Casely-Hayford AW09: Sportswear collides with formal tailoring

A number of labels attempt to combine a street and sport aesthetic with formal tailoring but very few truly pull it off. Casely-Hayford are leading the few who have done just that. Back in January we posted the first set of images from Casely-Hayford's debut collection which saw the father and son design team combine the urbane qualities of Edward VIII with the contemporary sportswear of London's street culture. Fortunately for me, Fashion156 were offered an exclusive sneak preview of their AW09 collection and it is great to see that the design duo have built on the duality of the brand.

Casely-Hayford have undoubtedly built on the successes demonstrated in their capsule collection with a full drool inducing collection. As part of the exclusive feature for Fashion156 I managed to catch up with Charlie Casely-Hayford about the unusual dynamic of the brand and the craftsmanship behind it all. The first part of the interview went live this morning and the final part which discusses Charlie's style influences will follow tomorrow. One of my favourite extracts from the piece is the one below:

Our clothes start from a traditional stand point, but rather than being nostalgic and whimsical, we choose to reflect the spirit of 21st century gentleman - a character conscious of many reference points yet someone who chooses to distill his style into a concise statement. Things have moved on since the days of the Duke of Windsor, and although he is a great inspiration and a foundation for the brand, the modern sartorialist has a different appetite. Our requirements, desires, and practical needs have been drawn towards this synergy between the formal and athletic.

The tailoring fits perfectly with my current sartorial aesthetic as it is full of interesting features such as a dropped hem on a single breasted jacket and the ribbed cuffed trousers in tweed jersey. This is tailoring for the 21st gentleman and I would love to be that gentleman. The styling for me (Art Direction by Casely-Hayford & Son) makes this the strongest AW09 look book thus far. My favourite look of all is featured above and sees the combination of a transparent plastic coat with tartan trim worn over a quilted panel shirt. It is the combination of fabrics, both traditional and modern, throughout the collection that come together to create such great texture which excites me most.

During the course of the interview I asked Charlie for a few recommendations that he would like to share with us. The more observant of you, might have noticed that we have been collecting quite a few people's recommendations... all will be revealed soon. In the meantime please see Charlie's favourite shops, designers and websites below:

A hidden gem of a store called Hornets off High Street Kensington is great for any gentleman on the search for second-hand English gentry attire, you can find nice little pieces to add a bit of class and often colour to your everyday outfit.

Jjjjound is an amazing website that satisfies my visual thirst for creativity, I can't get enough of it.

Pia Stanchina is a designer that I've begun paying a lot of attention to recently. I'm very interested in the bridge between ethical clothing and high fashion, and she seems to be one of the few people filling that niche. Definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.

If you would like to hear more about Casely-Hayford and from the interview with Charlie, then please take a look over on the Fashion156 blog or just drop us a comment below.