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Toile — that’s pronounced ‘tw-all’ for those of us outside of France — is having a moment. Well, really, it can be argued that it’s been having a moment since the late 18th century.
Toile de Jouy, to use its full name, essentially means cloth from Jouy-en-Josas; an area southwest of Paris. This signature patterned, cotton fabric that is still prevalent today originated in a textile factory in 1760 — so yes, you can definitely see why it has that ‘vintage’ look. The original versions usually depicted hand-drawn, thinly sketched pastoral scenes or imagery of the French countryside. Today, toile can bear any kind of print or colour, although the most common are still blues, reds, and blacks.
While toile has remained popular in the interiors world, it has enjoyed a real resurgence as of late, thanks largely to Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior. Her impeccably detailed canvas Book Tote (you know the one, that every influencer seems to have a custom monogrammed version of) and similarly elaborate toile scarfs, shirts and shoes have been steadily bringing an antiquated style of luxury back to the fore.
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Oscar de la Renta’s design duo Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia sang from the same hymn sheet too, with toile bathing suits and ballgowns, and the distinctive printed fabric has been steadily creeping into collections at Gucci, Tibi, Acne, Tory Burch and Rachel Antonoff.
Tibi Spring Summer 2019
Acne Spring Summer 2019
Tabatha Dress, €177 from TheReformation.com
Jungle Print Souvenir Shirt Dress, €79 from UrbanOutfitters.com
Delphine Lace Up Shorts by For Love & Lemons, €180 from Intermix.com
Jungle Toile Shoes, €51.72 from Keds.co.uk
Floral Boilersuit by BDG, €95 from UrbanOutfitters.com
Lace Up Midi Dress, €23.15 from NewLook.com
Minilite Umbrella, €32 from CathKidston.com
Midi Dress, €186 from RachelAntonoff.com
Floral Midi Dress by Glamorous, €62.50 from SimplyBe.ie
Bridget Maxi by LoveShackFancy, €531 from NetAPorter.com
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