Why elegant fashion is having a moment

Poise and polish is the new mood for fashion, and it feels right for now say fashion insiders.

Jenny Walton is one fashion influencer who has long embraced elegant fashion with a fondness for A-line skirts, pearls and kitten heels. Picture: Getty Images

Recently a new acquaintance showed me a picture of the cigarette holder she can’t stop talking about. She’d found it on a recent trip to New York at Rosemary Home, a magpie’s dream of vintage and chic novelties and ephemera for the home. It turns out a golden ashtray from the 1950s, shaped like a flower, is almost enough to make one want to take up smoking (I didn’t, I won’t).

In any case, this particular objet fits with a shift toward something altogether more pulled-together.

Libby Page, market director at luxury retailer Net-a-Porter, calls it the “age of elegance” and suggests it will be a key trend for the Australian autumn and winter.

Skirt suits and leather gloves at Miu Miu. Picture: Getty Images

“I suggest embracing the ‘Age of Elegance’ trend this season, characterised by tailored blazers, pencil skirts, chiffon and lace, and accessories such as leather gloves, hats, brooches and hairpins. This trend exudes a feminine charm reminiscent of the fashion seen in the 1940s and 1950s,” she says of her observations from the most recent fashion seasons in Paris and Milan.

This vibe was particularly felt at Miu Miu, where Miuccia Prada traversed some of her greatest hits – great coats and smart pencil skirt suits, ’50s and 60s-ish skirts all with a little kick. As Mrs Prada, as she is known in the industry, said of this particular collection with its appeal to all manner of women, “I think they are classics. Everyone can choose from them to be a child, or a lady. Every single morning, I decide if I’m going to be 15-years-old, or a lady near death.”

The muse of the season has been the renewed fascination with Truman Capote’s ‘swans’ thanks to the star-studded Ryan Murphy treatment. As fashion writer Rachel Tashjian noted in the Washington Post, “Ladies who lunch have become 2024’s unexpected fashion icons”.

This is as evident in the return of satin heels, at the likes of Prada and Altuzarra as it is top handle bags at JW Anderson and evening coats at Max Mara. At Celine Hedi Slimane changed gears, looking to the ’60s (an era he described as the “golden age of Celine”) with short black dresses, strands of pearls, boxy bags and co-ordinated two-piece sets.

Meanwhile, leather gloves might have been spied on the models at The Row, but the most elegant thing the brand did in the most recent season was to ban smartphones. As another woman of exceptional taste, Phoebe Philo – whose most recent collection continues her own elegance with quirk aesthetic – once said, “The chicest thing is when you don’t exist on Google.”

Celine winter '24 was a nod to the elegance of the '60s.

Elsewhere, a certain kind of sporting elegance can be found in the tweeds and herringbones – reminiscent of Brideshead Revisited’s Sebastian Flyte and royals relaxing at Balmoral – spied on recent runways. The latter is a look particularly well expressed in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix drama series The Gentlemen with costume designer LouLou Bontemps having an awfully jolly good time outfitting the various landed gentry, Liverpudlian gangsters and ‘mob wives’ that came her way.

Inspiration for some of the more outre looks of the aristocracy, she told WWD, came from socialite and fashion plate Daphne Guinness (the granddaughter of the famed and infamous blue blood Diana Mitford, sister of Nancy).

“In that [aristocracy] world, a funeral is a fashion parade. Daphne Guinness was on my mood board because she’s always wearing something extraordinary, stunning and shocking,” Bontemps told WWD.

Sarah Harris Gould and Lauren Tapper, founders of the New Zealand brand Harris Tapper, put a modern spin on elegance with bonded silk bomber jackets and tailored collarless blazers. Both think a return to elegance fits the mood for now.

An elegant LBD from Harris Tapper.

“Perhaps in response to the previous few years, we’re reaching for something different and craving a return to certainty. Dress codes can sometimes feel reductive and outdated, but they offer a certainty. Dressing with a modern approach to elegance means the wearer is more prepared for whatever the day throws at them – as opposed to a previous focus on sweatpants,” says Harris Gould.

Tapper believes that elegance also comes from feeling at ease with how you dress.

“Our intention has always been to create an offering that serves the wearer, rather than dictate modern trends to her. We are trying to make her life easier and, by proxy, there’s an elegance associated with this ease,” she says.

The look has been spied on the street style set, though perhaps none with quite the panache of the Milan-based fashion influencer Jenny Walton whose love for vintage silhouettes, kitten heels and prim dresses is the ultimate reference.

Anna Hoang, founder and designer of Australian label Anna Quan embodies an easy kind of elegance also, with recent collections including perennially bouclé vests and A-line skirts.

For Hoang, elegance embodies a sense of poise and timelessness. She believes it also makes sense in these more conscious times.

“I think in today’s economy, customers are looking for a sense of timelessness, longevity and they want value in terms of price per wear. By default, that type of decision-making tends to lend itself to more timeless and elegant silhouettes. Customers recognise the value proposition in elegance,” she says.

Stylist Ria Kamat Shetty believes there is a longing for polish post the pandemic years, albeit adapted to now.

“The innate desire to ‘dress up’ is a response to years of casual attire, signalling a return to refinement. However, this resurgence isn’t without a nod to the values we’ve embraced along the journey – prioritise comfort, invest in a timeless wardrobe. Think low satin heels from Prada, easy elegance at Alberta Ferretti, ladylike coats at Altuzarra in luxurious fabrics that stand the test of time, “she says.

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Ria Kamat Shetty’s advice for styling the new age of elegance

My wardrobe is a tight edit of preloved fashion, classic staples mixed in with everyday basics that are worn on repeat. Personally, I like playing with contrasts in subtle ways and would use the same approach while adding a dressed up elegance to my style.

1. Quality cardigan

Currently, one of my favourite pieces is a cardigan by AND DAUGHTER. It comes with very clear care instructions, and I find myself reaching for it repeatedly – whether I’m heading to the farmers’ market, layering it over workout clothes, or pairing it with trousers for a meeting. It’s truly one of the hardest-working items in my wardrobe

2. Ladylike jacket

I’m currently in search of a preloved Chanel jacket, though Celine’s Chelsea jacket is a close contender. I see myself styling it with vintage Levi’s jeans, creating a look that can effortlessly transition from casual to dressy paired with the right accessories.

3. Top handle bag

I’ve set my sights on both the LeTeckel bag from Alia and the Savette Symmetry Pochette as investment pieces. Nothing feels more sophisticated than a top handle bag and these two have a modern sculptural design that I particularly love. I imagine pairing them with a tailored suit for a polished look or even with a floor-length evening dress for added elegance.

4. Low heel

The Prada square toe satin mules have become a must-have this season, and I’m particularly drawn to their sci-fi inspired aesthetic. Whether worn under flowing trousers or paired with a shift dress and hosiery, this pair is all about style meets functionality.

5. Midi skirt

This season Bottega Veneta led the way in making a case for the midi skirt. I have a few in my wardrobe from Australian brands like Dion Lee, Venroy and Christopher Esber. I often wear them with a classic white tee but I’d be keen to dress them up with an oversized shirt for some toughness.