Margaret Howell’s clothing exudes a crisp reliability that feels fresh no matter the season, but especially during September’s back-to-school period. Although we met at her Paris store on Place de la Madeleine to analyze the spring collection, the garments hanging neatly on the racks could have occasionally burst out the door (and straight into a lecture hall). Shirts that epitomized the perfect combination of crisp yet soft to the touch, precisely pleated skirts, softly hanging jackets, waterproof ponchos – all were present and correct, infused with Howell’s relaxed charm and subtle eye for detail.
On the theme of the school uniform, Howell confided that she loved hers as a child, which included a white shirt, V-neck sweater and skirt. Numerous collegiate touches found their way into this offering, depicted in every detail by her head of womenswear, Rosamund Ward, and head of menswear, Ioannis Cholidis, from a collar to a silk shirt, loosely inspired by that of Japanese schoolgirls, to sweaters that had a ribbed, striped finish reminiscent of a high school cricket team. The lookbook style, which paired tailored shorts with knee-high socks and roomy wide-leg jeans, a white shirt and a softly knotted silk tie, further emphasized the campus vibe. Then there were the vintage Howell preoccupations: a thick leather belt to accentuate the waist of a wear-anywhere linen shirt dress, a faded pink linen scarf printed with roses. “I used to go to flea markets and find beautiful silk scarves,” Howell recalled, soft-spoken and self-effacing as ever, as she retreated to a back room with a cup of tea.
As for novelty? The brand is content to adapt originals from the archives and experiment with the weight of fabrics rather than radically reinventing it. Besides, as her longtime supporter Margot Henderson, the London chef and co-founder of the cult restaurant Rochelle Canteen, once said of Howell’s clothes: “You don’t wear them out; you wear them in.” Still, for the die-hard Margaret Howell shopper, there were some relative novelties: a lightweight, indigo denim shirt dress, made in Japan, with neat little black horn buttons; a delightful cream cotton twill overall with a funnel neck; a boyish checked midi skirt, styled in the lookbook with a pair of technical black Mizuno running shoes and a boxy cropped black jacket.
And a surprise: hanging in one corner was a brown-toned cotton poplin shirt dress printed with Liberty’s Hera peacock feather motif, with a black collar, cuffs and hem lining. “We have pattern elements if it feels right,” Ward said. ‘Margaret worked with Liberty in the late 1970s and 1980s. We actually keep a lot of archival stuff, so we had all her sample books from when she was dating Liberty. Fortunately, it was known as a wildcard entry for the new season.
