Editor Obsession: Texture and Pattern at Rag & Bone

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion among the Four Seasons Magazine editors about how much we collectively love Rag & Bone. The brand is known for reinventing wardrobe staples. In the hands of designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, a leather miniskirt expands with an A-line flounce and a pinstripe button-down drops to tunic length; structured blazers are piped with leather, and tailored trousers are distinguished with oversized cuffs and exposed zippers. Essentially, our Rag & Bone pieces are the cool kids in our closets.

Personally, I’ve been wearing the brand’s Harrow biker boot to the exclusion of all other footwear this winter, so when the Fall 2013 collection made its debut last Friday, February 8, at New York Fashion Week, I was eager to discover my next obsession. I thought I had it just one look in, when a rubberized tweed jacket emerged atop quilted leather pants—both pieces oversized to accomplish the laid-back workwear look Rag & Bone does so well. But then came a sweater dress in overblown houndstooth, patched utility trousers, rollover collars, mod tweed and silk minidresses, and an updated trench I’ll be first in line to purchase.

The overarching theme, and what I’ll be dreaming about for the next six months, was sophisticated mix and match loosely underscored by a ’60s aviation influence (Wainwright and Neville say they were inspired by Pan Am’s stewardess uniforms). Not many designers can pull off bold pattern play and texture combinations with Rag & Bone precision. The secret seems to be in the tailoring—and if this collection is any indication, Wainwright and Neville are definitely well versed in the matter.