Jigsaw, The National Portrait Gallery and William Morris

jigsaw_01I’m watching Jigsaw with more attention than usual because one has opened up on my doorstep in Barnes. Which is fine by me as the brand has upped its game of late (you may remember the lovely Duke Street Emporium) and the clothes are looking much more modern and wearable.

A new and rather lovely Limited Edition collaboration has just been launched between the brand and the William Morris Gallery, where the Brother Rabbit print has been used on a small range of T shirts, clothes and accessories. The original Brother Rabbit print used an indigo base for the print, which was blocked printed with a bleaching agent to create the pattern. Jigsaw has stayed true to the blue and worked the design into a silk pint, a jersey and on a damask. The shirts and tops collection would work well with anything denim, as would the damask jacket (below). And the silk dress looks mighty useful if imagined with opaque tights, long boots and a warm cardi ( or maybe that’s just usually-freezing-cold me).

jigsaw_05For Morris fans, of which I am one, there is also a very inspiring sounding exhibition of his work and influence just opened over at the National Portrait Gallery. The Guardian this weekend featured an enthusiastic review of it by Rachel Cooke, so now it’s on my list of gotta-go exhibitions (it’s on until Jan 11 2015).  Anarchy & Beauty: William Morris and his Legacy, 1860-1960 is -according to Ms Cooke- “Wonderfully inspiring, stirring the visitor into a shaky hopefulness, a feeling that we must all do better, work harder, be kinder both to one another and to the landscape in which we live’.  Heaven knows we could all do with feeling a bit more hopeful in our current climate. .

jigsaw_03I am also taken with the scented candle -which smells lovely- the rather useful looking tote bag with its printed lining and the scarf, which would brighten the dullest of denim. But my favourite piece is the silk chiffon printed blouse, which you’ll need a vest under (perhaps one of those nice Uniqlo ones) which could jump neatly between good-top-to-smarten-up-jeans and wear-to-work-and-feel-a-teeny-bit-arty.

jigsawJigsaw website here. One of William Morris’s most famous quotes is a good one to start the week with too….

william morris quote

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