Living in the moment is something we’ve all had to become accustomed to, which has proven difficult for habitual planners, like me, who like to know precisely what they’re doing—and, inevitably, what they’ll be wearing—ahead of time. But now, as our lives continue to open back up and we can make plans, we’re excited to look to the future once more. What do the following months hold? Autumn. And what does autumn mean? There are glorious new clothing options to consider.
Ask most of the Who What Wear team, and they’ll tell you that autumn is their favourite season to dress for. It’s still warm enough not to require bundling yourself up in ridiculously chunky layers but cold enough to dabble in cosy textures and interesting styling ideas. We also find ourselves consistently drawn to the rich, expensive-looking colour palette most associated with the season—think sublime rust hues, deep burgundy, navy, shocks of teal and, yes, classic black and white. Ordinarily, finding pieces we love for autumn is akin to a treasure hunt—we might find a hint of what we like here and there, but it takes a lot of scrambling to assemble an impressive edit. However, this year, there’s one brand we know we’re going to uncover the best autumn buys from: Karen Millen.
While it’s always been on our style radar, we’ve become increasingly impressed by Karen Millen over the past few seasons, and right now, the designs are slicker than ever. As such, we check its new-in section daily to ensure we don’t miss any gems. In doing so this week, we found its newly launched Pre-Fall 2021 collection, which we reckon is already a contender for the title as the strongest Karen Millen collection in history.
With the moniker Taking Back the City, the collection is designed to broaden your style horizons beyond loungewear and staying at home. There’s no doubt about it—this is clothing to be seen in. A blend of beautiful dresses splashed in everything from geometric prints and vivid hues to sleek separates in quieter colours but daring silhouettes, this edit has a boldness akin to what we’d expect from a designer runway lineup. Highlights for us include the pintuck blouse with blown-up sleeves, the tangerine-and-oxblood geo minidress with a preppy zip collar and the striking red trouser suit with origami-inspired folds. It’s just all so premium-looking.
While Karen Millen isn’t the lowest-priced in the fashion ether, for pieces of this design quality, they’re significantly more affordable than you’d expect to pay elsewhere. The saying “you get what you pay for” exists for a reason. Still, perhaps the thing we love most about Karen Millen’s Pre-Fall 2021 collection is how inclusive it is. Karen Millen is one of the few brands out there giving its Curve category—which includes sizing up to a UK 26—the same stylish consideration as its mainline collection. And this capsule is no exception. With everything from leather skirts to elegant jumpsuits and some of the best dresses we’ve seen for a long while, we think Karen Millen Pre-Fall is going to appeal to a lot of women out there. Scroll on to see our favourite pieces from the collection so far, and prepare to have your most fashionable autumn on record.
Ruched waist cut-outs are a top autumn microtrend.
This blouse is going to be on every editor’s wish list.
The leather skirt gets an update in wrap pleats.
A geo jumpsuit? The perfect way to tick off the ’70s trend.
You heard it here first—front-crease jeans are going to be this season’s hero jeans.
This will look gorgeous paired with a chunky cream roll-neck.
These trousers look so premium.
We want to wear this with the pintuck blouse above.
Geo prints are set to be huge this autumn.
We wouldn’t bat an eye if you told us this coat was designer.
Fact: Wearing a red blazer will instantly boost your confidence levels.
Ecru jeans shouldn’t be reserved for summer.
The double-belt detail on this dress is just divine.
Seriously, no one does leather quite as well as Karen Millen—we adore the teal tone.
Who doesn’t need another printed midi in their lives?
Between the cut and the colour, these are the best leather trousers we’ve seen for autumn.
Curveball—lime is going to be big in autumn, too. Next up, timeless fashion trends we still love.
