Who What Wear

December 14, 2021 at 08:00AM Within the ever-colliding stratospheres of fashion and beauty, “rules” have become a bit passé, if not obsolete altogether. Gone are the days when we’d refuse to wear white after Labor Day or dismiss navy and black as an ill-conceived colour pairing. Currently, we feel inspired to dye our hair a demurely shocking shade of lavender. A hot-pink eyelid is cooler than yesteryear’s smoked-out cat eye, and we’re even experimenting with crystal-studded manicures and cute-but-clashing polish shades. Our point? It’s an exciting time to be in fashion and beauty, and more so than ever before, our hair, makeup and fashion aesthetic reflect that.Hair, especially, has been the comeback kid of 2021. Previously old-fashioned styles like the mullet have been artistically resurrected, and we currently own more scrunchies, hair claws and butterfly clips than we did circa 1999. Impressive. That said, one…

December 14, 2021 at 08:00AM I’m pretty lucky. Not only do I have a job where I get to experience, write, and learn about the newest and most exciting products, treatments, and trends hitting the beauty industry, but I also get to interview and get to know the artists and experts who execute and create them. That said, I also feel lucky to have a beauty-loving, 73-year-old makeup artist mom who I can consult about anything and everything. (My poor father never gets a word in when we have a family catch-up call. Sorry, Dad!) Being a 73-year-old product junkie and also a Tucson-based makeup expert who specialises in educating older women about makeup and skincare, my beautiful mum knows a thing or two when it comes to choosing the best products for mature skin. Oftentimes (but not always), when I try to foist my favourite…

December 14, 2021 at 08:00AM Social media has changed the rapidity of trends. Traditionally, new trends would start and end with each passing season. Now, however, with the world at our fingertips, trends can be born quite literally overnight. All it takes is for a celebrity to upload a snap of their latest outfit or an influencer their new purchase, and you’ve got the fashion equivalent of a domino effect. As such, it takes something pretty special to withstand the turnover, which makes what we’re going to discuss today all the more impressive indeed.The bouclé trend has lasted not just a year, not just a decade, but over 60 years. The fabrication, woven from a specific type of looped wool yarn and derived from the French term for “ringed” or “curled,” has become synonymous with high-end style. And though it has been used to create clothes and…

December 14, 2021 at 06:03AM Some might say there’s no such thing as the perfect dress and that you’re always sacrificing on something—perhaps the colour or the fabric choice. I know I’m fussy when it comes to choosing my own frocks, too. What can I say? I have high expectations. But even I’m having a hard time picking fault with Marks and Spencer’s latest dress offering. I’m going to make a bold claim: This just might be the best dress I’ve seen this season, if not this entire year. Part of M&S’s ongoing collaboration with Ghost, the dresses born out of this partnership were always going to pique my interest. I already own a handful of Ghost dresses, and they’re some of my favourites in my wardrobe. Coupled with the fact that M&S is one of my go-to high-street shopping destinations, we’re already off to a…

December 14, 2021 at 06:00AM Welcome to the latest, highly exciting installment of Who What Wear UK’sBest Wardrobes in Britain. It’s where we do exactly what it says on the tin: delve into the most fantastical, awe-inspiring and downright influential wardrobes. We’re honing in on the women who cause the street style photographers to press their shutters as well as the characters you don’t yet know—the ones who fly under the radar with secretly incredible clothing collections.Everyone we photograph for our Best Wardrobes in Britain series loves clothes, but Candice Brathwaite LOVES clothes. Her walk-in wardrobe is more than just a storage space, as she says this is where she goes when she needs some time to herself. She visibly lights up when she talks about fashion and the way that clothes now make her feel. ‘When I was pregnant and after having kids…

December 14, 2021 at 06:00AM There’s a saddening sort of déjà vu around the social-distancing hokey-cokey that we’re experiencing this December, but if you’re like me, then no matter what the rest of the festive season looks like, you'll be taking any opportunity to don your glad rags. Only this weekend, I had a few friends round for dinner, and I relished the chance to slip on my new heels with a party top and jeans. I’ve also started looking ahead to New Year’s Eve and planning how many sequinned items I can get away with in one outfit. (Answer: The limit does not exist.) So whether you’re heading out for Christmas cocktails or making the best of Zoom work drinks, I’ve found party pieces to sate your appetite. After a brief survey of the editorial team, I surmised that Marks and Spencer, H&M and Mango are the three high-street stores that are particularly acing…

December 14, 2021 at 06:00AM While we will always make time for extroverted outerwear and statement-making accessories, when it comes to basics, less is often more. Just think of base layers like leggings, underwear and hoodies: More often than not, you just want these items to do their jobs with minimal fuss. Of course, we still want a nod to good design, but it has to be paired with functionality. Gilly Hicks is totally on-point in this regard, delivering hard-working staples season after season in versatile silhouettes and appealing colourways.Perhaps some of you are working at home, or maybe you’re simply looking forward to living in elasticated trousers from the evening of 24 December onwards. Essentially, we all need some comfort in our lives this time of year, so we’ve rounded up the Gilly Hicks basics that we think might just fulfill those…

December 14, 2021 at 05:56AM Any outfit that takes less than 30 seconds to style is a total miracle in our book. Last year, it was all about the chunky-boots-and-jeans aesthetic, which, when worn with a shacket, became the fail-safe outfit option for winter walks and outdoor socialising. This year, however, there’s a new ensemble proving a hit amongst those in the know, one that’s just as easy to re-create.A couple of weeks ago, our editors came together to share their favourite winter outfits. That was when we realised many of us were wearing the same look on repeat. Although all of our colleagues have their own unique sense of style and tend to gravitate towards different things, we agreed that slip skirts and jumpers are where it’s at right now. Offering just the right amount of polish (via the slip’s satin fabric) alongside a…

December 14, 2021 at 05:41AM Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa never needed an introduction again after that bridesmaid dress, but now there’s yet another chic member of the family to keep an eye on. In September, Alizee Thevenet married Kate and Pippa’s brother, James Middleton, and she has a cool, relaxed kind of style that I think you’ll love. Thevenet is French, works as a finance director in London, and from the looks of her Instagram, happily co-parents James’s five dogs. How cute are they? Thevenet and Middleton recently attended a carol service at Westminster Abbey hosted by the Duchess of Cambridge. For the royal affair, Thevenet stayed true to her French roots and wore a suit by Sèzane, an affordable Paris-based brand. The label has long been my favorite for under-£200 pieces with Parisian flair, including striped tops and plaid blazers. Scroll down to see how she…

December 13, 2021 at 06:26PM Our We Try Before You Buy series aims to take the stress out of shopping and eliminate the number of post office visits you make each month to return failed online orders. We test new-season buys and styling ideas so you don’t have to. Here, we’re letting you know what’s actually worth investing in and the styling tricks you can re-create with pieces you already own.If you haven’t yet heard of PANGAIA, then it’s about time you became acquainted. I stumbled across the brand on Instagram earlier this year, drawn in by its joyful spin on basics and its science-driven, innovative approach to materials—a breath of fresh air after the sad staples that have come to dominate my wardrobe over the last 18 months. Intrigued, I found myself browsing PANGAIA’s website and soon learned that there’s so much more to…