Sonia Taouhid: Traditional Eccentricity
If you ever find yourself walking through the leafy suburb of Stoke Newington in East London, then I would implore you to check out Sonia Taouhid’s shop on Church Street. This Parisian-born and London-based designer curates 1950s style womenswear which combines classic feminine structures with masculine features. A staple piece of her work, which Sonia has been making since she opened her shop seven years ago in 2017, are her Marlene trousers. Made in four different colours; black, yellow, candyfloss and grey, the trousers use a 1940s-inspired high waisted and wide leg shape, with a wonderfully unique pleated detail at the waistband. The pleating feminises the classic 20th century workwear shape, a theme that permeates through Sonia’s work.
Over an almost hour-long phone call, Sonia and I discuss her journey opening her shop, her inspirations for her designs, and why she loves working with her clients.
Marlene trousers in yellow designed by Sonia Tauohid
Image Credit: soniatauohid.com
During our conversation Sonia reveals to me an unexpected fact about herself- that she has never studied fashion and that she actually dropped out of university after six months of studying History of Arts in Paris: “I left because I knew I really wanted to do fashion. I didn’t want to be a historian or a curator or anything like that.”
Shortly after deciding not to pursue university, Sonia made the brave decision to move to London with some friends. “I worked in retail as soon as I arrived in London, and then I met someone who was, and still is, a designer who had his own studio in Whitechapel. For me it was like a dream to meet somebody like that, and to learn how to craft patterns and use machines. I learned so many different things from him.”
A conversation with Sonia is refreshingly inspirational as she is someone who will take a leap and invest herself into what she believes in. Despite not having any professional training, following learning skills from the Whitechapel designer, and working in retail for several years; including as a Client Advisor for Miu Miu and Alexander McQueen, a friend of Sonia’s let her know about a shop that was up for sale on Church Street in Stoke Newington. Sonia quickly decided to buy the shop, and her flagship shop is now a successful staple of the area.
“Seven years ago I decided to open the shop with a very low budget. If I told you how much I had in the bank account, you would laugh. Sometimes you just do crazy things. Me and finance do not get on very well. The thing is if you think too much about finance then sometimes you just hold yourself from doing things, so you have to do crazy things.”
And crazy things she did. The Parisian now has eight collections under her belt, and she custom makes outfits for her clients in house at her shop.
On the Sonia Taouhid website you can witness the evolution of the womenswear designer. Her AW 20/21 collection named ‘Chiaroscuro’ (below) feels less structured, and doesn’t have extravagant details that can be seen in her later work. The collection focuses on the lines and silhouettes often found in womenswear in the mid 20th century that Sonia is inspired by, but doesn’t seem to yet have the details and cut-outs that make Sonia’s designs distinctly hers. Don’t get me wrong I still love the collection, especially her timeless coat designs, which radiate matriarchal energy. I think an interesting piece of the collection is the wool Lea jacket (top left) which has the boxy shape that is synonymous with Balenciaga. The jacket perfectly contradicts the hour-glass shape created by the matching high waisted trousers, and subtly frames the face. The buckle detailing on the sleeves weighs the outfit wonderfully, and adds needed shape to ensure that the silhouette doesn’t become too streamlined and one dimensional.
Jump three years later, and Sonia’s work has grown into a wonderful amalgamation of her love for those 1950s shapes and her own additions of completely unique details, for example my personal favourite are the cuffs on the Mambo trousers which create an almost rocket-like illusion. The AW 22/23 collection named ‘Eclectique’ (below) alludes to the 1940s Auxiliary Territorial Service outfits, and the feminine workwear designs by Norman Hartnell. The Etienne jumpsuit in particular reminds me of a famous photo of the late Queen Elizabeth II wearing a boiler suit during her driver and mechanic training. The wonderful difference with Sonia’s jumpsuit is of course the laced detailing on the bust which gives the design that modern femininity.
