The Style Reset
With
Kirsten Owen
Your new-season wish list starts here. GEORGIE LUCAS reveals the five low-key yet high-impact pieces that will elevate your fall/winter ’24 wardrobe, from sleek separates to versatile layers by Bottega Veneta, Alaïa, Loewe and more – showcased by iconic model and ’90s muse KIRSTEN OWEN
Shorter days and a cool breeze on sun-kissed skin signals the transition into a new season. A summer closet may be all about fun, but for this writer, the best season, sartorially speaking, has to be fall. Pulling out tailoring, jackets and knitwear is guaranteed to take the sting out of packing away bold bikinis and printed pareos and saying goodbye to summer for another year. “Start with your wardrobe foundations and build from there,” says Marquessa Whyte, fashion editor at NET-A-PORTER, who styled our elegant wardrobing shoot with Canadian-born British model Kirsten Owen. “It’s worth investing in key pieces that stand the test of time – think denim, an oversized leather jacket, a tailored coat and pants, a well-proportioned shirt and a classic slip dress.”
On the fall/winter runways, function and simplicity took center stage. “I was interested in making a monument out of the everyday,” said Matthieu Blazy in the Bottega Veneta show notes for the pre-fall ’24 collection. His words seem to encapsulate the mood of the season – finding the dream foundations on which to build a closet with longevity that will take you through next season and beyond. Here, we round up the pieces to invest in now.
“[Seek out] TIMELESS new-season pieces – a gorgeous LEATHER jacket by Bottega Veneta and a classic oversized TRENCH by Marie Adam-Leenaerdt”
Marquessa Whyte, fashion editor, NET-A-PORTER
Investment outerwear
The weather in much of the northern hemisphere dictates that, come September, outerwear is essential. Seek out “timeless new-season pieces,” Whyte says. “A gorgeous leather jacket by Bottega Veneta and a classic oversized trench by Marie Adam-Leenaerdt.” This leather jacket is a celebration of Bottega Veneta’s legendary leather craftsmanship, and encapsulates Blazy’s philosophy of venerating the quotidian. Unsurprisingly, it’s therefore a piece that you can layer over everything from denim and a T-shirt to your favorite maxi dress, and will remain a wardrobe staple for years to come.
A trench, too, delivers true closet longevity. Emerging Belgian designer Marie Adam-Leenaerdt’s version is the perfect example – the style arrives in classic beige, with an extra row of hidden buttons that allow you to cinch the silhouette, as per the brand’s fall/winter runway show. In terms of styling, Whyte suggests sizing up, for the cool, enveloping look that continues to dominate. “It means outerwear looks more stylish when worn alone, but also ensures that jackets and coats can be worn with gorgeous chunky knits throughout the colder months,” she says. Other jackets to consider include Sacai’s crisp black cotton number, which riffs on uniform detailing, and Khaite’s funnel-neck pull-on jacket, which will infuse looks with a contemporary sportiness.
“The midi skirts, WIDE-LEG pants and white shirts I INVEST in now are the building blocks of a FOREVER closet”
Gillian Brett, head of fashion content, NET-A-PORTER
Elevated separates
“My favorite time of year to go shopping is in the fall,” says NET-A-PORTER’s head of fashion content, Gillian Brett. “The thing that pulls me through the post-summer blues is compiling my wish list of new-season pieces that I will live in from now until (realistically, in London) April. This is why I seek out timeless cuts and luxe fabrics that I know will serve me well this season and beyond.” For Brett, that begins with separates: “The midi skirts, wide-leg pants and white shirts I invest in now are the building blocks of a forever closet.” Wide-leg pants by tailoring masters including Jil Sander and Bottega Veneta will stand the test of time. Then seek out sleek tops – Alaïa’s funnel-neck body or Nili Lotan’s fitted T-shirt are timeless examples, crafted in luxe fabrics. As Brett points out, “the key is finding pieces that will mix and match endlessly – both together and with my existing wardrobe.”
A simple route to this mix-and-match approach is via a unified approach to color. “My closet foundations come in a palette of taupe, black, brown and white,” Brett says, “and if I want to jazz things up, it’s with a handbag in a pop of color or by adding a pair of sunglasses in a directional silhouette.” It’s a philosophy that’s echoed on the FW24 runways – a forever wardrobe is built on pared-back neutrals that are primed for adornment.
Minimal skirts
Utility, versatility and timelessness underpin FW24 – the keys to closet longevity. One piece that ticks all these boxes is a streamlined skirt – so perennial is the silhouette, it deserves its own section. Invest in styles that hit well below the knee – longer midis and maxis – and to save your stain remover, ensure they land just above the ankle. The ultimate fall version is Alaïa’s super-fine knitted wool maxi, worn on the runway with the coordinating fine-knit top. “This collection is about simplicity and purity, about less meaning more – about intimacy, about reducing to an essence, about finding a freedom and invention in that,” said creative director Pieter Mulier of the collection, encapsulating the wider mood of the season. Bottega Veneta’s light brown cotton-canvas skirt is an excellent example of the elegance-meets-utility mood, styled here as it was on the runway, with the plaid shirt and oversized leather bomber. Leather, too, is a timeless choice; see Bally’s sleek black midi skirt, paired with Loewe’s crisp white shirt – another year-round closet staple.
“This collection is about SIMPLICITY and purity, about LESS meaning more – about intimacy, about reducing to an essence, about finding a FREEDOM and invention in that”
Pieter Mulier, creative director, Alaia
A classic shirt
So ubiquitous is the white shirt, it perhaps feels like an obvious choice for a closet refresh. But in a season that celebrates hard-working wardrobe essentials, it would be remiss not to include it. The beauty of a white shirt lies in its endless styling options. Simple details can transform this classic cut from staple to special – see Loewe’s longline style, featuring the leather belt and oversized buckle detail, which ran through the brand’s FW24 runway collection. It’s the perfect elevated style to wear with a sleek leather midi skirt, and would work well with wide-leg pants for work days, or love-worn denim come the weekend. And trust Scandinavian brand Toteme to deliver a perfectly judged classic version, featuring all the hallmarks of the white shirt, worn here buttoned up under Marie Adam-Leenaerdt’s trench. Layered beneath the oversized jackets, streamlined coats and knitwear we’ll all be wearing as the mercury drops, a white shirt delivers crisp, timeless chic.
Layering dresses
Last but by no means least, don’t overlook the dress. While the silhouette may conjure one-and-done easy dressing in summer sunshine, come fall, dresses offer an altogether different appeal as the ultimate layering piece. Take the classic slip – Jil Sander’s is crafted in black jersey and embodies the pretty-meets-practical FW24 mood. With kitten heels and long gloves, it’s an elegant yet unexpected evening ensemble. The style has sartorial mileage by day, too. Add an oversized denim jacket and sneakers for trans-seasonal dressing, then later, layer all manner of chunky knits to complement the style’s sleek silhouette. At Proenza Schouler, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s FW24 runway presentation included references to protection and cocooning. Take the sheer runway style – the fall dress of dreams – with its high neck and subtly wrapped drapery that deliver effortless polish, making it the perfect pick for all manner of daytime or evening occasions. And that, in a nutshell, encapsulates this season’s dressing mantra – seek out ease, elegance and above all, versatility.