Jermyn St St James’s Breakfast and Presentation took place in the restaurant of Fortnum and Mason’s at 8:30am. In this presentation there were several items from different stores all around Jermyn St; the finest accessories essential to the modern gentleman.
Harvie & Hudson – They provide the finest craftsmanship from luxury cloths with expert detailing. The scarf for example, is made from pure foulard silk with refined paisley design and its reverse is a complementing pattern on blue silk.
Budd – This robe is a demonstration of luxury and comfort, with its silk lining and quilted, paisley outer. Budd opened its doors in 1910 and is one of the few shirtmakers that still have a cutting room on their premises. They also make waistcoat slips, stiff bibbed shirts, detachable collars and chamois gloves.
Emmett – Offering a modern British approach to shirtmaking for 20 years.
Trickers – These shoes have been handmade in Northampton for 180 years. They also make bespoke, made-to-measure, hand-welted and bench-made shoes.
Sunspel – Simplicity and comfort is the formula that has served Sunspel well for the last 150 years. Paying attention to details and manufacturing is very important as well and the reason they are considered classics. The boxer shorts are made from Sea Island cotton, the finest in the world.
Lock & Co – This is not only the oldest hatshop in the world (1676) but also one of the oldest family owned businesses still in existence. The beige hat on the far left is named the Homburg. Its design is based on a Tyrolean hat. It became a staple in men’s wardrobes and reduced the wearing of formal top hats and bowlers.
John Lobb – The finest shoemaking since 1866 is offered by John Lobb. They started making ready-to-wear shoes in 1982. The shoes above, ‘The Philip II’ are based on a 1945 design (‘The William’) one of their most iconic styles.
Floris – The No. 89 perfume was created in 1951 and takes its name from the Floris shop on Jermyn Street. The notes of orange and bergamot that are mixed with lavender, neroli and spicy nutmeg make this perfume perfect for the English gentleman.
Favourbrook – Made-to-measure waistcoats are just one of the items of formalwear offered by Favourbrook.
Next up, Katie Eary‘s show. A totally different presentation from the St James’s one for sure.
Funky, colourful, leopard print, silk and Mickey Mouse are just few of the words that could characterise Katie’s show.
This show is all about conflicting ideas and juxtaposing concepts, which is also evident in the title given by the designer herself; “BIPOLAR”.
Both the “violent leopard check” and the bipolar “face” (that appears on several looks), tell the story of a corrupted policeman from Edinburgh who enjoys addiction and abuse. And this is Eary’s protagonist, struggling with corruption and decency.
This theme is clearly juxtaposed with the Mickey Mouse face (the original 1930’s design too), which represents goodness and purity.
Red and black are mixed and matched with white and funky turquoise and orange hair colours.
Some sense of tailoring is still evident in this collection. More specifically Richard Anderson, renowned Savile Row tailor has created the straight jackets, Scottish rainwear specialists Hancock helped with the bonded coats and Shackleton (outdoor manufacturer) helped making a series of bags inspired by 70’s mountaineering gear.
This collection shows how bad can be beautiful, and that beautiful can be bad. But foremost it’s a collection celebrating the extremes; in fashion, in culture and ourselves.
Katie Eary
Part 2 coming up next. Stay tuned.
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All photos taken by me
xo Fani
