DESIGNER VICTORIA Beckham is partial to plaid prints, long skirts and big sweaters; actress Cate Blanchett favors elegant pantsuits, while the secret sauce of former J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons is the mix.
Although we may not have star-studded budgets, and most of us are not currently making spendy wardrobe purchases, the style of the likes of Victoria, Cate, Jenna, as well as Julianne Moore, Karlie Kloss and Iris Apfel, can inspire.
That’s the idea behind Sophie Gachet’s new book, Anatomy of Style (Flammarion, October 13, 2020, paperback, $29.89). The co-author with Ines de la Fressange of Parisian Chic and four more style guides, Gachet covered fashion for Elle magazine from 1998-2019. In this latest book, through lots of photos, she dissects the clothing choices of 120 celebs, showing us how to copy their tricks and steal the ideas behind some of their best looks.
For example, for her always-polished outfits, Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, pairs her oversize turtlenecks with long pleated skirts and boots or for more casual days, with trousers and sneakers. For Cate Blanchett, the key to wearing a pantsuit for evening is to go bare underneath the jacket. Wearing something simple and then throwing on the sparkle, sequins, jewels, etc., is classic Jenna Lyons. Karlie Kloss’s skill is combining colors, like bubblegum pink, shocking pink and fuchsia or similar shades of pastel blue.
Tucked away in closets, many of us already own what Gachet refers to as style essentials—white shirts, jeans, trench coats, little black dresses and leather pants. But wearing them for the most impact, well, there’s where we would welcome some direction—like the way to make jeans look elegant is by channeling Julianne Moore who matches her denim jacket and pants and then accents the suit with a mustardy sweater, bag and shoes. Or that black leather pants are classic and multipurpose, and the best way to wear them is with ballet flats or low boots á la Elle Macpherson.
Frivolous reading you say? Sure. But during these difficult days, one could do worse than dream about reinventing a wardrobe for better times ahead.
—Janet Kelly
ABOVE: Victoria Beckham‘s style morphed from her Posh days of mini-skirts and skin-tight pants to mid-length skirts and flows pants. Sunglasses are her thing; so are matching bags and shoes.
LEFT: Model Jordan Dunn breaks the rules, combining a big winter sweater with a summery skirt. RIGHT: Pile it on like Iris, but keep those necklaces and bracelets in the same color palette as your outfit.
It helps to be thin. Dammit.