The paint is barely dry in Emma Cook's new Stoke Newington studio. She just moved her business out of Dalston, London's Williamsburg, because, she said, "It's always been really grotty, but now it's really crowded, too." Avoiding the crowds is something of a Cook strategy. Eight years ago she stopped showing at the already-prone-to-bloating London fashion week; aggressively pared down her hitherto embellishment-heavy collections; and used print as a vehicle for creating pulsating, irreverent designs at an accessible "contemporary" price point.
This worked handily for a while. But, said Cook, it was again time to up sticks and shift emphasis. "My customers were getting bored of just print. And in truth, so was I." By moving the bulk of her manufacturing out of the U.K. to China, Cook has been able to reassert some of her suppressed 3-D substance while retaining (for almost every piece) a competitive price.
Her new Fall collection balanced action-packed adornment against the simplicity of shapes like block dresses, Chanel-touched jackets, T-shirts, sweats, and drawstring pants and culottes. As for the embellishments, gold eyelets ran down the arms of bow-dappled blouses and glinted toughly on the front of bombers and sweats. Crochet work and beading had a pleasingly substantial accord on '60s-ish separates. Cook was never going to reject print entirely, and this season she opted for hand-drawn, William Morris-reminiscent plants inspired by a session leafing through 1970s children's books. Alongside the handwoven swan that moved magisterially up the side-seam of some of her pants, the prints appeared on semi-sheer blouses, more bombers, unbelted loose velvet kimono jackets, and much else besides. The paycheck pillagers will be those two yellow-, orange-, and pink-ribboned looks and a black fringe-lined jacket. But, hey, who can resist the occasional splurge? If Cook's mission is to change her menu often enough to keep her customers coming back for extra helpings, it's mission accomplished.
