L.K. Bennett x Preen: The grown-up fashion collaboration of the autumn has arrived
One of the Duchess of Cambridge’s favourite high street brands, L.K. Bennett, has teamed up with one of her favourite designer labels, Preen, to unveil a new collaboration hitting stores today.
British supermodel Erin O’Connor stars in the campaign imagery for the L.K. Bennett x Preen collection, for which designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi have adapted their signature silhouettes and floral prints to suit a new audience. The best bits to buy? Asymmetric silk skirts and beaded knits that will instantly ease you into the the new autumn season.
“Everything we design has our hand-writing on it, so when collaborating with the L.K.Bennett team we wanted the essence of Preen to be integral to the designs,” Thornton and Bregazzi tell The Telegraph.
The husband and wife design duo were inspired by their home in Walberswick, Suffolk when creating their prints, as well as the artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh who spent a lot of time in the idyllic village. “There are wonderful references to his time there in the village hall which caught our eyes and it progressed from there,” they explain. “We chose a few key floral sketches such as Cactus Flower watercolour 1915 and the Japonica pencil drawing from 1910 and based the prints, graphic lines, and the main colour scheme on these. The rich pinks, purples and blues of Mackintosh’s drawings are definitely reflected.”
Many of the dresses and skirts in the 15-piece collection are made from pure silk and, with prices starting at £195, the collaborators were keen to ensure that this was not just another ‘designer does cheap version of their hits for the high street’ story. Rather, the original designs aim to bring a similar level of quality, with some new, fashion-forward direction, for those who already love to shop at L.K. Bennett.
“We’ve long admired the British DNA and feminine handwriting of Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and we felt there was a natural synergy between our two brands,” explains L.K. Bennett’s brand director Lorna Perrin. “We’ve developed floral feminine prints, which are already a big part of L.K.Bennett’s heritage, with Preen’s distinct silhouettes and a more directional slant, to create an exciting contemporary collection.”
Thornton and Bregazzi routinely dress women in the public eye, catering for Michelle Obama, Claire Danes, Sarah Jessica Parker and more in their 20 years of business. They say, though, that it’s women they see on the street who inspire them the most and who they hope to see wearing this new collection. “We are inspired by women of all ages and professions, from lawyers, to creative directors, to hair stylists to musicians, to mothers,” they say. “They are all great pieces that will fit into a woman’s wardrobe offering her lots of flexibility. She can wear one of these dresses with boots and a sweater during the day, but she can just as well dress it up with heels and jewellery for the evening. We don’t believe that modern women need a different wardrobe for day and night. They simply style themselves for the occasion.”
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