Gin and tonics were passed around at the Thomas Pink presentation – to models and guests alike – the flower setup to approximate a Peter Schlesinger photograph of David Hockney and Cecil Beaton chilling in a greenhouse. “Hockney was a big Thomas Pink shirt buyer — he epitomized British quirkiness,” said Pink’s head of design, Frederik Willems.
The collection was a melting pot of British culture, from Brit pop to the Blackpool seaside — with a contemporary twist. The classic cream blazer got a denim makeover, chinos came with tapered ankles, jazzy ties bloomed with floral motifs and checks clashed with abandon.
Swallow and heart print shirts harked back to the tattoo parlors of Blackpool while handsome silk shirts came in turquoise with an Elephant & Castle motif — part colonial and part inspired by the iconic and uberkitsch statue outside the eponymous southeast London shopping center.