Beaufille (Q3848)
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Beaufille is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Beaufille |
Beaufille is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Chloé and Parris Gordon established their signatures early on at Beaufille; they range from ultra-flared trousers to curvy neoprene dresses and asymmetrical jewelry. Of late, they’ve been developing a new strong suit: convertible, multipurpose pieces. Their opening look combined a jacket with removable lapels (wear them straight, criss-crossed, or looped around as a belt) with a long-sleeved dress that had three modular parts: The top button could be unfastened for a more open neckline; a piece at the waist mimicked a thick, asymmetrical sash; and a third closure lent the look of an attached skirt. You could also unbutton them all and wear it as a trench.If all of that sounds complicated, the Gordons made it look easy IRL; they insist that they wear-test every sample and muslin in their studio to ensure the clothes feel truly effortless and wearable. The real impulse behind those tricky patterns isn’t to reinvent the wheel, but to give their customers more bang for their buck: In the Beaufille lexicon,sustainabilityequates to timeless, interesting pieces you can wear over and over without getting bored. A slightly simpler proposition was the slate-gray blouse with two sashes attached to the waist, which could be tied into a bow around the neck or worn loose as a dramatic evening top. The classic-with-a-twist concept applied to the jewelry, too: A few of the earrings could be taken apart or stacked together to create different shapes, and Parris riffed on some of the most timeless jewelry items, like engagement rings (they became hoop earrings here) and pearl chokers (rendered in black seed pearls, not your mother’s freshwater strand).
19 December 2019
With six years behind them, Beaufille’s Chloe and Parris Gordon are hitting their stride. They recently made the decision to skip pre-collections and focus exclusively on their “main” lines, so they just showed Spring 2020 two months ahead of their peers. The idea is that during Resort, buyers tend to have larger budgets and more flexibility, but it also gives the Gordon sisters time to design larger collections more thoughtfully.In tandem with that change, their focus has shifted to retail’s sweet spot: interesting, un-boring, but still wearable clothes. Past collections have seen the sisters experiment with rigid structure and oversize silhouettes, but lately, they’ve been all about texture. Spring’s hero pieces came in almost basic shapes—a crewneck sweatshirt, a cocoon coat, a turtleneck—in curious fabrics like bouncy neoprene, slick coated cotton, and an ultra-fine rainbow rib, respectively. They’re items that will make it easy for Beaufille girls to get dressed in the morning without feeling like they’re shrugging into something bland or middle-of-the-road. The Gordons even produced their first pair of jeans—a black rigid stovepipe—to remove the question of “What do I wear with this sheer bubble-sleeve blouse?” (A nice personal touch: The swirling blues on that top were lifted from a painting by the duo’s mother.)If that “wearable” formula doesn’t feel incredibly exciting, the Gordons like to encourage their customers to wear the clothes in unusual ways. The wrap-around blazers were shown knotted or loose and untied, a pleated skirt was layered over tapered trousers (a lingering old-Céline influence), and whisper-sheer lace dresses were slipped under hardier ones. What made it all look easy were the intentionally loose—but not oversize—silhouettes; Chloe said she wanted to move away from hard lines and restrictive waists. After years of high-rise jeans and nipped dresses, it feels like a welcome bit of breathing room.
10 July 2019
As sisters and co-designers, Chloé and Parris Gordon understand the need for duality in design. Contrast is at the heart of their label, Beaufille, which means “handsome girl” in French; there’s always something a little masculine and a little feminine. As the label has grown, that trope has gotten a little subtler and more nuanced; rather than taking inspiration from, say, a men’s suit, the designers are iterating on their own curvy blazers and best-selling flared trousers. At this point, tailoring has become such a cornerstone of women’s wardrobes—and the idea of “gendered” clothing has become so old-school—that it doesn’t feel relevant to call it “menswear-inspired” or “borrowed from the boys.” Instead, the Gordons have let their own style trickle into the collections: Chloé pointed out two A-line coats—one in an amber zebra jacquard, the other in black satin—and indicated which was her favorite and which was Parris’s. Despite their different personal tastes, they operate on the same wavelength. Parris, who designs their jewelry line, said she was nervous that her asymmetric flower earrings and rhinestone hoops wouldn’t “work” with Chloe’s fabrics, but they turned out to be the ideal complement.As for the fabrics, there were familiar, sculptural materials like bonded satin and spongy jacquard alongside a new, almost translucent floral lace. A deep-V lace slip dress looked almost jarringly delicate next to those heavier materials, and will feel genuinely new to the girl who already has a few of Beaufille’s neoprene sweatshirts and midi skirts. It’s a blessing and a curse that designers are tasked with creating newness all year round; on one hand, it can sap creativity, but on the other, you can’t expect women to buy the same things over and over. The Gordons are moving away from designing pre-collections in between the “main” seasons so they can focus on making interesting, investment-worthy clothes with longevity. Fall’s arty zebra-striped dress and the aforementioned coats were easy winners—they were cool, yet relatively timeless—while the cream “sweatshirt dress” was a less-likely staple. It was insanely soft and cozy, and looked polished enough to replace a working girl’s rigid shift dresses and pencil skirts.
