What do you think of when you think of Kate Moss? Does nothing taste as good as feeling skinny? Your Cosmos wellness range? Rimmel’s ‘Get the London look’ ads?
No. When you think of Kate Moss, you think of her clothes (off-duty and on the red carpet) and you think of parties: flashbulbs appearing outside nightclubs, emerging from black cabs, passing through the doors of The Dorchester or outside the Bar Met. Wall-to-wall parties that stretch from her first outings in that sheer silver slip dress in 1993, to the long black lace dress under a satin cape she wore to her 50th birthday party in Paris this year.
Kate Moss is a fashion icon but, above all, she is the model woman of the stylish party.
You have to love parties and be invited to the best ones to know how to dress for them, and Kate was there, or throwing them.
So, the long-awaited new collaboration between High Street giant Zara and Kate Moss, with input from her long-time ally, legendary stylist Katy England, focusing on party classics just in time for the party season Christmas, is causing a lot of excitement, to put it mildly.
Kate Moss dazzles with bright clothes from her new Zara collection
Kate Moss wears pieces from her capsule collection with Zara
Scarf and, right, matching top from the Zara X Kate Moss collection
The capsule collection is “inspired by favorites from her coveted, carefully curated archives,” words that are music to the ears of anyone who follows Kate’s style. We don’t want something new and innovative, we want Kate’s style, modified for this moment because that’s her skill. Always classic with a contemporary touch.
Someone has already had the brilliant idea of raiding Kate’s wardrobe and getting her to design a collection for the High Street. That was, of course, TopShop in 2007 and, as you may remember, it was a smashing, crowd-pulling hit with Kate appearing in the window of the flagship store on Oxford Street and that vintage-style printed short dress changing hands. for ten times the price in a matter of days.
Kate made 14 collections for TopShop (the last was in 2014) and some pieces are still changing hands online – a silver flapper dress is currently on eBay for £1,157!
There were party pieces in those collections, but they were more cruises through the greatest hits of Kate’s wardrobe, like her 2015 collaboration with Mango. A decade later, this collection gets right to the point: Party Kate, and that’s what gives it intergenerational appeal.
Kate’s iconic evening looks over the years, whether a sleek satin jacket (there’s one in the new collection) or a floral bias-print tea-length dress (again, it’s there), have a different type of portability than the rest of her. cupboard. A leopard jacket (yeah, don’t worry) draped over a tight black dress; some sequins under a velvet cape (there’s a chic black cape, naturally)… these are looks that have worked for generations of glamorous It Women and that we can all embrace, no matter how old we are.
And who better than Kate, now 50, the most stylish Brit I can remember and the quintessential party girl (even though she’s now sober) to deliver the goods to the rest of us.
Kate Moss wears an ensemble from her new 30-piece range, featuring a silver-white tuxedo jacket.
Kate Moss models a new satin ensemble from her Zara collection
Gold sandals and, right, red heels from the Zara X Kate Moss collection
She knows how women want to feel at parties: not feminine, not elegant, not dressed up to the nines, but confident, attractive, sexy and always ALWAYS glamorous.
If Kate has a dressing mantra, it’s probably, “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?” If she has a look, it’s timeless glamor with a touch of rock’n’roll.
The reason her style remains an obsession for fashion observers is because she doesn’t mess with the best (the enduring classics), but she also brings the necessary touch of edge that makes everything look perfect right now. It’s her one-of-a-kind gift: with a nip, a sandal, a pair of leopard ballet flats, a cape over something quite ordinary, she instantly looks perfect.
You might be thinking: what about ’90s It Girl Sienna Miller, whose recent party collection for Marks & Spencer, now available in stores, has been a huge hit? Is there room for two 90s It Girls on the High Street? The answer is, yes, there is, but for the real deal and accessibility, my money is on Kate’s party look.
Sienna Miller has great style; Kate has the style that inspired designers and young women on the street for a couple of decades. She is simply the best.
As for what’s best about this 30-piece Zara collection, I’d start with the gold T-bar pumps, which are one of those “make-an-outfit” pairs that you can pair with anything and instantly make it look chic. Like Kate.
Kate Moss’s new range with Zara is full of glamor
Leopard print jacket from the Zara X Kate Moss collection
Leopard print pumps and, on the right, a black Zara X Kate Moss dress
The silver sandals and red satin heels are also to die for, if you can walk in them. For those who love leopard print flats, Kate has made them too.
The silver-white satin tuxedo (a nod to one of its inspirations, Hollywood actress Lauren Hutton) is timeless glamour, elegant and impeccably cut, worn with wide-leg velvet trousers from Zara if you prefer. Kate has never abandoned thinness. Of course, there is also a black tuxedo. In the past, Kate might have worn it with shorts and tights. We can wear ours with pants or jeans.
A glimpse of Moss’s wardrobe wouldn’t truly be Kate without her signature leopard-print jacket, and this is classic Kate: double-breasted peacoat style, with sharp lapels, in a fantastic vintage-style print that instantly hit the top. of leopard print graphics.
This piece is one of Kate’s favorites and apparently it’s almost guaranteed to sell out instantly. Get it while you can. It will make everything look stylish and cool enough.
Moss’s other signature is a strong dose of sensuality. She’s included a lot of satin (a pale peach blouse and matching draped skirt) and there are endless velvets in the collection. A tactile element is very important to put together your party look.
Some pieces on the supermodel are more Lila Moss (her daughter) than most women Kate’s age, writes Shane Watson.
Kate Moss models her floral top and matching scarf and black pants from the Zara collection
Snake print shorts and, on the right, a rhinestone bra from the Zara X Kate Moss range
Naturally, there are pieces that are more Lila Moss (her daughter) than most women Kate’s age, including a silver lurex split minidress (not unlike the one she wore to Glastonbury in 2005 with Hunter wellies ), snake-print shorts and a rhinestone bra. But that makes it even more fun for the rest of us.
We can immerse ourselves in Kate’s world this Christmas, layer her metallic-flecked brocade drummer’s jacket over an old black dress (her personal recommendation for a ‘Christmas party, go to dinner and give yourself a little shine’), or put with a lace top and pants and we feel like we still have it. Your daughter will love the leopard print bra and pants set, to show off a little or a lot at the exhibition. That’s already fixed for Christmas.
“Mixing classic cuts with just the right amount of glamor to see you through the party season,” is how Moss herself describes the clothes.
And just the right amount is what Kate is all about.