Featherweight shirts, grained leather, crushed viscose, broken herringbone and polished cotton are all key to the mood of the Studio Nicholson Spring 26 collection for men and women. Plus, Founder and Creative Director Nick Wakeman’s ongoing exploration of sartorially skilled characters, whether that be Yoko Ono or Bob Colacello, Tonne Goodman or the subjects found in the portraiture of Ingar Krauss, also continue to inform her work with inspiration woven throughout the collections with trademark discretion.
“It is about how it feels, not how it looks,” says Wakeman on the jumping off point for the season. The idea of ease - and the idea of clothes that work effortlessly on the body - coupled with the feeling of fabric against skin, continue to be central to the design process. “We are always building on and reiterating the Studio Nicholson silhouettes and shapes, which of course are also ultimately about creating feelings, particularly when you move in them,” she says.
Wakeman’s eye for character and portraiture, plus a genuine fascination in how clothing can provide visual bite, shaped the brand’s latest campaign shot by Stefan Dotter in Kichijoji, Tokyo, and features local people and friends of the brand. “There is a certain stillness and filmic mood to this campaign which is often offset or given attitude through this particular striking cast of brilliant humans,” says Wakeman. “Everyone knows that I love Japan, and that since the very beginning the brand has had a close connection to it, so it is always deeply satisfying to work on creative projects there.”
A key fabric for Spring 26 is polished cotton. It’s unique finish which falls perfectly between matte and shiny (classic Wakeman) is used to strong effect on the women’s Cabot, a minimal, utility hooded short coat in coal or the belted, to-the-calf, Grasse a-line skirt. Similarly, the men’s classic Harrington zip-up - the Over - is also reimagined in this fabric. The idea of transitional outerwear is central elsewhere too, with the unisex Lotus, a technical parka in mole or darkest navy, the women’s Haver parka-trench in birch, with its detachable cape collar or the men’s Comba jacket, a new short, boxy style in a shade of peat, all designed as timeless lightweight propositions.
Textured leather and spring wool are used as part of several new outerwear ideas too. “The men’s Doyard black grained leather jacket featuring front breast pockets and classic collar, is definitely designed to evoke attitude,” offers Wakeman. “Though it completely depends how you approach it. I love that it feels like the kind of thing you might find in some fantastic person’s wardrobe and could just pull it on immediately.” The new unisex Meter brown marl tailored coat, finished in wool cotton twill and featuring a contrast leather collar, is a different mood entirely, but equally wardrobe versatile.
Soft tailoring is realised this season in wool nylon, Grain de Poudre and a slub cotton twill. The new men’s Aube blazer in black grape is a neat 3-button design in wool nylon, while the women’s equivalent is the Kapka, which features a slight drop shoulder and just one button. The suiting and tailoring pieces rendered in Grain de Poudre across both men’s and women’s continue to exemplify the tension between fluidity and soft structure in signature Studio Nicholson silhouettes, whilst the new unisex 3-button Marne jacket with a soft shoulder finished in slub cotton twill - in black grape or indigo - is a fine example of an endlessly useful modern blazer.
The focus on experimenting with sensorial fabrics and shape is particularly evident across dresses and skirts, from the striking bell-shaped belt wrap Orcha skirt in viscose linen, to the twisted, almost asymmetric tie-neck Haria dress in a deep shade of elegant coal. The hooded Maturin viscose linen dress and the sleeveless, voluminous Verve in light wool nylon are both classic understated statements. Similarly, the use of a crushed viscose for both the new Oates skirt and co-ordinating Lau slash-neck top epitomises elegant dishevelment, while a fringed jacquard in off mustard or minimal bone adds textural fizz in various pieces, such as a below-the-knee skirt Roeper and a sleeveless top, Mager.
Key accessories for the season includes three new unisex footwear options: the Joshua boot - fireman inspired - in suede or leather. The Curren, a leather thong in three colourways including cocoa, and the Barlow, a square toed mule with a low heel. Bag of the season is the folded shoulder bag, Shiboru, a signature Studio Nicholson style, now available in suede, in a sand colourway.