Sonia names Balenciaga, Chanel and Prada as the designers who inspire her work the most. “I love the older Balenciaga stuff, it is still nice now but it doesn’t excite me as much. I am old school, I life the old fashioned brands.”
There are clear influences of older work by Cristóbal Balenciaga in Sonia’s designs, and I feel like Sonia has cleverly combined the iconic framing seen in Balenciaga’s work with the typical high waisted and cinched effects pioneered by Christian Dior. In Sonia Tauohid’s tops the shoulder lines are never simple, and each frame the face differently. For example the Beatrice Blouse elongates the chest and shoulders, creating a straight platform for the neck and face, and the Viviane Blouse has a unique keyhole opening at the neckline which creates a softer, more childish framing of the neck and face.
Sonia’s work also reminds me of Katharine Hepburn. In the 1950s Hepburn was a fashion icon for androgynous chic. She was the daughter of a suffragette, and had a style of dress similar to the effect of Sonia’s image; wide legged pleated trousers, tailored jackets and mannish shirts. During our conversation Sonia shares with me why she loves the iconic 1950s designs, especially when focusing on trousers.
“I love making trousers, I have a thing for them. All of them are high waisted because I am very drawn to the 1940s and 1950s eras, I always get goose bumps when I look at pictures of women from these times. It wouldn’t be practical to behave like them today with women working long hours and all of that, it would be impossible to be like them. Back then, unfortunately, most of them were not working, they were housewives, and they had to look beautiful, and the waist was always cinched in. When the waist is cinched in you balance the body weight in a nice way, you create the hour-glass shape. I love that sort of waist, and if you bring that into more masculine trousers, like Etienne for example- which is inspired by men’s tailored suit trousers, then it is a nice contrast.”
Of course Sonia’s work is not solely a story of tailored workwear, but also one of elegance and more traditional beauty. In the ‘Eclectique’ collection there are three different dresses, all of which encapsulate a more conservative party look. The Gabrielle Dress, which is described by Sonia as being “Reminiscent of Greek sculptures”, drapes over the body fluidly, and hugs the waist just enough to create shape whilst maintaining a relaxed comfortable fit; one almost reminiscent of la garconne style from the 1920s, but not quite as shapeless. The pairing of the dress with platform wedge sandals carries Sonia’s practicality into the look.
Sonia doesn’t just sell her collections, but she also offers a sur mesure (custom made) service. “The shop is the perfect place because you have the shop front where everything is displayed and then there’s a studio space in the back. I feel quite privileged to have that space…because everything is made in house.”
A personal favourite sur mesure order of Sonia’s is when she was asked to design and make dresses for two teenage girls who were going to a wedding in New York. “They were from the Jewish Orthodox community and were going to a wedding. They were only 13 or 14 years old, and at that age they already have to look amazing when they are invited to celebrations like that because it is the time for them to make an impression for a future husband. Of course they are still very young, but at some point in the wedding they put the boys and girls sitting in one room so they can meet each other and see what sort of connection they can make with someone.”
Sonia describes the dresses as being made out of fine silk, one of them in a very light pink and the other a coffee shade. For Sonia it is the relationship between a client and a designer that makes the clothes special. “I had such a good time making the dresses…and the mum was amazing as well, she was so funny.”
When speaking to Sonia it is apparent that she truly understands the hardships of owning a business, and despite being an opportunist who has seemingly never made a decision out of fear but instead out of passion and interest, she is a realist who does not put too much emphasis on monetary ownership as a measure of her success: “Financially it is not usually rewarding, hopefully at some point we’ll be able to start on a more stable way, but it is very rewarding in terms of waking up every morning and being able to do what I love. If you have joy over doing what you like then it does not feel like a job.”
Towards the end of our conversation I ask Sonia who she envisions wearing her clothes: “I would say my ideal clients are strong women who can laugh about everything. She might be the CEO of a top company, but she has a great sense of humour and she is not scared of being the centre of attention.”
