DMCA complaint spam problem. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

When looking to cure your end-of-summer blues, a little retail therapy never hurts. Luckily enough, the best labor day sales are already in full swing. You’ve probably been eyeing that Jacquemus mini dress, the trendy thong sandals from The Row, or a pair of menswear-inspired trousers from The Frankie Shop for far too long; now, your time has come to finally hit that buy-now button. Statement autumnal pieces like a timeless trench coat from Christopher Kane, a pair of lug-sole boots from Ganni, a knit dress by Staud, and cashmere from Khaite are a few key fall closet staples that will make the seasonal switch all the easier. Also, what better way to celebrate the end of one season than by shopping for the next?

Navigating the sale sections of your favorite sites can be daunting, to say the least, which is where we come in. We’ve provided an edit from some of our go-to retailers like Net-a-Porter, MatchesFashion, Nordstrom, and more to find the best of the best that’s currently on sale. Prepare to find great pairs of denim that offer both functionality and fashion. Style each pick seamlessly with your footwear of choice, be it a fall boot or a pair of sneakers. One way to savor the final, fleeting moments of summer? An all-white outfit. Test the trend out with a set of white tank tops and white jeans as your starting point. For more closet basics, check out Everlane’s sale, and for workout wardrobe essentials, Bandier will have you covered. Apart from fashion, Sephora’s beauty sale is in full swing with deals on everything from skincare to makeup.

From Christopher Esber comes a nine-to-five knit dress that seamlessly transitions from office hours to a night on the town with little to no effort. Dark wash, straight-leg denim is a fall staple courtesy of Amiri. Style the pair with any shoe, whether a suede Chelsea boot or a platform sandal like these from Isabel Marant, for sartorial success. The designer Christopher John Rogers is best known for popping the color in his collections, and this oversized orange shirt is a prime example. The roomy silhouette is especially welcome in the fall months–wear it all on its own or as a layering piece over a dress or tank top. Another autumnal must-have is Khaite’s V-neck cashmere sweater. Show some skin on a night out in this little black dress from Jacquemus and sling over Wandler’s leather shoulder bag to keep all your essentials close by.

Everyone needs a go-to black dress in their arsenal for dressed-up moments, and this one from Gabriela Hearst could be yours. The off-the-shoulder silhouette is perfect for the current weather when the summer sun still lingers. Pair the look down with The Row’s slip-on trainers. From Christopher Kane comes a timeless trench coat to help ease you into the seasonal shift. Flared trousers from Jacquemus, a sleek pair of runway denim from Victoria Beckham, or even a pleated midi skirt are options for underneath. Accessorize the look with a charm earring set from Timeless Pearly. Great knitwear is a forever fall staple, like this asymmetrical sweater from Proenza Schouler. A shirtdress is one of those all-in-one outfit staples to rely on when tackling transitional dressing. This brown maxi dress from Matteau is perfect for any fall occasion, like a picnic in the park or a weekend spent upstate. Don’t forget to pack a pair of jeans like these from Slvrlake or Isabel Marant, either. For more special occasions like a fall wedding, this midi dress from Paco Rabanne is a winner. Anni Lu’s pearl necklace and earrings from Jennifer Fisher tie the whole look together. For your nine-to-five, slip into Wales Bonner’s wrap skirt; style it with a white T-shirt or tank. Play into Western-inspired fashion this fall in a pair of over-the-knee boots from Khaite.

