The ruffled sleeves and ditsy florals of Laura Ashley are having a moment - again. This time, the brand's archival designs from the 1980s through the 2010s have landed at Beyond Retro's Coal Drops Yard outpost in London, part of the "100 Years of an Icon" campaign celebrating founder Laura Ashley's legacy. The timing is impeccable: vintage Ashley prints feature prominently in the second season of "Rivals," the Jilly Cooper adaptation steeped in Eighties excess. For those who remember, Laura Ashley's romantic, Victorian-inflected aesthetic - think high-necked blouses, pouf sleeves, and delicate lace - was as much a staple of the era's wardrobes as power shoulders. The brand's founder, who began printing fabrics on her kitchen table in 1953, built an empire on nostalgia and practicality, a sensibility that resonates anew with today's vintage collectors. The sale offers pieces ranging from breezy white cotton dresses to silk confections with rosettes, priced from £30 to £300 for the rarest finds. All have been culled from the brand's vast archive, stored in a former Cheshire salt mine - a fittingly atmospheric vault for decades of design history. Beyond Retro's in-house studio has also crafted a limited capsule of upcycled pieces from deadstock Ashley fabrics, including unisex waistcoats and charm keychains. "We want people to enjoy these clothes the same way we do," said Poppy Marshall-Lawton, the brand's vice president, noting that the archive holds far more treasures. Future sales with different partners are likely, as the team continues to find new homes for thousands of pieces, from 2000s-era designs to childrenswear. For now, this collaboration offers a rare chance to own a slice of textile history - one that has dressed everything from suburban cottages to Sloane Ranger soirées.
Originally reported by WWD