Sunday, December 7, 2008

English Laundry Mixes Current Fashion with British Tradition

By Hannah Charleston

English Laundry is an upscale brand of clothing designed by Christopher Wicks which features a uniquely English style and attitude. The clothing line borrows heavily from traditional English clothing as well as pop culture styles of clothing that have prevailed throughout the past decades. It features men's clothing predominantly, but there is an off shoot brand, English Rose, which is dedicated specifically to women.

The male line of tops include such designs as: short sleeve woven shirts, short sleeve tees, jackets and blazers, long sleeve tees, long sleeve woven shirts, vests, sweaters, and hoodies. The short sleeve tees feature designs like the Thomas of Ardwick Tee in off-white, Lions Crown in light blue, British Blue Legs in off-white and black, and the Union Crest tee in off-white. The short sleeve woven shirts include Cotton City in white and black, Dot in black and white, Village in white with grey, Rylands in navy and white, and Flanders in tan and white. The sweater and hoodies section features just two designs: the light blue and white striped Ribble Hoodie, and the sleeveless Old Cricket sweater in brown, navy, and off-white.

The women's line of English Laundry clothing is not quite as extensive and features only tops. The selection includes: long sleeve woven shirts, jackets and sweaters, and vests. The long sleeve woven shirts include styles such as Luton in black, Whalley Range, Virginia in red plaid, Title II in pink and grey, Lady Barn in pink and grey, Kearsley in black and crme, and Cisterian Cotton City in pink. The ladies jackets and sweaters collection features the Heywod Sweater, Lord Strange belted embroidered jacket, Withington Trench Coat dress, and the plaid Northended Trench Coat dress. The vests collection features the Burnage vest, Prestolee II vest, Black Rose vest, and the Armada vest in black.

English Laundry features bottoms for men only as English laundry caters mostly to men, with the women's English Rose section being a side project. Bottoms include jeans, slacks, and shorts. There are two different designs of jeans to choose from: the crest jeans which, as the name implies, feature an English crest on the pant leg, and the Red Selvege jeans which are navy blue with light blue pockets. There are two types of cargo shorts available as well: the Tameside Cargo Short, and the Peterloo Cargo Short. The Tameside Cargo Short features a traditional style in different colours such as black, brown, and cream. The Peterloo Cargo shorts feature stripes and come only in grey or olive. Slacks include the traditional North Slacker in black Herringbone, and the wide legged, pin striped Hathersage Slack.

Besides the tops, bottoms, and dress shirts which English Laundry offers, there are accessories such as wallets, ties, scarves, and belts as well. Each sports images that are uniquely English, such as: the Union Jack British Flag, the lion from the English crest, and the royal crown. English Laundry brings true sophistication back to fashion. - 16003

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