Commuter dressing – it should all be so easy. But who hasn’t found themselves crammed into a sweltering Tube carriage, praying that your freshly ironed shirt won’t wilt in the heat, only to step outside to a breeze so cold you kick yourself for baring your ankles? With English weather so notoriously fickle – we’ve had two all-time weather records in 2018 – just what is one to do?
The key is making every piece you have work harder, by reinventing your styling – luckily Mayfair boutiques have got your every need covered.
This Mara Hoffman dress is a hemp mix – free yourself from the hippie connotations because it is the epitome of Provençal summer chic. However, when it’s cold, channel Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face as bookish Jo Stockton: simply layer it over a fine knit or crisp blouse to ward off the elements.
Pick it up at Browns, 24-27 South Molton St, Mayfair, London W1K 5RD
Gentleman readers may prefer to switch out a winter overcoat for a lighter cotton jacket, taking cues from the traditional French bleu de travail – this one by Private White V.C. has enough room for a sweatshirt underneath, making it a stalwart in your layering arsenal.
Private White V.C., 73 Duke St, Mayfair, London W1K 5NR
Make full use of nifty tailoring tricks like vents and fastenings – unbutton and flatten a collar for those dreamy May days in the mid 20s, or roll down those sleeves and zip all the way up for the grey days we thought we’d left behind in March.
This Vanessa Bruno broderie anglaise and lace blouse is just the ticket – still covered up and professionally correct, but in a breezy fabric. Should the mercury rise too far, simply undo the top button to put yourself at ease.
Vanessa Bruno, 1 Grafton St, Mayfair, London W1S 4FE
Likewise, these twill tuxedo trousers from Joseph will look suave both with heavier weight jacket and sturdy Grenson brogues, or with a California-casual tee by James Perse.
Joseph, 2 Savile Row, Mayfair, London W1S 3PA, Grenson, 37 Jermyn St, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6DT, James Perse, 30A Dover St, Mayfair, London W1S 4NB
Images courtesy Mara Hoffman, Private White V.C., Vanessa Bruno, Joseph, Grenson and James Perse
By Bella Gladman, fashion contributor
