By Danielle Davey
In 2024, Red Hill boutique Amelie and Frank’s became the only Australian bricks-and-mortar stockist of Christian Kimber menswear outside his flagship Melbourne stores. The partnership with the internationally acclaimed fashion designer thrives on a shared philosophy.
Describing her vision for the boutique, founder Emma Phillips said: “It’s a place to tell the stories of the designers, perfumers and makers whose work deserves consideration and respect. The loudest names don’t interest me; the most carefully made ones do.” Collaborating with the Savile Row-trained tailor was a natural choice.
Emma and her husband, Sam Coverdale – winemaker and co-founder of Polperro Winery – have been close with Christian and his wife, Ren, for years, playing a key part in his 2023-24 collection. The Polperro aesthetic inspired the campaign, prompting the designer to warmly praise the destination for “the modern Australian lifestyle it curates so well”.
By extension, the friends’ mutual belief regarding luxury – that it should feel effortless rather than performative – persuaded Christian to make Amelie and Frank’s his Peninsula home.
“Christian’s clothes are built on the things we care about most; they’re relaxed but refined, made to be layered and lived in,” Emma said. “Today, we hold A&F Menswear by Christian Kimber as a considered edit, available only on the Peninsula.”
Worn by celebrities including actor Lewis Pullman and Olympian Mack Horton, the label creates high-quality garments to last a lifetime. Crafted by small, family-run makers in Italy and Portugal, Christian’s designs are celebrated for their uniquely Australian take on modern masculinity, described as “unhurried, intelligent and subtly luxurious”.
The range at Amelie and Frank’s is perfect for the man looking to update and upgrade his daily winter wardrobe, featuring Italian selvedge jeans, linen check shirts, long-sleeve polos, wool and cashmere blazers and knits.
Katherine Jamison Photography
For grooms-to-be, this represents the most important fashion choice of their lives. Here, they can be confident their wedding attire will be impeccably cut and well-tailored. Personal styling sessions and made-to-measure appointments are available with Christian, providing a rare chance to meet the designer.
“Most occasion menswear asks a man to become someone else for a day,” Emma said. “Christian Kimber does the opposite: it lets him look entirely himself, only better. And because the fabrics are chosen to improve with wear and age with dignity, nothing retires after the wedding. The linen carries into the honeymoon evenings, the blazer into the next 10 years; not a costume for one day but a companion for life.”
Clients likewise enjoy an enduring relationship with the stockist, becoming known by name and remembered by their preferences. Elevating the personalised experience, every purchase leaves the boutique in Amelie and Frank’s signature packaging, finished by hand, with a written note.
To explore the Christian Kimber range, visit amelieandfranks.com.au or drop into the Red Hill boutique.
