Behind the Scenes: Poplin Campaign Shoot

Get a sneak peek at the action behind the scenes at the POPLIN campaign shoot. The soundtrack is from Birdy's a-mazing-cannot-stop-listening-to-this album!

Our POPLIN dream team was...
Photographer- Agnes Lloyd Platt
Assistant- Sophie Green

Models- Anouska Beckwith and Charlotte Wellesley

Styling- Me (Lucy Archibald) and Maggy Schultz with assistance from Hannah Weiland

Hair and Make-up- Olivia Newman Young

And the film was captured by Tom Reid- the lone male on the shoot!

We shot all day, stopping for a very anti-fashion long, delicious lunch AND teatime.

You'll be hearing more from these guys on the blog soon. For now, we'll leave you to work out who's who...  

O-man Oman!

Oman was a pre-Christmas treat. Dusky sunlight. Crystal clear waters lapping icing sugar sand. Goat-watching under sturdy palm trees. Delicious Middle Eastern food. And zigzag minarets that called to mind our Moorish-inspired POPLIN packaging.

In the evening I wore silk jersey dresses that emerge effortlessly pristine after being slung in a suitcase. This jewel tone number finally got an outing after ages languishing in my wardrobe.

During the day, I swam in my new Karla Colletto swimsuit, and threw on a white embroidered cotton POPLIN nightshirt from the Goa Collection (more on this soon) to read for hours in the sun...

Poplin Pyjamas

Poplin at LE MILL

We are really delighted to announce that POPLIN is now available at LE MILL- Bombay's coolest shopping and style spot and India's first ever concept store! Housed in an old warehouse, a cutting edge endeavour for a city that's still warming up to the idea of using post-industrial spaces, it's brimming with a genius selection of Home, Fashion and Lifestyle products. 

Our classic pyjamas, nightshirts and short sets are now part of the mix and will come in our signature packaging tied up with red-ribbons. Perfect, luxurious Christmas presents! 

 There's also a super-chic florist and a cafe serving the best cappucinos in town. I couldn't resist when I stopped by the store the other day... 

If you're a Mumbai local, or a visitor to the city, definitely make time to visit this constantly evolving space. 

17/25, Nandial Jani Road 

New Railway Bridge 

(Opposite Wadi Bunder)

Masjid Bunder 

Mumbai 

+91 22 23742 415

Open: Mon-Sat 11am-8pm 

Sunday 11am- 6pm

We ♥ Bombay

Karl Lagerfeld swept the lucky guests at his Pre-Fall show off to Bombay via Paris. I am based in Bombay so this collection was filled with references and resonances that felt close to my heart. The look below is my favourite- it combines the chic draping and layering that defines the most elegant Indian style for me. And of course the models were dripping in jewels that any Indian princess (or Coco Chanel herself) would be proud of!

Poplin is also inspired by India, although our aesthetic is quintessentially British, so I enjoyed seeing Chanel take India, but avoid the ethnic cliches, and produce something that feels fresh and understated, even Parisian.

India is such a rich source of inspiration and I think good designers find something different in her every time they look... Here's to Bombay!

Happy Screen Printing Times

At the screen-printing factory in Bombay today, working on some beautiful, hand-printed silk for the Marlene design. The origins of screen-printing are incredibly ancient but it's a craft that's still alive and well in India. It's really satisfying to watch your design take shape- no wonder these guys who run the factory are so cheerful!

See Poplin Pyjamas here

Brown Paper Packages...

What could be inside this mountain of brown-paper wrapped boxes? (I can't utter or write those words- brown paper and string- without conjuring up A Sound of Music in all its curtain-clad, wholesome schnitzel glory!)

Just as delightful, but a whole lot more chic, are these beautiful, handmade and hand-printed Poplin boxes that are towering over me as I work. Purchases from www.poplin.co.uk will come wrapped in tissue paper in one of these beauties.Who wouldn't want to find a box like this under the tree?...

See Poplin Pyjamas here

Made in India

One of the things I have loved, and still love, about living in India is how alive so many craft traditions are. There's seemingly endless scope for having ideas, drawing up a design and bringing them to life. It's fascinating to walk through a bustling village, town or city and see people working away at their particular skill. I especially love how specialised people are- I am working with a man who only makes handmade boxes, another who exclusively supplies and hand finishes buttons, another who specialises only in screen printing...

But at times doing business in India can be incredibly frustrating. Such specialization means that lots and lots of different, separate teams are involved in making a pair of POPLIN pyjamas, and Indian craftspeople don't necessarily have a very straightforward attitude to timelines or commitments- it can make for some hair-tearing moments! There are lots of long-winded explanations, references to "cousin brothers", multiple phone calls on multiple mobile phones and plenty of haphazardly filed paperwork.

When I saw Jan Banning's series of phototgraphs (pictured here) of "Bureaucratics" in India, they really spoke to these frustrations. And yet, even as I look at them, I feel inspired by India. And I guess that's why I'm here, and why it's all worth it in the end...

Function and Form

Despite being a professional writer and seasoned blogger, it's another thing entirely venturing onto the virgin territory of the Poplin blog.

Poplin is my new line of luxury sleep and loungewear, based on a William Morris attitude to design: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

Poplin is all about both- beauty and functionality. The collection has been designed to make you look impeccably chic while also feeling completely relaxed and comfortable.

The collection will be launching online very soon at www.poplin.co.uk and with a handful of select stockists.

Preparing for the launch of Poplin and this first collection has been a labour of love. Over the past year I have been living in Mumbai and travelling across India to source fabrics and find the best tailors. My background is in fashion and travel writing, and my exposure to great design and exciting destinations informs and inspires my designs.

So this blog will be part travelogue, part design scrap book and will allow readers to keep up to date with news and upcoming Poplin projects. I hope you enjoy it...