Bump and beyond, part two

In May I wrote a post on maternity style in which I talked about the difficulties of retaining a sense of self during pregnancy, trying to remain stylish and not succumbing to sack-like clothing (unless a shapeless sack is just your thing, in which case, carry on). I thought about my own pregnancy last year and realised that - almost subconsciously - I had started to make more maternity-friendly shapes. Some of the pieces from my Spring/Summer 2015 'Hangar' collection morphed brilliantly into maternity wear and so, too, do a few from our 'Archive' collection for Autumn/Winter 2015.

The Alice cocoon cardigan, Bertie wrap cardigan and Beatrix striped t-shirt dress have all been expertly modelled below by my beautiful friend Mimi (who was around 8 months pregnant at the time). But just to demonstrate how brilliantly versatile our cocoon cardigans are, I've also included a shot of me wearing the Alice and using it to provide a little coverage as I breastfeed my daughter.

The Pacific Skirt

Another gem that slipped out at the end of the 80s was Pacific State by 808 State. One of the old school classics, it appears on just about every nostalgic classic house compilation out there. It is the sound of the summer, so was an obvious choice while I was designing the S/S 2015 collection.

Slip into the fine-gauge cotton blend Pacific skirt with bare feet for a day by the pool or on the beach, then whack on a pair of colour-pop heels for a balmy night out.

The Good Life top

I reckon I've wrecked a few pairs of heels over the years dancing to this one. Today's post is about Good Life and the sweater it named, following on from our last post on the Spring/Summer 2015 collection and the tracks that inspired it.

At the tail end of the 80s Inner City released Good Life and it was such a powerful, seminal track that it sounds as good today as it did then and, in my experience, never fails to get everyone on their feet the minute it comes on. It was so good, it was re-recorded and released again ten years later in 1999. Our Good Life sweater is a fine-gauge knit and a staple for your wardrobe, perfect for our unpredictable British summers, it'll see you through to autumn. We've included the brilliantly low budget video to Good Life below. Sums up the '80s in a nutshell.

Bump and beyond

Pregnancy is a notoriously difficult period, style-wise. Nine long months for some and yet a mere snippet of a woman's life, overall. Still, your body is changing throughout and it can be tough to retain a sense of self and stay true to your style without resorting to tent-like structures for those who prefer to conceal, or permanent stretch jersey for the embrace-the-bump types.

Like many mums I know, I had an aversion to actual maternity wear, so with a bit of creativity I managed to get through my pregnancy without it - knotted shirts and tube skirts in larger sizes saw me through brilliantly. Even better is to be able to continue to wear and enjoy the things you've bought after the baby is born, too. 

It's inevitable that my collections are going to be inspired by whatever is happening in my life at the time. While it wasn't a conscious decision design-wise, there were a few pieces that morphed perfectly into maternity wear and I wore these constantly throughout the last few months before my daughter was born. As I mentioned in the post about the Halcyon cardigan earlier this week, this was my wardrobe saviour and is subsequently my favourite piece from the Spring/Summer 2015 collection. The Harmony dress was another failsafe. My lovely friend Mimi is due in five weeks' time and very kindly agreed to demonstrate just how maternity friendly these pieces can be:

The Halcyon Cardigan

Orbital's Halcyon and On and On was released in 1993 and I loved it so much it appeared on pretty much every mix tape I made over the next few years. I still can't get enough of it - it's a particularly good one to play once the temperature starts to rise, even better if I'm driving around the countryside in my ancient BMW with all the windows down.

As mentioned in a previous post about the Spring/Summer 2015 collection, the colour palette and general vibe for these pieces was inspired by some of my favourite house tracks from the '90s. As the weather is finally improving I thought I'd talk you through some of those tracks and the pieces that have been named after them. The wrap cardigan (pictured above) that shares its name is one of my favourite pieces from this collection. I wore it to death at the end of my pregnancy last September and for that reason alone, it holds a special place in my heart. It is the perfect spring throw-on. 

