PERSONAL STYLE IS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Going outside is back, nights out are back, and September fashion weeks are back. The Met Gala – arguably the ultimate exhibit of the endless ways an individual can interpret a dress code – is back. We’re making the most of exploring the world again and expressing ourselves IRL, and clothes are very much a part of that. Read on to see how this season’s collections are daring us all to swerve trends in favour of personal style that’s unabashedly you.

PICK YOUR PERSONALITY-PACKED PIECES

As we do at the start of every season, we’re asking what exactly it is we want to keep and what no longer fits – literally and metaphorically. Maybe you simply want some mood-boosting brights; perhaps you’re ready to invest in that one coat that will see you through the cold; or have you just had a big clear-out and your newly cleansed and curated cupboards have made you more conscious about how you might add to your outfits in future? For all of the above, we have ways to make your style feel expressive, distinctive and you again.

FIND YOUR TROPHY COAT

We put our coats through their paces last winter – after all, walks were our only get-out-of-house-free card we had, and so outerwear was our main style outlet. A year on, designers are continuing to treat us to trophy coats; it’s just a matter of finding the style that best suits you – be that bold, big, or simply incredibly snug.

Bottega Veneta, Sportmax, The Situationist and Undercover prescribed colour-therapy coats to brighten up our winter mornings, while other designers drew inspiration from all their time spent indoors, surrounded by soft furnishings and learning new crafts, to keep us comfy and warm: see Balenciaga’s blanket coats, Gabriela Hearst’s upcycled patchwork for her earth-conscious Chloé debut, and Jonathan Anderson’s crafty-as-ever creations. For those of you hoping to stand out on the slopes, Miu Miu’s all-in-ones are on the more out-there end of the supersized, super-cosy puffer pack. Alternatively, if one great jacket just won’t cut it for everything you’ve got planned this winter, dabble with a Burberry trench, a Balmain blazer or a Rick Owens bomber from our new-season Selfridges Rental edit as and when the occasion calls for it.

EMBRACE THE KNITWEAR RENAISSANCE

Comfort cleared its name in 2020, and designers are continuing to push the limits of its newfound popularity way beyond mere layering. Pre-pandemic, you might have dabbled with Fair Isle or brought cardigans back for the first time since school, but the knitwear renaissance has now exploded far beyond run-of-the-mill layering. There’s a full spectrum of shape and colour to explore, spanning Simon Porte Jacquemus’s twisty, wispy, pinned-above-the-abs knits, through to Gauchere, Courrèges and Raf Simons’ bright, cocooning turtlenecks, and Marine Serre’s ‘ecofuturist’ upcycled styles embellished with vintage scarves. And that’s just the jumpers! The rib-knit dresses, knitted trousers and woolly tops (to name a few) that crept into our WFH wardrobes during 2020 have evolved along with our more optimistic mood into brighter, equally comfy, separates and sleek styles: look to Missoni’s spangled set; Colville’s knitted tunics and the ribbed dresses at Khaite and CFCL.

EMBOLDEN THE EVERYDAY

It’s not just nights out that we’re excited to get dressed for. The pause on needing to carefully consider what we wear all week has now made many of us want to take advantage of the return to the office, after-work plans and fully formed weekends. After being cooped up with loungewear, why wouldn’t we grab these everyday opportunities to flex with fashion? The dopamine-inducing power of a bright flash of colour is our chosen remedy for the winter blues this year. Speaking of winter blues – Casablanca’s take on Monaco Grand Prix peacocking served us the two-tone trousers from our shoot, which has inspired us to make make bold swap-ins for our usual denim. At Wales Bonner, the styles worn by Oxford's Black scholars in the 80s influenced her red-and-yellow stripes; 16Arlington’s Creative Directors, Marco Capaldo and Federica Cavenati, channelled their penchant for partywear into passably casual crushed-velvet trousers that induce “impulsive ‘dressing up’”; while Adamaneven mixed endless shades via upcycled shirts in pleasingly clashing patterns. In other words, pick a colour – any colour – and you’re bound to find it among this season’s cheery casual coats, tops, skirts and accessories as a way to magically lift your mood.

IF IN DOUBT, ACCESSORISE

When it comes to finding ways to express our personality, we can’t ignore accessories. Among our ever-growing roster of emerging designers, the likes of Blobb by Sofia Elias, Uncommon Matters and La Manso are grabbing our attention via their gobstopper rings and colourful hoops. Amina Muaddi continues to take her flared heels to new, brilliantly embellished heights, and for this season’s bags, there’s no shortage of intriguing textures (think shearling, chainmail and woven leather) from the likes of Bottega Veneta and JACQUEMUS. Then again, we don’t always have to look to what’s new to find a brilliant bag that’s new to you. For an accessory you’d be hard-pressed to find on everyone else’s arm this winter, keep an eye our RESELLFRIDGES edit, where our buyers curate pre-loved Prada, Chanel, Balenciaga, Celine – you name it – into a unique, earth-conscious way to invest in your own It bag.