Piccadilly line: Clapton's fashion brand makes Great Yorkshire Show debut

Prestigious fashion brands joined award-winning up-and-coming designers on this year's Great Yorkshire Show catwalk to showcase the best of both traditional and avant-garde British fashion to the county's style lovers.
Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.
Cordings of Piccadilly in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

In a catwalk coup for the popular annual event, which plays four times each day of the county show to packed audiences, world-renowned countrywear specialists Cordings of Piccadilly made its Great Yorkshire debut, launching its autumn/winter men’s and womenswear ranges which feature cloths woven in Yorkshire mills.

Part-owned by legendary musician Eric Clapton and with fans including Damien Hirst and the late Denis Thatcher, Cordings has been outfitting town and country folk, explorers, rock stars and royalty since 1839 from its flagship store at London’s Piccadilly. Last year, it opened its second only store in Harrogate. Autumn brings new British tweed jackets, a focus on checks and a new range of soft moleskins. Pheasant and hare prints feature in the shirt collection, as well as immaculately tailored crisp white shirts. Cordings marketing director Hillary Becque said: “We are so pleased to be part of the Great Yorkshire Show this year. We’ve had a wonderful welcome since we opened in Harrogate. Country fashion is such an important aspect of British life, promoting and celebrating the best of British design and manufacture.”

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Great Yorkshire Show veterans Keighley-based menswear tailor Brook Taverner showed its stylish range of country-inspired clothing alongside its smart business suiting and eveningwear, with many pieces made using fabrics from Marton Mills at Pool-in-Wharfedale. Its autumn 2016 collection showed a traditional English look paired with a distinctive European influence.

Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.
Cordings of Piccadilly in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

The highlight of Brook Taverner’s collection was its showcase of its limited edition Great Yorkshire tweed jackets, the result of a collaboration with the Yorkshire Agricultural Society with cloth woven especially by Abraham Moon of Guiseley, and a design featuring quirky details including “Yorkshire Born and Bred” woven under the collar.

Independent Halifax-based womenswear designer Kevan Jon presented a standout collection of new-season evening and special occasion wear, featuring beautiful gowns in plush velvet and cocktail dresses in jewel bright tones and exquisitely patterned soft jersey. Each piece is created to make a statement but flatter and feel comfortable, perfect for nights out and parties, weddings and the races.

The Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion also provides an important launch pad for up-and-coming designers, and this year students at Bradford School of Art, Northallerton College, the University of Huddersfield and York College were the ones selected to show collections.

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York College fashion students upcycled men’s suits donated to St Leonard’s Hospice shops to create eye-catching women’s wear, while students at Bradford School of Art impressed with their colourful Frida Khalo-inspired head-dresses teamed with vintage-style floral blouses and A-line skirts. Northallerton School and Sixth Form College textiles students, meanwhile, showed astonishing maturity and creativity with their prints and designs inspired by world-leading fashion designers.

Fashions from York College of Art and design  at the  Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.Fashions from York College of Art and design  at the  Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.
Fashions from York College of Art and design at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

But it was the elaborate creations of the University of Huddersfield’s Costume with Textiles BA (Hons) students which drew the most gasps with their costumes designed for disinfectant brand Zoflora and its garden at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. The winning design, announced at the first show, was by Anne-Marie Stanworth, 20, of Oswestry, and Kirsty Wise, 22, of Leamington Spa.

The fashion shows take place four times daily in the Skipton Building Society Fashion Pavilion. They are organised by Morton Gledhill – The Fashion Team with hair and make-up by Bradford College.

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Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.Cordings of Piccadilly  in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.
Cordings of Piccadilly in the fashion tent at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.