Introducing the Autumn/Winter 2015 collection

If you didn't catch the unveiling of our new collection, Archive, on Instagram on Sunday, now is your chance see it in full. As this is our tenth collection, we decided to celebrate by reprising and reworking some of our most popular and bestselling pieces. The 'Alice' cardigan is the hugely popular cocoon shape we've become known for, the chunky 'Amelia' sweater a winter wardrobe staple and the 'Grace' mohair sweater came about when Vogue commissioned us to make two pieces for a shoot last year (see the resulting editorial here). The palette of rust and grey is simply because those are two of our favourite colours for autumn/winter.
Photography: Alyssa Boni, hair & make-up: Jodie Hyams, model: Sophie Ellson

COMING SOON: the A/W 2015 Archive collection

New stockist: Graceland

New Hertfordshire boutique Graceland opened on Saturday in Hitchin. Owned by my friend Grace (Woodward: fashion commentator, stylist and presenter), it is a beautiful boutique bursting at the seams with rare vintage finds (Lanvin, Dior), unworn pieces from previous seasons (Westwood, McQueen), accessories, stunning glassware (including vases by Borske Sklo, my current obsession) and Grace's careful edit of pieces from the current season. The store also boasts the most inviting, luxurious changing rooms I've encountered. If you can walk out of there empty-handed you're a stronger woman than I.

Graceland is our newest stockist and you'll find some of our favourite archive pieces available to buy (such as the Luccombe beaded skirt and Akiak gilet) , as well as a selection of knits from the A/W 2014 collection. Follow Graceland on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

Editorial in British Vogue, October 2014 issue

Introducing the Spring/Summer 2015 collection

We're delighted to unveil and share Hangar: our Spring/Summer 2015 collection, inspired by the early Acid House movement. In the 90s, following the decline of much of Britain’s textile industry, Acid House raves breathed creative energy into a decaying industrial landscape, which for many became an epiphany. 

We wanted to make a statement about the importance of handmade and ethically produced clothing, so took inspiration from the relationship that the Acid House movement had with these industrial spaces for our latest collection. 

All of the pieces in the Spring/Summer 2015 collection are named in tribute to some of the Amy Hall team's favourite old school house tracks, and in celebration of this, renowned house DJ Jamie Bull created a mix of tracks inspired by the collection, downloadable now on Soundcloud.

Photography: Alyssa Boni, styling: Georgina Hodson, hair & make up: Jodie Hyams, retouching: Tim Bennett, model: Sophie Ellson

Amy Hall x Jamie Bull

With the launch of our Spring/Summer 2015 collection 'Hangar' imminent, we're excited to unveil this brilliant mix by DJ Jamie Bull. As this collection was inspired, in the main, by the Acid House movement of the late 80's and early 90's, we knew we needed a musical preamble. We're all big fans of Jamie Bull here in the studio - not a week goes by without at least one of his famous HomoElectric mixes blaring out while we're hard at work, so it seemed appropriate to ask him to provide his sonic interpretation of these S/S 2015 pieces. We're really proud of this collection and we're honoured to have Jamie create a mix especially for us. Let these sounds get you in the mood for the weekend... and if you like what you hear, check out Jamie's other mixes here.

Latest press coverage: British Vogue, October issue

The October issue of British Vogue has finally landed and we're all pretty excited to have a couple of our mohair knits featured in 'The Craft', a fashion story styled by Fran Burns, shot by Karim Sadli and featuring model of the moment, Natalie Westling. Don't forget to pick up your copy to see the rest of this beautifully shot editorial.

To see the autumn/winter 2014 collection, click here, to shop, click here. Click on image below to view it in full.

Amy Hall at Pelicans & Parrots

We're very excited to announce that archive Amy Hall pieces will be available to buy in our favourite Dalston boutique, Pelicans & Parrots from next week. Their Tropical Takeover launches next Thursday evening from 6pm. If you fancy coming along for some tropical drinks and a spot of summertime retail therapy, email them to RSVP.

SAMPLE SALE: 10th August 2013

Nearest tube: Kentish Town

Interview: My Chic City visit the studio

My Chic City came by the studio recently to chat with me about the brand, as well as raiding my wardrobe. I'll admit I was a little apprehensive about being in front of the camera (I'm far more comfortable behind the lens), but those guys are so easy to be around, I enjoyed it more than I thought. Here are a couple of shots the girls took using my iPhone. You can see the rest and read the interview on MyChicCity.com.

[Top photo: jacket by Vivienne Westwood, skirt Amy Hall S/S 2012 - click here to buy in sale, clutch Bracher Emdem, necklace Celia B. Left: silk coat Shanghai Tang, dress vintage Ossie Clarke, shoes Alexander Wang]