Nicole Farhi

The Label

Fashion, food and function and the main passions of French-born, London-based Nicole Farhi. A major name in England since the early eighties, the designer’s men’s and women’s clothing and home furnishing lines are gaining popularity here in the States, as both her retail stores and destination restaurants (uptown’s Nicole’s and downtown’s 202) gain visibility. Backed by U.K. leviathan French Connection, Farhi’s runway collections often invoke retro themes: Menswear, which she shows in Milan, recently boasted 1920’s ice-skating, curling and skiing motifs, while the women’s collection, shown in London, created a poetic, Russian-royalty vibe with lush velvets, cashmeres and alpacas in rich hues of garnet, midnight and vintage green. Combining the old with the new, the comfortable with the tailored, Farhi’s home goods mirror her clothing’s penchant for raw fabrics, natural hues and unstructured shapes, with a few one-off antiques culled from her world travels thrown in the mix. With seven free-standing stores in London (including one each for men’s and for home,) plus two New York City locations, Farhi’s eclectic designs are popular with a posh worldwide clientele.

The Look

Romantic detailing, soft, neutral colors and luxurious, textural fabrics. Sharp tuxedo suits with silk or satin bows at the necks of blouses, knee-length skirts cinched by silk cummerbunds, and floor-sweeping gowns billowing with lace ruffles or in silk georgette.

The Designer

Nice-born French-Algerian Nicole Farhi studied fashion design at the Studio Bercot in Paris before freelancing for designers Agnes B, Pierre D’Alby and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. She moved to London in the early seventies to work with Stephen Marks on the French Connection brand, then left in 1983 to start her own label. Under her own name, Farhi designed things she wanted to wear—sporty, casual knits she saw as the solution to the working woman’s weekend wardrobe; launched in 1989, the menswear collection blends British tailoring with soft Italian construction. Now married to British playwright David Hare, Farhi is a celebrity in her own right, and an entrepreneur who has expanded her desire for comfortable, casual clothes into a lifestyle brand celebrating fashion, food and home furnishings.