Mulberry is currently steward-less. Former creative director Emma Hill s last collection was for Spring 14, and the brand hasn t yet filled her slot. But commerce must soldier on, so Hill s team stepped in to design the Pre-Fall collection. The result was a fine, fairly straightforward bit of Mulberry-ana, to be filed under the usual category headings of Cute and Pop. The team channeled menswear, picking up traditional English men s styles (Arran knits, houndstooth, paisleys) and giving them a girlish goose. Those paisleys were sequined and appliquéd onto a matching top-and-pant set, the houndstooth writ large onto an oversized coat with drooping lapels (the best examples of which came with button-out leather-and-shearling vests). The knits were the strongest in terms of immediate appeal—including solid Arran entries into the newly hot fisherman s sweater competition, with split seams and turtlenecks—while the scarf-tied pieces came off a little sweet. But as this is a business built on bags, that s where the real news was: in a wider, buckled version of the Bayswater and a two-tone Campden envelope clutch. They ought to keep sales brisk until a new designer is named.
