spencer clothing launch

I’ve always been a great fan of Judy R Clark’s work, so after finding out she’d be at the helm of new label Spencer clothing (a collab with fashinisto and Social Tailor Colin Gilchrist) I knew I’d been in for a treat. I’ve always loved her use of embellishment and her tailored jackets – so seeing how her very intricate work would translate for a commercial market was something I was dying to have a creep at.
And so I found myself in a gorgeous studio in the heart of Leith (yeah…I wasn’t expecting that one either) eating cake and watching the tallest models I ever did see get snapped by Reuben Paris. The pieces were beautifully tailored and featured a very muted colour palette – with a nod to Edwardian Gothic in her designs. Spencer clothing is a mixture of profession, leisure and evening wear and carry an almost casual elegance across the whole collection. While I felt the evening wear was perhaps a bit mature for me (alas I am not a high flying girl about town attending balls and galas every weekend….no matter how hard I dream) but the profession and leisure wear had my wee heart dying. Highlights from the collection for me included a beautiful suit jacket with cherry red lining, a pussybow blouse with the most beautiful double cuffs (swooning to death over here) and a navy madmenesque scooped back cocktail dress (that apparently has been named after me…HOLLA!.)
The collection as a whole is very timeless – and seems very powerful without loosing any femininity. I will say I would have loved it if the collection was produced in Scotland – especially considering it’s headed by one of my fave young Scottish designers – however in a commercial climate for a High End High street market (think Karen Millen/Hobbs) I can see why the pieces are produced in Europe…..but that is a post for another day.
I’d love to see more from the Spencer clothing line. It’s capsule collection of 23 pieces is strong and wearable without being boring. Judy’s trademark flare really comes through in the collection – though it is very surreal to see how it compares to her own line of tweeds and lace!
Anyway the above behind the scenes sneaky peaky pictures are by Reuben Paris (my camera did a spectacular impression of being an utter shitbag)…the actual pictures from the collection should be up soon enough. The bloggers in attendance all had a piece named after them which is weird/amazing – can’t wait to give you a deek of the “Stuart” dress.
I did try and attempt and do an outfit post for that day (cashmere cardi, leopard print cigarette trousers and wedges…in case you were wondering)…but alas my attempts bore no fruits. However Wendy from Thank Fifi (who very kindly drove me there and back…in return for my horrible navigational skills and a song) snapped this wee pic of me and Emma.Q’s shoes. I may have some crazy shoe envy. Trying to resist the urge to stud everything (I’m the one of the left with the skull cupcake.)