Labels We Love: Equipment
Equipment’s Soho boutique, courtesy of their Facebook page.
Even for those who follow fashion, Christian Restoin isn’t exactly a household name. A quick Google search reveals that if it wasn’t for his longtime partner Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of French Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and his model daughter Julia Restoin Roitfeld, he’d be nearly, well, un-Googleable.
It’s ironic, when you consider that his greatest contribution to the industry bears a very recognizable name: Equipment. The womenswear brand first launched 40 years ago, and has been a perennial favorite with the coolest film, music, and fashion stars. Lauren Bacall was an early adopter, seamlessly incorporating the menswear-inspired designs into her famously no-frills wardrobe.
From Equipment’s inception, the silk button-down blouse was the signature piece, one meant to be both provocative and timeless. On one hand, it was a harbinger of the Annie Hall aesthetic that would begin transforming women’s wardrobes the following year. On the other, it was a throwback to Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and other powerful style icons of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
But the brand’s early years were indeed part of a new era for women’s fashion. Whereas Ms. Hepburn had to discreetly purchase men’s shirts from a secret counter at Brooks Brothers, Equipment’s female customers bought their button-downs without impediment. This fit in beautifully with the growing androgyny trend, particularly in rock ’n’ roll. David Bowie and Prince were wearing blouses with the same universal sex appeal as Patti Smith and Debbie Harry.
A few successful decades later, in true rock-star fashion, Restoin turned off the lights at Equipment to pursue other projects. But in 2010, with encouragement from Serge Azria (the driving force behind two of Trunk Club Women’s other core brands, Joie and Current/Elliott), Restoin reunited with his landmark label.
Azria felt no one had picked up Equipment’s slack with luxury women’s shirts, so he and Restoin did so with aplomb. They set to work on a heritage collection that maintained the trademark shirt’s androgyny while introducing boldly modern prints and colors. Azria also expanded the brand to include sweaters, slip dresses, and even silk trousers.
Today, walking into either of Equipment’s bicoastal boutiques feels almost like perusing the macaron case at some bakery in Restoin’s native France. Racks are neatly lined with a spectrum of silk blouses—some with collars and sleeves, others without; some bright as citrus fruits, others pale as crème fraîche. In any color, the garments stay true to Restoin’s standard of exquisite construction.
It’s that craftsmanship—along with, no doubt, the romance of a vintage brand reborn—that’s charmed the new age of fashion elite. Equipment’s lookbooks feature some of the European fashion world’s chicest figures: Garance Doré, Caroline de Maigret, and Daria Werbowy. The Kills singer Alison Mosshart regularly wears the label while performing, which is no surprise considering bandmate Jamie Hince is married to Kate Moss.
Moss designed Equipment’s latest capsule collection, drawing upon everything from Bowie–inspired astral prints to textiles screenprinted with her own signature. It’s a collaboration as reflective of Moss’s personal style as it is of Equipment’s lineage: classic, cool, and instantly recognizable.
Even if you don’t recognize Restoin’s name.
