Cos began its reformation in 2023 with an intention to focus on strong, architectural shapes. When it released the AW25 collection, Design Director Karin Gustafsson said, “for me, less has always been more, it’s about the quiet power of subtle details, beautiful materials, and silhouettes that inspire confidence without demanding attention.” You can see that when you look through the site, it isn’t the place to go if you want to look pretty, it’s all about being in the know.

The key strength for Cos since its redevelopment is knitwear. The cashmere is heavier and softer than most retailers and it has a great selection of merino which is good for people whose skin is easily irritated. This season they’re dominating the shades of brown trend, giving great ideas of how to layer it for the most sumptuous effect. Take note of the way that they use more than one piece of knitwear in an outfit – a simple jumper worn on its own is no longer the way to go. Often cardigans and jumpers are layered as scarves – 2025 is not the year of the chunky knit, it’s all about light layers piled up together. And if you’re a barrel trouser lover then Cos, along with Arket, is the fashion editor approved destination.

The great British designer Jonathan Saunders is now in residence at & Other Stories and his influence is starting to come through which is good because it was once a great brand but it faded from the spotlight over lockdown. Like Cos it’s part of the H&M group although each sub-brand is independently audience targeted and run. However this means that it now has the H&M group’s supplier transparency on each product page which is a good move towards a more sustainable and ethical offering.

The White Company is making a lot of noise about its AW25 reinvention to celebrate its 30th birthday. It’s hired Sheila McKain (ex Hush and Jaeger) to oversee the refresh which will make sense to you when you look through the collection.  There is a difference, the styles are a little more modern but I still think that if I were a wardrobe mistress on a Netflix series, these are the looks I’d choose for the chic but wronged suburban wife who subsequently bursts into the colour and sharp fit of Me+Em as she reinvents herself. However if you’re looking for a piece of knitwear in a lighter shade then TWC is a good place to go because the prices are hitting slightly lower than many competitors.

Uniqlo is always interesting to watch, especially now that Claire Waight Keller (ex Givenchy and designer of Meghan Markle’s wedding dress) is completing her first year as Creative Director. Uniqlo has rapidly become the retailer of choise for Millennials and GenZ, it’s where they go for most of their basics (despite M&S’s claims that they’ve conquered the younger end). The stores are great and expanding rapidly with Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol now in the offing. However the website is managed in Japan and it’s difficult for western users to navigate. The colour palette of the clothes can also be a bit odd because they rarely follow trend although this year they have introduced chocolate brown.

Claire Waight Keller states her mission as follows, “everything has to have a purpose, and nothing should be superfluous. It always has to have some sort of function or an aesthetic reason. Like, it creates a beautiful line or it finishes things off nicely.” If you can persevere with the website there are good and regularly changing discoveries to be made – better still go into a store.

Jigsaw is an interesting brand to watch at the moment. When we last discussed them a couple of years ago they were really flying; run by retail mavens Beth Butterwick and Jo Sykes they were producing immaculately designed pieces from high quality, carefully sourced fabrics. However, as happens in retail there was a sudden exit with the two midlife gurus being replaced by Hash Ladha whose background at Oasis and Warehouse could have been said to be less aligned with the brand. In the last few seasons Jigsaw seems to have been floundering and he too has now gone.

This year the majority shareholder David Ross (founder of Carphone Warehouse) has injected £5 million. The Kensington flagship is about to be reopened and a new website is being developed which is a good thing because the poor online experience does nothing to reflect the richness of the stores. Some of the original heritage designs are back this season – nobody makes coats like Jigsaw and the knitwear is exceptional. The shoes and jewellery were once the best on the high street but this autumn’s offering is almost non-existent. Let’s hope they manage to reintroduce their former level of excellence throughout all of their categories.

Ah Me+Em – 15 years old and yet it’s only in the last 5 years that it’s really started to fly. The focus for them at the moment is on America where the core customer profile is similar – mostly the busy, professional midlife woman but the difference there is that she spends more. However the UK is still a developing market and a store has just opened in Manchester (lovely staff by the way, not remotely snooty) and Harrogate is coming soon which seems a bit niche but I’m sure it’s been well researched.

I have great respect for Claire Hornby’s focus on customer data. So many brand founders just keep on creating the clothes they think people want, largely based on their own preferences but Claire drills down into the research – you have no idea how rare that is (and yes, it’s been the biggest frustration of my career). That’s why over the last couple of years they’ve moved to monthly drops with a few additions in between – they found that the problem with traditional quarterly drops was that too many women were buying the same thing and so the risk of being seen in the same outfit as somebody else was losing them sales.

The thing I love most about Me+Em is the modular element. It means that if you buy a pair of trousers and a jacket one season, you know that the tops and dresses that come out in the following one will all have the balance to go with the items you already have. It’s like a Lego wardrobe – you build it slowly and it all mixes and matches together. I’m slowly building a collection of pieces that I know will last me until I die – I’m investing in them now so that if my income reduces in the future I’ll still have beautiful, timeless modular outfits to wear.

Here’s my edit of the most well-priced building blocks.

I’ve been asked for a trainer round-up so here you go. As always I’ll say the most ageing thing you can do is buy your trainers from a high street store such as M&S, Hush or Boden – I wouldn’t even by them from Me+Em. I just don’t know why you would when you miss out on the footbed technology and the added street cred of a sportswear brand. And the high street brand copies often cost more than the originals (see this Hush rip-off of the Pumas). I know some of you will say you feel you don’t have the sporty aesthetic to pull the sports brands off but so many of them do streetwear styles now that it really doesn’t matter.

I was asked for an update on which trainers are ‘deeply over’ so I checked my sources and Veja and the New Balance 327 are top of the list. Sambas and Gazelles still have traction, they aren’t super cool but they’re still current.

In the end though wear what you love, none of this matters unless you care about it.

Worth knowing:

• Trainers are still key with trousers and jeans but they’re not really being worn with dresses and skirts apart from mini-skirts sometimes, there’s a trade-up to loafers, Mary-Janes or knee-high boots now.
• White trainers are still in fashion’s Arctic hinterland
• Suede is the most popular finish, in a bold colour – use it to either tone or contrast with the core of your wardrobe