PUT THE EASE
IN TRANSEASONAL

Now that autumn is approaching, it’s time to tackle the infamously tricky matter of transeasonal style. Only, it doesn’t have to be a chore. Over the past few seasons, we’ve all had a long, hard look at our wardrobes, weeded out the pieces that no longer align with who we are, learned what we love and now have an eye on what we might be missing.

We’re keeping hold of comfort, investing in style that’s built to last, embracing boldness, and taking opportunities to express ourselves. To help you make easy work of dressing for unpredictable days, we’ve stripped away the noise, the competing cuts and considered those key pieces that express who you are and how you feel – now, next season and beyond.

STRIKING SEPARATES

Having had more than enough time to contemplate our personal style, we’re ready to embrace boldness, and that includes the usually low-key elements of our outfits that are easily overlooked – the knits, midi skirts and trousers you reach for without a second thought. Acne Studios’s textured “teddy bear” knits and skewed midis express Creative Director Jonny Johansson’s feelings of emerging from the surreal “dreamscape” of isolation, back into the world. That same emboldened approach to separates was seen at Wales Bonner, who perforated, pleated and buttoned up her AW21 midi skirts, while Sacai and Jil Sander spiked theirs with colour. We also can’t wait to get hold of Raf Simons’s ultra-oversized jumpers and the equally larger-than-life trousers at JW Anderson. It’s all about going outside the lines.

 *THE* BAG

We have an apology to make: sorry to all the bags that were left alone in a dark cupboard over the past 18 months. Thankfully, actual plans are back, and so are bags – in a big way. Going from the ridiculous to the sublime, we’re swapping half-full pockets rattling with little more than our card and keys, for finding that one show-stopping bag for work/dinner/gallivanting/the sake of it. Our Accessories Buyer, Raffaella Fulgoni Sheehan, has her eye on “transeasonal handwoven bags from Dragon Diffusion”, and the unique, pre-loved accessories in our RESELLFRIDGES edit, which our Designer Accessories Buyer Isobelle Wright curates into seasonal drops. Raffaella was particularly taken by the vintage Chanel tote from our shoot, “it’s perfect for returning to a semi-normality – this bag is all at once an investment, a statement and a practical choice.”

THAT ONE DRESS

Nights out are well and truly back, and with them the opportunity to get properly dressed up. To help get you slide into after-dark mode as swiftly as sartorially possible, invest in a distinctive dress that can be your sidekick for countless nights to come. Rick Owens’s post-apocalyptic aesthetic seems fitting for right now, but his sleek evening dresses are anything but dystopian. And trust that you don’t always need an entire cast of accessories to accompany the two of you. We saw in Bottega Veneta, Self-Portrait and Balmain’s AW21 dazzling, sequin-spangled lookbooks this season how less can be more when it comes to styling. A wink of jewellery, a distinctive bag or a simple pair of sandals leave all the focus on you and that dress sashaying towards dinners and dancefloors.

Feeling inspired?