Susie Gallagher Design

WINTER OF OUR DREAMS
SUSIE GALLAGHER WINTER 2002

Luxury fabrics, sharp suiting, traffic-stopping jackets, melt-to-the-touch merino knitwear and pants that flatter are the infallible wardrobe essentials in the Susie Gallagher Winter 2002 collection.

"My clothes tend to appeal to women of refined taste who are likely to travel quite a lot and who understand investment dressing," says the designer.

Drapable, rich textiles are the hallmark of Susie Gallagher (SG) and Susie's love of the best Italian fabrics has never been more evident than in the current season's selection of tweeds, flecks, marles, boucles, jerseys and the most decadent of all, alpaca.

Microfibre and high-tech fabrics that stretch with the wearer but keep their shape, also feature - particularly in SG's famous pants that come in straight and bootleg styles this season.

The centre piece of any SG collection is the suit jacket and it comes in four distinct shapes for winter: the slimming knee length jacket with dropped waist, the double collar Nehru jacket that smacks of Milanese style, the single button, thin-lapelled classic and, for those who like their suiting less structured, the shirt necked, three button jacket with vented sleeves.

All of these variations co-ordinate effortlessly back with three different pant shapes and SG's skirt of the moment, a mid-calf Basque skirt with paneled waist band and back split.

Textures are all important in the SG look; a suit may take a sexy man-style edge with fine Italian pinstripe or a feminine twist in dense boucle or tactile waffle weave.

Over the top, on a cold winter's day, is the SG trench that is like no other. Double-breasted and not too voluminous, this wardrobe essential is transformed into a luxury item in wool and silk blend, wool and cashmere blend or lambswool and angora blend, depending on your preference.

Colours are a treat too, ranging from molasses (nearly black) and charcoal variations to coffee and caramel with evocative names like praline, cappuccino, expresso and macchiato. For those who like their winter infused with deep colour, SG's rosso is an unforgettably rich version of red and relates to a family of grape, melanzane and viola as well as steely blues.

"The collection is pre-dominantly about earth and dark tones - it has a European sensibility with an haute couture level of fabrication," says Susie.

"Winter is all about texture and the combination of knits or stretch cotton, under these marvellous suiting fabrics topped with luxurious wool trench, create a look that is incredibly stylish."

Shirting for winter comes in stretch cotton; a distinctive shape being a darted, angled cuffed version with 1970's collar in butter, sand or white. And responding to client requests, SG has produced a shirt/jacket in the finest wool that can be worn against the skin as a shirt or alternatively as a light, unstructured jacket.

Directional shirt shapes also make an appearance - a collared, ruffle version in metallic silk blend and a stretch jersey T-shirt in four panels with gathered neck line and kimono sleeves.

Knits are a soft option in the SG range, made from the finest merino they come in tank, cap-sleeve polo and tie-front with three quarter sleeve, versions.

There are many delectable variations to choose from this winter and in SG threads, you can be assured of looking and feeling your absolute best.