15 February 2019
Beaufille’s Chloé and Parris Gordon occupy a sweet spot in the upper-contemporary market. For women who collect capital-Ffashion, the label’s puffed-sleeve T-shirts, chartreuse blazers, and vinyl flares will register as easy, not-boring basics they can mix with their wilder stuff. A girl with more minimalist tastes might consider a plaid Beaufille prairie dress the craziest piece in her closet. It’s not easy appealing to both types of women, and early on, the Gordons’ clothes may have been a bit too “out there” for the average shopper. Lately, though, they’ve found their middle-ground: clean, quite simple pieces with sculptural details, surprising fabrics, and the masculine-feminine vibe that gave Beaufille its name (it translates to “handsome girl” in French).Chloé studied textiles in school, so there’s always one or two wonderfully weird fabrics in the mix. Spring 2019’s was a “cobweb lace,” which appeared on a layering turtleneck and a sheer, blouson-sleeve dress. Another coated, embossed cotton looked like crocodile from afar, but was actually super-light (and animal-friendly) when you got up close. The price will be a lot friendlier, too; Beaufille rarely inches into four-figure territory.As for the more streamlined, everyday pieces, Chloé and Parris incorporated details that, simply put, will give you a reason to buy the thing. A ribbed T-shirt, for instance, came with 12 darts in each sleeve for a rounded, puffed silhouette; instead of creating volume on top of the shoulders, these curved outwards. Other clever tweaks: The pleated midi skirts were actually reversible, and a burgundy-striped button-down came with openings right under the shoulder, so you can slip your arms through and knot the sleeves in the front.Spring 2019 also marked the first head-to-toe Beaufille collection: Each look was topped off by the Gordons’ new shoes, a strappy lace-up sandal and a midi heel made in collaboration with the Seoul-based label Reike Nen.
13 September 2018
Say what you will about red carpet dressing, but it’s still a major opportunity for emerging brands. Beaufille’s Chloé and Parris Gordon had that in mind when they designed their new Resort collection. Their brand is growing rapidly, but in order to truly evolve, they need to expand beyond the sculptural tops, super-flared trousers, and puff-sleeved dresses that have become their signatures. Those pieces feel upscale, but not necessarily “fancy,” so they proposed their idea of red carpet dresses here: slim shifts in floral burnout velvet, a hand-pleated cornflower blue midi dress with sheer insets at the ribcage, and a graphic lace LBD with a high, Victorian-ish neckline. They’re hoping one of them lands on a celebrity soon; that last dress looked like something Rooney Mara might wear to a movie premiere, while the blue pleated frock had a soft, romantic feel that might work nicely at a summer soiree.Naturally, the Gordons paired every dress with Parris’s new jewelry, including crumpled-looking gold hoop earrings, giant baroque pearl drops, and a necklace of sparkly beads clustered together to resemble a light fixture. As sisters-slash-codesigners who work together every single day, Parris and Chloé are especially in sync; their clothing and jewelry is so harmonious, it feels almost intuitive.Flipping through the more familiar Beaufille-isms on the rack—mustard neoprene tops, asymmetrical skirts, sharp outerwear—Chloé explained they were thinking about vintage. The flowery burnout velvet they used was inspired by the hanging-by-a-thread camisoles they often find in secondhand shops, for instance, and a mini-check suit had the wide collar, big buttons, and boxy silhouette of a ’60s style. The Gordons are hoping these pieces are “future vintage,” in that you’ll love them so much, you’ll keep wearing them for the next decade (or two, or three).
