dunhill London for spring/summer 2008 is the story of the gentleman maverick. Its four key collections - the casualwear of Signature, Travelling, Recreation and the tailoring of Modern Heritage - reflects a fresh take on quintessentially English style in its broadest incarnation, blending both its traditional respect for the etiquette of formal dressing and its readiness to subvert that very respect.
In keeping with dunhill’s roots in the unconventional, these are clothes less for the rule breaker of rebel youth as the rule maker of self-confident masculinity. They are less about the one-season-wonders of fashion - though a fashion edge is here for the dunhill customer who wants it - and more about the personal style of familiar, favourite and eventually lovingly timeworn pieces: the cashmere sweater, the cosy cardigan, the soft leather jacket, each an heirloom in the making.
These are the kinds of pieces in which design detail is king, as the functional Signature theme drives home. With just a slice of the ‘60s - note the short placket on the polo shirt, or the trousers in dunhill’s slim Belgravia cut - a nylon jacket is reversible, plain black on the one side, a navy spin on a fisherman’s vest on the other; jackets come packable or with removable gilets; blousons are garment-dyed; while our take on the comfy, cord-collared motorcycle jacket, in waxed nylon, has its pocket corners tipped in leather like our luggage, its inside pocket perforated like our driving gloves. The classic menswear palette for these trans-seasonal, wear-with-anything items is straight from the dunhill archive: marine and tan, black, slate and stone.
Similarly, the new collection’s Travelling theme for spring will age as well as you do. Harking back to dunhill’s heritage in outfitting grand tours and bold expeditions, Travelling is more of the nomad spirit, embodied in the New Deal labourer’s soft-collared, patch pocket work shirt, capped by a rollable Panama with tie fabric band; the washed-through ‘tumbled’ leather jacket teamed with a sportier take on the Mongolian cashmere v-neck; the unstuffed collarless shirt for the worker’s weekend, worn with parts of a three-piece micrograph check suit, reborn as casual attire. Colours are dilute and always approachable: sand and khaki, subtle blues, the softest accent of green, pink or yellow.
From Dust Bowl to more Rock and Roll, from the ploughshare hardships of farm life to the laid-back luxuries of waterside life - even at its most seasonal, the new collection’s Recreation theme, launching for the summer, keeps the dunhill style within the boundaries of contemporary classicism. Colours may be bolder if never brash - from beetroot to tangerine, coral to petrol blue - but amid the usual holiday wardrobe the key pieces will carry their wearers through to long after their tan lines have faded: the washed cotton-linen mix paisley shirt, for instance, or the mid-weight shawl-collar cardigan, in navy or white.
Of course, dunhill wouldn’t be dunhill without the formal constant found in Modern Heritage. Alongside a selection of classic business shirting and lightweight cotton or linen blend knits in shades of beige, white, taupe and gentleman’s pink is tailoring that, again, strikes a ‘60s chord. Relaxed, preppyish linen and cotton jackets come with patch pockets and top-stitch detailing. More distinctive still, stripped back to the uncluttered fundamentals of elegance, tight on the shoulder and narrow in the leg, dunhill’s new suiting standard is a slightly short, one-button, single vent, straight pocket, notch lapel jacket. It’s an updated silhouette appropriately balanced by a skinnier tie, knitted with 1920s geometric patterns or printed in either old (public) school graduated stripes, an Art Deco motif or newly-reworked dunhill logo.
Neither new wave extreme nor gentleman’s club staid, nevertheless this is tailoring that, like all of dunhill’s new collection, is English from collar to hem, striking that delicate balance between a deeply-felt respect for propriety and a healthy desire to break it down.
Since its modern day inception in 1893 London, Alfred Dunhill Limited has offered the discerning gentlemen unparalleled quality through an expansive array of masculine luxury products. Originally offering wares for the dawn of the motorcar, the dunhill brand was launched as “Dunhill’s Motorities” and, in addition to the clocks and dashboards needed for driving, dunhill offered signature leather jackets and apparel needed to navigate the open-top cars of the era. From that entrepreneurial legacy, dunhill has established itself as the preeminent source of luxury goods for the modern man. Today, the dunhill name is known for its remarkable men’s ready-to-wear collection, leathergoods, cufflinks, writing instruments and other accessories for men. Acclaimed British menswear designer, Kim Jones was recently appointed Creative Director for the brand and is responsible for overseeing product design and development.
dunhill in the Middle East and Africa
dunhill entered the Middle East market in 1966 opening the first point of sale in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Currently, the brand is represented in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon and Egypt to name a few. Over the years dunhill has achieved global recognition as a brand that offers functional and essential luxuries to meet the needs of the modern male. dunhill's blend of classic, contemporary styling appeals to a discerning Middle Eastern man with a maverick mindset.
Alfred Dunhill Limited is part of Swiss luxury goods company, Richemont Holdings founded in 1988.
Boutiques
UAE:
- Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Mall
- Dubai: Burjuman, Deira City Centre, Dubai Festival City, Mall of the Emirates, WAFI
Bahrain: Seef Mall, soon in Bahrain City Centre
Egypt: City Stars, Cairo
Qatar: Soon in Villagio Mall
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Soon in Red Sea Mall, Al Khobar
