At a time when many young brands are putting the runway on hold, Ernest W. Baker staged its first Paris Fashion Week outing on an old-world péniche on the Seine, downriver from the Eiffel Tower. Between that retro setting—complete with stage, dark wood paneling, and berry red velvet curtains—and the looks, this debut was straight-up cinematic.
“This felt like the natural evolution of the process. We feel fortunate not to have done it earlier because the message would not have been achieved,” said Reid Baker, who cofounded the label with his wife, Inês Amorim, a decade ago. Amorim added, “We wanted to make sure the continuity was there.”
And in a season rife with total looks—monochrome, mono-plaid, newfound structure—the brand is right in register: A certain formality has been its home base from day one. The show opened with a classic double-breasted pin-stripe suit—a trope lifted from the closet of Baker’s grandfather, Ernest W.—styled with a matching shirt and tie. It then segued into pairs of his-or-hers propositions of coffee-colored checks, large-pane plaids and knitwear, velours or wool embellished with little constellations of Swarovski crystals. Those embellishments, Reid said, were meant to represent the notion of a voyage, the point being the journey, not the destination. From their base in Porto, where the collections are produced, the designers keep a close eye on everything, a proximity that makes it possible to adapt a red and black tartan across wool, knitwear, and loafers, a look Baker called “head-to-toe and go.”
Speaking of navigating new waters, a nautical theme cropped up here and there, in black leather and suede on a sailor top, or on toggle closures on a quilted black leather bomber. But Ernest W. Baker’s forte lies in sharp tailoring—a chiseled coat, a killer flare, a smart tuxedo—with a stylized Lynchian bent. That has hardly escaped Hollywood’s notice, and not just among stylists. Costume designers have come calling too: Though the designers remain discreet about the details, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing their work on screens large and small in the year ahead. Between that and an upcoming trip to 10 Corso Como in Seoul, where they will host a private event and trunk show, it appears that this little label is about to come into its own.
