Edward Crutchley - Winter 2021

Florizel Winter 2021 is a paean to the cultural iconography of the north of England and the no-nonsense opulence of its matriarchs. The collection is named after the original title for the British soap Coronation Street, devised by Tony Warren in the 1960s as ‘a fascinating freemasonry, a volume of unwritten rules.’ Crutchley looks to a host of gutsy personalities loved for their straightforwardness, approachability and humour. From the formality of farmers dressed smartly for an auction to the earthy camp of drag queen Lily Savage, the mood is dressed-up for downtime. Workwear donkey jackets are in oversized leopard jacquard. Keitel bomber jackets – a shape native to Crutchley’s birthplace in the Dales – are in moiré. The designer’s signature flamboyance has eased into supple cashmere melange tracksuits, swing coats and flared macs with a longer line. Tailoring is slimmer. Colours riff off the bucolic northern landscape and hardy English textiles are reproduced with a luxurious, couture handle. A contemporary cashmere tweed and leopard merino jacquard from Johnstons of Elgin are the apogee of Bet Lynch meets b-boy style. Two damask prints featuring the EC wheel logo and a plumage of ostrich feathers are based on 1820s designs from the textile printing museum in Mulhouse, France. A lush ornithological print featuring crows, pheasants and foliage is an amalgam of works by the famed naturalist John James Audubon. Temple frescos on Liugong Island, China – a resting p