classic style

Gentlewoman style: Max Mara archives



Max Mara archive

I have a soft spot for Max Mara. In my first job, I had a favourite Max Mara black coat that made me feel very grown up and stealth-chic (until it was swiped off the back of a chair from Costa coffee in Broadwick Street as I sat in a meeting across the road from my office at The National Magazine Company). It was the era of understated, 90s style and a Max Mara coat conferred a certain minimalist sophistication mixed with style anonymity.

“It’s about the logic of a man’s wardrobe, but for women,” (more…)



Is this the perfect tee?



M.M. LaFleur tee

I’m vaguely familiar with M.M. LaFleur but have never really engaged with the brand.

Until now.

It has teamed up with the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A to sell its Rally tees* with accompanying iron-on voting-themed patches (while stocks last). The minimalist graphic patches are super-chic and obviously an important call to action, but the M.M. LaFleur Leslie Rally tees* themselves tick all my check boxes for what makes an excellent T-shirt. (more…)



Positive fashion: Maggie Marilyn introduces circularity-first wear-now-recycle-later basics



Maggie Marilyn Somewhere basics collection

Here’s a very cool concept I can get on board with. Maggie Marilyn, known for its sustainable but high-priced designs is introducing a new lower-priced offer of direct-to-consumer elevated basics. Think boxy blazers, organic merino wool sweaters and the perfect white jean.

While the proportions and fabrics look great, the ‘Somewhere’ concept goes further. Marilyn will introduce a “take-back scheme” in 2021, allowing well-loved pieces to be sent back to be recycled into new ones. This circularity-first concept (similar to For Days) feels like a real shift in how we consume. (more…)



What to buy from Me+Em



Me+Em Oversized Silk Blouse

Last November I had the best evening at Me+Em’s Belgravia pop up, hosting a soiree to promote my book. I never feel that comfortable doing customer-facing events. I haven’t done many and I always feel a bit of a nana, but Me+Em have such lovely customers and it ended up being quite a hoot.

It was my first time getting properly intimate with the product. Me+Em sells mostly online so it’s not a brand I’ll find on my usual Liberty-Selfridges-The-Shop-At-Bluebird sweep. But I’ve seen it in PR showrooms and on other people and I knew it aligned with my tastes. I’d say it’s like a more affordable, less high fashion version of Joseph. (more…)