What I'll Be Buying & Wearing For Autumn...

How I transition my Summer wardrobe to an Autumn one - it's all in the mix; the unexpected £36 supermarket raincoat I just bought (and love); designer bag crush (it's been a while)

So I am back from my extended Italian holiday (phew), but don’t worry I haven’t forgotten about the various other Italian themed posts I have promised. They are coming. I just thought it might be nice to have a break from the Italian travel content this week by way of a little fashion palette cleanser. Specifically the new season. I am ready (although the weather here in London isn’t necessary - today’s it 27 degrees and feels like the perfect lazy summer day…), and I think many of you probably are too? So let’s jump in…

What I’ll Be Wearing This Autumn…

If you’ve joined me here from Doucuer.uk and/or Insta you will already know that I do not slavishly follow/buy into all the latest trends. At all. Over the years I have (as I am sure you have too) steadily built up a wardrobe of pieces I love and feel good wearing, and indeed wear over and over, year in, year out. With some new additions along the way - I’m only human after all. By now I have pretty much edited out all the pieces that no longer serve me - either mistakes (I’ve made a few!), things that no longer suit me, or pieces that are simply not relevant to my current life (many pairs of treasured heels fell into this category sadly, although I will always love a heel, and will always have my die-hard favourites - the Manolo patent Mary Janes that I bought back in 2010 are going precisely nowhere). So what am I looking for/to buy at the beginning of the new season? Well, when it comes to Autumn (where there’s always so much more scope for styling and layering compared to the Summer), I will always look for the same/similar pieces - the pieces that I know will work the hardest for me, and elevate everything else. These can include timeless classics as well as more trend-led pieces, as long as you believe them to be wardrobe grafters. For me these will generally be a great coat, pair of (walkable) boots, an oversized blazer, and perhaps a bag (the only bag I am interested in right now is this one (or a version of - there are many). I’m rarely tempted by any designer bags these days (those days are behind me, plus sometimes I actually love the cool nonchalance of a simple cotton tote bag/basket), as I am happy with the ones I already own - for me, once you’ve ticked off the Chanel 2.55, the only way is sharply South. Well so I thought. Keep reading…
Anyway, one might argue that I am a little (a lot) obsessed (along with everyone else it seems) with the Chloé Autumn/Winter 24 collection by Chemena Kamali. I hadn’t felt that excited by a fashion show for a loooooooong time. But I don’t feel there’s been any bandwagon-jumping at play because I feel like I have really always loved this style of dressing - boho has always featured pretty heavily and consistently in my personal style (well for the last couple of decades at least). Frills, ruffles, lace, knee-length boots, seventies-style denim; and the all-important (to me at least) masculine/feminine blend, have never been far away for me. I am just thrilled to see it not only return, but executed in the most beautiful, wearable and cool way. And that ‘boho’ is no longer a dirty word (it was definitely exiled for many, many years - a victim of its own success in the early noughties). And plenty of elements to steal or poach from the High Street, as well as our wardrobes. This show was as much about styling as it was about design. Oh and did you know, that Kamala Harris has (cleverly) chosen Chemena Kamali to dress her for her election campaign. Chloé’s not just for boho girls.