Style on Wednesday
Buy now, wear forever The six hardest working things in a fashion editor’s wardrobe
LISA ARMSTRONG’S SMART TROUSERS
There are pinstripes and pinstripes, navy and navy. I’ve had this particular combination for six or seven years and it has never let me down. I like to invest in the pieces
I know I’ll wear over and over, but even so, Junya Watanabe wasn’t my go-to for trousers.
He’s known for avantgarde shows and innovative tailoring and I wouldn’t have considered him for the task of Boring Navy Trousers unless a helpful shop assistant (in Browns, South Molton Street, since you ask) hadn’t gathered every navy pair and coaxed me into giving them a go. Not an obvious choice, and yet the perfect one, it turns out. Something about the cut – flat over the tummy and hips, shapely over the bum, skimming over the thighs – means they have never once gone out of style, even for a season. The weight’s good too – warm enough for most winters, with ankle boots and appropriate lagging up top – yet cool enough for spring and the best part of summer. And there’s nothing tricksy about them, so they’re never going to grate, but – and this is key for someone who likes to play it straight, but not too straight – they’re not dull.
I’ve learnt my lesson with carrot-shaped trousers, bell bottoms, flares… they’re all fine on the right person, but I’m not her.
I’ve let them down a few times, though – and taken them up, depending on whether 7/8ths or just resting on the foot was the look. That shape leg works whatever the length.
Lessons learnt: when you know you’ll wear it to bits, it’s worth investing; don’t just go for the predictable labels; and visit a bricks and mortar store instead of doing it online. You’ll nearly always discover something.
KATE FINNIGAN’S EVERYDAY BAG
I’ve been using my Mulberry Clifton a lot this season. It’s one of the best bags I’ve had in a long time. Why? Because it’s a nifty little understated shoulder bag that’s minimal in design, with press stud fastenings and a small neat logo, but has a touch of luxury with its part-gold, part-leather chain. Then when you open it up, it surprises you with three separate pockets that allow you to stash with organisation. Very appealing, and probably why this particular style is becoming something of a classic for Mulberry as well as for me. But the reason it’s working hard quite so hard is because of its colour, Ocean Green. I mean, that just sounds lovely doesn’t it? And it looks it too – a deep teal tone that has a mid-century feel and is unusual to see on a handbag. That satisfying Filofax sense of form and function and the hit of colour adds polish to whatever you wear it with – although it works well with greens and blues. If it carries on working this hard, I might have to give it a raise.
CHARLIE GOWANS-EGLINTON’S BRIGHT LEATHER JACKET
A green leather jacket sounds awful, I know – the sort of naff, cheap-looking impulse buy that hangs unworn in your wardrobe. Well, I have made a few such purchases, but my Joseph green leather biker jacket wasn’t one of them.
Of course, it helps that it’s from Joseph. The soft – but not so soft that it marks easily – leather says quality from a mile off. It was expensive, but good leather lasts years without wearing thin, so it isn’t something you can do well on the cheap. It’s quite boxy, and I bought it a few sizes larger than I usually would as that was all that was left at the sample sale where I found it. A happy accident, since it’s worn better – softening and draping, not stretching as a smaller size would.
The green is surprisingly versatile – I wear it far more than my old “classic” black leather jacket, which inevitably makes me feel a bit try-hard rock’n’roller with my bleached blonde hair. Its wearability even convinced me to try a shirt-style pink leather jacket a few years later – also from Joseph, also beloved (my mum liked it so much that she bought one, too).
The green biker works equally well over a floral dress or white shirt and jeans – a combination I liked enough for a byline picture I’ll be looking at for years (right). One day last summer, when a quiet dinner with friends escalated into dancing in a bar where our jackets were piled high in the corner, some rotter nicked it. I had a bit of a cry, and then a few weeks later, bought it again at Joseph’s next sample sale. Which clinches it – I must really love that jacket, to have bought it twice.
KRISSY TURNER’S WEAR-ANYWHERE JUMPSUIT
When I was interning a few years ago, I happened upon a Zara store on my lunch break and spotted a black loosely tailored jumpsuit that hung beautifully on the mannequin.
It was £90.
Too much for me to spend at the time, particularly on something I hadn’t carefully considered, but luckily, back then I made even more imprudent sartorial decisions than I do now, and so bought it anyway. The short sleeves meant it was easy to layer and would work through the seasons; the tapered leg stopped just above the ankle to show off fabulous shoes, and the smart, blazerstyle top meant it would go from day to night. Jumpsuits are often seen as tricky to wear, which is not completely unjustified – material that drapes, rather than clings, is crucial – and cumbersome to take on and off – also true, but look for zips rather than buttons. Once you find the right one, they’re just as versatile as dresses. My Zara jumpsuit was the beginning of a love affair – I’ve since amassed 16, all of which I wear regularly, with a few printed silky numbers that are relegated to my holiday drawer.
My favourite at the moment is a pinstripe one from Kitri (£125, kitristudio.com), which I wear with red mules to work and white trainers and a denim jacket on the weekends.
As you may have guessed, when I look for a new one, my only ask is that they can be easily dressed up or down; that way, cost-per-wear, they’re practically free.
CAROLINE LEAPER’S GLAM CARDIGAN
I spotted the sparkly Diane von Furstenberg cardigan on a sample sale rail from about 30 paces. On paper, I didn’t need it and it shouldn’t have worked with anything in my wardrobe: it has metallic thread and silk ribbon running through an open knitted, kimono silhouette, meaning that it strikes an unusual balance between a subtle navy cardigan and an embellished trophy piece. But after five years, it’s still going strong, and it’s the thing I reach for first when I need to make an impact with no effort. It’s been thrown over jeans and a white shirt in summer, worn with black layers in winter. As it’s multicoloured, it ties in with whatever else I wear, and half the fun comes from realising that, oh yes, it works with that, too.
So what could have been a one-hit wonder, really, has proven itself to be the most versatile layering piece in my wardrobe.
OLIVIA BUXTON SMITH’S MODERN SILVER BOOTS
I know what you’re thinking: “How can a pair of silver ankle boots be the hardest working item in your wardrobe?’’ But bear with me. I ogled this metallic Russell & Bromley pair for weeks, but never took the plunge. I already loved ankle boots, with slightly cropped trousers or midi dresses in colder months and shorter hemlines in summer, but I wasn’t sure this shimmery tassel-laden style would be as versatile as my trusty black Penelope Chilvers Chelsea boots, or even my pointy patent Senso pair.
So when my Telegraph colleagues generously bought them for me as a leaving present (fear not, I came back), it was an opportunity to wear them as much or as little as I liked without feeling guilty. I needn’t have worried – they hardly left my feet in the following months. I wore them day in, day out through the festive period, kept them on in spring, and now, in summer, I’m using them to toughen up pretty tea dresses and liven up jeans and a T-shirt.
They’re flattering, as the low chunky heel wields surprising elongation powers, and easy to wear – it sounds unlikely, but metallics work as a neutral. They’re also a conversation starter, and, despite the millions of repeat wears, are still in excellent nick.