Tweeds at the ready: Lady Di style is back
YeS, it’s true. Posh Country Style or what fashion calls ‘heritage’ — that particular mix of tweed and pearls and wool and a silk scarf — has been tweaked and streamlined to make it desirable in autumn 2019.
The main driver of this trend is Hedi Slimane at Celine, who has taken all the elements and given them a 1970s-inspired, chic, ladylike, very cool makeover.
It’s thanks to him that pleated culottes; high- collar, ruffle-fronted shirts; glossy, stacked knee-high boots and tweedy blazers are the new building blocks of this autumn’s wardrobe. But it’s not just Celine pushing us in the heritage lady direction.
There were tweed blazers and polo- necks and ruffle blouses on all the catwalks, from Victoria Beckham to Chanel and Isabel Marant.
Meanwhile, pearl drop earrings and chokers, silk squares tied at the throat, padded hairbands, quilted cardigans, gilets, high-waisted jeans and capes are all bang on trend for now.
There’s a new slick, Sloaney mood in fashion: it feels like Princess Diana’s off-duty wardrobe (remember the tweedy two-piece she wore for the photocall at Balmoral on her honeymoon, right). Polished. Glamorous. Grown-up.
But are we rushing out to buy it all? Or is there a nagging voice in our heads saying: ‘Yes, lovely in pictures, tempting in a nostalgic way, but for real life? Oh no, no!’
LET'S address these legitimate worries. If you take your cue from Celine, the way to make sure this doesn’t look like fancy dress circa 1979 is by focusing on the modern twists: a semi-pleated wool skirt — worn with a fitted leather jacket; a white ruffly shirt — with high-waisted grey trousers and aviator shades; a doublebreasted blazer in micro Prince of Wales check — with jeans and pearl-drop earrings.
A shortcut to the new heritage is a long silk scarf tied at the side of the neck in a floppy bow. Less prim than a pussybow blouse, it instantly gives you autumn 2019 points.
Too much heritage and you look like Madonna in her MrsRitchie-in-the- country days. Just enough and you look sophisticated, feminine and up-to-the minute. The secret is to buy into parts that feel wearable and discard the others. Get the balance right and it’s fashion playing straight into our hands: belowtheknee hemlines, smart tailoring, neck- concealing blouses . . . that’s three reasons to be cheerful.
Here’s a few examples of what you need: 1. The blazer. There’s one of two ways to go: smart classic and slightly oversized in a tweedy check like Zara’s check blazer (£99.99, zara.com), or a neat, waisted riding jacket style which works over culottes or trousers (£89, marksandspencer.com). 2. The shirt. & Other Stories does a ruffle-collar, cream silk shirt(£95, stories.com). And the trusty polo- neck (£ 55,
cosstores. com) works well under a check jacket. It’s also a good way of injecting colour. 3. The culotte. It’s not compulsory, but these days the culotte is usually a wideish cropped trouser ( not the pleated, unflattering long shorts of yesteryear).
Boden does a neat pair you can wear with a stripey top and boots (£44, boden.co.uk), while Maje do a nippy Prince of Wales check pair (£92.50, maje.com).
If that seems too daunting, LK Bennett’s Frances grey wool trousers (£150, lkbennett.
com) have the right vibe. 4. The high-leg boots. As in right up to your knee. You are spoilt for choice this season: some of the most Celine-like — stacked, high, smooth — are available from Mango (£179.99,
mango.com), Zara (£119.00, zara.com) and Dune (£190, dunelondon.com).
Now all you need are aviator shades and a blouson leather jacket to ring the changes. More of that another time.