This Spring/Summer 2012 collection marked for Pringle of Scotland the debut of its new design director. With already a great background in luxury houses including Marni, Chloe and Balenciaga, Alistair Carr was appointed in March 2011 with the mission to reinvent the brand for the 21st century.
As his predecessors, Carr dug into the extensive archives of the house for inspiration, mixing beautifully classics, intarsia patterned styles from the 1960’s with innovative fabric techniques, like metallic jacquards. The collection is filled with twinsets and cardigans, notably a stunning degrade beaded one, directly inspired by a model from the archives.
Throughout the collection, knitwear is opened in the back for summer, with tops buttoned only below the neck to create a pyramid shaped back, unbound at the waist. Geometrical shapes are everywhere, from the cuts to the prints, particularly on the first silhouettes. These first silhouettes – my favourites – were the fruit of a collaboration with Turner Prize nominated artist Liam Gillick, exploring the abstract pattern of multi-coloured lines.
The colour palette is quite sober, dominated by grey, brown, white and black shades, invigorated by light touches of turquoise blue, bright purple, orange or pale pink.
For his first collection for Pringle of Scotland, Alistair Carr offered an elegant, easy-to-wear collection combining knitwear with ultra light luxurious fabrics for a more sophisticated touch.
Laurie Guillem