show and tell

London Store Whistles Touts Its New York Debut

Jane Shepherdson.
Jane Shepherdson. Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images

London high street store Whistles continued its ascent to designer status with an off-schedule show yesterday that was packed with British and international fashion press. Held on the 32nd floor of the Heron Tower, where attendees could nearly reach out and touch the “Gherkin” tower, the brand obviously aimed to impress with its first-ever runway. “Last season’s presentation was an experiment to see how it would be received,” CEO Jane Shepherdson told the Cut. “We had great feedback, so this season we’ve stepped it up to a full show.”

Whistles is scheduled to make its debut in New York during the first half of 2014, which means this collection (pretty jumpsuits, racer-back dresses, and floaty mid-length skirts in a palette of pink, mint green, grey marl, metallic silver and white) is likely be the first to go on sale in the U.S. Was it designed with that in mind?

“I think the sporty look of Whistles is quite in tune with American fashion already,” Shepherdson told us. “But the expansion has pushed us to up our game. We’ve tried to become more slick, because that’s what does well in New York. We opened a store in Hong Kong recently, and we were nervous because Whistles feels like such a British brand – but it’s doing incredibly well, so we’re optimistic about the U.S. launch.” She couldn’t reveal an exact date for their New York arrival, or their plans to open standalone stores – but until then, their online store does ship overseas.

London Store Whistles Touts Its New York Debut