W10 by Julien Macdonald for Matalan

I must confess that it was a great surprise when a PR had got in touch with me to announce that Julien Macdonald had decided to partner up with British retailer Matalan. It certainly raised more than just a few eyebrows – mainly because it was so unexpected. When an invite to meet Julien in person landed in my mailbox, I knew I had to go down and find out more about it from the man himself. And so last Thursday evening I found myself inside the beautiful luxury London cocktail bar, The Luggage Room, which is on the corner of Grosvenor Square. It’s a venue Julien had seen and picked himself for the intimate gathering of like-minded lovers of fashion, to celebrate his latest project. It was an absolute pleasure to meet and chat with the designer, who complimented me more than once for my dress style and expressed real fondness for my bow-tie. There were several male models wearing outfits from the collection and quite honestly I was quite impressed by the garments. The collection is entirely men’s formal wear, released yesterday just in time for the Christmas party season. Drawing inspiration from Savile Row tayloring and Downtown Abbey, key elements include jacquard fabrics and shawl lapels.

There are four suits, three jackets, one waistcoat, six shirts, cufflinks, pocket squares, bow ties and more you can choose from. The collection, aptly named W10 after Julien’s London Atelier is available in-store and online.