If you asked a bunch of fashion-week attendees—from editors to photographers to buyers to customers—to nominate the person they considered the best dressed (consistently, not just for that season), I'd be willing to bet several would reply without missing a beat: Christine Centenera. Not only is she the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Australia, but she has also built a career as a celebrity stylist, working with clients including Kim Kardashian, and is the co-founder of the influential clothing label Wardrobe.NYC. Together with her co-founder, the designer Josh Goot, Wardrobe.NYC has become a go-to for celebrities such as Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (who designed a collection with the brand), Margot Robbie (who wore Wardrobe.NYC + RHW) and Selena Gomez.
The brand's next logical step? A high-street collaboration with the retailer who is responsible for bringing the biggest designer brands to a mass audience: H&M. Launching tomorrow, 6 August, with an edit that's based on the archives of Wardrobe.NYC, it's arriving just as you're preparing to build your autumn uniform for September.
Wardrobe.NYC H&M delivers a complete wardrobe of hard-working pieces that you'll come to rely on—from an oversized black coat that's hefty and double-breasted to a nip-waisted denim jacket, elongated for elegance but still wearable enough for everyday. "What we want is for all pieces to become staples: You're building the base of a wardrobe and mixing it back in—with things you already own and with pieces from the collection itself," says Centenera, adding: "That versatility was always the goal."
Many of the pieces could form the backbone of your office wardrobe—tailoring has always been part of Wardrobe.NYC's DNA—but each has edge. "You could see immediately that it was the ultimate wardrobe essentials—but made with such thoughtfulness and a quiet passion. It's pared back, on the cleaner side, but it still has a lot of character," explains Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's creative advisor and head of design for womenswear. "The sculpturality, the way every shape is so well considered—you can really feel how it will be to wear one of these garments just by looking at it."
She's not wrong. There's nothing basic about the collection's white T-shirt, which is actually a bodysuit with subtly-moulded shoulders. There's also the drawstring-waist black trousers, perfectly wide-legged and designed to be styled with a heel (Centenera always navigates fashion week in stilettos).
They've also considered how their customer wants to wear the clothes. The ability to layer, for example, is key to Centenera, who uses "wardrobe staples almost like building blocks to create an ensemble," she says. The long-sleeved black bodysuit could be fitted underneath the blue shirt—the collab's only concession to a colour outside black and white—which, in turn, would go snugly underneath the cropped bomber jacket. "I trust these pieces completely. That trust, that reliability, is really what Wardrobe.NYC is all about," says Centenera.
Shop The Marie Claire Edit Of Wardrobe.NYC H&M
This oversized silhouette, contrasted with a stiletto heel, is similarly Centenera-coded.
With sharply-padded shoulders, this blue shirt will transform the way you wear button-downs to work.
One of the collaboration's more expensive items, this wool-blend blazer will soon become a staple.
Slightly sheer, with a high-cut silhouette, you could either pair this body with baggy jeans or the collection's column skirt.
Available in sizes UK 4-24, this wool column will be your new favourite skirt for autumn.
Compelling evidence that not all denim jackets are created equal or as polished as this one.
These might be track pants but styled with a longline shirt will look far more grownup than expected.
Wardrobe.NYC sees your basic short-sleeved bodysuit and raises you this shoulder-padded version.
If you've been a long-time fan of Christine Centenera, these sock boots are very her. Great for anyone working in creative industries with a more flexible dress code.
These straight-leg jeans will add some polish to your denim wardrobe.
You could either style this bomber jacket for day—over the collection's grey hoodie—or for night with the wool midi skirt.
The ideal layer for the start of autumn. Surprisingly polished when paired with a sharp pencil skirt and blazer.
