Discover the hot fashion pairing delivering trend-led looks for the grown-up it-girl
Words Joy Montgomery
WHO
Theirs is a very fashionable love story. Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley’s friendship stretches back to 1999, when they worked together on Luella’s eponymous start-up label. Fast forward 14 years and the design duo took New York, securing prestigious roles at Marc by Marc Jacobs. Creative director and womenswear design director respectively. Their accessible yet adventurous designs sent the FROW into paroxysms of delight. When the brand closed in 2015 they announced the launch of their own luxury brand: Hillier Bartley. That same year they debuted their first collection. Two years later – in January 2017 – the label was awarded the accolade of ‘Brand of Tomorrow 2017’ by Walpole.
WHAT
With Hillier on accessories and Bartley on ready-to-wear, the brand fuses the eccentricity of English aristocracy with the eclectic edginess of London style. Bartley describes the Hillier Bartley woman as “an indie by heart, rakish and irreverent by nature, who is maturing into refinement and naturalness.” The result is an individual, and unusually, non-age-specific aesthetic. For SS17 the brand has embraced silk dressing gowns, feather trims and a juxtaposition of high shine fabrics with crisp tailoring. 1970s bohemia meets 1980s power-dressing. It’s statement-making style for the Kate Moss generation. The it-girl has grown-up (ish).hillierbartley.com
