There was something gorgeously coastal about Margaret Howell this season. Though the collection was soundtracked by a cover version of the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” it felt undeniably British. There was a muted lightness and subtle summery-ness to the collection that evoked the at times wet and windswept nature of the British coast. Margaret Howell slipped through the seasons in the way British summer time does as well.
What better to spend time on a Cornish beach than an improbably light trench, to protect from the gusts of wind and rain that ruin otherwise beautiful days? Or rolled up trousers for a quick paddle in the sea? Slip a sweater on as the sun sets. It felt apt as the heavens opened as the show finished on Sunday morning.
The colors too, reflected the rugged beauty of the seaside, and were classic Margaret Howell, there were riffs on blues and greys, in rich and deep tonal variations, styled in softly clashing textures to bring out the subtleties. Color came in flashes of bright yellow and mossy green on knitwear. In fact the knitwear was the collection’s standout, a gorgeous cream Breton jumper, and chunky sweater vests slung over short sleeve shirts, and high, wide necked fisherman sweaters.
And though “Hotel California” was the soundtrack, it was rooted not in the sunshine of the City of Angels, but the elemental gravity of English summers, which are much more romantic anyway.
Credits
Text Felix Petty
Photography Piczo