When Erdem showed his spring/summer 2024 collection at the British Museum in London, there was a collective intake of breath from those sitting on the front row when a long oversized Barbour trapeze coat appeared, worn off the shoulder and customised with mis-matched panels of quilted floral prints, as imagined by the British designer. His muse was Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire (the youngest Mitford sister, who died in 2014), hence why the coats had the quilted liners, crafted from chintz curtains which once hung at Chatsworth House. While said coat retailed for £3,495, the two British brands have reconvened to produce an altogether more affordable collection of truly excellent jackets.
Taking the traditional Barbour wax jackets, Erdem has infused them with his typical flair, combing a sense of romanticism with modernity, seen in the form of tailored silhouettes and glorious floral motifs. ‘I was inspired by the extraordinary Barbour archive,' Erdem says, 'particularly their fabrications and hardware and loved the idea of translating their heritage of practical, utilitarian details and combining it with my
language of the feminine.’
There are four key coats in the collection, ranging from an oversized wax jacket stamped with inky blooms to cropped reversible swing capes and even belted styles with a peplum flourish. Prices range from £499 for the cape to £679 for the classic wax style, while there are also detachable hoods for £69.95.
Naturally, the sound of such a collaboration was music to our ears and so, Gavrielle Weiss, Grazia's fashion assistant, tried two of the four styles ahead of their launch today (30th January). 'I love Erdem as a designer but his very feminine aesthetic isn't necessarily my own style, nor do Barbour's country classics align with most of my outfits. Having said that, as soon as I tried the Beauflower jacket (Erdem's twist on Barbour's timeless Beaufort style) I felt like a convert. It felt like a real statement piece, but one which I could still wear every day, over jeans or skirts with knee-high boots.
'I was less excited by the prospect of the cape – I worried that it wouldn't be as easy to wear as the Beauflower – but I was, if anything, even more taken with its cropped fit and swing sleeves. If I were wearing a fairly basic outfit, I would throw this over the top to elevate it.'
Erdem is the latest name to partner with Barbour, with other fruitful collaborations including those with Ganni, Alexa Chung and the William Morris Gallery. There's no doubt this latest offering will be just as successful – if not more so – reinventing a British classic for a fashion-conscious customer.
Shop: Barbour x Erdem
www.barbour.com
Barbour's classic Beaufort wax jacket is reimagined with Erdem's inky florals. It still has the same oversized fit, making it easy to wear and really the highlight of the collection.
www.barbour.com
Designed to be worn with either the Beauflower or the Constance jackets, this detachable hood adds not just a practical element but a stylish one, too.
www.barbour.com
If you prefer a fitted silhouette, the Constance jacket has a belted waist and flared hem. For the full Erdem effect, it looks particularly good styled over long skirts.
www.barbour.com
With its peplum detail and detachable hood, the Dahlia is a real statement piece that will jazz up any and every outfit.
www.barbour.com
The Clover has a cropped, almost cape-like fit with roomy sleeves and is reversible, too, with a tartan floral print on the other side.
Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.