(no subject)
Who-tensis?
Hortensis is the only one to be seen in this Christmas. But who are they, and how have they risen so far, so fast? Janice Street-Porter does a Poirot.
There's a new name on the lips of the ultra-fashion-conscious this Yuletide. Appearing from nowhere to take the market by storm, this designer has revolutionised robe design with a flair for the exaggerated and a daring not seen in many years. The use of bright, primary colours combined with monochromatic chintz has produced a collection that has been flying from the rails of the exclusive boutique of Castille-Schwartze as fast as they can be made. Rumour has it even the great Celestina Warbeck is being forced to wait her turn.
We are talking, of course, about Hortensis
.
A few months ago, nobody had heard of Hortensis. The name only leapt onto centre-stage in the aftermath of Miss Parkinson's disasterous birthday party, when every society column and gossip magazine in the country used the events to describe in detail the extravagant and shocking nature of her chosen attire. Birthday suit indeed! Wearing a satin gown in the now signature colour of deep emerald green and slashed open to the navel in a startling display for a pureblood young woman of Miss Parkinson's lineage, there is no doubt that the birthday girl stole the show. But when asked by a reporter for Witch Weekly present at the ball, the Number One Bachelorette refused to reveal the name of the designer. Instead we heard only a single word, now so familiar - Hortensis.
Where did this designer spring from then, we must ask? Nobody knows - or, more accurately, those who do are keeping the secret. The mystery that surrounds this rising star has, and remains to exasperate fashion editors, writers and buyers across the country. Frederik and Margerite Castille-Schwartze, proprietors of the exclusive Castille-Schwartze boutique which is the only known stockist of the Hortensis line, and the establishment where Miss Parkinson bought her own gown, refused to be led into a discussion.
"I am a tailor," said Mr Castille-Schwartze, "not a lawyer or something else comfortable with probing questions. My knowledge of the one behind Hortensis is not for sale."
Unsurprising, since his shop has seen a huge increase in profits compared with this time last year.
So just what is it about this designer's pieces that have well-to-do witches (and others besides) clamouring for the latest styles? According to Jess Coultner-Mavey, Witch Weekly's Fashion Editor, the robes epitomise post-war hedonism at its most extreme.
Take the dress robes for instance. "Traditionally," said Ms. Coultner-Mavey, "dress robes were not cut more than six inches below the collarbone. In the years leading up to the second war, that line was beginning to move slightly further southwards but the designer behind Hortensis has taken this trend to its ultimate extreme, cutting swathes through rich, costly fabric almost to the pubic bone."
Of course there are many who dislike the new styles, and Castille-Schwartze has had to remove several of the most shocking from their window display after too many complaints from passersby. "This is exactly what the designer is aiming for," comments Ms. Coultner-Mavey. "To push boundaries, and to try and take the public outside of its comfort zone. The robes are loud and brash and explicit - they're cut to enhance to the female body almost to the point of negating wearing robes at all. Of course this is going to shock a lot of people. We just aren't used to fashions like these."
And what about the young woman who, arguably, put Hortensis on the map in the first place? Notoriously difficult to interview, particularly in the weeks following her birthday party, Miss Parkinson is nevertheless unusually keen to speak about her new favourite designer.
"I wanted to look the best I possibly could, a cut even further above the rest than normal," she says modestly, "and Hortensis is really the only label around that is doing something new - something more perhaps than people ask for, even."
She is predictably reticent about how she discovered the designer, however, saying simply that "she had picked up some sketches from somewhere" and her gown was among them. As a favour to her, Castille-Schwartze agreed to make it, and Hortensis has promised, despite demand for replicas, that Miss Parkinson's dress shall remain one of a kind.
"The designer behind Hortensis is really amazing- a fantastic mind, great imagination and real daring, and that's just what we need these days," she says, refusing to be drawn on details about that individual, instead releasing titbits about the label's plans for the future. "I wouldn't be surprised if they expand their lines in a few months, and maybe even diversify into men's fashions at some point in the New Year. I know there have been enquiries about that already."
And with such praise from Pansy Parkinson, who is as well-known for her sharp tongue as her sharp dress sense, one can only speculate that the mastermind behind Hortensis is someone Miss Parkinson is particularly close to.
