Inside the National Portrait Gallery’s Duveen Wing, Simon Holloway introduced his vision for dunhill through an intimate salon-style show. Guests sat around round tables as drinks and high tea were served (cucumber sandwiches, caviar, smoked salmon and martinis). This level of sophistication and refinery translated across the designer’s debut collection. “[It] celebrates our origins and subsequent evolution into a unique British luxury house,” said Holloway in the show notes. “dunhill designs for men that enjoy the finer things in life – from motoring, sporting and cultural events through to classic black tie moments. It is what we have always done best. I hope we have re-captured that spirit, one that is at once refined and international.”

The starting point for Holloway was dunhill’s incredible archives, and in particular, the eminent cultural figures the brand has previously dressed – name-checking Truman Capote and Frank Sinatra in the press notes. What emerged was a meeting of classic British tailoring and a spirit of Old Hollywood. Two and three-piece suits crafted in fabrics exclusively developed in the heritage mills of Yorkshire, Sussex, Somerset and Biella were immaculately cut with contemporary loucheness and haberdashery embellishments, while lush velvet alternatives catered to eveningwear wardrobes. Outerwear was key, and perfect: suede jackets tied at the waist, a sheepskin coat in deep chocolate brown (more McQueen than Motson), reversible driving jackets and a black leather trench that everyone in the room immediately wanted. Mixing the old-school with the new, Holloway’s debut was a lesson in respecting yet reworking the traditions of classic English dressing.