Style findings: April dispatches from the Wallpaper* fashion team

Bag it!
30 April

There’s bags of appeal behind Salvatore Ferragamo’s (opens in new tab) Trifolio Flap style. Inner compartment pockets makes for organisational magnificence, while a gold Gancini closure gives the bag bourgeois bite. Should you be keen to invest in the style, there’s even more sophistication in store. It can be purchased directly from Ferragamo’s newly minted website, which relaunched this week.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Quilt trip
28 April

Never have home comforts been higher on our agenda, so it’s lucky for us that online retailer Maiden Name (opens in new tab) – which presents its collections in the form of group shows, focusing on women’s clothing and artist collaborations – is stocking a range of homeware pieces from patchwork pioneer Emily Bode. The NYC-based designer uses scraps from Victorian quilts and grain sacks in her men's clothing, and we’ll be making a furnishings-focused style splash with this fish shape cushion, accentuated with bold diamond shape scales. 

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Material world
27 April

Dolce & Gabbana (opens in new tab) has teamed up with regular collaborator Carbondale Studio on the refurbishment of its Canton Road boutique in Hong Kong. Mosaic is an embellishment often employed by the architecture studio’s founder Eric Carlson. In summer 2019, Gabbana’s newly opened Rome boutique featured two majestic domes set with tiled gold and red stones. On Canton Road, a mosaic of the bauhinia flower, a symbol of the city of Hong Kong, welcomes guests at the boutique’s entrance. Inside, Italian white vein silver marble, polished smoked redgum wood and sparkling mirrored ceilings make up the luxurious materials used in the store’s two-floor interior, which houses the brand’s opulent ready-to-wear, accessories and fine jewellery collections for men and women.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Stream dream
24 April

Forget trawling Netflix this weekend. Instead of endlessly searching for the perfect downtime watch, we recommend a click onto Dior’s (opens in new tab) youtube channel, where the French maison is streaming for the first time, the 1949 documentary ‘Haute-Couture'. This Henri A Lavorel-directed dive into its founder's 1949 Haute Couture collection, contains intimate at-work scenes, where viewers can watch Monsieur Dior sketch, fit toiles in his atelier and even make finishing touches to the collection’s final pieces. Should you want to delve even more into Dior’s archive, the brand is also hosting a virtual tour of its groundbreaking Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition, which was shown at both the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from 2017 to 2018 and the London’s V&A last year.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Great escape
23 April

We’re all in need of some salt-sprayed escapism right now. So it’s with sun-drenched delight that we welcome Loewe’s (opens in new tab) latest Paula’s Ibiza offering - a fully fledged women’s and men’s collection brimming with Balearic-inspired, poolside-ready delights. Water lily detail shoppers, bags in the forms of dolphins, octopuses and whales, tie-dye print sweaters and bucket hats and dresses cascading with ruffles - pieces in the collection revel in kaleidoscopic tones, humour and punchy prints, bringing together the bohemian, club-cool and beachside culture that Ibiza is famed for. To accompany the collection, creative director Jonathan Anderson teamed up with regular collaborator Gray Sorrenti on a portfolio of escapist images, shot in New Delhi. Time to dress up and daydream.

Photography: Gray Sorrenti. Writer: Laura Hawkins

That’s a wrap
20 April

In this moment of domestic downtime, we’ve been taking stock of the items that bring us most joy when simply moving around the home. High on our hot list is a stack of bold Hermès (opens in new tab) towels, imagined in prismatic hues and graphic patterns, which ensure that our drying sessions post shower or bath, have a touch of uplifting technicolor. If you're lucky enough to have a patch of outside space, we also recommend using them as something soft to lie on, as you dream of a getaway a touch more tropical. Pictured: Carre Taquin Beach Towel, 3 Surfs Beach Towel, Voile Sur Galilee Beach Towel, all by Hermès.

