sykes silk: part II

Setting aside the fact that I just bought one of her shirts, Joanna Sykes is one of those designers I always wanted to know more about - she, as Disney Roller Girl pointed out here*, seems to fall into that class of female British designers who design beautiful, wearable things that perfectly plug all the niggly gaps in your closet (Margaret Howell, Jane Shepardson for Whistles, Phoebe Philo wherever she lands, and to a lesser extent Stella McCartney and Hannah MacGibbon for Chloe). In a very cool way.

I first read about her last year in Elle UK in the Show Me Your Wardrobe feature. Naturally, she has crush-worthy style.

I've also always liked what I've seen of her designs. I've become more interested in a polished look over the years, and I like that designers like Joanna Sykes (and come to think of it, American designers like Jenni Kayne and the more conceptual Maria Cornejo) are doing a flattering, softened version of tailoring: eighties Armani without the volume. I'm not a crisp person, I'm a casual dresser and their clothes look like the right fit for my life.

Her clothes sound beautifully made (here's hoping the shirt lives up to expectations) and perfect for everyday life. That's the kind of luxury I'd like to part with my pennies for, even though I won't rule out the odd fantasy purchase. Or any mass market-level labels that champion the same ideas.

I hope for interesting things from her tenure at Aquascutum.

* - terrific post
Pictures from show me your wardrobe, sykes london