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A Summer of Luxury

Holiday with... DAKS' Jo Smith

Today's Holiday with... features Jo Smith, DAKS General Manager PR & Advertising, on how DAKS' Linen Collection is a wardrobe staple for the warmer months - and can be worn while enjoying a break in southern Italy or your back garden.
16th Aug 2018
A Summer of Luxury  Holiday with... DAKS' Jo Smith

What is your favourite holiday destination? We always holiday in Italy but usually in the north in Veneto. This year we decided to venture south for the first time, to the very beautiful Puglia region.

What is your top tip for surviving the summer heat in style?

Most importantly: always wear natural fabrics. The DAKS linen collections for SS18 are perfect for keeping cool in the heatwave (more on which can be read below).

Have you ever had a ‘lightbulb’ moment related to your business or career while taking some downtime?

I think it is always important to reflect generally when on holiday – this can be as much about career as general life decisions – it allows a sense of perspective.

What is your holiday read this year?

I read Alison Pearson’s fabulous 'How Hard Can it Be' – a superb follow up to 'I Don’t know How She Does It' – a great light read for holiday and a must for any working mother of teenage children.

Your favourite al fresco drinking/dining spot?

I will actually say my garden this year – thanks to the continuous wonderful weather!

Dressing for summer the DAKS way

The inspiration behind the DAKS SS18 collection is the British social season. DAKS looked at how dress codes have evolved to create pieces that represent contemporary summer style, while being comprised of a cloth steeped in tradition. The styles needed to be lightweight and deconstructed to create a comfortable, seasonal yet tailored aesthetic. Linen became the perfect material to capture this.

DAKS worked with two world-renowned mills: John England and Emblem to create a carefully selected collection - these pieces were used in both the mainline collection and fashion show. The collections were produced in four qualities of linen, each in different weights that are perfect for a summer collection. Like many of DAKS’ classic tailoring pieces, a key look created by Emblem was based on a archive reference. This suit is a subtle nod to the classic DAKS house check, reimagined for suiting in tonal blues and deep browns. DAKS also created a bespoke material with a crispier quality all in 100% linen, which can be seen with both single and double-breasted blazers. John England, based in Banbridge, created DAKS formal outerwear, a key piece being the menswear three button coat.

www.daks.com

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