If you looked closely, you would have seen an exciting new trend hidden in plain sight at the Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear runway shows. The clues were lots of tweed, texture, earth tones, rich fabrics, fluidly tailored coats, long blazers, voluminous outerwear, headgear, and refined eyewear. We see these looks every season, but this year it was a little more specific. It seems that designers were greatly inspired by the street style on Baker Street, and they’re privately calling the look Detective Chic. It’s a fringe trend, but I expect it to go mainstream soon.
The look is a fabulous mix of modern classics that can be easily pulled together. The most important components are the topper and hat. Think capes, trench coats, blazers and ponchos in rich wools, tweeds, herringbone, houndstooth, and weather-resistant fabrics. Think neutrals like earthy tans, toffees, caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate brown, along with black and shades of grey. Throw a detective topper over neutral separates and finish off the look with a tweed newsboy hat, or hat with ear flaps. Add refined round eyewear, magnifier, bag, watch, and other accessories as desired.
This collection shows a good assortment of items that reflect the trend.
And if you want to take it to the next level, consider adding some of these items to your detective capsule.
To get an authentic take on the trend, we reached out to a team that sports it with verve, panache, and effortless chic. Of course, I’m referring to two characters who — with their keen senses and incomparable instincts for sniffing things out — are the best detectives we know: Samlock Holmes and Sherlock Jo.
Samlock Holmes is the cerebral one, alerting us to potential intruders and UPS delivery people long before they get to the front door. Sherlock Jo has a nose for finding things, especially edible things and wayward socks. She’s also an expert at detecting small imperfections, like loose threads on the rug or the sofa, and attacking them to ensure that they are much more easily detectable by us mere humans.
I adore the classic, comfortable, texturally-rich, mystery-solving integrity of Detective Chic. I aspire to puling it off half as well as our canine detective team, but with boots or hi-tops instead of velvety paw pads. I hope to see lots of renditions of the the look remixed YOUR way on the forum.
