If we could spend a Sunday in London in 1969, this is what we’d wear.
Big coats, flared trousers, knee-high boots and enormous sunglasses. Rich browns and reds against the colour and graphics of the city. Coffee in hand, a record shop somewhere on the route and no real need to rush anywhere.
That everyday side of 70s fashion was one of the biggest references behind Underground. We loved the idea of clothes that could take you through the whole day, rather than an outfit built around one particular moment.
That became our idea of 70s uniform dressing. A wardrobe of pieces that naturally work together, can be mixed around depending on the day ahead and still have enough personality to feel exciting every time you put them on.
So, if we were heading out for a whole day in 70s London, this is where we’d start.
10am: Trafalgar Square, coffee in hand
First up, the Marble Arch Brown Retro Panelled Jumpsuit.
The shape started with our old Ramble On Jumpsuit, a style we always loved and wanted to bring back at the right moment. For Underground, we reworked it in rich brown stretch cotton with curved contrast panels, a big retro collar, belted waist and a seriously good flared leg.
For us, a brown jumpsuit is almost the ultimate in uniform dressing. It’s the whole outfit in one piece. Add boots, throw a coat over the top and you’re ready to head out.
On colder mornings, we’d layer it with the Paddington Cream Shaggy Coat. The curly cream faux fur and brown contrast panels work perfectly with all those earthy tones underneath. Finish with a baker boy hat, oversized shades and a coffee for the walk across Trafalgar Square.
There’s definitely a little Jane Birkin style in this look. Relaxed, unfussy and built around great shapes rather than too many accessories.
12pm: Carnaby Street and Piccadilly
Next stop, records and a wander around the shops.
The Queensway Geometric Print Lace Shirt was inspired by the fitted lace disco shirts we used to find while vintage sourcing in America. We always loved the combination of sheer lace with bold floral prints, especially in those slim shapes worn tucked into high-waisted denim. The Queensway takes that idea into a geometric floral print, with an oversized collar and ornate brass buttons.
We’d wear this lace shirt with the Pimlico Denim Cropped Flared Jeans.
The arrow detailing on the jeans came from a vintage pair we’d been holding onto for years, waiting for the right collection. Once Underground started taking shape, they suddenly made sense. The arrows became a little nod to all the directional signs running through the old London transport imagery we had been looking at.
The cropped flare is also a new shape for us. These flared jeans sit just above the boot, which makes them perfect with the Highgate Brown Contrast Lace Up Boots.
Then add the Chancery Lane Patchwork Velvet Coat.
Its mix of rust, brown, cream and blue ended up setting the direction for so much of the Underground palette. Rich velvet panels, round pockets and shaggy faux fur trims bring all those colours together in one big coat.
It’s exactly the sort of outfit we imagine wandering around Carnaby Street, stopping for records and seeing where the afternoon takes you.
3pm: Along the Embankment
By the afternoon, we’d bring out the leather.
The Goldhawk Patchwork Leather Jacket began with a vintage jacket from our own archive. We loved the way its geometric panels moved through different shades of brown and wanted to see what would happen if we pushed that idea further.
The result became our first leather garment, made in soft tonal browns with a slim fit, retro collar and geometric patchwork construction.
This is the sort of patchwork jacket we hope gets better the more it’s worn. Leather softens and develops its own character over time, and we wanted Goldhawk to feel like something you could keep for years.
Wear the jacket with the Pimlico denim for an everyday version of the look, or go for the full set with the Goldhawk Patchwork Leather Skirt.
The brown leather skirt uses the same tonal geometric panels, finished in a vintage mini shape with brass poppers.
One of our favourite ways to style the set is actually with the Queensway Geometric Print Lace Shirt lace shirt underneath. There are two strong geometric patterns sitting together, plenty of texture and loads of brown, red and cream, but somehow it all works.
Very Anita Pallenberg.
Add a suede bag big enough for whatever you picked up along the way and head down towards the Thames.
6pm: Down the Tube to Archway
As the light starts to disappear, it’s time for the Archway Red Embroidered Mini Dress.
The inspiration for this dress came from the half-flower shaped windows we kept spotting above old London stations.
It was a shape we’d seen before too. Years earlier, Naomi had saved a vintage embroidery design with a very similar motif worked into the back of a jacket. Seeing the same shape appearing in Underground architecture brought those two references together.
We translated it into the contrast appliqué around the neckline and cuffs of the Archway Red Embroidered Mini Dress. Getting that placement right took longer than almost anything else in the collection. We spent a lot of time working on the scale, stitch lines and positioning until everything sat exactly where we wanted it.
Against the deep red moss crepe, the finished embroidered mini dress feels bold without needing much else around it.
We’d wear it with the Highgate Brown Contrast Lace Up Boots, inspired by a vintage pair from our archive.
The deep brown faux suede, contrast faux leather and oversized brass eyelets give these lace up boots exactly the look we wanted for Underground, and they work across almost the whole collection.
Dress, boots, big coat if it’s cold. Then straight to the pub.
One wardrobe, a whole day in London
That was always the idea behind Underground. Clothes you could put on in the morning and keep wearing wherever the day ended up taking you.
A jumpsuit under a huge coat. A printed shirt tucked into cropped flares. Patchwork leather mixed with lace. Boots that somehow end up walking half of London.
We wanted the collection to work as a capsule wardrobe, with pieces that could be mixed together but also sit easily alongside the denim, knits, vintage finds and favourite coats already in your wardrobe.
For us, that’s what we love most about 1970s fashion. The clothes have personality, but they were still made to be lived in. Underground takes that idea into a new-season wardrobe of 70s clothes for work, wandering around town, dinner, a gig and whatever happens in between.
And for the full story behind the collection, from the old London references and vintage archive pieces to our campaign on a vintage Underground carriage, read The Making of Underground.
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