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When news broke that Marc Jacobs was dissolving the Marc by Marc Jacobs line, Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley immediately announced plans to continue their own creative partnership by establishing a new ready-to-wear line, Hillier Bartley. Four months later, Vogue reports that they are officially accepting pre-orders on the first collection from that line right now on MatchesFashion.com.
"For the first time, I feel I've done something that is wholly me," Luella Bartley told Vogue. "It's dapper and rakish, but with a kind of rock-'n'-roll femininity about it. The fabric is the sort Savile Row tailors use—you don't feel it until you wear it, but then you understand the quality. It feels like it's time for something authentic, with longevity."
Hillier still splits her time between consulting on Marc Jacobs, running her own jewelry line, and designing Hillier Bartley, but it doesn't sound like the stress is getting to her."I didn't want to be restricted," Hillier says of designing the new line. "I'm really just enjoying that freedom to do exactly what I want." The line's luxurious, relaxed aesthetic doesn't come cheap: currently, pieces from the line range from $500 "mum high-waist jeans" to a $2,849 floor-length double-breasted wool coat.