I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the 424 Fifth’s Chief Creative Officer and Senior VP of Design Marie Holman-Rao one afternoon at Hotel Le Germain. It was absolutely wonderful to chat with her and hear all about how the collection came together, her inspiration behind the pieces and her must-have wardrobe pieces.
KK: I am so excited to have this new brand here in Canada. Can you tell me a bit about how the line came to be?
Marie Holman-Rao (MHR): It has been so exciting! The whole idea behind 424 Fifth was to create a exclusive private label brand that was more aspirational than just a commodity product. Bonnie and Richard Baker had wanted to elevate the idea of a private label and since it was Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay together, it had to be something that appealed a lot of different people and different areas. The style really changes across the landscape of Canada but the line is very international. It is also coming from an age-less point of view – we don’t want to just appeal to a demographic but we want to appeal to a certain sociographic. This woman loves fashion and she knows quality value but doesn’t want to spend a fortune.
KK: What will we see at 424 Fifth for each season?
MHR: We wanted classics in the collection as well as pieces that are of-the-moment as well as have a distinct sense of humour. Those are the things you are usually attracted to.
KK: What kind of pieces will be in every collection?
MHR: We will always have a great fitting black pant. We will always have a luxury leather item – like a pant. We will always have the skirt silhouette of the moment. We were really lucky for Spring 2014 that skirts were back in fashion – especially the mid-length skirt which is so elegant!
KK: What are your top five staples for every woman’s wardrobe?
MHR: Definitely a long skirt, for this season. We have it in so many gorgeous colours. A great little cropped jacket, like our striped one is perfect with the long skirts. Coats are a must-have. Our long jacket toppers are fantastic. A classic white boyfriend shirt is key. I like the coming-and-going sweaters as well – a great detail.
The 424 Fifth line is available at all Hudson’s Bay locations in Canada as well as Lord & Taylor in the USA! The collection is absolutely stunning – you can check out the Spring lookbook here! Shop the looks below from Hudson’s Bay – this line is super affordable already but a lot of the items have recently been reduced! What an amazing deal for such gorgeous pieces for the spring.
