THE SECRET GARDEN
The Summer 2014 collection is distinguished by the use of strong colour and new and innovative techniques. The light, al fresco spirit of the collection takes its cue from Impressionist paintings of well dressed men eating, drinking and relaxing amid lush greenery in the summer sun. It is for this reason that the collection is presented within the grounds of the Hôtel de Sully, a 17th century private mansion surrounding a secret garden whose noble beauty belies the ordinariness of the unremarkable red door through which you enter it from the Marais.
This idea of hidden beauty is echoed in the clothes themselves. Another inspiration for the collection was an encyclopaedia of uniforms worn by French workers: gardeners, miners, postal workers, rail staff and so on. Their utilitarian outfits are replete with hidden functional details such as pockets within pockets and special bindings. The garments within the collection, many of which are entirely made by hand, are full of similar, surprising, idiosyncratic details.
The proportions are curt. The jackets are made with either a Neapolitan shoulder or a raglan detail to the rear. They come with either three buttons and a cover placket or are double-breasted, and are cut short, with the trousers cropped to reveal bare ankles.
A key look is the two-piece suit comprising a five-button waistcoat with flat-fronted skinny-cut trousers that incorporate a leather belt. Trompe l’oeil techniques are used on jackets to create ‘false’ lapels inlaid on the fabric. Oversized trench coats in two lengths, small tailored knit blousons and several styles of hybrid shirt-jacket and jacket-shirt in velvet-soft nubuck leather complete the outerwear.
The fabrics are lightweight for summer, but treated to simulate the textures of coarser, heavier textiles. Suits are made from Irish double linen; from raw Tussah silk woven into checked summer tweeds; and from Japanese indigo cotton yarn, bleached before being woven and then dyed to create boldly coloured drills with the tell-tale white diagonal of denim within the weave.
“Second-skin silk” has received a ceramic treatment to create a glossy surface; this soft, light, malleable fabric has
a distinctively smooth touch, its finish providing additional functionality.
Cottons and hemps are washed before being cut and constructed, ensuring an evenness and consistency to their
softened finish.
Textiles, jackets, sweaters and shirts are decorated with raffia print, a key motif of the season which emulates the texture of woven organic raffia or linen.
For the first time, all the eveningwear outfits have been handmade by the Atelier Arnys for Berluti. These outfits carry a distinctive label that will be used in all the bespoke orders taken at the Rue de Sèvres store, which will open in October 2013.
The shoes, in an authentic bottier style, are inspired by the French municipal workers of the mid-20th century; they are two-tone with either buckles or laces, in baby calf or in lizard.
For the eveningwear a key item is the Amalfi moccasin, a handmade summer loafer. Available in ten different colours and crafted from the finest ponyskin, its ultrasoft form is fully foldable.
Weekend bags in hand-painted ponyskin and in ultralight baby calf, and document folders in hand-coloured lizard- skin, are key pieces in the accessories collection.
This season’s hat is a boater.
The choice of colours is aubergine, sunflower yellow and oxblood in light and dark shades, mixed with Klein blue, dark coffee and pale lilac.
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