This might be a controversial statement for a fashion editor to make, but Frieze London, the annual art fair held each October in Regent’s Park, is, in my opinion, more stylish than London Fashion Week.
It’s a pleasingly diverse crowd, for a start. And it’s more real. The curators, artists, publicists and clients who populate the event are not styled or sponsored by designer brands, and they tend not to be influenced by trends. Instead, they’re inspired by colour, texture and shape. They shop for the long term. They also dress to please themselves more than others.
“When I’m dressing for an art event or art fair, I always look for something that feels individual, architectural in line, but timeless in spirit,” says Georgina Cohen, director of Gagosian Gallery, Cultured magazine editor-at-large and art-world connector.
In fact, the designers that play well among people in this orbit tend to be immersed in it as well. Take Dries Van Noten, who this year opened the Fondazione Dries Van Noten in Venice, a cultural non-profit dedicated to craftsmanship. Even though the designer has handed the creative reins to fellow Belgian Julian Klausner, the label remains highly regarded by its longtime fans.
“I love Dries’s artistic prints,” Cohen says, “[and] Mario Arena’s new collection for Joseph, inspired by the sculptor Richard Stone, is also fantastic – strong, beautifully cut pieces.”
Any of the Antwerp Six will pass muster, along with Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, as will Roksanda. On the high street, quiet-luxury staples from Massimo Dutti, Cos and Jigsaw are the way to go.
If you really want to flex, though, you’ll know your way around vintage and antique clothing too. Take the artist Annie Morris: “I went to Japan recently and bought some amazing antique silk embroidered jackets in bright-coloured silks, which I wear all the time,” she says. “One is bright pink with a tiger embroidered on the pocket. It seems to go with everything. I [also] love vintage Margiela, particularly the collection he made that is based on clothes from a doll’s house.”
So what drives a fashion purchase for those who dress with this world in mind? Here, Cohen, Morris and their creative counterparts reveal what they’re adding to their wardrobes this autumn.
The sporty red jacket
Cohen was quick off the mark when the Simone Rocha x Adidas collection dropped. She got her hands on one of the trophy pieces, the now-sold-out £220 cropped red track jacket with balloon sleeves (pictured above).
Luckily, there are myriad other takes on the look, including an Eighties-inspired version at &Other Stories and a more polished version at Massimo Dutti. The real bargain, though, is Uniqlo’s very layer-able Milano cardigan, which is back after selling out globally last spring.
80s-inspired bomber jacket, £119, &Other Stories; Milano ribbed cardigan, £39.90, Uniqlo; Technical bomber jacket, £130, Massimo Dutti
The printed minidress
The artist Annie Morris was thrilled to discover a Jeff Banks contrasting-print minidress with balloon sleeves from the 1970s at Portobello Market recently.
They’re relatively rare finds, but you can recognise elements of Banks’s influence on today’s collections all the same, from Celine to Sézane.
Silk-viscose Esther dress, £165, Sezane; Cotton minidress, £139, The Hippie Shake; Ramie mini dress, £294, Alemais at Zalando; Tania Liberty print lawn cotton dress, £269, O Pioneers
The statement coat
“A new coat is a favourite autumn treat to myself,” says Ottilie Windsor, head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s UK.
“Very firmly on my September wish list is a longline dark brown suede coat from Jigsaw (pictured above), my favourite place for outerwear on the high street. The cut and quality are amazing – this coat is simple, timeless and a tiny bit unexpected.”
Suede longline coat, £699, Jigsaw; Italian wool-rich textured coat, £350, Jaeger at M&S; Wool-blend blindseam coat, £398, Reiss; Handmade wool-blend coat, £169.99, H&M
The knee-high socks
Ruthie Rogers, podcast host, co-founder of the River Café and doyenne of London’s creative crowd, has invested in knee-high socks this season, accidentally finding herself on-trend. “I always seem to wear a skirt or a dress, so I’ve always had to wear tights, and I don’t like the look of a tight. I find wearing socks really liberating and kind of fun,” she says. “I bought a pair for the first time last year and wore them on the Jimmy Fallon show with my jeans skirt, and [afterwards] people wrote to me and said, ‘I love your socks.’
“I didn’t buy them because I thought they were a fashion statement, because I don’t think like that, but I really enjoyed them.”
This season she’s added two more pairs to her rotation: a charcoal grey Prada pair and a navy pair from The Row. “I don’t like having a lot of clothes. But when I do buy them, I like buying things that really last forever.”
Wool knee-high socks, £24, Pairs; Heattech knee-high socks, £7.90, Uniqlo; Handmade cotton socks, £38, Maria La Rosa
The sculptural bag
A crossbody handbag that can take you anywhere, yet still pull its weight on the style front, is a key piece of kit. Naturally, photographer Mary McCartney carries one from her sister Stella McCartney’s label, the Ryder style. “It goes everywhere with me,” she says. “It ticks all the boxes – it’s compact, fits all the daily essentials, slick design, has a long crossbody strap and a colour that goes with everything.”
Its vegan credentials are especially important to her: “It’s all about the innovations. The ‘suede’ is vegan, no animals harmed, made from recycled grapes. So clever.”
Ryder vegan ‘suede’ bag, £703, Stella McCartney at Farfetch; Raw-cut shoulder bag, £299, Cos; Vegan leather Shila bag, £200, OpéraSPORT at Free People; Sahero suede shoulder bag, £300, Samsoe Samsoe
The practical shoe
You won’t find many people teetering around in ultra-high heels at an art fair. Regulars know that they will be covering a lot of ground, hitting well more than 10,000 steps in a day. Cohen’s staple is Prada’s men’s loafers. McCartney is fond of a pair of velvet leopard ballerinas from her sister’s label. Georgia Spray, founder of Partnership Editions, has her eye on Camper’s painterly ‘Twins’ flats, which feature mismatched parrot tulips.
“I love my Le Monde Beryl slippers,” adds Emie Diamond, an art historian and writer. “The heeled version in this deep burgundy is a natural next step. The colour is so autumnal, and that makes me endlessly happy.”
Nubuck ‘Twins’ flats, £145, Camper; Leopard ballet flat, £295, Me+Em; Luna leather pumps, £450, Le Monde Beryl; Suede loafers, £56, Marks & Spencer