A new Costume Institute exhibition, Hugo Boss going fur free, a sneak peek at Christophe Lemaire for Uniqlo, and other style news that made headlines this week.

• Topshop is releasing an archival collection with 33 of their greatest hits from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
• Here’s a sneak peek at the Christophe Lemaire for Uniqlo collection.
• Gap is testing a free delivery service for guests at the new Virgin Hotels Chicago.
• This Autum, the Costume Institute is staging a Jacqueline de Ribes exhibition, which will feature about 60 haute couture and ready-to-wear ensembles from the French style icon’s personal archive.
• Luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss plans to go fur free as of its Fall/Winter 2016 collection.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that British fashion retailer Topshop has been around for 51 years. It started out in 1964 as “Peter Robinson’s Top Shop”, a youth brand section within the Sheffield branch of the Peter Robinson department store. In 1973, parent company Burton Group decided to split them up into two chains, Peter Robinson and Top Shop, with the latter focussing on the 13 to 24 age range.

This ensemble was inspired by two street style looks I saw. They combine cream or white with black, finishing off the outfit with cognac accents. The grey in the outfit works well as a fourth neutral, but is not a compulsory addition. 

There are countless ways to combine these neutrals so feel free to be creative. I’ve started the ball rolling with two easy renditions. The one on the left is business casual, while the one on the right is smart casual. Note that cream is interchangeable with white. 

Black Bottoms, Cream Top & Cognac Shoes

Combine a pair of black cropped trousers with a soft cream blouse. Add cognac high-vamped shoes like mules, peep-toe booties or cage heels. Sport a black skirt, pair of shorts, or culottes if trousers aren’t your thing. A cream lace blouse adds a nice bit of texture to the look. A cream bag is a crisp finishing touch. A grey jacket like a blazer is optional, but handy to have at your desk in an air-conditioned office. I like this rendition best without the jacket because it’s extra Summery. 

White Jeans, Grey Top, Black Jacket & Cognac Accents 

Combine a pair of white jeans with a grey T-shirt, black jacket, cognac shoes and a cognac bag. I’ve kept this look just like the inspiration picture, but do choose any style of white jeans and cognac bag. Select shoes that work with the silhouette of the bottoms. A black or white top works as well as a grey one if that’s more to your taste. I like the casual beads that add texture to the outfit. My version is a tribal necklace from Zimbabwe, a country in Southern Africa we visited a few times many years ago. One of my favorite things about our time there was the local arts and crafts.

You could leave the second outfit un-layered by combining white jeans, a black top, cognac shoes and a cognac bag. A Summery cotton or linen scarf in the same palette can take the place of the necklace.

I’m enjoying The Guardian’s Oz Stylewatch series, and wanted to share three pieces I found particularly interesting:

This article explains why it is so hard to find Australian-made shoes.

“Starting a fashion label in Australia is notoriously risky. Starting a footwear label is even harder. The production is more expensive; the makers are harder to find and more selective about who they’re willing to work with. Unless footwear craftsmanship becomes a hot new trade to learn, the mid-range shoe shortage isn’t going to change.”

Alyx Gorman explains how “office-ish” clothing is the new trend for Australia’s growing creative sector.

“This kind of clothing is office-ish. It takes workwear staples such as shirts and tailoring but changes the proportions and prints into something too quirky to pass for conventional business gear.”

Luxurious, bathrobe-esque coats are apparently the latest must-have for the Australian Winter, and have “muscled their way to ‘staple’ status”.

“Finally, a luxuriant bathrobe is a status symbol the high street cannot replicate. Without Max Mara’s specially milled cashmeres and wools (the real deal will cost you between $1,700 to upwards of $8,000, depending on fabrication and your fondness for fur trims), or Guo Pei’s yards of fur, these garments would be plain old cereal-and-milk encrusted dressing gowns. In a rich textile, the style is dangerous and beguiling, it begs ‘touch me’. It suggests you know what you’re doing. In a poly-wool blend, it simply says: ‘I have given up on wearing real clothes’.”

