From Nikki Giovanni to Sophia Loren, Toast’s design director Laura Shippey looked to a range of inspiring woman in the arts for the label’s latest High Summer collection. ‘We chose to celebrate women who were not afraid to express their individuality,’ Shippey explains. ‘This expression is present in the vibrancy of colour and the use of bold silhouettes in the collection. We wanted it to have a boundless open spirit.’
From curving A-line dresses to wide cropped trousers, this uninhibitedness is evoked in the collection’s voluminous silhouettes. Launched in May, they mark the most exaggerated shapes in a series of micro collections released each month.
The vibrant patterns in Toast’s High Summer collection takes inspiration from the bold personalities of women in the arts
Each launch traces a journey through the seasons of the year. Take January’s designs – inspired by wild landscapes, and visualised in muted mulberry and stone – which seamlessly evolved into the inky printed and relaxed bohemian shapes launched in March. ‘Each drop has a new story, but it builds on what has gone before,’ says Shippey.
For High Summer, the wild clouds of January have cleared. Inspired by clear skies and fresh winds, the collection is imagined in red, white and blue. While Toast has slowly relocated from West Wales to London over the past 24 months, for summer the studio looked further afield.
Madras checks and Indian ikats feature on elegant dresses with crossed straps and relaxed drawstring skirts. ‘We are great supporters of artisan techniques,’ Shippey says. Tactile and utlity focused fabrications are an essential element of the brand. ‘Ikat fabrics require a lot of patience and skill to create. They are defined by a haziness. It is this beauty of imperfection which we love.’
