Sophie Toohey of Mr Rose

Mr Rose is a destination for women who crave individual style. Australian tailored femme shirting in luxurious European textiles plus Bespoke by Sasha, accessories couturier, specialising in silk flower headpieces, brooches and chokers. We chat with creative director and founder, Sophie Toohey about the thrill of detail and women with style.

How did your journey start?
I have been extremely lucky to have many fabulous women in my life who have all been big lovers of style. When I was about seven, my avid traveling great aunt gave me a pair of black leather shoes from a trip to Paris. The scent of the leather was intoxicating, they were soooo soft to touch and looked just like something Madeleine would wear – I was in love and when they didn’t fit I was mortified!!! I was totally bewitched by them – it was my first known adrenaline rush over a piece of beauty.

Who do you admire abroad (designers, creative makers)?
I am really enamored by artists – they are creatives who continually throw their soul out for all to see – it’s courageous, inspiring and brilliant. Photographers, Laurie Simmons and her “Walking Cake II” makes me a very happy person, and I love Australian photographer Samantha Everton who does really interesting digital surrealist work. Mark Rothko is a man of my colouring dreams– his paintings just seem to reach out and captivate. Then on the flip side, I love the flamboyant illustrations of Erté. There are loads, and we are really lucky to have our boutique surrounded by many fabulous galleries – so inspiration and soul soothing is readily available.

What goes into the art of shirting for women?
For Mr Rose, it’s a combination of a few vital elements. A great cut that will flatter and create a beautiful silhouette, fabrics that feel amazing on the body, it may be the perfect “crispness” or have an interesting texture or print. Finally and very importantly it’s the detail that gives the individual edge. This is the element that people who have an eye for it pick up immediately - it’s sometimes subtle, sometimes loud – it might be a top stitch across a shoulder line or it might be a flamboyant frill for the whole world to see. When a client walks in and comments on the tiniest stitch or the curve of a collar, I get a real thrill.

Can you share the story behind one of your latest collections/favourite lines?
The traditional English hunting sock! I came across some old pictures and my eye went straight for these socks, two-toned, contrasting coloured delights, with little side tassels – lots of personality! So I started looking into the dress of the traditional hunter. And yeah I am not personally into hunting but what they wear is quite eccentric and fun. So starting with a shirt, whether it’s a check or stripe, pulled in with a cropped waistcoat, finished with a necktie and then moving down to some fabulous knickerbockers style pantaloons and then ta-daaaa the hunting sock! They also don a hat which I also appreciate. The perfect feel for an autumn winter collection – textural and warm.

Tell us about your beautiful AW campaign fashion femmes shoot?
Our boutique in Paddington is surrounded by lots of businesses – most of them are run by women. Having been here for more than two years, I have gotten to know quite of few of them and am continually getting inspired and excited about what they are up to. So when it came to showcasing the AW collection I thought it would be fun and interesting to do a shoot where these fabulous women donned the garb and were photographed in classic portrait style. Our photographer Anthony Gerneart did a fabulous job – so we have nine awesome Paddington business women bringing our style to life!

Can you talk us through the aesthetic and function of your boutique retail space in Paddington?
Aesthetically it’s a combination of a gallery vs salon vs showroom – its not a traditional retail space in the sense that there are not loads of racks of clothes, we only put one of everything out – we want to to showcase each piece and style. It’s a space we dedicate to creativity, design, personal service and freedom of self-expression. We really encourage our clients to try lots of different styles on, often it’s the pieces that they may not have immediately chosen that they end up loving – its creating a really comfortable and fun environment for them to feel at ease in doing so – the joy of dressing up and experimentation! Good for the soul.

What's the key to contemporary dressing?
Going with how you feel and to mix it up!

What’s Sydney’s best-kept secret (outside of your business)?
Walking along the cliff face at the golf course of North Bondi– you can see the colourful cross sections of the sandstone of the cliffs, the bubbling whitewash of waves crashing and a mass of blue blue sea - its an amazing sensation to look out and then down and then out again.

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