Last Thursday night my lovely friend Vanessa Bellafiore invited me to chat and play dress up with designer Todd Lynn at the Elizabeth Charles boutique in the Meatpacking District. Visiting from London, the Canadian born, Central St. Martins alum has his roots in rock and roll. He's dressed a drool worthy list of famous musicians: everyone from Courtney Love to the Dirty Pretty Things and has acted as bespoke tailor for Bono, Mick Jagger, PJ Harvey and Marilyn Manson. Throughout the Spring 2011 line there are echoes of rock and roll and a fun, even dark, edge (note: snake skin! I die!). But don’t be fooled- this edge is not without equivalent substance. It is an extremely wearable, impeccably tailored collection, and it is no wonder that women are already screaming for ‘MORE Todd Lynn!’. He says the response has been phenomenal this season.
Me and designer Todd Lynn
The first piece I slipped into fit like a glove. Lynn’s main focus up to this point has been tailored men’s pieces. But thank you baby Jesus, due to customer demand, Lynn is now increasing focus on his women’s line. Women Rejoice! : the designer knows a thing or two about how to construct clothes with lines to die for and his pieces literally MAKE you look incredible. He is a tailoring GURU. He says that part of the success of his clothes' fit is that he actually fits them the real women working in his office. He does not rely purely on fitting to a 6 ft, 110 lb fit model, the dirty little (not so) secret practice of most designers and design houses.
The Spring 2011 collection’s inspiration: “Artificial Life”. A woman on Thursday pointed to the supple, yet textured, green blue sleeves of a shift dress and asked, in awe, ‘What are those sleeves made of?’ “Snake Skin” Lynn answered and then he pointed out that this was exactly the kind of ambiguity he was aiming for in this collection. The line between the real and the synthetic is intentionally blurred. Whatever the inspiration, it works. The clothes make you look and feel great and, to me, that is the main objective of this whole fashion game.
