Forever England.(English heritage as inspiration in fashion designing)

Byline: editor: Tonne Goodman MARK HOLGATE

Mulberry's new designer believes in acting locally, thinking globally.

Emma Hill, the creative director of Mulberry, is in heaven. Well, maybe Cherry, a vintage store in New York's West Village, isn't the most celestial place on Earth, but it has sent her into raptures. Hill has unearthed a selection of bygone pieces she is thinking of adding to the research for an upcoming collection: a Bonnie Cashin camel wool-and-leather A-line skirt; an anonymous purse in seafoam-green, if the sea were lapping the shore in the dead of winter; classic tan deck shoes affixed to very unclassic wooden platforms; and a folksy needlepoint belt with a gilt clasp in the shape of two mice. "Ooh, I love a mix of materials," she says, assigning the skirt to a "yes" pile. Even though she declares the shoe "very me," it's in the "no" pile. The bag goes there, too. But she can't leave without the beltshe's crazy about its cute clasp. "When it comes to research," Hill says, "I am always 'less is more.' You need to look at everything with a very clear point of view."

Her vision for Mulberry is to play up its English heritage, viewing it with a current relevance, not misty-eyed nostalgia

Being blessed with an eye that can instantly divine what works has stood Hill in good stead, making her responsible for some pretty iconic purses. (Please don't say they're "It"; she can't abide the term.) The Marc Jacobs Stella bag? That was hers. The Gap cotton trench bag? Hers, ...