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After a month of shows, fashion watchers have been painstakingly analyzing the clothes worn by each front-row model and celebrity in hopes of absorbing their style secrets.
But there is one very important group whose personal style is often unfairly overlooked: designers themselves.
From the colorful Miuccia Prada, the 74-year-old matriarch of modern Italian fashion, to the ultra-polished Victoria Beckham, 49, who even managed to make a pair of crutches look chic on the Fashion Week runway of Paris, these designer—women, primarily in their 50s and older, are the brains behind the runway looks that influence the High Street and have spent decades carefully honing their wardrobes to showcase their personal style, all flattering an older figure.
Here, we share how you can steal their high fashion secrets on a budget…
A classic with a crazy twist: Miuccia Prada
The colorful Miuccia Prada, the 74-year-old matriarch of modern Italian fashion, combines the feminine with the masculine
“I think a lot of people have different characters within themselves: the feminine part and the masculine part, the soft and the tough,” Miuccia said. And that’s the key to emulating his style: juxtaposition. Try pairing feminine dresses with loafers and men’s shirts with jeweled earrings.
Appearing on the cover of Vogue last month, Prada wore a red silk coat over a citrine sweater, both from her first Prada collection, completing the look with chunky gold necklaces like bicycle chains. In another photo, she added a touch of androgyny to her suit skirt by pairing it with chunky monk shoes. Chinti & Parker has a sweater reduced to £76 (harrods.com) that’s every bit as zesty as Miuccia’s archive Prada one, while Baukjen has a recycled wool version of its red silk coat more appropriate for British climes (£179, baukjen.com).
Coat, £179, baukjen.com
Sweater, £76, Chinti + Parker at harrods.com
Earrings, £16, accessorize.com
Moccasin, £63.70, laredoute.com
Necklace, £150, loel.co.uk
Tasteful maximalism: Diane von Fürstenberg
To emulate DVF’s style, look for intricate florals, geometric prints and a touch of leopard.
DVF’s dedication to print is a refreshing antidote to the beige palette of “stealthy wealth.” To emulate her style, look for intricate florals and geometric prints, and don’t be afraid of the odd pop of leopard.
Zara has a floral shirt that looks like Cézanne himself painted his flowers (£32.99, zara.com). Tuck into Boden’s tomato red pencil skirt (£77, boden.co.uk) for a decidedly feminine DVF-inspired look. And don’t overlook her most iconic creation: the wrap dress, which she invented in 1974 and which she wears again and again at the age of 77. Hobbs offers a geometric version that is all kinds of Fürstenberg (£99, hobbs.com).
Heels, £35.99, zara.com
Dress, £99, hobbs.com
Shirt, £32.99, zara.com
Skirt, £77, boden.co.uk
A refined balance: Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham’s shortcut to chic is tailored, floor-sweeping flares that exude ’70s glamor
VB showed how committed she is to her ultra-refined personal style when she stepped out in Paris earlier this month on crutches; on one foot she had a medical cast and on the other a pair of £860 Alaia heels.
Her own brand’s tailored flared trousers are usually the 49-year-old’s shortcut to chic: floor-length and perfectly cut, they exude ’70s glamour. But with a price tag of over £500, your next best bet comes from Boden. Their Westbourne flares (£80, boden.co.uk) come in a range of colors in a flattering ponte fabric. VB usually pairs its flares with a turtleneck in a contrasting shade – think red with Cadbury purple and lime with lilac. Oh, and sunglasses in a size that positively screams “my dad had a Rolls Royce.” Naturally.
Trousers, £80, boden.co.uk
Sweater, £85, stories.com
Bag, £35.99, mango.com
Sunglasses, £9.99, hm.com
Cool and relaxed: Stella McCartney
Stella’s essentials are the suit, the suit and more the suit, with the golden rule? Size. Up. In. All
Talk about putting cool in Cool Britannia. Stella’s aesthetic is approachable and wearable, but somehow simultaneously the epitome of ambition and chic.
Its essentials? Made to measure, made to measure and more made to measure. Check out the gray suit she wore for her show in Paris last week or the red, drop-shoulder London bus blazer she wore to an art fair last October.
And the golden rule of this tailor? Four words: Size. Up. In. All. Reserved has a scarlet jacket (£69.99) and trousers (£39.99, reserved.com) which, in several sizes larger than your usual (don’t hold back here), will give the perfect fashion-inspired silhouette male McCartney.
By day, Stella, 52, adapts her shopping suits by pairing them with white sneakers; in the evening, stiletto heels reign supreme.
Trainers, £65, gola.co.uk
Trousers £39.99, reserved.com
Jacket, £69.99, reserved.com
Heels £35.99, zara.com