Yes, it’s Betty Draper (aka the actor January Jones) and she’s not in a prom skirt – though Mad Men fans will be pleased to hear that the female characters are a major influence on the high-street this autumn/winter. Here Jones has nailed the modern cocktail look with this Louis Vuitton ensemble. The top is a forward-thinking alternative to lace (lately one of fashion’s most ubiquitous materials), while posh, wide-leg trousers, with or without a paper bag waistband, are next season’s party dress alternative. Fact. Photograph: Alex J. Berliner/BEI
This is a polo shirt for men who don’t like polo shirts. It is also a short-sleeve shirt for men who don’t like short-sleeve shirts. Congratulations to Oliver Spencer for filling a gap in the tricky male short-sleeve wardrobe with this versatile piece. Styling ideas: 1. Wear neat and buttoned, on its own with crisp chinos; 2. Unbutton, wear over a plain crew neck T-shirt and add faded jeans. Either way, it’s a man-look minus fashiony airs and graces. Believable.
£75, oliverspencer.co.uk Photograph: Guardian
With new season mania mounting on an almost hourly basis, here comes another fantasy treat from the mighty abode of Prada. This dinky burgundy leather bag – think size of a side plate but with two useful compartments inside – is a delight of cross-body wonderment complete with gold hardware and chain handle. Plus, if you’re simultaneously after some under-the-arm clutch marvellousness (and, frankly, who isn’t?) simply clip off the chain and Bob, my friends, is surely your uncle.
£850, prada.com Photograph: Paolo Barbi/Guardian
Swedish label Acne – think slouchy, off-kilter, understated – has just flung open its new boutique doors on the very fashionable Dover Street (No 13, to be precise), in central London. Launched in 1996, the first British Acne store houses furniture, clothing for both genders, lashings of denim and a smattering of art. This Lana cardigan from the pre-autumn collection is a fine example of that insouciant Acne cool. In other Acne-related news: this September the label will have a catwalk show at London Fashion Week for the very first time.
£220, acnestudios.com Photograph: Guardian
Clothes that effortlessly make the transition from desk to social engagement are not to be sniffed at. This very pretty cotton/silk blouse with its prim bow and interesting sleeve shape is a classic of the genre. It is also a jolly good reason to have a nosy around Karen Millen – a label whose party-wear reputation precedes it. Yes, they still do a ritzy shoe, but pieces such as this blouse and the unstructured camel cape (coming this autumn) prove that it is far from being a one-trick, B-list pony.
£99, karenmillen.com Photograph: Guardian
Rather like that pre-plane airport shopping dash for magazines, fake tan and a travel plug, it is surely obligatory to buy a new pair of holiday shoes. Well, if you’re a holiday shoe-shopper (hi-five!), then here is a pair that are not just a total snip – good work La Redoute – but totally versatile. As in, you could wear with a maxi skirt and wide-brimmed hat for a stroll on a posh promenade with some hot date or with cut-off denims and a bunch of gal pals on an Ibiza restaurant terrace.
£25, laredoute.co.uk Photograph: Guardian
