Stacey Duguid is the Executive Fashion Editor of ELLE magazine in London. She moved from Edinburgh to London in 1994 where she began her career in fashion working for Paul Smith, then Giorgio Armani and Prada. She started working on ELLE in October 2004 where she works as a fashion editor and writer.
I’m forever on Twitter. Don’t switch off; this gets more interesting I promise. I follow Guardian Books, The LA Times, The New York Times, CNN, BBC, food writers, fashion writers, I even follow the crazy catbinlady whose laconic observations from suburbia have made cult status both here and in America. Most Tweets are fairly forgettable and unless they feed to a news link, there’s not a lot of substance can be applied to the obliged 140 characters. However, this week I read this fashion-thought-provoking Tweet by a fashion blogger: ‘are women over the age of 30 really interested in what the colours of the season are?” No, was my immediate thought, absolutely not. We are not teenagers, we are not easily marketed to, we are grown women and we will not be told to wear colours that don’t suit us. Several hours later, having dismounted my high horse, a thought occurred; I’d spent a month scouting for camel, khaki, and stone coloured blouses, I had become obsessed with finding the ‘right’ coloured 70s denim skirt, I suddenly needed mustard in my wardrobe and I despise mustard. Where had this colour fanaticism come from and why was it suddenly OK to wear colour-draining camel and stone? So here I am, wearing all the colours I had never considered before thanks to Celine, Max Mara and Tommy Hilfiger and I’m way over 30 by the way.
For the past year now, fashion has been less about restrictive trends and more about key pieces. Buying into pieces rather than trends may sound easier in terms of wardrobe building, but the reality is we’re used to being dictated to in terms of what the trends are and ‘how to wear’ them. When we were into trend led shopping, we may have made the occasional fashion mistake by buying into trend pieces that didn’t suit us, but in general it was pretty much fool-proof; we had been given our orders by the fashion magazines and that was all we needed to know. I’d just like to add here that the wide shoulder trend, (shudder) now lurks in a black bin liner in my hallway ready and waiting for the next Oxfam drop off. We’ve been spoon fed the trends for so long now we’ve been left in a sort of sartorial no-man’s-land, so here, for your fashion delectation, may I introduce my new season checklist of things to buy this autumn. Delete as appropriate!
The Camel Coat
They’re everywhere and yes, you should own one and it probably should be by the king of the camel coat Max Mara and possibly styled in the manner of a 70s mum.
See You In Court
Who would have thought it? It’s goodbye unwearable, unwalkable, unbearable shoes and hello low-heel-height court shoes! As worn by office workers and police officers alike, the sensible court shoe has been off the fashion radar since the eighties but it’s back for autumn and is the perfect partner to the new fitted trouser shapes (see below for details). Don’t go for patent, stick to classic black or go for tonal colours such as mink and chocolate. Embrace it now whilst the trend lasts. Who knew being able to walk fast would be so, errr convenient?
The white shirt
The white shirt is an instant wardrobe updater but you will have to shop around for the perfect fit. I tried on 7 before I settled on one from Cos. Who knew the white shirt could be so complicated?
Take A Hike
The hiking book has been around since last winter and is one of my favourite winter boot styles; it’s modern, it’s warm, it’s functional. Wear them with skinny jeans in winter or with skirts and bare legs for autumn (fake tan possibly required).
The Aviator
When Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey showed the most perfect shearling aviator jacket in his latest show, we knew they’d create a high street frenzy. An aviator could be your weekend jacket this season; I love the one from Top Shop.
I’m Feeling For Fuzzy
A fake fur handbag is possibly not high on your wish list, but they are a must-have bag style this season to why not experiment. If you do purchase one I suggest you don’t wear it with anything else made from fake fur, you could be mistaken for Fuzzy Bear. Wear with a simple, tailored black coat and try to avoid small dog breads.
Show Me Your Black Pants
When I say pants I mean trousers but I love the way pants sound. GAP has launched the ‘perfect pant collection’ and tailoring is well and truly back in a big way. Some of the best-cut trousers I’ve found this season are from REISS
The Pussy Bow Blouse
The blouse just got sexy thanks to Chloe designer Hannah McGibbon and they are everywhere. I bought 4 blouses this season, all in silk or silk mix and all in cream, stone, khaki and tan. A slick of red lipstick helps keep this look modern. I wear my blouse with high waisted jeans.
The Snood In The Hood
View the snood as the new scarf but with the added bonus of it being half a hat too. I plan to buy a fake fur style and an Argyll knitted one too, perfect for layering over military coats.
The Black Tailored Jacket
This for me is the key piece of the season, it’s a wardrobe no brainer and I buy one every year. The latest style is the so-called ‘husband cut’, meaning more grown up than the boyfriend jacket, less boxy and nicer fabric. The finale of the Dolce show was for me a really special fashion moment, a sea of supermodels wearing nothing but black tailored jackets and knickers, molto sexy!
Key-piece-shopping may sound terribly sensible but they will be your forever-wardrobe-friends. I have a Stella McCartney black tailored jacket I bought 4 years ago and I still wear it at least once a week. Trend led shopping may have gone for the time being so enjoy fashion’s new sedate mood and enjoy being simply and elegantly you.
