By Lily Niu - www.stylenews.co.uk
Celebrating twenty-five years of business with his latest S/S’11 collection at New York Fashion Week, the Tommy Hilfiger brand has overcome the leaps and bounds (not to mention quirks and oddities) of fashion trends from recent decades and withheld its top-of-the-ladder position as the famed all-American style designer house. Initially an award-winning menswear designer (taking the title of Menswear Designer of the Year in 1997 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America) – Tommy Hilfiger, the founder of and former man behind the brand itself, captured the hearts of the American consumer public with his talent and ability to create the material embodiment of effortless style.
Having chosen to forego college after graduating high school from Elmira Free Academy, Hilfiger went to work in retail. During this time, he would re-sell jeans he had bought but transformed with his own customisation at Brown’s, a local store in his hometown of Elmira. Soon, he opened The People’s Place, his own store for which was known for its popularity as a teen hangout and live DJ sets. Later on, after the closing of The People’s Place and switching to the design aspect of clothing, Hilfiger was offered opportunities to work with seasoned designers such as Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein. Despite being broke at the time, Hilfiger chose to turn them down and just a little further down the line, the reasons behind this was revealed: the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation was founded in 1984. With help from The Murjani Group, Hilfiger’s ambition for a design house was funded and his famous menswear collection was launched – thus the beginning of a long and fruitful road to what is now recognised as one of the most iconic style collectives of the American spirit.
Perhaps most well known for his denim collections (Hilfiger Denim, Red Label and the popular department store sold line Tommy Hilfiger), the Hilfiger design house also produces fragrances, and bedding and bath products under Tommy Hilfiger for the Home. His fragrances include True Star (this and True Star Gold were created alongside spokesperson Beyoncé Knowles, and True Star Men with Enrique Iglesias) and Tommy Girl.
With its designs being noted as “crisp, clean and modern”, the latest collection from Tommy Hilfiger is once again big on the red, white and blue (with a splash of yellow thrown in here and there, no less). Womenswear featured a selection of sweet yet cleverly put together looks; cropped one-shade blazers, cotton shorts and lightweight summer trench-style overcoats are a key look, in addition to belted one-piece playsuits, white flowing maxi dresses and even an asymmetric one-shoulder peplum occasion piece. All looks are accessorised with slim fitted belts and the odd sun hat. Perfect for your spring/summertime essentials, the Tommy Hilfiger label provides an addictive fix for everyday style. Not surprisingly, with menswear also being a key player in the collection, a combination of pinstriped blazers, multi-colour checked shirts, bow ties and formal suits makes for an interesting direction for the label, giving its classic theme a creative twist.
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