Susie's Blog

THE SHOW GOES ON

I promised so many of my clients at Wardrobe that when the time was right I would continue to try to find clothes that inspired confidence. I am now in the same situation as they are, without Wardrobes edit.

As I have repeated many times, I believe designers are lost in a maze of conflicting ideas as to what is new and what is just a re-hash of things done before (and quite recently). I don’t mean retro ideas cleverly adapted to a modern lifestyle e.g. Jil Sander in the 80s or Armani and many others in that decade.

Many choices being offered are styles in very heavy fabrics more suited to an Antarctic summer or flimsy floaty fabrics highly decorated and which bear a good resemblance to a Moroccan souk. At least summer is ahead and we won’t need coats for a while.

It so strange for me to visit other stores and find one piece here and another somewhere else. The merchandising is non-existent and there doesn’t seem to be any theme anywhere except at the major designer stores. But although they do have a story/theme behind their collections, this is usually so strong that it has no way of allowing for any individuality and so you become a walking advertisement for their brands.

Finding a high-end multi brand store with a selection of clothes that seem to complement each other and allow a woman to put together a seasonal Capsule Wardrobe, is almost extinct in London now. Sadly this is a consequence of on-line selling where you are relying on warehouse staff fulfilling your order. No experienced stylist and no tailor for the perfect fit.

So where to start…..?

I decided to start somewhere easy where there is more choice. Jeans fortunately are still good news as the styles and fabrics are so varied. I am happy to recommend two brands which I think work for many women. One is J Brand and my favourite at this time is AG. Fabrics are varied, mostly stretchy, comfortable and shapes are flattering.

Now always aware of my Capsule Wardrobe I want to suggest some shirts and tops for summer that will go together with the jeans.

EQUIPMENT shirts.
These shirts are varied in styling but personally I prefer the more classic shapes in good fabrics and these work well for summer, with a great fitting pair of jeans.
They have a simple off the shoulder top (preferably the silk version) which is the best fit of this design I have seen. AND if you are searching for a wonderful white cotton shirt I would suggest you look at LORO PIANA, I have yet to find anything better ! SUNSPEL have a couple of shapes of cotton tops, blouses and t-shirts that are cut well in good fabrics.

Since flat shoes are popular, moccasins again seem to be a good option.There are some nice new neutral colours at Tods (there’s a lovely soft pale grey) For a shoe with a small heel Robert Clergerie is worth a look. I hear that they have a new designer on board and I liked their edit.

And now its Sale Time……enjoy. Summer hasn’t really arrived yet.

Susie