14 June 2018
Chloé and Parris Gordon named their label Beaufille for its French translation (“handsome girl”), referring to the masculine-feminine balance at the heart of their brand. Each season, they meditate on the theme in a different way. Initially, it was with superwide flares that featured contrast topstitching, “menswear” fabrics on romantic silhouettes, or turtlenecks with slick hardware. Fall 2018 had some of the most compelling results yet, perhaps because it felt like a palate cleanser. There were fewer dramatic shapes and more classic Beaufille-isms: softly structured tops, classic blazers, and body-skimming knits.Tailoring was the standout, but it was hardly masculine. In lieu of traditional men’s techniques, Chloé added extra darts and boning around the waistline and chest, so a long checkered trench gently hugged the body. A mock patent leather minidress had similar curved underwire stitching to create a sculpted silhouette. It looked especially cute—and a little mod—with a sheer plaid button-down underneath. (It came in a glossy white satin too.)The Gordons are hands-on designers, though, and they don’t swan around in dresses most days. Parris designs the label’s jewelry (including Fall’s pretty, light-fixture-inspired rhinestone earrings and pearl drops) and gets her hands dirty in the metalworking studio, while Chloé experiments with textiles. They’ll be living in their comfy neoprene separates next fall—and if neoprene gives you flashbacks of fit-and-flare digital-print dresses, don’t freak out. Their version feels more like soft, smooth jersey with just a little bit of body. A puffed-sleeve V-neck top felt like a sweatshirt, but would easily work for a cocktail party. It’s the kind of basic you didn’t know you needed.
9 February 2018
Beaufillehas always been about contrasts: hard and soft, masculine and feminine. It all goes back to the name, which loosely translates to “handsome girl” in French. For Spring, sisters Chloe and Parris Gordon were mostly concerned with contrasts between organic and polished elements. That started with fabrics: Chloe said they went against conventional wisdom by treating their simplest materials—cotton poplin, ribbed knits—with extra TLC, while the fancier fabrics like silk chiffon and heavy satin were left almost untouched. The results were elegant on both sides: a white poplin shirtdress came with ultra-delicate ruching through the waist, while a no-frills satin slip dress was the perfect shade of violet.The silhouettes in general felt lighter and fresher, too. Beaufille is known for its dramatic, sculptural pieces—extra-wide flares, major ruffled tops, bell-sleeve jackets—and in the past, the Gordons often whipped them up in “spring-y” fabrics for the warmer months. The look could still skew a bit heavy, though. This time around, their new pleated miniskirts, clingy knit dresses, and puff-sleeve shirting had a breezier, more feminine air about them. Fans of Beaufille’s kicked-out flares needn’t worry, though; this season the girls made them in a special coated fabric that mimics leather, but Chloe promised it’s paper-thin.
9 September 2017
BeaufilledesignersChloéand Parris Gordon are hitting their stride. Last year, the label was picked up by Net-a-Porter, and some of the pieces sold out the first day. Other retailers were quick to follow NAP’s lead, and suddenly Beaufille wasn’t so under the radar anymore. It isn’t often that a young brand is both editorially and commercially successful, but the Gordon sisters have figured out a formula for that balance. Their signatures include minimal lines, crafty textiles, and bold yet wearable silhouettes—the sort of clothes that make you look ineffably cool without really trying.The siblings aren’t resting on their laurels, though. For Fall ’17, they wanted to take a few risks with colors and prints inspired by Nova Scotia, where they spent the summer. Past collections were predominantly black, white, and gray, with the occasional burgundy or olive, so the marigold chiffon dresses and skirts stood out. They also felt surprisingly romantic for Beaufille and were pretty, though not as memorable as their harder-edged pieces. For instance, an elongated blazer in high-shine black satin came with tiny white topstitches along the seams and beneath the breasts, like the outline of a bustier. It was a subtle tweak, but represented the line’s feminine-masculine contrasts nicely.Elsewhere, the duo revisited the flared trousers, off-the-shoulder wrap tops, and statement outerwear we’ve been seeing on the streets. But the abstract black and taupe print on a V-neck dress looked unlike anything Beaufille has ever done; Chloé explained that it was a “discharge print,” in which dye is removed from the fabric instead of being added. From afar, it resembled a beaded necklace (which would be fitting, considering Beaufille’s jewelry line), and it nailed the earthy-meets-abstract look they were going for.Speaking of jewelry, Parris reported that this collection was their biggest yet. She discovered a beautiful speckled white stone called leopard agate that she used for giant earrings, cuffs, and rings. Every piece of agate is different, so each item will be one of a kind; the hoops in particular would be the ideal foil to one of the backless dresses.
