Connolly Nouvelle Vague Collection
This season you will find us having a very long lunch at our favourite French brasserie…
The Collection celebrates a cinematic summer. Masculin Feminin. Photographed by William Waterworth at the deliciously authentic French bistrot Casse-Croûte and worn by French and Francophile friends; this collection is our homage to new wave style and its icons. We have tried to capture their allure, their signature creativity and intellectual curiosity with clothes which are simple to wear but complex to design in a palette born straight from the chroma of our favourite films. For the boys, it’s all about essentials: the ease and confidence a sleek black leather jacket, a retro shawl cardigan worn with chino trousers inspired by vintage french workwear.
The prints come in deep saturated red or blue, made in the lightest silk voile with a sporty chequer flag repeat pattern. A short sleeved shirt or a summer dress it’s all about movement and a certain elan and transparent freedom. The feminine is all about the shoulder - the Slinky black dress designed by the brilliant Marc Audibet without any zips slashed to the thigh as dark and dramatic as any film noir or the denim day dress that should be worn pulled down off one shoulder with Gallic insouciance. Our summer knitwear is inspired by our favourite stars and their style on and off set; Jean, Karina, Godard…
The Karina, a perfect super light cashmere black cardigan worn with a pair of stretch black cigarette pants. The Jean, a classic sixties finer ribbed cashmere crew neck and the chunky lambswool Travel Ribbed Polo that look as good over a summer dress or worn with a pair of our new rally chinos. The merino striped Rally sweater worn easily under our Mariner jacket and dashingly nostalgic when paired with a high waisted sailor sash trouser. And this season's long shirt (we call the Connolly Liquette,) comes in the finest Swiss cotton with - monochrome gingham or a fine pinstripe, and works more formally over trousers in the evening or for long summer days with swim wear or 'rien en dessous'.
The silhouettes are about classic simplicity, easy to wear but with an underlying complexity of form and cut. A collection that we hope is evocative of those french days and nights that you remember from seeing in films and wished you were there! So whether you are dancing, eating … or dreaming of existential summers come and visit us at Clifford Street to view the latest Collection.
- Isabel
Thank you to our models and fellow diners; Carolyn Quartermaine, Gigi Ettedgui, Lucie Zeal, Felix Burnet, Owen Zeal, Bart Des Saint, Jerome Lacroix, Álvaro González, Bert Seymour, Jeremy Rye, Ivan Calderon.
