“There are moments when certain pieces of clothing, regardless of whether they’re worn by men or women, feel simultaneously very cinematic and very real,” says Founder and Creative Director Nick Wakeman, as she slips on the unisex Bowe suede jacket in a shade of mustard. This new design for Autumn 26 is cut from a supple natural grain and features a classic shirt collar – it’s very trademark Wakeman, and has been shot by Stanislas Motz-Neidhart on location at a perfectly preserved sixties modernist house for the brand’s latest campaign.
Autumn '26 Collection
Ang Lee’s ‘The Ice Storm’ - a 1990s ensemble drama set in the early 1970s and full of excellent clothing - is a film Wakeman often returns to and became one of this season’s key scene setters. As is Georgian designer Keti Toloraia's work and her pared-back but elegantly decorated Parisian apartment. In addition, Lee Radziwill moving between the Upper East Side and the Hamptons, possibly in a leather jacket and most likely in fine-gauge turtlenecks and/or leisurewear, also tickled Wakeman’s interests alongside the impeccable reality of the wardrobe of director, poet and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini.
“The line between nostalgia and modernity can be complicated,” says Wakeman. “But this collection is designed to push a bit at the edges of both.” Wakeman is particularly keen to talk about a men’s tailored jacket - The Roversi - which comes in a two-tone bark melange and is cut in virgin wool with a high break and styled in the campaign with a pair of indigo Marylebone jeans. “That jacket works really well with jeans,” she smiles. “There are definitely nods to the 1970s this season.”
In addition to the Bowe jacket, Autumn 26 she notes, features a second strong unisex jacket proposition in the Landau; a beaten, distressed-looking, slim-cut leather blazer in chestnut. Think 90s Milan. Meanwhile, the new women’s Lurie jacket in brown marl marries Wakeman’s skill at producing clothing that is at once elegant yet tough; crafted in a wool cotton twill, it features a leather undercollar, leather throat latch and a belted waist with a leather buckle. “I just love how useful this jacket is,” she says.
New trousers ideas for women include: the very real and useful Faron pant in utility green and malt, which is produced in a double cotton linen, features volume through the leg, hard-pressed creases in front and back, plus an adjustable strap at the hem to allow the shape to be brought into a taper. The Quarte tapered pant in bark melange with a pin-tuck single pleat is also new (and very chic) and, like the Rouen shirt, a staple style with plenty of drape and a pointed collar, is cut in an exceptional 100% virgin wool.
Specific fabrications continue to provide texture throughout the collection. A wrap skirt silhouette - the Melete - appears in mustard suede, whilst both the Chatto pant and the Elkin jacket are cut from two variations of linen combinations for transeasonal ease - the latter features a slubbed effect while both pieces offer natural slouch.
A series of super lightweight knitted pieces are excellent styling underpinnings; a simple turtleneck with sleeves – Eide - in a fine-gauge merino silk mix comes in butter or taupe and features a knitted ladder-stitch detail at front and back, while extra fine merino is used for both the Loenne - a classic crew - or the Maren - a classic half-zip. Both come in sky, black and camel. Finally, a women’s crew knit cardigan - the Callen - comes in brushed mohair with a slightly fuzzy handle in camel or topaz.
Elsewhere, the knitwear offer includes the Thalen, a unisex half-zip, funnel neck in a brushed fleece sweatshirt fabrication that comes in rich shades of meadow and chestnut. Menswear knit highlights include: the Corine Henley collar in a cashmere waffle knit, and the Arda, a fine cotton rib high round neck in black or olive.
In menswear, the new Minard trouser - neat but with volume - and the new Drey jacket, inspired by vintage workwear, are both rendered in a fantastic enzyme double cotton that is brushed to give the impression of a moleskin. Outerwear highlights include: the utility-inspired Linton jacket in Japanese military satin with a marl lining, alongside the classic Crowe coat as well as Over jacket, each in brown marl, elegantly cut in a wool-cotton twill.
Military and utility influences infuse throughout the menswear, from the new Linton jacket, to the Ravel pant in a cotton military canvas with a cropped, curved leg and military pockets on the thigh, and the Tivoli jacket - also with military-inspired pockets - which is cut in a washed canvas. All purposeful, useful, real.
New bag styles for Autumn 26 include: the Hagu, a wide-shaped shoulder bag, and the Hoho, a V-shaped neat tote. Each available in options of ebony or olive suede or black lambskin leather.
Shot by Stanilas Motz-Neidhart
