Photo: Naag.com
Every Fashion Week we set eyes upon an item so perfect that it fills us with a ferocious, green-eyed kind of wanting — and back at the February shows in London, said item was J. JS Lee’s low-slung backpack. Hanging somewhere between a schoolgirl satchel and a gentleman’s briefcase, we conceded that this carryall would not only lend us the androgynous yet ladylike look we crave, but was also large enough to store the mass of not-so-necessities we feel the need to lug around on a daily basis.
Fast forward a few months and it’s not just Lee’s backpacks we’re hankering after. Having launched her eponymous label in 2010, the Central St Martin’s MA graduate debuted her SS11 collection at Dover Street Market. While we’ve been pretty obsessed with the asymmetric cuts and muted colour palette of these pieces, it’s the coordinating separates in the AW11 collection we’re holding out for. Satin, suede and pleated chiffon dress up an otherwise minimal range of long-line suit jackets, tulip skirts and tapered trousers – all promising to add a sharp, masculine edge to even the girliest of ensembles.
Lee's keen eye for detail and relaxed approach to tailoring has scored her high; one of last season’s prestigious NEWGEN recipients, the Korean-born designer also bagged the Harrods Design Award – not bad considering she only graduated two years ago. But while Lee is no doubt busying herself crafting yet another achingly beautiful collection, the sewn down sleeves, embossed seams and that backpack from the AW11 shows are finally making their way to Dover Street Market. By the end of the month our not-so-necessities will be hidden in a holdall so chic, no-one will ever guess the inner laptop and smartphone compartments are filled with half eaten packets of jelly babies and used concert tickets. Now we just need to decide whether we want ours in dove-grey, tan, or black…