13 February 2017
Two heads are usually better than one, especially for Chloé and Parris Gordon, the sisters and designers behindBeaufille. Sisters often share a cosmic bond, an innate way of knowing what the other is thinking or feeling without explaining it. That kind of connectedness must be a nice bonus when they’re in the beginning stages of a new collection. Both girls share a fondness for clean lines—past Beaufille hits include angular cropped flares and languid slip dresses—but they were ready to take a few risks this season. “Fall was really big for us and opened up a lot of doors, but it was quite dark, so we knew we needed to turn up the volume this time,” Chloé said. So she and Parris pored over aerial photographs of Roberto Burle Marx’s sprawling gardens, which were vivid and geometric, but also natural. They informed the ruffles and softer lines in the Spring ’17 collection, like a taupe off-the-shoulder dress with wavy edges or the big ruffles seen on the hem of a pinstripe skirt. Backless tops are becoming a bit of a Beaufille signature, too, so they tweaked a past style with romantic poufed sleeves.Denim was the newest development, but unlike their peers who are deconstructing and distressing it, Chloé and Parris are concerned with refining it. “We wanted it to be dressed up, but in an unexpected way, so you can take denim to a cocktail party,“ Parris said. The designers used a crispy, inky blue denim for super-flared jeans and a few simple dresses with white topstitching. Paired with the duo’s new curvy, silver single earrings, which mimicked flower petals, the V-neck dress could certainly pass at an upscale dinner party. That’s a good example of the label’s big-picture ethos, which Parris summed up nicely: “These are subtle editorial pieces that take a girl’s average look to the next level, but without feeling like she’s going to work in a costume,” she said. “It’s still fashion, but it’s not unwearable, and retailers are really happy about our price point.” Cool clothes that are actually affordable? That’s a great place to be right now. It would have been nice to see the sisters add some color into the mix, or even a floral print, given the Roberto Burle Marx reference. Here’s hoping that’s in the works for Fall ’17; until then, their statement jackets, midi dresses, and leg-lengthening flares should garner plenty of attention.
14 September 2016
Beaufille, the Toronto-based label helmed by sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon, has been gaining traction with retailers, editors, and It girls in recent seasons. But chances are many of them don’t actually know where the name Beaufille (pronouncedbo-fee) comes from. It’s a term the Gordons came up with by mashing together the French wordsbeauandfille—so “handsome girl,” a nod to the masculine-feminine contrasts at the heart of their label. Many brands will cite a similar ethos, but Beaufille’s artisanal touches; inventive fabrics; and long, lean silhouettes give it an edge.For their first Resort collection, the Gordons zeroed in on their strengths and set out to design easy, transitional pieces in the Beaufille spirit. That meant heavy satin slip dresses with underwire stitching, a detail they carried over from Fall ’17, and a few refined, pared-back skirt and dress options for the holiday party circuit. Beaufille is also known for statement tailoring, and here the jackets were gently sculpted with boning through the hips.The biggest news was shirting, a category Chloé mentioned expanding on for Spring ’18. Their shirts weren’t deconstructed or oversize, as is the current trend; instead, they came in a smooth, silky cotton with mutton sleeves or a shoulder-skimming neckline. Parris explained that their shirts and blouses are typically inspired by men’s clothing from the 17th and 18th centuries, when powerful guys wore ruffles and frills. “That’s sort of what Beaufille is about,” she said. “Clothes that look feminine but actually come from menswear.”