Fab Links from Our Members

Crutcher is blown away with Dixie of Inside Outer Style’s unique style and the fact that she wears hats so well.

Grammy-Award winning Chrisette Michele has launched a clothing line for “girls with curves”. Robin thinks it’s exciting to see more women of colour in the fashion industry, and, of course, to have clothes for a wide variety of bodies.

Brilliant ‘80s band Duran Duran goes down as the most stylish band of all time in Angie’s book. She LOVES the way they dress. Now the gents are 55 years young and looking better than ever promoting their new album. Go Team White Jeans.

If you love menswear and Italian accents as much as Skylurker, then this article and video on Pitti Uomo are for you.

This story about a plus-size Old Navy Shopper turning a fat shaming incident into a positive experience has been trending on Facebook. Daria has mixed feelings about it, and wonders what you think.

Autumn’s post about the Women’s World Soccer Cup really resonated with Lavinia, because this is exactly what she has been feeling as well.

L’Abeille found a roundup of comfortable and stylish flats, and because some are menswear-inspired she wanted to share some inspirational menswear looks as well.

“Shopping has to be fun,” Boscov said. “It’s not that you need anything. Shopping is entertainment and should be fun, and we have to remember that.” Vildy loved this quote from the chain store’s CEO Jim Boscov, and adds that she recently visited one of their department stores and thought it was delightful.

Although I’m working a hectic shift helping clients with their preselections at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, I’m wearing this outfit all day. Yes, it’s a formal dress, but it’s my birthday and reason enough to wear whatever I want. I turned 45 years young today and feel fabulous. 

It’s tradition that Greg helps me purchase my birthday outfit and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Shopping with him for my gift is part of the present and extra fun. This year we went shopping in London while on our trip. The outfit that I chose for my birthday was L.K. Bennett’s Wardour Lace Overlay Dress in a happy shade of watermelon. My in-house fashion stylist said it’s the prettiest dress he’s seen me wear, which was of course welcome validation. In two ticks the dress was mine — the only one left and just in my size — and I couldn’t wait to wear it. 

I don’t wear formal dresses all that often, but when I do, I absolutely LOVE them. There is something special about wearing an exquisitely made dress that makes me feel like a million bucks. And the quality of this dress is sublime. The lace is weighty, but super soft. The lining is made of a lustrous crepe. Some of the seams are French, while others are beautifully bound with piping. There is twill tape on the inside of the black slit and an extra placket on the inside of the zipper. Truly, the finish on this dress is so impeccable that you could wear it inside out.

The fit is tailored but not too tight, and there is ample length on the sleeves and hem. The style has a high longevity factor because it’s a modern classic, and the colour alone will keep me interested in wearing it. This was the perfect birthday dress.  

The contrast grey lining of the dress effectively dulls the colour of the lace. It’s also why I chose to wear silver grey ankle strap pumps with the frock. When trying the dress on in the dressing room, I thought I’d need to buy light grey heels to match the lining. But all I needed to do was shop my closet for the perfect pair of grey heels, which are very comfortable to boot. The fact that they’re a few seasons old puts a spring in my step because I like outfits that remix old pieces with new ones. 

I combined the dress and shoes with a very special light blue Radley London handbag. It was a gift from my brother Hugo and sis-in-law Keri when I went shopping with them in London. I’ve been looking for the right light blue bag for a while. The colour is versatile — much like faded denim — so it’s going to work well in my wardrobe. 

I like this outfit best without a topper because it allows the lace and the colour to shine. But since I’ll be working in air conditioning all day I’ll need a jacket. Greg, my in-house stylist, chose an old cropped and fitted Diesel denim jacket as the topper. He has a thing for denim jackets so it’s no wonder that he liked this combination best. The denim effectively dresses down the formality of the frock, which is a good idea for my workday. But when I wear this dress again in a fortnight for a fancy 60th birthday party, I’ll be topping it off with something more dressy.