Margaret Howell creates beautiful understated clothes for everyday life. Taught to sew and knit by their mother, the Howells were a practical and creative tour de force, with mum making the kids clothes, and the kids indeed, following suit. They would while away many an hour rummaging through jumble sales where Margaret would find a shirt and be instantly attracted to the way it was made. Around this time, Margaret was buying and adapting dressmaking patterns by Yves Saint Laurent into her own masculine style. Joseph had arrived in this country as a hairdresser and wanted to sell clothes in his shop and formed an easy alliance with Margaret and stocked her burgeoning shirting collection in his store. Browns were next to place an order, as did orders from Ralph Lauren and Paul Smith. Her take on the classic shirt shape was to remake it using traditional shirtings in a more casual style with a softer make, instantly making it easier to wear. Joseph witnessed the business potential within Howells easy aesthetic and offered Margaret the chance to open a boutique to house her first complete range of menswear (1977). Margaret realised the potential was there to cater for both sexes and downscaled the sizing, added some skirting and the women’s range was launched in 1980. Later parting company with Joseph, the company went independent and continued to grow. Now based in London’s Wigmore Street, the store showcases her collection of new and vintage British design products for the home alongside the clothing collections which often feature polka dots, shirting, double or single breasted, tuxedos, tweeds and cotton as the recurring theme. Quintessentially English, these clothes are for a modern world and perfect for times where frivolity and lewd design features such as logos and labelling seem rather unnecessary.