Nothing says fall quite like fabulous knitwear and this midi dress from Ganni and cashmere sweater from Khaite are winners. Make great pairs of trousers the foundation of your fall wardrobe like these white jeans from Frame for daytime and leather trousers from Magda Butrym for nighttime. We at Vogue are big fans of the white T-shirt and tank, and this set of two from The Frankie Shop is two for the price of one. The fisherman sandal fad isn’t going anywhere either this season and these from Church’s feel daintier than other clunkier versions. Shield your eyes from any fall shadows with these sunnies from The Attico, throw By Far’s Rachel bag over your shoulder, and you’re good to go! A solid selection of crisp shirting in your fall wardrobe is a strong place to start when transitioning between seasons. This brown shirt from Khaite could be tucked into denim or worn over a pair of pleated trousers like these from Veronica Beard. For casual fall days, find a pair of sleek denim shorts from Nili Lotan and elevated sneakers from Tory Burch. A floral blouse from Ulla Johnson matches the romantic aesthetic of fall perfectly. Also, just because we’re approaching Labor Day doesn’t mean you can’t still rock an all-white outfit. For starters, look to this linen blazer from A.L.C for inspiration.

To mirror the changing colors of the leaves, Altuzarra’s tie-dye dress is available to shop now this upcoming Labor Day. Toughen up the look with a pair of lug-sole boots from Ganni. The shoe style is trending amongst some of our favorite celebrities like Bella Hadid and more. Fall denim shorts from Re/Done and white cropped jeans from Mother are also first on our shopping list. Tory Burch’s plaid pleated skirt was a highlight of her fall collection, which showed models walking down the cobblestone streets of Soho with a feminine ease. Pair with a trendy thong sandal from Simon Miller. An oversized button down from The Row and a belted cardigan from Proenza Schouler are other sale stars to shop now.

With the arrival of the fall season also comes an eventual post-summer return to office, prompting the question: what to wear to work? Trousers from The Frankie Shop and MISBHV are your answer. Atop, style the staple with a faux leather blazer from Stand Studio. A Marni satchel tote is also office-appropriate, while The Row’s platform flip-flops are acceptable to wear to any meeting. Better yet, we bet your coworkers will be lining up at your desk for the what’s what. A Jacquemus shirt dress is another go-to for casual daytime wear, especially when done up with a pair of pearl earrings by CompletedWorks or a gold necklace by Laura Lombardi. Midi dresses like Theory’s white lace dress and a drop waist Tory Burch number can easily be taken from your summer wardrobe to your fall-friendly one. Staud’s brown leather heels will dress up the looks slightly. More fall denim is in the works, thanks to a Rag & Bone miniskirt or a high-waist jean from Agolde. Pair your new jeans with a frilly blouse by Ulla Johnson. Victoria Beckham continues to churn out chic workwear like this cut-out striped shirt, which has some edge to it. A Coperni baguette bag is another surefire way to catch your coworkers' eyes.

For the best workout attire, Bandier has you covered. You’re sure to find all of the latest trends there, too, like this all-in-one workout unitard from Le Ore. A matching pair of Nike sneakers complete the look. You can never have enough bike shorts or leggings either– wear them at your workout or not; we aren’t here to judge! The exercise dress is another top trend, and we especially love this all-white one from All Access. Girlfriend Collective is a Vogue editor athleisure favorite, and this rosy pink bra is a sweet pick. For après play, cozy up in a pair of sweatpants from Bandier’s collaboration with New Balance. Everlane is another go-to for wardrobe essentials, from great knitwear to everyday denim and dresses. If you haven’t heard, this late summer and early fall have officially been deemed the season of the tank top. This tie-dye one is a great pick. A pair of fisherman sandals aren’t privy to the summer either—find them for fall here. A large tote like this one is a great work bag option, roomy enough to carry all of your essentials to and from the office.

