One of the biggest trendsetters in fashion this year hasn’t been a designer draping away in a Paris atelier, nor an Instagram influencer with effortless personal style. It’s not even a celebrity whose stylish endorsement spawned sellouts and waiting lists. No. The woman with the biggest impact on the way we dress right now has nothing to do with fashion at all.
Marie Kondo, Japanese organising consultant and author, has almost single-handedly ushered in a new, minimalist mood. But now minimalism is about more than refined silhouettes and clean lines, it’s about clearing out your closet and editing your approach.
Of course, a considered look is nothing new: some of the most famous faces on the front row have cultivated a signature style as recognisable as they are. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue and the most powerful woman in fashion, is wedded to a uniform of printed dresses. They are slim-cut and mid-length and she wears them with nude Manolo Blahnik strappy sandals in summer and leather stacked heel boots in winter. Her hair is bobbed, her jewellery and sunglasses are oversized. For special occasions – the Met Gala, for example, or receiving a damehood from the Queen – she wears Chanel haute couture, designed, until his death earlier this year, by her friend Karl Lagerfeld, another famous devotee to a uniform.
Looking at the fashion industry, it’s striking how many of the most creative players have adopted their own, personal uniform: Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, favours pencil skirts and visor sunglasses, while Tom Ford is a walking advertisement for his own brand of impeccable tailoring.
It’s not just fashion royalty who favours this uniform approach: the Queen’s public appearances call for coordinated coats, dresses and hats in punchy hues and accessorised by low-heeled black patent leather Anello & Davide courts and a top-handle Launer bag.
A uniform doesn’t have to mean formality and fuss, it can be comfortable – like a pair of Clarks shoes. The easy style of Sarah Harris, deputy editor of British Vogue, is built on blue jeans, an item also loved by the celebrated iconoclast, designer JW Anderson. Apple entrepreneur Steve Jobs built an empire on black roll necks and loose-fitting jeans. German chancellor Angela Merkel wears a full pantone chart of boxy blazers.
But while many public figures, from fashion to tech to politics, they do not necessarily share the same reasons for favouring this sartorial approach. The surprisingly shy Roitfeld has confessed to using her styling as a kind of shield, while the Queen’s bold palette means she can always be easily spotted by her protection team. Their looks might be worlds apart, but each gains the same from their uniform: confidence, comfort, and an unshakeable sense of self.
In these fractious times, it’s important to find comfort anywhere we can, and that includes our wardrobes. Dressing for comfort doesn’t have to mean elasticated waists, nor is your style comfort zone a bad place.
In fact, when constantly changing trends are the lifeblood of fast fashion and our social media feeds are an endless stream of statement pieces, having the confidence to cultivate our own signature style is perhaps one of the boldest, and most sustainable moves we can make. And one we’ll celebrate in the future, when our wardrobes are filled with well-loved treasures – and our photo albums are absent of “Why did I wear that?” horrors.
Of course, that doesn’t mean your look can never change – we’re taking a gentle evolution rather than a constant revolution.
Whether you favour dresses in bold colours or patterns, have unconsciously amassed a collection of crisp white shirts or live in blue jeans, the key is to stick to what you love, buy the best that you can afford and wear it well. With a range of colours, prints and styles, the classic shapes and comfort fits of Clarks’s new AW19 range provides the perfect final touch, whatever your signature style.
