“This collection is designed to evoke the sense of having the holiday of a lifetime,” smiles Nick Wakeman, Founder & Creative Director of Studio Nicholson. “I love the idea of clothes that you can throw into a suitcase and pull out at the other end, and they still look good, which brought us to looking at fabrics that are crinkly, crunchy and a tad tumbled looking,” she says. Frayed hems, drawstring waistbands, lightweight Harrington jackets, long sundresses, roomy short-shorts and gauzy shirts all play central roles in this new collection. The graphic restraint of monochromatic looks is offset with inviting textures, and a typically considered silhouette that is also supple and generous.
Wakeman’s seasonal reference points include the sort of undone nonchalance seen in the wardrobes of both Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton in ‘A Bigger Splash’, the forever palette cleansing chic of white lab coats, the shorts and Harringtons of Roy Scheider’s Chief Brody in ‘Jaws’, an open knit tank top as worn by actor Isabella Rossellini in 1981, and Wakeman’s very own Uncle Rick on his speedboat in Hong Kong in 1983, channelling David Niven.
“I really wanted this collection to balance that idea of Ralph Fiennes character Harry in ‘A Bigger Splash’, which is all quite gregarious and a bit sexy, with a Studio Nicholson sophistication and a certain amount of ease. There’s a massive distinction for me between achieving a look of effortlessness over sloppiness when it comes to summer,” says Wakeman. “It’s such a fine line. It lies a lot in the detail and it’s always in the fabrics.”
A key fabric for Spring Summer 25 across both the men’s and women’s collections is a Noisy Japanese cotton nylon blend that has a glorious crispness. It rustles in movement while evoking a wondrous lived-in, rumpled ease. Two unisex garments both rendered in it are the Nevis trench and the Lyons jacket - a zip-through Harrington - in parchment or dark navy. Two wardrobe backbones, the former features a clever sleeve construction that is set-in at the front, yet raglan at the back while the latter boasts traditional Harrington-inspired details such as a buttoned throat latch and flexible shoulder gussets. The women’s Karya short, a just above-the-knee loose cut style, is also rendered in this fabric.
"I really wanted this collection to balance that idea of Ralph Fiennes character Harry in ‘A Bigger Splash’, which is all quite gregarious and a bit sexy, with a Studio Nicholson sophistication and a certain amount of ease."
Elsewhere, the men’s Joshua knee-length short, with an elasticated drawcord waistband, is brilliantly breezy and cut from an Italian shrunk Heavy Linen. “The Joshua is exactly that idea of a piece of clothing that feels tumbled looking, but crucially has a dressiness that gives it tons of wardrobe versatility, which is clearly a key Studio Nicholson pillar,” Wakeman says. The collection is full of these pieces, from the Elio short-short in Indigo Slub Cotton to the loose, long v-neck tunic-ish Lise dress in a Matelassé Cotton or the Rick Jacket, in the same crinkly linen as the Joshua, that is a marriage between a loose over shirt and a Harrington.
For womenswear, other key fabric highlights include a new Textured Cotton that has the appearance of a slub cotton boucle yarn and which has been knitted in a textured stitch with fringed edges. This elevated finish gives both the Fray sleeveless top and Rye skirt - a long shape that kicks out gently at the hem - a certain minimalistic-meets-craft elegance. A new Minimal Matelassé Italian cotton offers a softly crinkled finish to pieces, such as the Bianca dress and the Seil Shirt, both in a hazy shade of milk. Meanwhile, a semi-sheer fine gauge Textured Linen viscose is ideal for layering garments - think high-summer knits - like both the Cilla vest or Firma top in tones of black or raffia.
For Spring Summer tailoring, a Typewriter Cotton, a high-density poplin with papery texture and handle that has previously appeared in the men’s collections, is used across both men’s and women’s this season. On womenswear this includes the drawstring tailored Attis pant, the Chase suit jacket and the pleated Acuna pant - all in a greyish blue aptly dubbed, thunder. On menswear, the Sonny pant - a utilitarian chino - in parcel, is a brilliant wardrobe hybrid between formal and casual summer wear. Ditto the matching Cary shirt (which comes with a removable necktie) and Fowld short in muscat rendered in a High Twist Cotton Nylon that offers a crisp minimalist high-summer uniform that might work just as well at a summer wedding as it does at a forward-looking workplace.
Amongst the pared back palette is one striking slash of colour in the form of a zesty shade of clementine that appears across key pieces, the Lise dress and Myers pant. Less punchy, but a compelling alternative is a warm shade of almond, as seen on the stripped back, ankle-length Oma sundress which comes in a Lightweight Noisy Cotton - an Italian coated poplin yarn with a suitably excellent snap to it.
Lastly, to accessories. A new shoe appears this season: the Paley, a flat slingback with a v-cut closed square front in a supple deerskin with natural grain, available in parchment and darkest navy. The Oversized Hobo Type 2 bag in darkest navy or elephant is designed to be ideal for travel, whilst purposefully sits as part of the collection’s silhouettes. “The bags are designed as an extension of the clothes so that it’s all just a look,” says Wakeman. “Like everything else at Studio Nicholson, they are anti-frippery and anti-faff.” The mini Pochi pouches - taken from the Japanese word Pōchi – meaning a small pouch or coin purse - are also styled in the campaign around the neck alongside sunglasses by Japanese optic experts, EYEVAN.
Launches online exclusively to Loyalty System members on Tuesday 18th March, and to the public from Thursday 20th March. A selection is available in our London stores now.