Beauty-wise, look no further than Sephora’s sale section. In the makeup genre, we love this neutral eyeshadow palette from Fenty and this Clinique chubby lip balm stick in a mauvy pink. RMS’ cream foundation covers up any unwanted spots with the, while Natasha Denona’s cream shimmer stick keeps your summer glow going. Wash away the day with Mario Badescu’s gentle cleansing wash. It’s important not to forget about hair care either, and Virtue’s line of recovery products is a solid place to start. For the home, freshen up any space with a scented candle from Ouai. No matter how much time we spend perfecting our backhand, it’s unlikely that our tennis skills will ever elevate us to Grand Slam status. Even so, that hard truth comes with a sartorial silver lining: A great tennis-inspired look will always go the distance, both on and off the court. Just ask Brandon Maxwell—while the acclaimed designer is well known for meticulously crafted runway creations that feel right at home on the red carpet, he leapt at the chance to work with sportswear powerhouse FILA on a must-have tennis apparel lineup. “Not only is tennis one of my favorite sports, but I’ve always loved seeing what the athletes wear on the court,” he explains. “Creating this collection allowed me to infuse that fashion perspective into these very classic silhouettes.”

From the collection’s eye-catching color combinations—FILA’s classic navy and green and Maxwell’s playful pink and red—to its innovative detachable elements that let you wear one piece multiple ways, every detail blends FILA’s rich heritage with Maxwell’s forward-thinking flair. “I’m ecstatic about the results,” Brandon says of the collection. We’ve narrowed down our favorite pieces to a shortlist of five sporty separates we can’t wait to wear—with or without a racket in hand. First things first: The stretchy shorts built into this piece add a cute and color-coordinated layer of security for those moments when you need to run, skip, or jump to get from point A to point B. Punchy plaids, a striped waistband, and off-center pleated panel make its A-line mini silhouette feel fresh yet timeless—perfect for post-match pairing with an equally enduring piece like a crisp, oversized white-button-down.

We’re looking forward to pulling on this French terry and chunky rib knit sweatshirt as soon as temperatures take a dip. Stripes along the tall foldover collar, waistband, and cuffs give off a subtle ‘70s varsity vibe, making it a natural fit for high-waisted wide leg jeans and a pair of classic kicks. It’s a polo; it’s a tank; it’s an ingenious combination that offers versatility and airflow when you need it most. A stretch jersey racerback tank with a rib knit waistband is already a perfect base layer for getting in a good volley, but a mesh polo shirt-inspired shrug gives off a classic tennis-club vibe while creating a cool cutout effect that’s too cute to only be worn on the court. Paired with a slouchy white blazer and lightweight chinos, this 2-in-1 top can easily round out a menswear-inspired ensemble that shows off just a sliver of skin.

The sweet pink hue of this dress feels just right for leaping across the court, thanks to its subtly flounced hem and spandex undershort. Still, we can’t help but dream of taking it for a twirl—quite literally—in a variety of other contexts. Whether gliding around on skates, grooving on a dance floor, or just running errands, it’s the kind of dress that’s straightforward yet stylish enough to become a wardrobe staple. This gauzy pink top layer can be worn two ways: as a knee-length over coat or as more of a boxy, cropped jacket. The sem-sheer organza adds a wash of soft color to everything you have on, but also allows bold hues, patterns, and prints to shine through, making it an unexpectedly playful way to let your style shine through while keeping the elements at bay.

FILA by Brandon Maxwell is available now on FILA.com, BrandonMaxwellOnline.com, and BANDIER.com and select BANDIER stores. Amidst the era of social distancing and outdoor activities, tennis proved to be the perfect sport. A net and 78 feet of court stood between you and your opponent. But even as social lives return to close proximity, tennis’ popularity has remained intact—especially as it pertains to fashion.  “Brands traditionally not associated with tennis, from fast fashion to luxury labels, have been brought into today’s mainstream tennis culture,” says Jason Kim, SVP of marketing for Lacoste North America, of the sport’s rise. “Through content creation and true product development, this surge in tenniswear’s popularity has ultimately defined the new trend we see around tenniscore.” Tennis is a sport known for its particularity when it comes to its uniform. At Wimbledon, players can be fined for not wearing all white on the court (as Nick Kyrgios was for putting on his white-and-red Air Jordan 1s this year). In 2018, Serena Williams’s black catsuit at the French Open earned unnecessary backlash from the French Tennis Federation and led to the ban of similar outfits altogether. While this official fussiness around dress code feels old-fashioned, many just getting into the sport are finding that the traditional tennis staples feel particularly fresh off court. 

