THE BRITISH INVASION, PART II: MY FAVORITE FASHION BRANDS

As someone who hates clothes shopping for myself, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the choices and experience here in London. Turns out, many of these British brands are in fact easily found in the U.S. too — so here’s a round up of some favorites and the everyday fashion sense I’m seeing here….

Actress Gillian Anderson in Winser London brand swing coat

There’s a subtle but very noticeable difference in the dressing style here - maybe because it rains constantly so outfits have to be sturdy enough for a soaking, or maybe because of London’s Saville Row roots and its emphasis on tailoring. Whatever the reasons, London women dress in a way that is definitely polished but with an EDGE - sneakers with a skirt, or practical clunky boots, or something that has a wink or whimsy to it…

British born actress Kristin Scott Thomas embodies aspects of this style - favoring beautiful high-quality fabrics with perfect draping/cut (stolen a bit from Menswear) & a bold but simple accessory game.

The outfit below is from REISS, a British brand that I really adore. (It is also a fave of Kate Middleton, or as people here say “The Duchess of Cambridge”:)

I’ve gotten several pieces from Reiss (mostly in the U.S.) over the years and they have held up with good quality at a reasonable price point. My kind of fashion!:)

Above is American-born, London-dwelling Alison Loehnis, President of Net a Porter, sporting a jumpsuit, which is a staple for so many chic women here. I got into the act myself & bought this navy one from Jigsaw, another great British brand…

Jigsaw makes good quality chunky boots I mentioned before (see above). I also got a beautiful long gray felt wrap coat from Jigsaw last season & some merino wool V-necks etc - classic pieces. So do NOT be turned off by the 12-yr old models with green hair that they’re using on their website now! Trust me, they have some very elegant pieces you’ll love.

I had never thought of myself as a biker jacket kind of girl but I’m seeing it styled here in such fresh ways, I’m reconsidering! Reiss has two different styles, one with mandarin collar that’s kind of interesting & one regular style.

If all this black and utilitarian style is not floating your boat, you could also check out another British brand I love, called The White Company. I discovered them on a trip to London about 5 years ago & was so glad to see them open stores in the U.S.

It was founded by Chrissie Rucker, who by the way, has a GORGEOUS house - see below - decorated (in white of course) by Rose Uniacke.

I have The White Company’s organic cotton pocket jersey shirt in all 4 colors - it lives up to the description in the catalog, a “closet hero”, as it gets at least three seasons of use and is perfect layering piece.

Last but not least - and a little harder to find in the U.S. - is Winser London, which did a brilliant capsule collection with actress Gillian Anderson (who has collaborated with them for several seasons now).

Again, more of the chic British tailoring but with an edge. Of course, the ankle tatoo works in that direction too but that is a bridge too far for me - I think I’ll have to add my “edge” by finding some statement jewelery or accessories instead!

Perhaps the REAL reason I’m not minding shopping here is actually scenes like above - all the stores are in neighborhoods where everything is walkable, not a mall in sight (that I’ve seen anyway). This city might just make a fashionista out me afterall!

I’ll keep exploring & report back same time next week - thanks for following along on this adventure!

xo

Lee

Note: None of this post is sponsored or includes any affiliate links. Mostly because I’m still remembering how to do even DO this after so many pandemic months on hiatus!:) But I will always tell you if there’s any brand affiliation in my content.