>> This has got to be the biggest super no brainer of collaborations I’ve done in recent times. Liberty London? Check. Art Nouveau design turned into one of Liberty’s most iconic prints? Check. The brightest of colours deliberately pitted against one another? Check. And bag shapes that are either a) roomy and functional enough to put all my gibbons in or b) small enough to layer up in multiples because of my natural bag lady inclination. Liberty London have just launched their new collection of Patchwork bags and accessories based on their in-house core Iphis collection, which has been a successful way for Liberty to develop what is their own take on a “logo-ed” bag as it were.
The original print with its swirls and floral motif was an art nouveau design by R. Beauclair that was then redrawn by Liberty in the 1960s and named Ianthe. When James Millar took the print to create the core range of bags, the name Iphis was given, derived from the Greek myth of a girl named Iphis, brought up as a boy but falls in love with the beautiful Ianthe. Iphis is eventually turned into a real man, thus allowing him to marry Ianthe.
Iphis is a poetic storied print that is now part of Liberty’s iconography and now in a move that got my heart racing, the print has been patched up in bright hues of fuchsia, turquoise and violet with other accent colours on a limited range of backpacks, cross-body bags, totes, neck pouches and purses. It was almost a delicious task, hunting around Liberty for outfits to style up the bags. The new S/S 15 selection was ripe for the picking with surprise print wonders like a VB by Victoria Beckham dress and Marni’s raffia florals. Liberty’s Designer Vintage section is always my favourite area (and quietest..) of the store to browse and I honed in on a 1960s Liberty shirt dress that played into my love of all things matchy-matchy. Then I brought in my own technicolor pieces from my wardrobe such as a Rainbow Brite-esque Peter Pilot jacket and the fash pack-ubiquitous-but-still-epic Louis Vuitton monogram boots.
London rain on the day of the shoot wasn’t going to dampen this cacophony of colour and prints… here’s a peek at the full set of images we shot on the day to go with this wee interview that I did with Liberty.
Liberty London Patchwork Maddox bag and neck wallet worn with VB by Victoria Beckham dress and my own Nike top and Sophai Webster shoes
Liberty London Kingly backpack worn with Dries van Noten knit, Marco de Vincenzo skirt and my own Peter Pilotto jacket and Marc Jacobs shoes and Jonathan Saunders sunglasses
Liberty London Patchwork tote worn with Marni jacket, designer vintage Liberty print dress and my own Louis Vuitton boots