Tailored for today

Caroline Bingham went to meet a county based designer who is putting sophistication back into tweed.
Georgy Heneage’s roots in the Lincolnshire countryside have been the inspiration for her first Head to Toe in Tweed collection.

Her fledgling fashion label is taking traditional tweeds adding Georgy’s own contemporary twist, to produce garments with all the traditional tailoring skills but with bright, exuberant linings. Military or vintage style buttons and recycled fur add the final luxury elements.

“I was born and have lived in North Carlton all my life,” explained Georgy when we met at her studio in the village. After studying an Art Foundation course specialising in fashion in Lincoln, Georgy completed a BA in Fashion at Leeds College of Art two years ago. “My final college collection was countryside themed and I was drawn to tweed because of its versatility and durability. My designs draw on the heritage of country clothing but I am reinterpreting styles, with a more fashion conscious and contemporary eye, that are perfect for rural weekends.”

An internship with Paul Costello, working with his team while the 2010 collection was shown at London Fashion Week, sealed Georgy’s love of tailoring and atelier skills.

“Sourcing wool or wool and cashmere mix tweeds from Scottish mills gives a tremendously wide palette of colours and patterns for clients to choose from, combined with the limitless variety of silk or cotton linings,” she continued. “It is hard to imagine that any two garments need ever be identical.

“I have found that my made-to-measure clients love the exclusivity of a garment made especially for them. Not only can we achieve the perfect fit but they have a unique piece of clothing, with their own choice of collar or cuffs, which will have an enduring place in their wardrobe.”

Georgy showed me the wide variety of pieces in her launch collection. From tweed mittens, trimmed with vintage fur, to classically cut waistcoats for ladies or gentlemen, we moved on to look at the hunt inspired jackets and coats, plus fours, trousers and skirts that have already proved popular with country sportsman and fashion followers alike.

Georgy cuts all her own patterns and uses vintage clothing to research the secrets of heritage design, to achieve the juxtaposition of old and new that is the hallmark of her label.

“Tweed is such a hard wearing fabric that garments will age and develop character with their owner. Make an investment in tweed and you will have a garment for life.”

You can contact Head to Toe in Tweed via their website: heneageandco.co.uk or call 07834 165 992. You can also follow Georgy on her Twitter account @head2toeintweed

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