Macgraw

The Luxury Handbags guide to Macgraw

What separates Macgraw from the rest of the Australian occasion market is authorship. The rose, crest, bird and cat motifs return season after season, so pieces bought years apart still read as one wardrobe. The label has taken the Tiffany and Co. National Designer Award, the Regional International Woolmark Prize, and the Australian Fashion Laureate for Best Emerging Designer. In 2017 it presented a Woolmark capsule in Paris built on a superfine merino lace it developed that does not crease. Lorde, Kendall Jenner, Julianne Moore and Karlie Kloss have all worn it.

One point of confusion worth clearing up: this label has no connection to Ali MacGraw, the American actress, and none to the publisher McGraw Hill.

Editor’s styling guide

The tailoring. The Circa 72 blazer and trouser are the house suit, cut double breasted in the label’s own crest jacquard. Worn together the crest lines up across the seam. Split them and each piece works harder: the blazer over denim, the trouser with a fine knit.

The prints. Wear one at a time. Macgraw motifs are drawn at different scales and none was designed to sit beside another. Match your shoe to the ground colour rather than the motif. A black shoe under the crest jacquard will simply disappear, which is the point.

The eveningwear. The sequin is embroidered onto tulle rather than laid flat, so it catches light in patches. Most sequin styles cover the arm and the shoulder, which is why they read as evening dressing rather than party wear. Keep the shoe matte and skip the necklace.

The bralette shapes. The Abbey, Birdy and Buckley bras are structured bralette tops, not underwear. Wear them under a blazer, over a shirt, with a high waisted trouser.

Macgraw size guide

Australian sizing matches UK sizing on this label, so take your usual UK size.

Macgraw styles are cut true to size. The one exception worth knowing is the Non Chalant Trouser, where the label states the style runs small and customers tend to take the next size up.

Fabric and care

Macgraw works predominantly in silk, cotton and wool blends, with jacquards and embroideries developed in house. The brand publishes no garment care instructions, so treat the fibre as the guide: dry clean the silks, the sequin and anything embellished, and keep direct heat away from beading and appliqué.

Macgraw questions, answered

Where is Macgraw made? In Sydney, Australia, with a local network of cutters and makers, under what the label states are fair and ethical conditions. It collaborates with local artisans including the Sydney knitter John Macarthur and the embroiderers of the Country Women’s Association.

Is Macgraw related to Ali MacGraw? No. They share a surname and nothing else.

Who designs Macgraw? Sisters Beth and Tessa MacGraw. Tessa draws every print by hand in the Sydney studio.

What is Macgraw known for? Hand drawn prints and in house jacquards, theatrical volume, and Australian made construction.

How many collections a year? Two, deliberately, rather than a constant stream of newness.