The brand we love: Emma Manley’s S/S 2013 collection

Dublin-based Emma Manley studied fashion design in Dublin and then moved to New York where she interned with luxury sportswear label VPL, heading up designs for a number of NY Fashion Week shows.

A move to Alexander McQueen in London saw Emma hone her skills in embellishment and design. There she worked under Sarah Burton, including Lee McQueen’s final show at Alexander McQueen.

From this great education and experience, Miss Manley founded her brand. “Manley is a play on words, and is anything but an androgynous aesthetic,” says her manifesto. “Feminine frivolity and urban streetwear juxtapose to make garments hard and soft, powerful and preciously delicate at once.”

Manley’s SS13 collection pays tribute to every girl’s search for love and shows the deep spirit of Manley.  It exposes her girlishness, her endearing naivety, but it also highlights her infallible enthusiasm to keep searching.

This mesmerising collection is bathed in delicate pastel colours and is sprinkled with studs. Manley marries fabrics that are somewhat contradictory or perhaps stand for different things and this season is no different.

The collection flirts with sportswear just like she used to. It adds a lightness to the shapes and makes it thoroughly comfortable and easy to wear. 

The line is full of contemporary separates with opposite asymmetries – we especially love the leather metallic gold top embellished with studs.  The pencil skirt paired with a Peter Pan collar sweater is perfect for the girl who wants alternative evening wear, and metallic leathers are tamed by beautiful jerseys and wools, while perforated leathers are amplified by dispersed rounded stud detailing.

For further information, visit Emma Manley’s website here.

Laura De Vittori

Watch the fashion film for Emma Manley’s label here