Fashion Blog

MILAN, Feb 22, 2008 / FW/ — It was two years ago when I first met Claire Waight Keller (left), about four months after she was named as Creative Director for Pringle of Scotland. And from that fateful day in January 2006, I have been a big fan.

Our first meeting was one of those ‘could have been an embarrassing moment, that turned out to be a great one.’ Pringle of Scotland held a presentation for its Fall 2006 collection. Though we have consistently covered Pringle, I made a point to attend the presentation because I missed Ms. Keller’s debut in Sept 2005.

Going through the collection one piece at a time, I was also teaching my new assistant the subtleties of menswear, what to look for, and the difference between menswear and womenswear in general (except of course for the obvious).

‘Pringle has a new designer,’ my new assistant announced proudly, showing that he has done his homework before coming to Milan. ‘She’s English and her name is Claire Waight Keller.’

‘Yes, I know,’ I told my assistant. ‘I haven’t met her though. Only thing I can say about her is that she is good, and I love what she had done with everything.’

My assistant raised his eyebrow, unsure of what I was saying. I started explaining that for menswear, the fabric is very important, more so that in womenswear, because a lot of innovations comes from the new material that the designer himself or herself had invented. ‘ Ms. Keller might just be at Pringle for a few months, but she had already done wonders with the fabric,’ I said.

‘And look at the tailoring,’ I exclaimed. ‘She knows her stuff. I’m not a Pringle expert, but as a fashion observer, I can say Ms. Keller is a good fit for the company.’

That was when I saw a tall brunette in my peripheral vision. She was talking with one of the PRs. I thought that she was another journalist, perhaps even a buyer until the press attaché motioned me to come and Claire Waight Keller and I were introduced.

I turned beet red. I knew that she heard everything I had said about her. Albeit, all were good, but still, I was taught you don’t talk about people in the third person if they are around. My first reaction was to apologize for my seeming rudeness. Lessons from childhood are hard to forget.

Claire Waight Keller told me she did not know what I was apologizing for; she said that she would like to believe that what I said about her were true, especially that my embarrassment was real as proven by my red face. Then, she started explaining the collection to us, and I knew then that she is one of those rare design talents who could take fashion from its inception, as in the fabric and yarn level, to the fulfillment of its creation, i.e. reaching the catwalk and/or the showroom.

Since Claire Waight Keller took over the helm at Pringle, the almost 200-year old company (it was established in 1815) has become a design powerhouse and has been identified as one of the hip luxury labels that is uber cool to be seen wearing.

For Fall 2008 (photo right), Ms. Keller continues on the very clear path that she had taken Pringle of Scotland - cleverly constructed knitwear, whether it is a wardrobe staple like a cardigan or a fashion item like the beige tunic mini or the silk camisoles. Pringle’s strong statements of the season are the coats and trenches. Proposed in black or grey, the coats were belted at the waist.