Ten collections in, Reid Baker and Inês Amorim have staked out a niche for Ernest W. Baker. It has been picked up and custom ordered and worn by—not placed on—marquee names like Pharrell Williams (who wore a striped faux-fur coat to sing “Happy” at the reopening of Notre Dame), Lady Gaga, and G-Dragon. It also draws a steady following of tastemakers, fashion lovers and cinema types from all over.
Movies always feature on the Ernest W. Baker mood board, and this season the lookbook was even shot in an abandoned movie hall. For inspiration, the duo reached back to The Fog, the cult horror flick by John Carpenter from 1980. That’s not a political statement, they noted. “We found peace within it,” Baker offered. “The beautiful thing about fashion is that it’s so immersive, you block out all the external noise. You can live in the moment.”
The designers said they wanted to lean into intention and detail, elevating clothes with hand-embellishments, knitting, and crochet by local artisans in and around Porto. “We so admire people who dedicate their life to making things that resonate,” Baker said. “It’s our job to highlight those old-world crafts in a way that feels modern.”
Out of the fog came a handmade white crocheted cardigan with black trim and gold buttons whose starting point needs no parsing, a zigzag knit with a Lynchian bent by way of Twin Peaks, and Swarovski crystal as a stand-in for tuxedo stripes. Starting from “grandfather brown,” they spun the palette out into the earthy tones of the 1970s, while a structured blazer paired with skinny, stone-studded trousers leaned more ’50s glam. The stricter side of men’s tailoring was on show in military-inspired shirts and jackets, a current carried over from last winter (when things get tense out there, those tend to move fast, the designers allowed); elsewhere lines softened on jewel-collar jackets, while plays on scale, in houndstooth, checks, and pinstripes, brought a fresh twist. In the timeless department, controlled flares looked sharp and suede trenches with leather linings and lapels looked like keepers.
A burgeoning accessories line riffed on signet rings and faux-gem necklaces, while gold safety pins adorned with rosettes addressed the brand’s romantic side. But it’s the sharp flares, sassy jackets, and suede trenches that held the most promise.
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