Provenance: Hunter Bell
A chance meeting in a beautiful showroom in Place des Vosges (I know. Our cross to bear) and we find ourselves compelled to welcome a new, and very lovely, brand to The Hambledon.
What is Hunter Bell?
Working on the winning premise that clothes should inspire delight, this is a collection which is playful, without being silly; functional without being too sensible; colourful without being hectic. The brand’s broad handwriting is great shapes, wearable pieces and interesting fabrics with a real feeling for print. But touches of eccentric detailing mark it out as something very special. Hunter describes the collection as “sophisticated, feminine clothing for the individualist”. Expect a full service wardrobe (day to night, mix and match) at once streetwise and whimsical. Hunter Bell is an American brand, founded in 2006.
Who is Hunter Bell?
Hunter Bell (yep, she’s a real person), having started her studies in Interior Design, switched to fashion at the University of Alabama and Parsons in New York. She cut her womenswear teeth interning and working as an assistant designer with US brands Nanette Lepore and Rebecca Taylor before founding her eponymous label from her Manhattan apartment in 2006 (she has since relocated to Texas). The collections are designed and made in the US.
Who is Hunter Bell?
Hunter Bell (yep, she’s a real person), having started her studies in Interior Design, switched to fashion at the University of Alabama and Parsons in New York. She cut her womenswear teeth interning and working as an assistant designer with US brands Nanette Lepore and Rebecca Taylor before founding her eponymous label from her Manhattan apartment in 2006 (she has since relocated to Texas). The collections are designed and made in the US.
AW23
This season’s collection is inspired by London, and particularly the capital’s iconic women. Hunter Bell cites Princess Diana, Charlotte Rampling, Jane Birkin, Twiggy and the late Queen Elizabeth as inspiration: women who embody confidence, energy and a singular approach to fashion. We loved the cheering range of fabrications which conjured different aspects of British culture. AW23 has a sublime dressing up box aesthetic; heavy upholstery weight fabric skirts in bold checkerboard, teamed with crisp cotton tops in a 1930s inspired print (are we wrong to be feeling a little bit Mitford girls?); outsize check wool jacket or horizontal striped coat paired with the prettiest chintzy Colefax-like floral dress; a quilted patchwork pattern skirt with the cutest monochrome gingham top. There’s a lovely interplay of rural and urban; dress up and dress down; modern and vintage. The collection moves beautifully and seamlessly from vicarage to stately home to 1960s Kings Road without missing a beat.
What Shall I Have?
You shall have it all. Each piece works perfectly on its own. The Alexis skirt can be teamed with a plain black knit and boots; the Cambridge coat is your favourite piece of outerwear over jeans and trainers; the Lydia top is the perfect party/daytime/work blouse for all occasions. But it is in the mixing and matching of prints and styles that this collection really comes alive. Open up the dressing up box and climb in.
