It probably won’t come as a surprise to hear we’re big fans of clothes, and this comes hand in hand with being big fans of seeing people wearing clothes – endless time is spent in the Proper office avoiding real work and flicking through old catalogues, goggling at the beautifully curated outfits. One of the best forms of outfit inspiration came from Oi Polloi’s Deck~Out series, but unfortunately, that doesn’t exist anymore.
What does exist though is Universal Works, and their Hotel Deluxe series, which also functions as a form of prime rig out refinement. If you’re not familiar with Hotel Deluxe it’s pretty much Universal Works picking their favourite seasonal bits and then working these into a series of outfits with a central theme.
They describe it as ‘a microcosm of life with a revolving door of interesting characters, where everyone, from the concierge to the live-in countess, always looks their best,’ doesn’t that sound great? They had us at the word microcosm if we’re being totally honest.
Anyway, delving into Universal Work’s AW24 instalment of Hotel Deluxe, we find ourselves in a rural 60s-inspired lodge, somewhere in upstate New York, and the outfits reflect this – an array of outdoor-ready, yet not too serious garb. There’s the usual smattering of lovely classic fabrics you’d expect from the Nottingham-based brand, as well as some more out-there ones, such as their jumbo cord, tweed and all-divisive leopard print.
When actually looking at the Hotel Deluxe images, one question, in particular, will probably spring to mind – ‘why is the model daftly jumping about?’
The reason isn’t that Universal Works fed him too much sugar at lunchtime, but in fact, because the whole shoot has been influenced by photographer Philippe Halsman.
Inspired by Halsman’s ‘Jumpology’ photos, where high-profile subjects jumped for one final frame at the end of their serious sitting. The result of this was a totally candid shot of the subject’s ‘true self’.
Feeling inspired by Philippe’s work, the Universal Works crew cast their minds back to the happy accidents that they’ve encountered throughout their journey.
Case in point is their ‘Crazy Leopard’ fabric which has taken centre-stage at the fictional hotel due to the happy accident story behind its creation, rumour has it that co-founder, David, was roaming a market in India and happened to come across the leopard print, which has now become a mainstay in the Universal Works line-up.
We’re a big fan of when clothing aficionados don’t take themselves too seriously, and that is exactly what Universal Works has done in this AW24 edition of Hotel Deluxe.
If, like us, after viewing the images you fancy trying your hand at dressing like a playful upstate New York bachelor, we’d recommend starting from the source itself, Universal Works website.