With rising interest comes exciting innovation. Classic tennis brands like Lacoste are finding ways to marry on- and off-court style, partnering with A.P.C. and Awake NY and “mixing traditional technicalwear with aspects of modern streetwear and digital-age influence,” says Kim.   This summer, sportswear brand Wilson released its second collaboration with Kith, a label that’s helped to define the current era of streetwear. “Kith created a modern twist on classic prep,” says Joelle Michaeloff, vice president of design at Wilson Sportswear. “Together, we combined our heritage with their street style to create something unique and special.” The collaboration took traditional tennis silhouettes like the tennis dress and even the visor and reimagined them with a fashion-forward twist. Michaeloff cites the tennis skirt and a classic polo shirt as two key pieces Wilson is seeing customers style just as fervently off the court as on.

A further venture into the space, lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich, founded by Emily Oberg, launched a new co-branded capsule with Prince on July 11. “Sporty & Rich is all about encouraging people to live healthier, happier, and longer, and knowing that an activity like tennis can help to achieve that, it has always been a central part of the brand ethos,” Oberg said in a press release. The collection—a mix of cotton lounge pieces along with preppy staples like tennis skirts and sweater-vests—manages to maintain technical elements of sportswear while introducing a trendy twist. Clearly athletic innovation, while important for those who spend time working on their serves and backhands, isn’t the only appeal for those who are adopting the look for everyday life. “The interpretation of tennis style being expressed with street culture, while also nodding to the vintage history of the traditional sport apparel itself, is really interesting to see—showcasing the cross-generational evolution for both on court and off court,” says Kim.

For centuries, the sport was often associated with luxury and leisure, something taken up at country clubs or sun-drenched beachside hotels. For those looking to bring a touch of escapism into their post-pandemic life, the sport represents a sort of easygoing grandeur. An all-white uniform, worn when playing on a court of dusty clay or fresh-cut grass, not only offers a visual contrast but signifies the wearer’s ability to keep their tennis whites white—a mark of wealth for much of the sport’s history.  Another element of tennis style that’s incredibly luxe is the jewelry. After all, nothing seems quite as flippant as breaking a sweat while draped in a diamond necklace or bracelet. The term tennis bracelet first originated after a 1987 U.S. Open match in which American player Chris Evert paused the game to retrieve her diamond bracelet after the clasp broke, sending it flying. It’s rare for players to wear jewelry in contact sports, but in tennis it’s considered a key element of an on-court look.  

“The tennis bracelet serves as the perfect piece of jewelry to wear while playing the sport or, for that matter, any other athletic activity,” says Kim-Eva Wempe, owner and managing partner of jewelry brand Wempe. “It’s lightweight, usually fits pretty snug to the arm, and isn’t bulky, so you don’t have to worry about it being a distraction or moving around much.” This practical luxury is just as appealing off the court, as many women find themselves dressing with versatility in mind. A simple strand of diamonds can be styled just as easily with jeans and a tee as it can be with a black-tie gown.  On social media, as users continue to develop the way they interact with followers, presentation has evolved from one of millennial-led polished perfection to a more Gen Z–driven unaffectedness by way of super-cropped photos and unaffected poses. There’s a certain flippancy, even when dressed in head-to-toe designer duds. Ultimately, tenniscore serves to be the perfect trend for both generations. It’s preppy and polished, but a sweaty post-play selfie is just as easy to capture as one perfectly posed pregame. When it comes to little white miniskirts and stacked diamonds, it really is love-love.

