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Agi & Sam’s AW13 collection was inspired by one of most talked about members of the British aristocracy: Lord Bath. With an estimated wealth of £157 million, a confirmed extramarital sexual partner count of 70, a famously flamboyant sense of style and a youth spent appreciating the erotic at art college, the 7th Marquess of Bath proved a quite genius choice of muse. “We wanted to show a different side of the aristocracy; not the stiff upper lip side, but the fun, eccentric side”, the boys told i-D backstage. And of their bearded models, ranging from fresh faced to Dumbledore old, they said: “Well our stuff is quite crazy, so it kind of loses it when you put it on twenty-eight, 16-year-old models. We prefer to have characters. And our collections are so concept based that we always end up creating worlds with characters in them, so it’s a nice way to live those characters out.”
Here are some lessons i-D learned during the six minute or so show.
Be eccentric. Stately collars, balanced berets and primary colours mis-matched to form a gloriously offbeat silhouette, and hunting prints on long coats and suit jackets were a discreet smile and nod to the shotgun lifestyle.
Be so posh, you cease to look posh. Tweed, gilets and wellies are the upper upper class staples. Black tie is for blue collars. To really be posh, you have to look like a farmer, which manifested in checkered gilets, thick ribbed jumpers and practical outdoors gloves.
Be a dog person. Hounds are important. Walking tall, a basset hound came down the catwalk with bearded model William Richard Green. Of course it had its own coat.
Be hairy. Following last season’s Super Mario moustaches, this season the boys encouraged full beards and mutton chops, to keep you company on long cold nights.
Have a blue period. All the great artists with style have one. Agi & Sam’s came in the literal sense, in sumptuous bright blue, low V coats.
Text: Sarah Raphael
Photography: Mitchell Sams
