“In this collection, I wanted to look at certain identities,” said Dunhill’s creative director Mark Weston. “These are clothing archetypes but also identities of Britishness, of masculinity, of uniforms, as well as those of Dunhill past and new era archetypes that we have sought to establish here.”
On his moodboard were the Style Council in their Cafe Bleu period, icons of Buffalo styling, an impeccably dressed Prince Charles and football casuals in all their menacing, pastel-hued glory. Weston describes their tough effeminacy as “provocative”. He brought it all together in a collection full of clever design. One of his most interesting innovations are the adaptable, compendium pieces he introduced a few seasons ago. Coats and jackets, (this season with high-vis detailing), have zip-off, interchangeable elements that allow them to be worn several different ways but also work with pieces from past seasons. “It’s about building a wardrobe,” he says of his approach.
Beautiful fabrications are a given at Dunhill and this collection paid homage to both utility and extravagance. Weston created an elevated, elegant version of seersucker for oversized city-blue shirts, using strips of silk ribbons, tailored pleat-front, split hem trousers in ultra-light nylon and fashioned lightweight duster coats in cotton ventile – a waterproof weave used in flight suits. Meanwhile, baseball caps in pink silk faille and satin-edged pastel crochet cardigans, inspired by one of his granny’s blankets added a touch of eccentricity. Weston also collaborated with the artist Ellen Cary, who is known for her large-format Polaroid and zero-gram pieces.
Her vivid smears of shadow and colour found their way onto printed duchesse satin tops, bucket hats and the cult Lock bag. Rich pickings. “It’s really about how character and clothing work together; the idiosyncratic combinations of personal style and identity in Britain and Dunhill, as a well as a redefinition of them for the house,” said the designer. If you are looking for highly crafted, interesting, innovative clothes that have a sense of modernity and whimsy, Weston’s your man and Dunhill is the house.
Photography courtesy of Dunhill.
