Winter 2012

Our Winter collection has just arrived in store and having recently come back from Christmas in the UK, I’ve given a lot of these pieces a test run.  I love the beginning of a new season, when you can revamp your wardrobe by adding new pieces to your existing collection and I really feel like our Winter line titled Barbizon, is great for doing just that.

 I’m particularly obsessed at the moment with the inspiration for the range, New York’s infamous Barbizon Hotel for Women. From the 1940s through to the ’60s, it was a breeding ground for the fabulous, the soon-to-be-famous—and a few that never quite made it out. It was essentially a boarding house for the well bred, many of whom moved to New York as young ladies from the Mid West, some with modelling contracts, others attending secretarial school, or those simply on the hunt for a wealthy husband. All of them armed with youth, beauty and a dream. Its former residents reads like a who’s who of the times: Sylvia Plath, Grace Kelly, Carmen dell’Orrefice, Clorice Leachman, Joan Crawford, Candice Bergen, Ali McGraw, Jaclyn Smith, Liza Minelli, Cybill Shepherd, Betsey Johnson, Edith Bouvier Beale (aka “Little Edie” of Grey Gardens infamy)… I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Vanity Fair described the imposing building on the corner of Lexington and E. 63^rd as an “elite dollhouse” in an article a couple of years ago. It was certainly that, and so much more. The Barbizon has become that most glamorous of urban legends.

You’ll recognise some familiar and evocative names among the collection: the Bell Jar Cardigan, Charm School Dress, East 63^rd Coat, Kitty Foyle Blouse and Stork Club Pant. Just add dreams…

To read the Vanity Fair article on The Barbizon in full:
http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2010/04/barbizon-hotel-201004



Charm School Dress, East 63rd Blazer

 


Stardust Allure Dress

 

Morning Star Dress

Jaclyn Blouse, Lillies Skirt