Photo: James Ingram/ Jive Photographic Photo: James Ingram/ Jive Photographic

He’s got the look

By | Oct 28, 2010

Halifax singer/songwriter Ryan MacGrath wanted a fashion statement to complement his new album Cooper Hatch Paris. He wanted a detailed yet classic suit to wear for his album’s photo shoot and future performances. Enter fashion designer of the moment and 2009 Off the Cuff winner Louanna Murphy.

The two artists met through a mutual con-nection. Murphy impressed Argyle Fine Arts director Adriana Afford, after the gallery hosted Off the Cuff (a competition for emerg-ing designers) last year. MacGrath had sat in as a guest judge and was part-icularly impressed with her menswear. Now rep-resenting MacGrath as his manager, Afford weighed in regarding Murphy as a potential designer.

“Louanna is not just a creative person but someone who can also make clothes that are beautifully seamed, tech-nically correct and are built to last,” says Afford.

Her work intrigued MacGrath. “I really adored what she had done with her menswear,” he says. “It was street-ready and impeccably crafted. I went right up to her after the Off the Cuff show to let her know how much I loved her work.”

A graduate of NSCAD and Dalhousie’s costume-studies program, P.E.I. native Murphy draws inspiration from period styles. After their initial meeting this spring, the musician and designer clicked.

“Ryan had a specific look in mind,” she recalls. “He pictured a travelling gentleman, something very Old World with a distinct colour scheme of light blues, beiges and golds. I immediately began sketching and headed straight to the fabric store.”

Fresh from her Off the Cuff win, Murphy was able to release her own line to the public at Biscuit General Store in Halifax and earned well-deserved praise and media coverage. However, collaborating with an established musician like MacGrath was an entirely new venture.

“I always try to put my own personal touch on everything but I also respected that Ryan had a vision,” she says. “He really pictured himself wearing historical cuts. When you’re working with someone else you have to let them take you where they want to go.”

In the end, Murphy created a unique suit for MacGrath. The ensemble consists of a camel-brown, three-button fitted suit jacket with an 18th-century inspired double-breasted waistcoat (or vest) with ivory and gold fabric and gold buttons. Light tan and cuffed tapered pants made with herringbone wool complete this striking look.

Born in Antigonish and now Halifax-based, MacGrath established his musical prowess on his first album, In My Own Company, released in 2009, earning him two Nova Scotia Music Award nominations. He drew the new album’s name, Cooper Hatch Paris, from three previous tenants in a Dartmouth house MacGrath once rented. Together, he felt they flowed like a fashion name (akin to Yves Saint Laurent) and were open to interpretation.

“The new album is quite rich and layered,” he says. “We produced it very carefully and I feel that this is the same way that Louanna created my suit.” Cooper Hatch Paris’s lush and intricate melodies play out with the same romantic bent as his finely crafted attire.
Although he is thrilled with all three pieces and describes the overall ensemble as having an “equestrian vibe,” he admits that the waistcoat (or vest) is his favourite. “It’s a shiny cream coloured fabric, with almost a diamond pattern, double breasted with a row of buttons on either side,” he says. “It almost feels like an elegant form of armour.”

MacGrath has previously described his style as “dandy chic” and says that he has always adored simple, well-tailored clothes. He takes cues from Paris menswear from the 1920s and ’30s. In the early stages of working with Murphy, he had distinct ideas on how the suit would take shape.

“At the time, I was really inspired by the 1800s and a South of France aesthetic. I loved the film Young Victoria and was really drawn to those regal clothes,” he says.

Aside from the album photos, the pieces are making appearances at various shows. MacGrath wore the vest to his CD release party at the Carleton in September and plans to continue mixing and matching the three pieces separately at upcoming events.

Murphy says that collaborating with a musician is something she would do again. “I have a love/hate relationship with design,” she says. “Each of Ryan’s pieces were challenging but through listening to his music and communicating, we really came to understand each other.”

Meanwhile, Murphy has just completed putting the final touches on her Fall 2010 line, which is now available at Biscuit General Store on Argyle Street. She worked with her sister, jewellery designer Hilary Murphy, to create a line that is “glam but at the same time very chill.” The luxurious fabrics are what most might expect to find used for formal evening gowns but will instead appear unconventionally in more casual pieces. Murphy also declares an emphasis on big pockets and lots of layering.

Aside from a busy touring schedule and heading back into the studio to work on a new album, MacGrath will continue pursuing his admiration for all things fashionable. On November 5, Ryan MacGrath and The Caravan will provide the soundtrack for the Turbine Showcase 2010 at Saint Patrick’s Church on Brunswick Street. Designer Lisa Drader-Murphy is unveiling over 350 new looks and wanted music to accentuate this ethereal venue and runway show. MacGrath will perform 14 songs, accompanying 14 different collections.

“Lisa asked me to do this show and I thought it would be a great fit,” MacGrath says. “I adore fashion and I love dressing up. My shows often have a theatrical bent and I feel like my music and fashion are a great pairing. We are completely in tune.”

Canadian musicians favouring local designers is a hot fashion trend. MacGrath cites the likes of Hawksley Workman (who wore Orphanage clothing for his national tour) and Sarah Slean (who recently toured wearing recycled gowns by Canadian designers).

Adriana Afford thinks it’s an interesting fusion of talents. “A lot of musicians here might not even consider this as an option,” she says. “But when you get a designer making clothing for a specific artist not only are they creating clothing to fit to a T, but it is also one of a kind and made to work when they are actually performing.”

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  1. Bill Soper Says:
    November 5, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    Where is the venue featured in this article? It looks lovely by I have no idea where it is.

  2. Trevor J. Adams Says:
    November 8, 2010 at 11:46 am

    That’s at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts on Chebucto Road.