Hortensis is the only one to be seen in this Christmas. But who are they, and how have they risen so far, so fast? Janice Street-Porter does a Poirot.
There's a new name on the lips of the ultra-fashion-conscious this Yuletide. Appearing from nowhere to take the market by storm, this designer has revolutionised robe design with a flair for the exaggerated and a daring not seen in many years. The use of bright, primary colours combined with monochromatic chintz has produced a collection that has been flying from the rails of the exclusive boutique of Castille-Schwartze as fast as they can be made. Rumour has it even the great Celestina Warbeck is being forced to wait her turn.
We are talking, of course, about Hortensis
.
A few months ago, nobody had heard of Hortensis. The name only leapt onto centre-stage in the aftermath of Miss Parkinson's disasterous birthday party, when every society column and gossip magazine in the country used the events to describe in detail the extravagant and shocking nature of her chosen attire. Birthday suit indeed! Wearing a satin gown in the now signature colour of deep emerald green and slashed open to the navel in a startling display for a pureblood young woman of Miss Parkinson's lineage, there is no doubt that the birthday girl stole the show. But when asked by a reporter for Witch Weekly present at the ball, the Number One Bachelorette refused to reveal the name of the designer. Instead we heard only a single word, now so familiar - Hortensis.
Where did this designer spring from then, we must ask? Nobody knows - or, more accurately, those who do are keeping the secret. The mystery that surrounds this rising star has, and remains to exasperate fashion editors, writers and buyers across the country. Frederik and Margerite Castille-Schwartze, proprietors of the exclusive Castille-Schwartze boutique which is the only known stockist of the Hortensis line, and the establishment where Miss Parkinson bought her own gown, refused to be led into a discussion.
"I am a tailor," said Mr Castille-Schwartze, "not a lawyer or something else comfortable with probing questions. My knowledge of the one behind Hortensis is not for sale."
Unsurprising, since his shop has seen a huge increase in profits compared with this time last year.
So just what is it about this designer's pieces that have well-to-do witches (and others besides) clamouring for the latest styles? According to Jess Coultner-Mavey, Witch Weekly's Fashion Editor, the robes epitomise post-war hedonism at its most extreme.
Take the dress robes for instance. "Traditionally," said Ms. Coultner-Mavey, "dress robes were not cut more than six inches below the collarbone. In the years leading up to the second war, that line was beginning to move slightly further southwards but the designer behind Hortensis has taken this trend to its ultimate extreme, cutting swathes through rich, costly fabric almost to the pubic bone."
Of course there are many who dislike the new styles, and Castille-Schwartze has had to remove several of the most shocking from their window display after too many complaints from passersby. "This is exactly what the designer is aiming for," comments Ms. Coultner-Mavey. "To push boundaries, and to try and take the public outside of its comfort zone. The robes are loud and brash and explicit - they're cut to enhance to the female body almost to the point of negating wearing robes at all. Of course this is going to shock a lot of people. We just aren't used to fashions like these."
And what about the young woman who, arguably, put Hortensis on the map in the first place? Notoriously difficult to interview, particularly in the weeks following her birthday party, Miss Parkinson is nevertheless unusually keen to speak about her new favourite designer.
"I wanted to look the best I possibly could, a cut even further above the rest than normal," she says modestly, "and Hortensis is really the only label around that is doing something new - something more perhaps than people ask for, even."
She is predictably reticent about how she discovered the designer, however, saying simply that "she had picked up some sketches from somewhere" and her gown was among them. As a favour to her, Castille-Schwartze agreed to make it, and Hortensis has promised, despite demand for replicas, that Miss Parkinson's dress shall remain one of a kind.
"The designer behind Hortensis is really amazing- a fantastic mind, great imagination and real daring, and that's just what we need these days," she says, refusing to be drawn on details about that individual, instead releasing titbits about the label's plans for the future. "I wouldn't be surprised if they expand their lines in a few months, and maybe even diversify into men's fashions at some point in the New Year. I know there have been enquiries about that already."
And with such praise from Pansy Parkinson, who is as well-known for her sharp tongue as her sharp dress sense, one can only speculate that the mastermind behind Hortensis is someone Miss Parkinson is particularly close to.