Photography: Jori Komulainen. Fashion: Marianne Kakko. Writer: Laura Hawkins

Craft works
17 April

Tod’s (opens in new tab) T Factory project has already seen Alessandro Dell'acqua and Alber Elbaz on its collaborative roster, and now the Italian label has commissioned burgeoning Japanese talent Mame Kurogouchi to reinterpret its heritage-steeped designs. Kurogouchi found a particular aesthetic affinity in both her and Tod’s affection for craft. ‘We both strive to give contemporary relevance to a special and endangered form of knowledge that is not to be found in books, but that can only be learned through experience,’ she explains. The result is a collection of dresses, outerwear, shoes and bags in timeless black, navy blue and tan, featuring traditional Japanese flourishes, including leather embroidery that nods to kogin zashi quilting. ‘I founded Mame Kurogouchi exactly on the idea to rediscover crafts that in Japan were in danger to disappear,' its founder adds. Her aim just got even more international reach.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Pig out
15 April

Beloved nose-to-tail dining revolutionary St JOHN has temporarily shuttered its doors in London, but fans of the restaurant can still purchase its wine selection online - the 10-litre Bag in Box proving a particular favourite. If you’re also keen to offer sartorial support, we also suggest a visit to Dover Street Market’s (opens in new tab) online outpost, which is stocking a host of collaborative styles from Junya Watanabe MAN’s S/S 2020 collection, including a t-shirt printed with the restaurant’s famed pig logo. When St JOHN’s London locations reopen their doors in the future, we suggest sporting it for your first visit.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Type beast
14 April

American artist Carlos Valencia is famed for his tongue-in-cheek typographical images and grayscale photographic montages. It’s an approach which attracted art obsessed Hedi Slimane – who as part of a stylish line of artist collaborations for Celine (opens in new tab), from Christian Marclay to Anneli Sanaye Henriksson – tapped Valencia for the maison’s S/S 2020 collection. We’re most carried away by the brand’s text-embroidered selection of raffia baskets, including this floral-detailed design, accentuated with floral motifs and the phrase ‘Uh Huh.' It'll allow you to bust out a ballsy one-liner with any dressed down look. 

Writer: Laura Hawkins. Photography: Aylin Bayhan

Happy camp-ing
8 April

Camper continues its Before & After project with a new collaboration with Dutch skate brand Pop Trading Company. Tapping into Camper’s unique design DNA, the first of the two new styles revisits the brand's Runner XL sneaker, updating its wavy tread in extra light rubber, and giving it a streamlined padded exterior. The second reworks Camper’s classic Chasis chucker boot with a crepe bumper sole and super soft leather upper. The collaboration forms part of Camper Together's continuing project, which unites the Mallorcan brand with other members of the art, design and fashion worlds. It's bringing us a touch of Balearic bliss.

Writer: Jason Hughes

Scents of occasion
7 April

No working from home setup is complete without a therapeutic scent - as many workspace still life images posted on Instagram can testify. If you’re looking for something with a little more sex appeal than a scented candle, we suggest investing in a peachy incense burner from Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s homeware range. The figurative selection is handmade in London and inspired by the ceramic jewellery pieces in the designer’s A/W 2020 offering. Consider this a smoking hot desk side accessory.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Family values
6 April

We’ve adapted new rituals as our world view has become more four-wall centric, and the daily art of getting dressed is producing even more pleasure. It’s fitting, then, that the slow-paced sustainability focused label & Daughter (opens in new tab), has launched ‘Seven Days, Seven Dresses’ a working week-uplifting collection of everyday dresses, in tiered, ruffled and sleeveless styles, in an array of alluring fabrics from raw hemp to striped cotton. The styles incorporate deadstock fabrics from Italian mills and are made in both a small women’s only atelier in South London and in a family run factory in Portugal. As warmer days approach, these dresses will make your morning wardrobe choices even more enjoyable, even if for now you’re only wearing them around the house.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Sun-seeking chic
2 April

Colourful hues and patterns abounded in Marni’s (opens in new tab) nature-celebrating collection, which featured couture-shape dresses festooned with felt tip landscape doodles and crochet tunics, trailing with knitted plants. To top it all off, creative director Francesco Risso placed leaves as hats on models’ heads, but if you’re into something a little more sophisticated, may we direct you to the collection’s accompanying cat-eye sunglasses. The acetate styles are imagined in a spectrum of bold, irregularly striped tones and bring a retro and pop-colour flair to summer styling. Pop on a pair as part of your self-isolation style, and take in the beauty of the setting sun from your window.

Writer: Laura Hawkins

Fab-ulous form
1 April

We’re always on the lookout for an enticing new logo, and Fendi (opens in new tab) is a brand synonymous with striking design. Take its famed double FF logo, which was created by then creative director Karl Lagerfeld in 1965. Now, the house has added new typography to its repertoire. Fendi’s latest Fab bag, a striking cross body style available in highlighter hues or buttery caramels, features a new squared FF logo clasp, designed by creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi. The buckle has been imagined in metal or in a glamorous crystal style. We’ll be opting for the twinkling latter version, bringing a touch of disco to any ensemble.

Writer: Laura Hawkins