Friday 13th April 2012, 14.25
Brand New Handbag & Jewellery Room
Opens 1st June 2012
We’re positively buzzing in anticipation of our brand new Accessories Emporium, 4,000 sq ft bursting full of beautiful bags, unique fine jewellery and delectable fashion accessories. The space will also see the re-opening of an original entrance to the store on the corner of Kingly Street and Little Marlborough Street that has been sealed closed for over 45 years.
Classic handbag shapes from key brands will be peppered with seasonal styles and limited edition items that have a touch of whimsy. Coach will offer their ‘heritage collection’ which comprises re-issued 1970s styles such as tailored bucket, satchel and mini duffle bags in a modern colour palette which includes navy, lime, black and red. There is also an exclusive collection by artist James Nares featuring his signature graphic brushstroke paintings on a series of luxurious tote bags in primary colours. Classic Lanvin chain and ribbon strap bags will sit with their Mini Pop bags in textured fabrics like ponyskin and python. Loewe will offer classic bags that show the years of expertise in leather-making this Spanish company has. Alongside classics are new shapes such as Flamenco: a spirited new drawstring tote bag in softest nappa leather, available in a spectrum of vibrant colours.
Mulberry has always been a favourite at Liberty and the new ‘world of Mulberry’ will house classic Mulberry bags as well as gloves, purses, key rings, wallets, scarves and seasonal items.
Marc by Marc Jacobs bags will also have a big space, along with Proenza Schouler and Alexander Wang. Proenza Schouler’s ubiquitous PS1 bag will be available in every colour you can conceive of with seasonal variations peppered in to the mix. The Wang Rocco bag is a cult classic and continues to grow in popularity. The new emporium will offer customers a wealth of Rocco choices as well as an expert edit of the best Wang seasonal styles.
Valentino is new to Liberty; their Rock Stud collection takes pride of place in the emporium with chic clutches and cross body evening bags being must-haves. Jerome Dreyfuss has created a limited edition lemon snakeskin version of one of his classic tote bags, which will sit alongside brands like Carven and Sophie Hulme. There will also be increased presence from Liberty stalwart bags brands such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Ally Capellino, Alexander McQueen and Givenchy.
The Jewellery
New Yorker Eddie Borgo captured the fashion cognoscenti’s attention with his bold, punky jewellery that has a feminine vein flowing through it. In celebration of the new Liberty Accessories Emporium Borgo has designed a limited edition run of his classic cone bracelets with Liberty purple crystal pave. The much loved Alex Monroe has also gotten in on the act, creating an exclusive collection of his signature pieces in rose gold.
Italian ‘fine-fashion’ jewellery brand Pomellato sits with stalwart brands like Kojis and Annina Vogel offering the jewellery pundit almost too-much choice! Italian designer Ippolita grew up in Tuscany, where she was inspired by Renaissance art and architecture. Her delicately crafted precious stone pieces have attracted an army of fans including Chloe Sevigny, Halle Berry and Mila Kunis.
Larkspur & Hawk takes its inspiration from Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras resulting in a collection that’s timeless with a twist. Faceted coloured gemstones come together to form unique drop earrings, necklaces and cocktail rings.
Ruby Kobo designers Yuvi Alpert and Danna Kobo pay homage to ancient mysticism and timeless measures of beauty in a truly modern accessories collection.
Belgian designer Audrey Savransky created the AS29 jewellery collection in response to a woman’s love of all that sparkles, and she should know being the fourth generation of diamond dealer in her family! Alluring diamond encrusted and sprinkled floral rings, bracelets and necklaces are made from vivid seasonal shades, using all the colours of diamonds, sapphires and amethysts available.
Hoorsenbuhs is a jewellery line beloved by the Olsen sisters as well as other sartorially-eloquent jetsetters. Signature chunky Snapple links form rings and bracelets in yellow and rose gold and are contrasted with delicate precious-stone inlayed pieces.
Our fashion jewellery selection will allow for further indulgence: chandelier and tassel statement earrings from Oscar de La Renta jostle for attention with tribal-influenced bracelets, friendship bands, necklaces and rings by Deszo and Isabel Marant, which are best worn en masse.
EK Thongprasert is a truly remarkable collection of conceptual jewellery hailing from Antwerp, the home of avant-garde design. The brainchild of an architect and jewellery designer has resulted in flat latex covered floral-form necklaces all in one colour interspersed with moonstone crystals.
Lulu Frost combines vintage style with contemporary design processes to create accomplished, covetable adornments featuring an eclectic mix of stones, diamantes and metals.
Venessa Arizaga worked for Zac Posen before launching her eponymous jewellery line in 2007. Inspired by her travels to places such as Puerto Rico and Mexico, her handmade designs are a striking fusion of luxe metals, fabrics, colourful keepsakes and charms.
