Mouki Mou

Trend report: What to wear for AW24



Miu Miu tweed sweater

Shops are back! Cash is cool! Corporate-core is a vibe! It’s like the 2020s never happened lol. Sweats, leggings and Crocs have been demoted and tailoring and tactile tops have regained their position in the corner office for AW24. And with the global slowdown of luxury, we’re also witnessing the demise of loud logos on clothes and accessories. Instead, discreet luxury totes whisper subtle brand codes (the Toteme ‘T’!) and it’s grocery stores and ‘hypebeast snacks’ that are the new entry-level status signifiers. Oh, and high-end lipstick is the eternal ‘affordable luxury’ treat for uncertain times. Because some things never change… (more…)



Should we stop shopping?



Tiina the Store

Both the New York Times and the FT have written stories unpicking the quandary of whether we should be shopping online while there’s a contagious health pandemic going on.

I’ve been wrestling with the same dilemma. (more…)



Secret shopping: 45R arrives in London



45R Brook Street london

Japanese slow fashion brand, 45R has just opened its London outpost at 6 Brook Street, selling its cult denim, lived in knits and quilted outerwear. The Americans may be the originators but the Japanese are experts at producing artisan-quality denim that you’ll keep for years. (At 45R they hover between £350 and £800 which gives you an idea of the level of quality we’re talking about.) (more…)



Retail report: The rebirth of Chiltern Street



Cire-Trudon-Chiltern-Street

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Chiltern Firehouse is the best thing about Chiltern Street, despite the fact that it’s not even properly open yet. While London’s It people have enjoyed countless dinners over the last few months, the hotel and restaurant don’t fully open for another couple of weeks (breakfast and lunch service is due to start at the end of June).

But there are plenty of other reasons to head to this genteel pocket of London, not least its new retail focus. If you skew to the types of brands sold on Mr Porter or Tres Bien and have a Scandi ‘lagom’ attitude to getting dressed, then this is your kind of shopping street. (more…)