A NET-A-PORTER Director Talks Brands, Trends & Fashion
CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NET-A-PORTER
My style is modern and classic with a nod to the 70s or 80s. I’m always drawn to certain pieces like a great blazer and high-waisted jeans, as well as specific fabrics like lamé as I love high glam for evening. I’m also obsessed with jumpsuits – I own so many, from casual day ones to evening. I tend to stick with neutrals, including black and navy, but I will occasionally throw in a pop of colour for a special occasion, such as yellow. I always dress and build on my outfits according to the mood of that particular day, and location too if I am travelling.
The grown-up trend is definitely one of my favourites this season. We’re seeing more head-to-toe polished looks with a return to femininity. We saw fashion powerhouses such as Loewe and Bottega Veneta at the forefront, along with rising stars stepping up into a more sophisticated space. We saw brands such as Khaite and Jacquemus evolve their looks with the best craftsmanship and techniques, with structured blazers, long tailored trousers and soft knits.
A Bottega Veneta bag is a new-season must-have – I’ve bought a padded Cassette bag already. I would say The Sant’s Kinchaku is set to be autumn’s ‘It’ bag. We found the brand on Instagram and love its contemporary shapes inspired by the Japanese Kinchaku bag.
The essential I rely on every autumn is my Gianvito Rossi Levy ankle boots. I have them in white, in python and in red patent. I love how these boots can be worn in different ways. In terms of my everyday essentials, I swear by a navy jacket with gold buttons, high-waisted ridged jeans, an oversized cardigan, a camel coat and loads of turtlenecks as underpinnings.
For an important meeting I always aim to dress professional and on-trend. A great modern pantsuit or a shirt dress does exactly that for me.
I think an investment piece always has a timeless essence and a beautifully elegant design that allows it to move from season to season. It’s something you cherish and want to wear year after year – like amazing tailoring from The Row, knitwear from Gabriela Hearst and an updated trench from Riccardo Tisci at Burberry.
Cable-Knit Cotton-Blend Sweater, £450
For AW19 we are launching more than 100 new brands. I’m very excited about Wright Le Chapelain, which will be the go-to for lightweight tailoring, and the Korean RTW brand Le 17 Septembre – the designer is self-taught, having started in the fashion industry with a personal blog. I also love Bite Studios, a sustainable new brand creating sharp tailoring, sleek shirting and beautiful chunky knitwear.
Apart from Bottega Veneta’s shoes and bags, Prada and The Row’s runway pieces – which sell out upon upload – classic and timeless pieces like the iconic Gucci leather belt or Soho Disco bag always do amazingly well. A few other best-selling pieces are the Burberry Chelsea trench coat, Common Projects Original Achilles leather sneakers and the Veja + NET SUSTAIN V-10 leather sneakers.
For Paris Fashion Week, I always pack classic pieces with a twist. For Milan, I pay homage to ultra-luxe made-in-Italy labels by opting for clashing separates by Gucci and Prada, and adding polish in the form of a leather coat and super-chic accessories. For London, blue jeans and a quintessentially British trench coat make the perfect base. For New York, I opt for effortless chic looks by wearing smart yet contemporary pieces, like modern suiting.
Often people see what’s on the surface and think that’s all we do, flying around the world attending fashion shows. The reality is we’re in showrooms, at appointments, in offices and running a business at the same time, which is incredibly exciting and sometimes challenging. The most important part of my role is ensuring we are buying the right product – the best brands and the best edit to hit our targets. We have to keep growing, so that is the biggest challenge. We are just lucky that the commodity we are dealing in is something so creative and beautiful.
The best part of my job is always seeing the beautiful collections up close and meeting so many creative and talented people. It keeps me interested in and excited about what I do. It’s also incredibly rewarding to work with the talented team of buyers at my job, helping them not only to develop, but also to evolve in their own careers.
The best career advice I’ve ever been given is to never settle for a bigger position just for the money. Go for what you really want – life is too short to not enjoy every day.
The career advice I always give? Be yourself. It’s all about confidence and really letting your true self shine. Be honest with what you want, what your strengths are and what you want to learn.
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