Damson Madder Clothing, Dresses & Bags

Damson Madder got its name from a fabric trial. Two of the colours were damson, a deep plum, and madder, the flowering plant that red dye came from. Emma Hill spent years buying for the high street before she started the London label in 2020, and she built it around the details she'd never been able to use: puffed sleeves, oversized collars, bows on everything. The midi dresses are what most people come for. Of the bags, the Waverly is the one we'd take home.

Damson Madder Dresses: Lyra, Ebba and Bridget

Most of what Damson Madder does to a dress is add volume. Gathering, shirring, a ruffle in a spot you wouldn't necessarily expect one. It doesn't photograph flat especially well, so if you've scrolled past one of these and not been sure about it, that's usually the reason. They behave differently on. The midi lengths are where it works best and Lyra and Ebba are the two we'd start with, or Bridget if you want the same thing shorter. We wear ours with a flat trainer and a cardigan more often than with anything smarter.

Damson Madder Bags, Socks and Accessories

Emma Hill has talked about pulling ideas from vintage haberdashery and old household linens, and it shows in the prints. Gingham, check, pointelle, argyle — the sort of thing that turns up in a drawer at your gran's. They come back round rather than getting replaced every season, so a scrunchie or a pair of knee-high socks bought now will still sit happily with a dress from a couple of years back, which is more than we can say for a lot of what we carry. The bags are where the brand lets itself off the leash. The Rosah is plain enough to take anywhere and the Waverly is a barrel bag covered in ruffles.

Damson Madder Coats, Jeans and Blouses

The plainer end of the range is what you'll reach for on a normal day, and it's the half we'd point you at first if the prints aren't your thing. A Sofia trench over a printed midi, or the Felix jeans with a plain tee, will get either of them out of the house on an ordinary Tuesday. The blouses do a similar job — plain enough through the body to sit under a coat, with the Lettie keeping all of its detail in the bow.

If you want to keep going, there's more in womens dresses, and our bags and coats and jackets cover the rest of what we carry.

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