with the use of high technology. Sadly, this results in low quality products that aren’t as durable and long-lasting as they used to be in the past. That’s why, brands which thrive to preserve tradition and keep it in harmony with contemporary win my heart. Meet Holland & Holland, a British house found in 1835 with a historical speciality for outdoor apparel, guns and ready-to-get-dirty accessories for the woods. Today, the brand is re-invented by two, fantastic women, Stella Tennant and Isabella Cawdor. The first is a top-model, who regularly closes Chanel shows and stars in high-fashion campaigns; the second worked as a Vogue fashion editor. You can easily say that the duo breathes with fashion; but instead of resting on laurels, they decided to challenge themselves in the role of creative directors for a not-so-glossy brand.

What can you expect from Tennant’s and Cawdor’s take on a heritage brand which values top-notch quality and functionality for the outdoor activities? The menswear codes of Holland & Holland are reflected in masculine silhouettes and the emphasis on classical tweed, however the designers eagerly introduce feminine softness to women’s pieces. Understanding the country life (Stella and Isabella live in Scottish highlands, and they are surrounded by moors since being kids), the newest collection is a versatile wardrobe of knitted goods, shirts, outerwear, tailoring and accessories which can be worn simultaneosly for family hunting, and to the city. Also, Holland & Holland’s refreshed vision considers British, off-kilter style, and a mandatory weather practicality – a must for every Brit. “We’re making quality clothes to deal with the weather and to look good in. It’s very simple,” Tennant says. If talking of spending a chilly day in the forest, layering and camouflage-effect are the key according to Stella – the colours are inspired by the warm colour palette of green landscape. ‘Most of these clothes camouflage brilliantly. What pops out in an urban setting is the houndstooth tweed,’ Cawdor adds. ‘But in the landscape you can’t see it. For hill and moorland, tweed is camouflage.’ Below, see how Tennant wears these beautiful midi-skirts and fox fur collars in the background of Scottish nature.

Holland & Holland, under the wings of Tennant and Cawdor, isn’t only about durable gear for urban and rural life, but “it’s the little details that make things good or not“. The model praises local artisans and fabrics. “For example we have done very classic V-necks, round necks and polo necks, but we spent a lot of time getting the right weight of cashmere, the right density of the knit. The kind of water the wool is washed in affects the yarn (all of the yarns come from mills in Hawick on the banks of the River Teviot). The Italians like a much fluffier knit, but traditionally in Scotland it’s a dryer, cleaner finish. That’s what we like.’ Indeed, the feeling of these hearty clothes is much more rawer – without any additional embroideries, embellishment or catchy prints. It’s just as it is, pure and modern-aristocratic.

More on Holland & Holland website

Pre-Fall 2013 Trend – Tartan’s Attack!

May 2, 2013July 6, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

It’s the time when summer collections are changing into the pre-fall ones, were the new trends are waiting for you! Soon, all e-shops will already have the first tastes of winter and the biggest upcoming trend on horizon is check print! Everything here is in characteristic colours that came from Scotland! Chanel is winning with the Queen of Scotts, Mary story and their a bit punk vibe that will be ultimate trend this season. Preen made it more casual with the street like sweatshirt and Gucci went more 70’s. Very elegant as Dior by Raf Simons. The Celine cabas bag is also tartanised strongly like the beautiful runway coat. And from archives, I found Altuzarra most following the trend- this parka with fur and checked skirts are so sexy looking!

A.W.A.K.E.

April 20, 2013July 1, 2017 | Design & Culture by Ed

Street style icon and fashion editor Natalia Alaverdian delivers a fall collection that’s as experimental as it is wearable. Having already taken her style savvy from the street to the runway, we can only guess that her next destination is your closet. A.W.A.K.E, that this season was inspired with Edinburgh and Scoland’s traditional prints and materials. The classical checks on dresses and beautiful knitted 3-D sweaters with a goats head in creme colour. It all looks very comfy and warm, just perfect for Scottish winters!