Shaseby is also new to Liberty: linear forms and clean lines fuse to form a collection of silver and metal sculptural jewellery.
Laurent Gandini began his career designing jewellery for Missoni and Costume National. This striking collection of intricate pieces is handmade in Milan and comprises layered rock crystal pendants, lace detail and religious iconography earrings all in sterling silver.
We can hardly wait!
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Thursday 5th April 2012, 10.32
Hermione de Paula is one of the latest rising stars of London Fashion Week to catch the eye of our buying team; and her dreamy hand painted florals have become a firm favourite in store. Now in her third season at Liberty, Hermione has been recognised by the British Fashion Council as part of the British Designers Collective. In this guest post she gives us an exclusive insight into her day-to-day as she celebrates this achievement and her continuing success…
“Today I’ll be out for the day at an event organised in association with the BFC. The British Designers Collective plays host to some of our fellow Liberty brands such as Jonathan Saunders, Marcus Lupfer and Peter Pilotto. I’ve chosen to present a selection of our hero archive prints and best selling styles: contrast collar shirts, easy to wear separates and light day dresses, all proudly made in the United Kingdom.
Dressing for the beautiful sunny day, I decided on an bright embellished cape from AW12 with hidden fish detailing within the florals – too tempting not to dip into new season already! We have nicknamed this one the flying fish print as it has hand painted ostrich feathers embellished over the fish tails in the print which flutter as you move so it looks like the fish are swimming! I team this with a signature bias cut dress, and some heavy duty lace up booties that I picked up when I was in Tokyo.
Closing the door quickly to ensure non of my brood – three assorted dogs- escape and there is a car waiting (with Madeleine my business partner – in crime). We make our way in the sunshine to the event hosted by Alexa Chung, where we are greeted by breakfast champagne and canapés!
Before long we’re whisked off back to London to finish up in the studio for the day, organising send outs for the Liberty press event the following day. We’re also super excited to hear that Karen Elson will be wearing one of the signature prints from SS12 – Foxglove Fantasy, which is a vivid pink print with birds and interwoven vines. Florence Welch also wore this earlier in the season – we’re loving the red hair on pink combination! Florence has worn a lot of pieces from SS12 which are available in store at Liberty now.
The next day is a busy one, full on studio action, and an early meeting with an amazing Italian print mill – who’d been into Liberty to see the collection recently. I’m also finalising the second delivery for my Liberty scarf exclusive – super excited they have been so popular especially when in the famed Liberty scarf hall.
Emails galore brings me closer to lunchtime – we’ve recently moved to a new studio and love sitting outside on the roof terrace off my office when the weather allows – its nice to have an outdoor office! The girls are busy working on production plans for Autumn Winter we’re excited to be launching in Moscow and Qatar this season – the brighter hues in the new winter collection have proved to be a success.
As the working day draws to an end I play around with some new illustrations and paintings to incorporate into my work. I head out for a dog walk in the evening sun along the New River in Islington with my close friend and long time collaborator, photographer Kristin Vicari. She’s has recently acquired a Samoyed named Teddy Francoise who is an adorable huge bear that towers over my mini trio. We chat about future projects and summer travels plans – we’ll both be in L.A. next month working.
Back to the studio and another few emails before I pop out to catch up with Nicholas Kirkwood and his partner Chris Suarez for some after work drinks, then we head to a friends birthday party and enjoy unwinding after a busy week.
View the Autumn Winter 2012 Lookbook at hermionedepaula.com
Shop the current collection at Liberty.co.uk
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Monday 2nd April 2012, 9.21
The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived! Heritage and style collide in the latest Nike Sportswear summer footwear collection with Liberty. One of Nike’s most coveted collaborations, it will celebrate the legacy and evolution of the brand’s running innovations over four remarkable decades of style.
Plus for the first time a capsule apparel collection has been introduced to accompany the footwear collection. The range extends the heritage-running story, incorporating subtle Lagos Laurel print highlights. Choose between the soft brushed cotton full zip AW 77 Hoodie, tempo shorts and racer back tanks. The entire collection will be exclusively showcased in our bespoke Nike pop-up space, open now on the 2nd floor.
Shop Nike x Liberty
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Thursday 29th March 2012, 11.33
The warm weather’s only just upon us but we can’t help but look forward to next season’s opulent prints and sumptuous fabrics. Look out for dark, moody florals, ferocious animal prints and tantalising textile clashes as contrasting fabrics are fused together.
