“We’re definitely Tove women, we live in these clothes,” That was the message Camille Perry and Holly Wright conveyed at a preview. For fall, “these clothes” were texture-heavy: a pair of straight-leg, supple dark-green leather trousers open the look book, succeeded by a collarless camel shearling coat that hits the thigh, then another longer, deep chocolate-brown version and later, a ridged-velvet dress. The latter was but one signature dress in the collection, the rest of which arrived as gossamer-thin long-sleeved maxis with collapsing necklines, and styles that experimented with bandaged fabric wrapped around the body and shoulder shrouds.
While the duo are indeed their own customers, they constantly think about and refer to the Tove woman beyond themselves and their team, observing “her” and “what she wants.” This ensures they’re speaking to an actual person with their Tove designs; meeting her needs and requirements albeit challenging her, but only very slightly. “Each season, there’s a little nudge to evolve things, move things on,” Perry said. “All the hallmarks are still there, but there’s definitely a push to lead her in a direction.”
Besides this metaphorical conversation, they also have a continuous “open dialogue” with their clientele, which includes the buyers they work with. Their desires for this season, according to feedback Perry and Wright have received? More knitwear—specifically, cashmere and merino blends, to complement the silk fabrications that they have become “synonymous with”—and outerwear, given it’s a “strong category” for Tove. Having launched footwear last summer, the offering for fall is “comprehensive,” counting Italian leather boots, croc-embossed loafers, and ponyskin babouche slippers. “They feel like nothing, like air on your feet.”
This effortless quality that Perry described carried through to the silhouettes, which were the result of a lengthy fitting process. Taking into account where fabric might cling, they designed dresses to be looser in such places. “There’s a focus on how to cut things so that they’re flattering for women,” Wright said. “It’s that consideration of the female form; as women, we talk about it a lot. It’s just instinctive: thinking about what she wants to dial up and be expressive about and the things she might be less confident with.” The bottom line for Tove? “Wearability is always at the heart of it, she’s never an object within the clothes.”
