Anya Hindmarch likes to pack her shows full of very English fun and games: She has been known to build magic teacup rides into her runways, and once bussed in a full chorus of male choir singers dressed as road workers for her traffic-themed presentation. Hindmarch’s fondness for all things British led her to the high street this season, and she incorporated the branding of some of the U.K.’s best-loved stores into her tongue-in-cheek designs.
If you grew up in London in the ‘80s, you might have recognized the saying emblazoned across a tote bag that read “Never Knowingly Undersold” as the tagline for the famed department store John Lewis. A pair of leather knee-highs was cleverly stamped with the logo for Boots, England’s answer to Duane Reade. Hindmarch showed that those cultural witticisms could be used in subtler ways, too, and the letters WHS (short for WHSmith, the popular British newsagent and stationery store) were repeated in a cool graphic pattern, which made for an unexpected take on logomania.
The humor in those everyday references will likely be lost on Anya Hindmarch fans outside of British borders, though. Still, the designer didn’t lose the smiley faces from her handbags altogether. The bite-sized additions to the collection, like mini soda-can key ring purses, will surely tickle the fancy of accessories fanatics the world over.