The Rainmaker spring show opened with the electronic musician and composer Eiko Ishibashi standing in front of a piano inside Kyoto’s Kyocera Museum of Art wearing a navy tunic over a pair of back trousers. Soon after she began playing, the first model emerged from the stairs behind her, wearing a loose jacket and matching trousers in a rich gray tone that felt seconds away from letting its berry undertones overpower it. Underneath, a navy tunic buttoned only half-way down so that the model could put one hand in a right pocket, in the process exposing a leather belt looped onto itself, the excess belt left hanging. The model’s hair was center parted and a single earring dangled from the left ear.

If it seems like that description is perhaps too detailed, it is only because that is the level of attention that Kohichi Watanabe infuses into his garments. The palette was made up primarily of shades of black and navy (a jacket with frog buttons that combined both shades was an absolute standout), as well as green, cream, and red, which layered upon each other to create a sense of depth within the garments that one cannot help but think also reflects the depth of the wearer. “Layering is inspired by classic Japanese outfits,” Watanabe shared via email. “The layering of different colors was used to express the natural scenery of spring and summer.” Expert layering is one of his signature techniques, rooted in the traditional way of wearing a kimono, though his approach is anything but historical. Consider the look that began with an indigo shirt — only the top button was visible — worn underneath a hooded white cotton trench coat, itself worn under a navy blazer with patch pockets, cinched at the waist with a leather belt. Or the way a cream polo and matching trousers were exalted by one printed jacket tied around the waist, with a red leather belt tied around on top of that, creating a modern take on a traditional obi belt.

The printed fabrics were a collaboration with MILESTONES, itself a collaborative project between the centuries-old Hosoo textile mill (founded in 1688) and the Kyoto University of the Arts, which has been archiving and analyzing over 20,000 kimono and obi designs. Watanabe visited a MILESTONES exhibition and “fell in love at first sight” with the print of a peacock which he remixed. “It had a novel and serene appearance,” Watanabe added. “It was perfect for this season’s image.” A more unexpected collaboration came in the form of a Wrangler “cowboy jacket.” It is based on the label’s “11MJZ” jacket which the designer described as “a masterpiece of clothing.” Watanabe makes clothes for men and women but on the runway the distinction seems completely irrelevant. Here were people wearing incredibly beautiful clothes, walking with poise, carrying themselves with unparalleled ease, hands tucked just-so into a hidden pocket; a half jacket layered here, a tunic vest layered over matching shirt and trousers there — the fabrics gently flowing around their body as they walked around the Kyocera museum. They evoked a sense of utopia. Even through the computer screen, the way the currant-red trench coat that closed the show gently glided behind the model was enough to take one’s breath away.

On TikTok, it’s not unusual for fashion fans to post videos dissecting a celebrity’s personal style. But this summer users on the app have been fascinated with the wardrobe of a more behind-the-scenes personality: J.Crew’s head of womenswear, Olympia Gayot. On TikTok, there are now several videos of those in the Olympia Gayot fan club who are praising her effortless, nonchalant approach to dressing—something that’s come as a total surprise to the designer herself. “I’ve seen a few of [the TikToks],” Gayot laughs of her newfound internet fame. “It’s been really cool to see.” Gayot joined J.Crew as head of women’s and kids’ design in October 2020, but prior to that she worked at the label as its design director for seven years. She says the most exciting challenge at the brand in her new role has been finding new, modern ways to pay homage to its long-standing heritage. “I’ve been really pouring through the archives and looking at our heritage from the 1980s to the 2000s,” says Gayot. “It’s really cool that we have all of that to work with, but you have to find a way to modernize it, because that’s what fashion is—fashion always moves forward.”

Considering that street style star Jenna Lyons oversaw the womenswear collections before her appointment, Gayot also recognizes that being a J.Crew designer demands a unique point of view and a personal style of her very own—both of which Gayot has in spades. For Gayot, her wardrobe is all about combining elements of ease, versatility, and flair. “I’ve always loved classic pieces, but my style has for sure changed over the years,” says Gayot. “For me now, it’s definitely about how many things I have to get done in a day, and my style is dictated by that. I have kids, and I walk to work; there’s a comfort factor to the way I dress now. I want it to be easy and comfortable—but still emotional and powerful.”

