What’s Good is a Who What Wear column where senior editor Kristen Nichols shares her latest fashion and beauty finds.
As an editor, fashion month is always a highlight of the year—a moment to see runway shows up close, have a preview of what is new and next in fashion, and chat with other people in fashion about their thoughts on what is unfolding. This season, I attended London fashion week and the F/W 2023 collections were full of experimentation amongst young designers and a much-discussed changing of the guard with Daniel Lee taking the helm at Burberry. Tove showed its debut runway collection, up-and-coming brands such as Di Petsa and Mowalola were some of the most talked-about shows of the season, and established designers such as Simone Rocha and Emilia Wickstead stunned with their beautiful shows.
Aside from seeing the new collections, fashion month gives me an excuse to put together new outfits to wear to the shows. My approach this season revolved around great outerwear and accessories, mixed with some of the essentials already sitting in my closet, so that’s exactly what I packed and brought to The May Fair Hotel in London, which was the home base for myself and the other U.S. editors in town.
Among the new pieces in my fashion week wardrobe were Khaite’s just-launched sunglasses in collaboration with Oliver Peoples, T-shirts and turtlenecks from Refine, Polo Ralph Lauren’s new clutch, and a Celine bag I’ve been waiting until fashion week to debut. I was also lucky enough to borrow samples from some of my favorite brands and retailers, including Tove and Fwrd, so I tried out their beautiful pieces as well. Ahead, see the LFW outfits this editor wore and shop each of them.
This season, I’ve been gravitating towards longer coat lengths and immediately knew I wanted to add this beautiful Tove piece to my London fashion week wardrobe when I spotted it. The incredibly soft lambswool is even more luxurious in person. Underneath, I paired my go-to turtleneck from Refine and Frankie Shop trousers—both pieces I’ve been wearing for several seasons that have been some of my best buys of the last few years.
I added in some newer accessories, including strappy heels from The Row I’ve been waiting to wear, silver drop earrings from Jenny Bird, and a beautiful croc-embossed clutch from Polo Ralph Lauren—a piece I already know will be a new favorite for evenings out.
This look included mostly pieces I already had in my closet—including Western-inspired boots from Paige, a whipstitched Khaite coat I bought last year and the brand’s Danielle jeans, which is a style I’ve been slowly collection in a range of colors because the fit is so incredibly good. This Refine T-shirt is new to my closet but already a piece I know I’ll be wearing on repeat and recommending to everyone—everything from the fabric weight to the sleeve length is absolutely perfect and take it to a level beyond any other tee I own.
This is another look where I made new accessories a focus point. I instantly knew it needed my monogrammed Celine Triomphe bag to add a printed element—the colorway works so well with neutrals like white and navy. I finished the look with Khaite’s new sunglasses in collaboration with Oliver Peoples. I opted for the 1969 oval-frame silhouette in tortoiseshell—a shape so perfect, I’m already considering ordering them in black as well.
When in doubt, I gravitate towards tonal looks and built this outfit around this gorgeous Toteme shearling coat and white Khaite jeans from Fwrd—pieces that both tap into the movement of low-key luxury we’ve been seeing on the rise in designer fashion. This beautiful cashmere knit from Marisa Witkin added just the right amount of texture for some added dimension. Then, I added the Paige boots and Polo Ralph Lauren bag that I wore in looks throughout the week.
For dinners and evening events, I kept things streamlined with layers of black in the form of turtleneck tops, relaxed jeans, maxi coats, pointed kitten heels, and drop earrings. This oversize coat from Filippa Hägg is the perfect shape and weight that could withstand cold nights and make a simple top and jeans feel polished. I love the idea of adding a strong outerwear piece to completely transform pieces as simple as a turtleneck and jeans worn underneath.
Next: 30 Cool Finds I’m Obsessing Over Right Now