Dark Romance
Deep, gothic purple and mauve with flashes of forest green and Renaissance brocade. Jonathan Saunders‘ graphic jacquard set our hearts a flutter, and Roland Mouret‘s impeccable tailoring makes for a collection full of timeless investment pieces.
Orientalism
Luxe silk; complex Baroque prints and origami folds from the likes of Dries Van Noten, Kenzo, Proenza Schouler, Haider Ackermann and Hermione de Paula as well as Modern Love, discovered by the Liberty buyers at our Best of British Open Call. Don’t miss House of Hackney‘s floral dresses, which feature the same prints as their beautiful homewares.
Colourama
It’s a fabulous fashion rainbow with rich berry shades from Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane and Haider Ackermann; luscious lime from Peter Pilotto, cool cobalt from Richard Nicoll and vibrant violet from Roksanda Ilincic. We love going matchy-matchy and coordinating our shades, then spicing it up with a contrasting accessory like Alexander Wang‘s studded Rocco bag, now in scarlet.
Fabric Fusion
A delightful collage of textures, prints and hues, we saw an enticing combination of fabrics sitting alongside one another on the catwalks. Liberty favourite Michael Van Der Ham has built his reputation on his ability to skillfully juxtapose textiles, and this season the likes of Carven and Sharon Wauchob have gotten in on the act.
Opulent Elements
Fit for a queen: think gilded sheers from Michael Van Der Ham, metallic tweed from Teatum Jones, dazzling Swarovski crystal embellishment from Sharon Wauchob, sparkling glitter jeans from Acne and silk smoking jackets from Stella McCartney. Team with stunning EK Thongpresart jewellery and a Chloe beaded handbag – coming soon to our new Accessories Emporium.
Into The Wild
Hear us roar with lashings of leopard print: sequin encrusted knitwear from Sister by Sibling for Lulu & Co, the return of B Store Loves Liberty with flashes of print in pockets, House of Hackney mini dresses and fuzzy cardigans and Christopher Kane‘s sensational biker jacket and tailored coat.
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At our Press Day last week Liberty Head of Press Kate Brindley has some top tips for this season’s investments:
1. Leather and lots of it – down to the fine detail of leather piping at Christopher Kane.
2. For AW12 the lady is a vamp: I’m going uptown in statement dresses from Roland Mouret and Roksanda Ilincic and my it bag is from Valentino… when I’m going downtown in will be in Richard Nicoll’s cobalt blue shirt dress – killer colour in a relaxed silhouette
3. My colours of the season are purple, lavender and inky blue.
Plus our Womenswear Buyer Stephanie Jones picked out her 5 favourite pieces:
1. Sharon Wauchob Swarovski coat – Exclusive to Liberty this classic coat is given a luxurious twist with the subtle black Swarovski detailing
2. Roland Mouret pencil dress – We’re excited to have picked up Roland Mouret for Autumn Winter 12, his classic yet sexy dresses are a great addition to any woman’s wardrobe.
3. Roksanda Ilincic purple dress – Roksanda is also new to us for Autumn Winter 12. This stretch crepe dress in a gorgeous rich purple will get you in the mood for some Christmas cocktails.
4. Peter Pilotto padded jacket – Peter Pilotto’s puffa in their signature print is a really fun way to do the coat of the season.
5. McQ cream jumper dress – This knit dress embodies McQ’s aesthetic as the fun-loving little sister of mainline Alexander McQueen. Retailing at £465 it’s a must-have for AW12.
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Friday 23rd March 2012, 23.15
If you’re after something a little different for your summer wardrobe, we think a bespoke Liberty Print dress is most definitely in order. Visit our haberdashery now, and our expert staff will help you choose a pattern, fabric, and advise you of any extras you might need. Or, if you’re a dab hand on the sewing machine, simply order one of our fabrics online and we’ll deliver it to your door. There’s even better news: our new season prints are now available as Ganton cotton jersey, Taormina voile, silk satins and crepe de chine as well as our luxury Tana Lawn cotton. The above dresses feature the Milliner print in crepe de chine (left) and TV Ted in Tana Lawn cotton (right), modelled by the lovely Laura Bailey:
“I loved both the traditional and modern floral patterns, but I wanted something more modern, graphic and unexpected. I was so thrilled with the result. The cuts of both dresses are as impeccable as you would expect from made-to-order, but the fabric makes them personal and extraordinary.
Both timeless and totally modern, I will cherish my Liberty Art Fabric dresses, the story behind them and the summer dancing nights ahead.”
If you’d rather stick with something ready-made, why not try a B Store Loves Liberty dress? Classic summer styles in our new season fabrics, with a playsuit for days in the park! There are shirts and t-shirts for guys too, as well as our own classic Liberty Print shirt range – we’ve got you set for a fabulously floral season ahead.
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