First Crumpet Experience…

Strictly of the spongey carbohydrate category!  Never in my lifetime will I refer to the opposite sex as a ‘hot crumpet’.  As a seven year old only exposed to plastic bread, the odd hot cross bun and Chinese baked goods, I was a wee bit scared of the tiny holes in the crumpet.  Would the butter not just fall through and become a hot buttery mess?  Not so.  I haven’t looked back since…

First Cashmere Experience…

For some reason, my mother decided that with the added ‘teen’ to my age, comes great cashmere responsibility and so she bundled me some of her vintage cashmere jumpers which I didn’t really appreciate at first due to my fixation with rancid stretchy ‘lace’ crop tops.  It wasn’t till later on that I developed a ‘Lenor ad face’ when pulling on those jumpers – which consists of closed eyes, dopey smile and possibly an imaginary wind machine in my head blowing my hair…

Combine the two long winded intros and you get Crumpet England who of course don’t make spongey baked goods but do give you the same comforting feeling of a bite of buttery crumpet with their cashmere pieces.  In my mind, the tagline 100% Cashmere so often belongs in a) Marks and Spencers and b) jumpers piled up in wicker baskets in Scottish tourist shops.  I’ve been vaguely aware of Crumpet England but it wasn’t until recently that I copped a feel of their pieces in person that concentrating purely on cashmere isn’t as limited as I previously thought.

I quizzed co-founder of Crumpet England, Zara Juricic about well…err…crumpets and cashmere…

Why the name Crumpet?
Crumpet is a fun name and one which is open to interpretation….Tea and Crumpets is also a truly British institution, we wanted a name that had similar connotations.

What are the most common myths/connotations/cliches about cashmere?
Probably the washing issue – washing cashmere is not an issue as long as it is done in cold water. I use the cold water wash on my washing machine and have no problems. All cashmere pills a little bit – usually after its first wash.

What was your first ever cashmere piece in your wardrobe?
A black vintage cashmere cardigan – very basic and very lovely followed by pashminas in lots of amazing colours.

Are you ever tempted to delve into other materials?
We have successfully combined silk and leather with cashmere in the past,  however, our focus at present is purely on cashmere as we do it so well. In the future, I am sure we will develop with other materials but the time is still not quite right.

What are the key Crumpet Cashmere pieces?
For AW10, the cashmere maxi dress and bestselling biker jacket has already received a welcome response from press. There are also some great printed dresses and tees, whilst more floaty pieces mixed with silk and chiffon such as the black ruffle back cardigan are a move on for us. We have also incorporated a cashmere play suit in grey and a navy jumpsuit into the collection for Autumn Winter – not forgetting all our scarves.

How do you like your crumpets?
A bit of butter and marmite is actually how I like mine.

I’m not familiar with Crumpet’s past collections but I’d like to think that their A/W 10-11 collection, which they very kindly let me play around with, is their most wide-ranging yet… comprising more pieces outside the realm of jumpers and scarves though of course those are still requisite pieces.  Capes, jogging bottoms, biker jackets and dresses all make up an indulgent capsule wardrobe where were you to pull on a piece 70% of the year (I’m being generous with the 30% UK summer season quota…), you’d be experiencing ‘Lenor ad face’ a lot…

I hardly ever describe items of clothing as things I’d live in.  But it wouldn’t be at all bad to live in a cashmere cocoon with an oversized gingham check that also gives you protection with its floppy collar.

(With Adidas SLVR hat, Nikicio signature velvet dress, Gemma Slack crop top, Peter Pilotto trousers, Dries Van Noten shoes)

Ruffles on the back.  Black cashmere on the front.  It’s like me and my mother’s styles doing battle with each other.  There’s no question that ruffles win… ruffles ALWAYS win.

(With Bebaroque tights, Yokoo pom pom headband, Sibling jumper, Alexandra Cassanti neoprene shorts, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes)

I’ve had knitted bikers before but not a cashmere one and the lightness of it makes it a superb layering piece, a stretchy biker if you will…

(With Krystof Strozyna blazer, House of Holland cropped tee, vintage leather shorts, Tabio coral legwarmers, Michael Angel x Manolo Blahnik shoes)

Then there’s the loooooong dress.  Well, you can’t say I’m that unpredictable.  I quite like the contrast of wearing a long cashmere dress with bare legs, which incidentally is suiting the current climate and also, cashmere manages to ‘swish’ very well.

(With Sou Brette necklaces and bracelet, Michelle Jank necklace Lucy Hutchings cuff, Alexander Wang wedges)

Three pieces all at once and I’ve got my very own ‘travelling outfit’ (see end of Sound of Music…)…

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