Having spent most of the year choosing comfort over style, it’s something of an effort to adjust. The ditching of uncomfortable underwired bras for relaxed soft ones seems like an enlightened new habit that will be hard to break. In lockdown I wore jeans every day and the softest Ros Duke sweater (snapped up in her online sale), which felt like a comfort blanket. Jackets and “going out” clothes felt superfluous for so long, but over the summer you could see people start to dress up and enjoy their clothes again. I’ve always loved clothes that stand the test of time, and still wear Dries Van Noten pieces found in London warehouse sales 20 years ago. I’m not a fan of wardrobe clearouts – they always lead to regret. If you love clothes, you’ll always feel that instinctive rush of excitement when you spot a perfect tuxedo jacket hanging pristinely on the rail.
A pared-back, more conscious approach and an uncertain diary all count against splashing out on something new.
Sometimes I visit the Dries rails as I would a gallery, purely to admire the colour and verve. A pared-back, more conscious approach and an uncertain diary all count against splashing out on something new. It’s easy to become more practical than aspirational – basics and sportswear rather than anything frivolous. But then, on my Zoom birthday in lockdown, I dressed up for the only time in 2020 and felt uplifted and joyful in scarlet red velvet. Flamboyant clothes, such as the shocking pink and sequins at Halpern, just feel celebratory. And I start wanting to wear sleek, sensual velvet come autumn. Clothes will always comfort, lift and light you up, and we all need a bit of that this year. Now let’s step out, dress up and live a little …
