The Name Must Stick

I feel like this post should be entitled ‘Bought to you by the same people who made All Saints!’ in a cheesy American accent.  Far and away from a simple name like All Saints (do I still have to repeat myself and say ‘The label, not the band’?), the new label Bolongaro Trevaro is a little bit more of a tongue twister.  However, it’s the collaboration between designers Kait Bolongaro and Stuart Trevor, those original people who were the creative forces behind the All Saints, which they sold in 2006 (explains all the current expansion…is it me or are all there more and more All Saints stores popping up?).  Their new label is a their new labour of love which is intrigueing for me as I have an uneasy love/hate relationship with All Saints.  Sometimes, when they get it so right, it’s smack bang on target for me.  Sometimes, when they get it really wrong and got a little too crazy with punching holes into t-shirts and jagged, raggy skirts, I start pulling icky face contortions. 

With Bolongaro Trevaro, I think it’s a slightly more refined affair.  Not pictured here, I’m particularly curious by this:

‘A length of heavy weight basket weave silk is folded, draped and sculpted into voluminous coat that can be worn in a number of ways.’  Without trying it on, it does look and sound like a potential instant-love for me.  Then there’s the palette of purples, reds, matt and shiny black along with oversized prints of photographs of taxidermy collections (a unique approach towards animal skins perhaps…).  I’m definitely down for some of that. 

The gold dress does remind me a little of the one that Kate Moss wore at the Bal Masque ball a while back but shortened to a more manageble length with some additional side pleating that isn’t too fussy.  I’m also liking the circular pleat detail on the black dress.

There’s also some Bolongaro Trevor joy to be had by guys as the menswear range is inspired by dark Victorian London (Sienna Miller’s Twenty8Twelve range was supposedly inspired by Dickensian London too…. though I don’t think I got much Dickensian vibes from it at all….).  Some of those All Saints tricks are present with 19th century script prints, flocking, bleach and burn effects though hopefully not in that excessive needless way so as to have people questioning you ‘Erm… did you mess up your sweater?’. 

The price range is naturally pricier than All Saints (¬£65-¬£360) but a tad more exclusive too with Harvey Nichols and Selfridges stocking them first in August along with lots of small boutiques going made for Bolongaro Trevor all over the country.  We shall see whether we will have cause to remember Bolongaro Trevor.