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Friday, October 15, 2010

You what, they’ve sold Tottilas!?

First it was the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic and then it was the ‘priceless, money can’t buy’ horse…is there any truth in anything these days? As it’s just been announced one of the best, most coveted dressage horses of all time, Moorlands Totilas has been sold!

After months of speculation and denial by its owners, it was announced by Cees Visser of Moorlands Stables that Totilas has been sold to Paul Schockemohle, the former showjumper turned top European breeder.

Only recently Totilas’ rider, Edward Gal denied rumours stating whilst in America –

“I’ve heard those rumours too, they’re not true, nothing is going on.”

But now in an announcement that has sent shockwaves through the Dressage and indeed whole equestrian community, Cess Visser stated –

“After Kentucky, however, we could no longer ignore the interest in the stallion.  Therefore, the time came to discuss matters with one another, and we decided to let Moorlands Totilas go.”

Having seemingly broken every world record going, including Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle it’s no doubt going to come as a blow for Edward's 'horse of a lifetime' as he’s often described him.  However his sponsors, Cees and Tosca offered reassurance to the rider insisting they’ll “keep supplying him with potential top horses in the coming years.”

Monday, October 11, 2010

Horsey designer Luella returns with the launch of English style book

Horse loving fashion designer Luella Bartley MBE is rumoured to be considering a come back to fashion design after her label collapsed in 2009.

Her clothing label ‘Luella’ with its flagship Mayfair boutique were forced to cease trading when one of its main suppliers, the Italian  production company, Carla Carini closed leaving orders for the label’s spring/summer 2010 collection unfulfilled. Her Singapore based distribution company VSQ then withdrew its support. Her demise came as a massive shock to the fashion industry which awarded Luella the coveted Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards in 2008.

Her clothing was often a quirky take on traditional themes which included some strong equestrian influences like hacking jackets with ¾ length sleeves and idiosyncratic modern details. Her first collection in 1999 was humorously entitled “Daddy, I want a pony”.

Now the former journalist and Vogue employee who lives with her three children and fashion photographer partner David Sims in Cornwall has been reported to be considering a return to clothes design. Her new book, Luella’s Guide to English Style is due to be published later this month and many are hoping that this will be the precursor to her reviving the Luella brand.

At Dogwood we’re great fans of Luella and pray that the rumours are all true and this dreadful waste of British design talent does make a comeback to the London fashion stage.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Dogwood to launch own brand clothing range

After months of planning, Dogwood are set to launch a range of own brand equestrian clothing.

An initial collection including casual tops and gilets for women and men will be followed by a refreshingly contemporary take on traditional competition jackets, breeches and casual outerwear. The ultimate plan is to bring to the market an entire range of stylish clothing largely based on traditional themes but with a contemporary cut, suitable for town or country. Our aim is to make the range as accessible as possible whilst employing fine quality fabrics and the highest standards of manufacture. The initial collection will be available on the Dogwood website and to view in our showroom from early 2011 as well as from a number of select outlets across the country.

Negotiations are currently under way with a number of designers who are set to start work on the collection within the next few weeks. We’re keen to see a large part of the collection designed and manufactured in England using British designers and fabrics entirely sourced in the UK. There are some practical constraints to this becoming a reality for the entire collection but as much as possible we intend to fly the flag and keep things home grown. Watch this space..!

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