9 June 2017
It took a few seasons forBeaufilledesigners Chloé and Parris Gordon to find their footing, but now that they’ve established their signatures and understand what their customer really wants, they’re golden. The sisters hosted their first-everNew York Fashion Weekpresentation with Made at Milk Studios today, and the lineup included tweaks on best-selling pieces as well as brand-new innovative ideas. For example, a creamy, open-knit wool sweater and skirt were both handmade with water soluble bags, a technique Chloé perfected last season: She gathered a pile of wool into a bag, embroidered on top of it over and over, and threw it into a tub of water to dissolve the plastic-y material. “Those wool pieces have this vulnerability and delicacy that we love,” Chloé explained. Next to those soft organic knits were pieces with a harder edge, like wiry sterling-silver chokers (designed by Parris, who studied metalsmithing in school) and oxblood coats that looked like patent leather but were actually boiled wool coated in polyurethane. “There are so many designers who do leather jackets really well, so we wanted to do something a little different,” Chloé said. “This fabric gets more marked up every time you wear it, so over time, it just gets cooler and cooler.”The Gordon sisters are interested in avant-garde fabrics and silhouettes, but they’re also keyed into what their customer is actually going to wear. “We’re building on the pieces that people really buy from us,” Parris said. For instance, their black dresses and separates always get picked up for Fall, so they “elevated” them with optic white stitching or a crinkly, smocked texture. In general, the drama seemed to be turned up on every piece: Lapels on a jacket were extra wide, and Beaufille’s popular cropped flares had an even wider bell at the bottom. In the background, an all-girl garage band from the ’60s was playing over the speakers. “These girl bands were underdogs competing against the boys, so we were thinking about that, too,” Parris said. It’s hard for young designers to stand out on the crowdedNYFW calendar—or to make it onto the calendar at all—but Beaufille likely won’t be an underdog for long.
17 February 2016
When there are two designers who run a label—let alone two siblings—you can’t help but wonder how often they clash behind the scenes. For Beaufille’s Parris Gordon and Chloé Gordon, sisterly disagreements are inevitable, but their unique, lifelong bond also makes them ideal collaborators. Chloé, whose background is in textiles, knows which knits or tech fabrics will work best with Parris’s hardware and jewelry (Parris studied metalsmithing), and vice versa. From there, the collection sort of unfolds organically, and Spring was particularly harmonious.“In the past, we would think of really specific inspirations and start there, but now we kind of work backward,” Parris explained. “We’re working more intuitively.” Of Spring ’16’s sharp lines, silver ring cutouts, and high-tech materials, she said, “We immediately thought it looked retro-futuristic—there’s aStar Wars–in-the-’70s quality.” That mood came through best in a mid-length ivory slip dress with D-rings and trailing ribbons at the shoulders. Slips are a huge trend for Spring, but they’ve been a Beaufille best-seller for a few seasons now. Elsewhere, the ring details became more prominent, creating pockets of air on a sleeveless jacket or dotting the curved edge of a dress. Cropped flares with chunky zippers also stood out; both the rust suede and black jersey varieties would give your favorite jeans a run for their money. In addition to that minimal, sculptural theme, there was an emphasis on more artisanal details, like a one-shoulder top that looked like it was made of tangled threads. Chloé handmade it by throwing bundles of yarn into water-soluble bags, pinning the strings together, and embroidering them over and over for hours at a time. Then she dunked the mass in a bathtub and watched the bags dissolve, so all that was left was the manipulated fabric. Consider it a modern take on lace or crochet—with just a touch of high tech.
15 October 2015
"Hard and soft…" "Heavy and free…" "Masculine and feminine…"Beaufille's cofounders Chloe and Parris Gordon interrupt each other habitually. Happily, as design partners, the Toronto sisters chime harmoniously. Parris studied jewelry design and smithing. That explains why this young brand—launched in 2013—boasts such an evolved arsenal of hardware and accessories. Especially strong were the bandanna-silhouette choker, the hand-tooled chain links on outerwear, and the buckles on a black cowhide backpack patterned with belts that Chloe reports gets ordered off Parris' back.Chloe takes care of the clothes. These cover a narrow spectrum confidently. The soft/free/feminine pole of Beaufille is expressed through loose knits, some ribbed, in cashmere and wool. There was a flounce to the skirts, and she favors a V-neck of what-would-your-mother-say depth. High turtlenecks were the counterpoint. Thumbholes added snuggle. A silk and viscose shirt had semi-sheer relief lines, gentle scalloping at the hem, and invisible zippers at the side for moments of revelation.Against this yield comes the heft of hard/heavy/masculine: outerwear and long wrap skirts with patch pockets, Parris' gleaming buckles, and belts with a militarily touched solidity. The materials look brawnier than they feel. A melton-esque skirt and lavishly lapeled sleeveless topcoat were actually made of two light layers of wool with sponge between them. The green distressed leather was faux. And the beast of a trench was neoprene licked with urethane, unlined but with bound seams to give a formidable-looking outer layer. That green apart, the collection was mostly neutrals. As a near-monochrome articulation of metallic-flashed sisterly accord, it's a handsome proposition.
19 March 2015