The Most White-Hot Designer In London Is Not Who You Think

It’s kind of weird for a fashion designer to claim she’s not trying to make a statement. But British designer Margaret Howell, who’s been turning out menswear for her eponymous line since 1970—and has quietly amassed more than 100 stores in Japan and 10 in Europe along the way—insists she’s not trying to do anything “other than what I feel.” And what Howell feels better than anyone else is a strange and radical balance between traditional and contemporary. While there are zillions of inessential brands churning out classic clothes with some clever modern twists, her designs are wonders of forward-looking tastefulness and hipness that only reveal themselves, on closer inspection, to have old souls. “It is quite difficult to describe how it works,” she says, regarding the inspiration behind her fall collection of effortlessly slouchy sweaters, boxy suiting, and ahead-of-the-curve pleated and cropped trousers. “It’s just another intuitive thing.” Read more at GQ Style.