Simon Miller continues his world tour. After trips to the Scottish Highlands and the Tuscan countryside, Chelsea Hansford found inspiration for her Fall 2024 collection in Tangier, Morocco. While her favorite locations are always awash with natural beauty, Hansford is routinely interested in the architecture of a place. “I imagined this woman from our collection relaxing in the beautiful, plant-filled, arched doorways,” she said. This season she opted for colors and shapes specific to the African port city, while staying true to the brand’s aesthetic.
The balancing act seems to be paying off. Hansford is well aware of who the Simon Miller customer is and what they want. “It’s designed for the working creative,” she said. A large part of the see-now, buy-now collection is therefore focused on transitional clothing, with various tunics and matching trousers available. The most adventurous of the bunch is a striped mini-dress-length cardigan over matching trousers – a nod to the hand-painted walls of Tangier. “You can wear it over trousers to the office and still be cool, playful and exciting,” she said. “But then you can take off your pants in the evening and put on a heel.”
Hansford’s work is at its best when she leans on her innate sense of playfulness. A particular highlight is a sheer mesh slip dress with (strategically placed) green hand-crocheted flowers, as well as a knitted bodycon dress with a spiral of fringes that encircles the wearer’s body. Some pieces, especially the accessories, seem to be a variation on existing items, while the energy could be better spent elsewhere. While bejeweled mesh, crochet and intrecciato shoes may appeal to working creatives, chances are they’ve already bought them elsewhere. Still, we’re looking forward to seeing where in the world Simon Miller will go next.
