The third delivery from T.T's first women's collection has arrived. Undyed cashmere, down washed in the waters of Ise, superfine alpaca hand knitted by artisans in Peru. Craft rooted in place meets the archetypes of clothing and is gathered into a single garment. Not as a finished form, but as something that deepens with time.
Double Face Selvedge Long Coat
NATURAL BROWN (Cashmere), BROWN, BLACK (Wool)
Along the line running from the collar to the front opening, the selvedge is left exactly as it is. Rather than being trimmed away, the woven edge remains. As denim has long done, the act of using the selvedge becomes a hidden form of design.
A double face long coat in which two layers of cloth are brought together as one through extensive handwork. The oversized fit does not trace the contours of the body but envelops it. The interior is finished entirely in hand stitching, leaving the coat lighter than its volume suggests. The collar can be worn standing or folded down like a shawl collar, and a belt in the same material allows the waistline to be shifted.
Two fabrics: an original 100% cashmere and a Super 180s wool. The cashmere is used undyed, in the natural colour of the goat, with the surface nap left unsettled. It is then given a treatment known as pimple, which deliberately roughens the fibres. The yarn is of the finest quality, yet the expression is coarse. Even so, its natural refinement is never lost. For the wool, Super 180s was chosen for a fineness equal to cashmere, finished with a soft surface.
Double Face Circle Jacket
NATURAL BROWN, BROWN, BLACK
A double face jacket in an original 100% cashmere developed by T.T, distinguished by its curved front. The kimono sleeve cut draws a rounded, relaxed fit. The curve of the front panels falls away from the body, opening space around the standing figure.
Its origin lies in the jackets worn by the Amish of America. The pared back presence found in their furniture, their way of living and their dress is not far from where T.T womenswear is heading. The interior is finished entirely in hand stitching, holding a lightness and a sense of craft. The front carries no buttons, yet inside the jacket sits an inner fastening of the kind found on double breasted tailoring, so that the way it is closed changes how the garment falls.
Down Jacket / Down Long Coat
IVORY, BROWN, BLACK
French white duck down. On arrival the down is far from beautiful. It is washed repeatedly and cleaned before it can become material for clothing. The facility where this is done stands near Ise Jingu, where the water is well suited to washing down. 90% down to 10% feather, a ratio decided with softness as the first priority.
The outer fabric is a silk twill of spun silk yarn, natural in texture with a faint lustre and neps across the surface. The kimono sleeve cut, together with a construction that removes as many seams as possible around the neckline, creates a roundness that runs unbroken from shoulder to arm. Made for warmth, yet the outline stays soft. It can be worn with the hook at the neck fastened, or with only the side hooks closed, worn double.
Super Baby Alpaca
Of the two to three kilograms of fleece taken from a single shearing, only around 1% can be called super baby alpaca. Extremely fine, soft and smooth, it is sorted by skilled artisans working by hand and feel alone. The designer found the yarn on a visit to a spinning mill in Peru. The hand knitting techniques that survive there, though fading, are offered through T.T's aesthetic as a craft for the present. Three colours: raw white, undyed and true to the alpaca's own colour; melange brown, a custom brown blended into the raw white; and a custom black.
Super Baby Alpaca Hand Knitted Basket Pattern Turtle Neck Pullover
RAW WHITE, MELANGE BROWN, BLACK
A turtle neck pullover hand knitted by artisans in Peru. The basket pattern runs unbroken from body to sleeve to neck. A linear construction, relaxed fit, with wide sleeves. The yarn accounts for around one per cent of a single shearing.
Super Baby Alpaca Hand Knitted Crew Neck Pullover
RAW WHITE, MELANGE BROWN, BLACK
A crew neck pullover hand knitted in the same yarn, relaxed fit. The cropped dolman cut lifts the waistline. A particular knitting technique gives the shoulders a slope that follows the body. Sorting the fleece and knitting the garment are both done by hand, in Peru.
Super Baby Alpaca Hand Knitted Belted Cardigan
RAW WHITE, MELANGE BROWN, BLACK
Fastening the belt or leaving it open decides the outline. A hand knitted cardigan, relaxed fit, with pockets at the front. The same yarn, and the same hands, as the pullovers.
