Two weeks ago I wrote about a detail I was seeing everywhere on the shop floor.

When I go into stores to look at the new season pieces, I’m not just looking at what’s “in” or “must have trends for the season” … AI can tell me that 🥱…

I’m looking at what I might use for clients. Extensions of what they already own so that the wardrobe feels relevant, functional, emotional and ultimately curated. What feels like it could bring someone’s style forward without changing it completely. A new spin on something if you will.

And what I realised after writing that newsletter, is that I’m always more interested in subtly. The hard to notice nuances…

And that doesn’t mean I’m always looking for simple garment with a detail. But how individual designers and houses take their DNA and evolve it. Dries Van Noten can be subtle even though the DNA of his brand is eclectic and painterly there is also nuance in subtle shifts in fabric, proportion and detail that reward a closer look.

Details over trends. Always.

Because when you dissect a trend, it’s a detail that makes it feel new. A shape. A fastening. A neckline. A fabric. A proportion.

But I appreciate for the sake of the fashion industry machine, if you slap ‘trend’ in front of something you are making it commercial by making it desirable.

It makes me think of that scene in The Devil Wears Prada, where the editor suggests “florals for spring” and Miranda Priestly shuts her down with that very dry “groundbreaking”.

Because it’s not always the overarching trend theme that is interesting. It’s the execution.

(And let’s hope for that editor that the execution was immaculate 😜)

Take leather. Every winter, you read leather is a trend. And leather is omnipresent on the shop floor right now because it serves a very functional purpose in winter. But it’s not leather itself that feels new, it’s the execution. It could be a colour focus or the shape it’s taking or how it’s being styled. That’s what makes it feel modern and interesting.

And that’s what I enjoy focusing on. We are not changing our style every season to fit into a trend, because that would be exhausting!

So instead let’s shift our focus to the little tweaks that help our wardrobes evolve.

The details that start quietly, become consistent, and then suddenly you see them everywhere.

This week, the detail is high necks.

And I don’t mean turtlenecks or roll necks.

Ground breaking 😉

I’m talking about Funnel Necks: high-neck fastenings on jackets, coats, knitwear and blouses. That beautiful sculptural detail that sits away from the neck and draws everything upwards.

I love it because it’s functional, especially as the weather gets cooler, but it also does something really interesting visually.

It extends the line of the torso. It draws attention to the face. It adds structure. And, depending on the piece, a little bit of drama too.

Because I have a shorter torso in proportion to my legs, this kind of detail really helps balance my outfits. It gives length and it makes even a simple piece feel considered.

A small detail, yes.

But often those are the things that make the biggest difference in how an outfit feels. Because it feels new.