Agyness Deyn’s androgynous style gets feminine edge with Title A

It was 2006 when British model-turned-actress Agyness Deyn first made a splash in the fashion world with her punkish peroxide pixie and androgynous style.

Since then, she has fronted ad campaigns for brands such as Burberry and Giorgio Armani while off the runways donning a tomgirl mishmash of menswear, charming vintage pieces and Dr. Martens. For three years, the U.K.-based brand and Deyn have partnered on the youthful Agyness Deyn for Dr. Martens apparel and footwear collection; the current spring-summer line (her fourth and last) references sports-wear and the early Venice Beach surf scene.

Now based in Los Angeles, Deyn is debuting her own, more sophisticated women’s apparel line, Title A, due out early next month. A collaboration with design director Tracy Moore, who worked with Deyn on the Dr. Martens collections, and younger sister Emily Deyn, who serves as operations director, the brand is grounded in borrowed-from-the-boys suiting separates, but also includes T-shirts, tailored skirts and blouses, frocks with a vintage vibe, smoking jacket-dresses and a few timeless coats, ranging from $95 to $916. Pieces in plush velvet and printed satin easily transition into evening.

Deyn characterizes the line’s aesthetic as “clean and simple, but quite punchy” — noting that an inspiration board for the collection features images of Amish women, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and pages from Italian men’s style magazine L’Uomo Vogue.

“We were also thinking of how younger women today are standing up more and having a voice, but titles like Ms. or Mrs. aren’t really as important as they used to be,” she says. “It’s kind of like your title is A. You. It’s straight-up.”

Much like Deyn, who has actually been a Mrs. since June 2012, when she married actor Giovanni Ribisi. She mentions “growing up” in the last few years, accompanied by a craving for pieces made to last and a slight shift in her signature style.

“Even though I’ve dressed so boyish and androgynous for a lot of my life, I feel like now that I’ve hit my thirties and had to grow my hair out for a movie [role], I’ve started to feel more feminine and sexy,” says Deyn. “And Title A definitely has that edge as well. You’re wearing your suit and brogues, something relaxed and confident, and in the evening, you go on a date with your husband and want to wear a dress. But it’s sexy without being provocative. That’s the sweet spot.”

“It’s hard to describe,” Deyn continues. “You know, I remember when we were younger and my mom was probably about 40 [years old] and she would put on my dad’s old clothes to go gardening. She had no makeup on and her hair looked like she had just woken up. I have the fondest memories of this image of her and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s what beauty is.’”

The Title A collection initially will be sold at titlea.com and net-a-porter.com; swimwear will be added in spring 2015 and handbags, footwear and eyewear are also in the works.

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