A word of warning: if, this winter, someone tells you you look like you’re wearing your curtains, do not lash out. Instead, gracefully accept the compliment – as that’s exactly what it is. Right now, wearing your curtains/wallpaper/upholstery is just about the coolest thing you can do. The chintzier the better!
Leading the charge is Loewe, where creative director Jonathan Anderson has rummaged through the William Morris archive for a new capsule collection. You don’t have to be an expert on 19th century textiles to be familiar with Morris’s work, you’ll have already seen the Arts and Crafts designer’s swirling florals splashed on everything from bedspreads to coasters, cushions to mugs.
The Loewe William Morris capsule collection sees the romantic patterns reinterpreted on bags, womenswear and menswear. The historic brand and zeitgeisty luxury house actually make for a perfect pairing. Indeed, it’s not hard to imagine Morris’s assertion to ‘have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’ being uttered by the never-predictable Jonathan Anderson.
Diving into the Morris & Co. archives, Anderson selected four wallpaper and fabric prints conceived between 1874 and 1883 to work with. The result? Both timeless and thoroughly modern. A large-scale wallpaper pattern is set to find a new generation of fans on the cult Barcelona and Hammock bags. Morris – who passionately believed art shouldn’t be for the few – would surely be thrilled.
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Loewe isn’t the only brand looking close to home (literally) for its sartorial cues at the moment. This season it seems numerous designers have dusted off their National Trust cards and raided country houses for catwalk inspiration. Sun-faded, chintzy floral wallpapers are now reworked into flirty dresses at the hottest labels of the moment (Coach, Balenciaga), while heavy jacquards redolent of expensive curtains cameo in both Erdem and Gucci’s collections. And velvet in slightly off, retro shades that would be perfect for upholstering a sofa? Also perfect to wear. (Seriously, it is everywhere.)
Contradictory to normal trends, your directive is to think uncool. Your granny’s house is your virtual Pinterest board here. Think tapestry cushions (conjured into cool-girl coats at Sandro and Topshop), crafty crochets (appliquéd on to bags and jackets at JW Anderson) and doilyish lace trims (Self-Portrait).
Even blankets are no longer restricted to being strewn over beds and sofas (truly thrilling news as the days get shorter and darker), thanks to the likes of Sonia Rykiel’s padded coats, and the mohair blankets clutched by models at Céline. This trend is also continuing into next season – Raf Simons showed quilts on the S/S ’18 Calvin Klein runway. Duvet days never looked so chic.
The collection will be available on LoeweLoewe and at a special pop-up at Liberty from 15th November until 24th December