The thing that makes Howell’s wonderfully wearable clothes so contemporary is her old-fashioned attitude to quality. She believes in making things well, in the UK and with the finest of fabrics (Harris tweed, Irish linen). These principles combine with her elegant designs to make for the best ‘simple’ clothes for sale in London.
Her pared-down approach means prices can seem steep, but unlike cheap, throwaway fashion these are clothes to cherish, and which will seem to improve with time. Her shops are also worth a visit for anyone interested in 20th-century British design – she now offers both vintage and reissued homeware classics by Ercol, Anglepoise, Robert Welch and others. As well as the branches listed below, there is a Margaret Howell concession within Selfridges.
Branches 11 Fulham Road, SW3 6Rl (7591 2255); 1 The Green, Richmond, TW9 1LZ (8948 5005).