Blog Post – Red London

Now that that the schools are back, for some of us, there is a return to the office and business travel to meetings again needing a more smarter casual look than the casually smart look for working from home with online meetings.

Whilst I love the flexibility of working from home, occasionally it is nice to “escape” to a city.  Despite the chaos, traffic and noise there is something still very appealing about going up (or down) to London!

Having lived and worked in London BC (before we had children) I thought that I was over the hubbub and the chaos – especially living in a very rural part of Cornwall in an area of outstanding natural beauty but the passing of Queen Elizabeth II changed all that!

At the time, I felt like I needed to go to London to “do the queue” and pay my respects which is exactly what I did!  The rest of our family were not interested so I caught the train (approx. a 6 hour journey) went to see the flowers outside Buckingham Palace and joined the queue for an overnight stint with the plan being to catch the morning train back again the next day.

It was an amazing experience.  I met two other ladies in the queue who had travelled solo and so we teamed up and supported each other throughout the night and pretty soon got chatting like we had known each other all our lives!  It was really interesting to see London in a different light – not just night time but “properly” night time when everywhere was closed and the city was a surprising oasis of calm with landmarks and extra special lighting, volunteers handing out blankets and pop up stalls with a warm drink to keep you going whilst the maintenance workers who are the key “cogs” keeping city life moving by cleaning, delivering and emptying the bins!  It was a side of London that I had never experienced before and I’m not sure I ever will again!

The one thing you can rely on in London is those iconic landmarks.  Westminster and Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, Battersea Power Station and The London Eye constantly moving just like the River Thames itself.   

London is the inspiration for part of our Autumn Winter collection – not the architecturally iconic landmarks but the “other” iconic landmarks – think of those Red Postboxes, Black London Cabs and red telephone boxes that appear in so many postcards and Google searches alongside pictures of crowns, Princess Diana and the good old Union Jack Flag!  These have all been inspirations for the mood board behind some of our designs – bright colour pops of red (just like those telephone boxes and postboxes), black like the taxis and a “Royal” inspiration too in the form of Prince of Wales Check that has been sported by many a celebrity and several royal family members over the years including Princess Diana and more recently Princess Kate!

The story behind the Prince of Wales check is an interesting one – its not just a name given to the cloth it really does have a royal connection!

A  Prince of Wales check is characterised by a woven design of small and large checks that create a crossing pattern and has its origins in Scotland (also known as Glen Check, Glen Plaid and Glen Urquhart plaid).  It has often been a favourite fabric used in the collections of major fashion houses like Saint Laurent, Gucci and Prada to name just a few but it started out as a fabric used for the grounds staff of the Countess of Seafield on her Scottish estate who needed something warm, durable and practical for her staff to combat the inclement weather.  The fabric was created and the Countess liked it so much that she wore items crafted from the fabric herself.

Edward VII liked to hunt and he (just like the Countess) quickly saw the benefits of the fabric and incorporated it into his own wardrobe which is where the name  “Prince of Wales check” comes from although it was his son Edward VIII who really made it popular as this Duke of Windsor was known for his love of food, tobacco and fashion which heightened the desirable status of the fabric even more.

Whilst the heavier version of the fabric is still synonymous with outdoor wear, fabrics have evolved to produce a lighter more generally wearable version that can be dressed up or down for many occasions.

The key to wearing this style well is to wear it with a contrasting pop of colour to combat the grey so “voila” our clever stylists have incorporated the bright red colour pop into the check for you for an outfit that you can dress up or down  (remember those “off duty” outfits that Princess Diana used to wear featuring jeans, a t shirt and a tailored blazer?).

Wear the full “suit” for professional/city style (like the cover of our Autumn Collection Catalogue) or wear as separates for a smart/casual chic look instead. (Ask your Tortue Stylist to send you the catalogue electronically if you haven’t already seen it).

Our version of this classic check is crafted from a sleek polyester/viscose material with a touch of elastane that is super soft and feels silky to the touch.  As you would expect from tailored pieces like this, the blazer is fully lined and a Dry Clean Only item as opposed to our usual washable garments.

The Checked Blazer in grey is single breasted with a single charcoal grey marbled effect button fastening and faux pockets.

The trousers are perfectly cut to flatter your figure with a zip front and metal hook fastening.  Italian style pockets (diagonal without flaps) inspired by classic tailored menswear and a faux piped pocket to the rear, with an inside leg length of 30.5 inches.

The blazer comes with a little extra accessory in the form of two badges - simply add one or both of the badges for a touch of Bowie and Queen ‘Rock Chic’ and dress down with the side stripe jeans and trainers! 

Alternatively, add the pin badges to a fabric handbag instead if you don’t want to wear them on your blazer or borrow a tie from your partner, add the badges and wear relaxed (tie it like you would a scarf) over a plain T shirt instead.  Our Lurex Mila Sleeveless Top in Silver is perfect for this as tones beautifully with the grey of the jacket and is a great contrast with a black tie.

Add some glamour to your look with this shimmering T-shirt which is also available in black and bronze colourways too.  It lights up your outfit and is perfect for chic evenings ahead going into the festive season.  The really clever thing is that whilst the metallic threads are on on the outside, they are not on the inside and so there is no itchiness wearing this top – just super softness for comfort and style at the same time.

For a more rebellious evening look with a bit of  “attitude” – wear over a silky black cami then just ruffle up your hair and add a flick of black mascara for some  “Cruella rebel style”  with a pop of bright red lipstick and channel your inner Kate Moss!

Got to dash – “London calling …”

Angela

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