Why TikTok is so obsessed with Gayot’s closet is largely thanks to her ability to mix and match. She loves pairing high with low: She’ll style J.Crew basics with vintage Prada, one of her favorite luxury labels. “I’ve always loved Miuccia Prada,” says Gayot. “I think her current work with Raf Simons is really cool.” She also enjoys combining high-octane colors and textures; she’s influenced by the combos she sees in art and design and through her travels. “I’m always inspired by my surroundings,” says Gayot. “I’m in Copenhagen right now. When you think of Copenhagen street style, everyone’s usually wearing tons of color. But it’s interesting, everyone is super classic—everyone’s wearing men’s dress shirts.”

Her main fashion ethos? Allowing personality to shine through in an outfit. “As a designer, that’s what I’m always trying to say—that you are first and foremost most important and the clothes are there to make you feel great,” says Gayot. “You never want to feel like the clothes are wearing you.” Below, Gayot discusses more of her daily style tips plus how she dresses for work, her love of shopping secondhand, and what else inspires her designs. I love traditional menswear tailoring and adding an element of personality into it—whether that’s color or vintage jewelry. When you love fashion, you have to find a way to make it feel like yourself; I layer things to make it feel like me. I’d wear this look to work. The chambray shirt is a collaboration between J.Crew and Marie Marot; she’s a French designer who makes these beautiful, menswear-inspired shirts. I paired it with thick crepe J.Crew trousers and Prada’s Birkenstock-style sandals, which have a padded sole that’s like walking on a cloud. All my jewelry is vintage; I wear this big Agmes cuff every day.

Having kids in New York, I need versatility. I’m not a very scheduled person; I like going to dinner on a whim. I want something I can put on in the morning, drop my kids off in, go to work, then go to dinner or a party in. Going home and changing is not something I’m really interested in doing. This is my school drop-off look. I walk to work (in flats!) from home, and their school is on the way, which is nice. The shirt is Marie Morot for J.Crew, and the pants are Dries Van Noten. I love the idea of monochromatic color. The shoe is a J.Crew fisherman sandal, and the trench coat is Prada. I bought it five years ago, and it’s probably my most used piece in my closet. There’s a confidence that comes with being comfortable.

I love vintage consignment and shopping on The RealReal. I love vintage Prada and YSL. I grew up as a teenager in the ’90s, and thrifting was a huge part of what I did with my friends—finding old men’s trousers and flannel shirts. This is a vintage Prada dress that I got on The RealReal. I was going to a wedding and looking for a dress; I instantly bought it, and it fit like a glove. It’s all chiffon and lace and has these amazing feathers on the sleeve. I paired it with vintage Saint Laurent oxfords that I also got on The RealReal and hosiery socks. I liked the juxtaposition between the more femme dress and tough shoes.  I’m always inspired by my surroundings. I’m aware of colors that are trending on the runways, but I’m really inspired by furniture, design, and art. (I love artists such as Josef Albers and Katherine Bernhardt.) I was a painter before I was a designer, so color is really important to me; I’m always looking at color compositions within paintings—that’s a big reference for me when I design and even when I dress. Here, I’m standing in front of an art gallery in Tribeca. There’s something about the color of the painting in the window that inspired me. I’m wearing all J.Crew: I love the beautiful rib cashmere in electric citron, with a blazer coat and white chinos that are three sizes too big. I love playing with proportion—it can completely change a look. To combat the more oversized fit, I brought in a heel. 

For me, it’s always been about a push and pull between masculine and feminine—and balancing high with low. This is my office look; I’m rifling through some of our new products. My double-breasted suit is a take on classic menswear tailoring but done in a more feminine way. If you’re wearing a suit that’s looser and easier, it’s surprisingly more comfortable than a jean. I’m wearing them with my Prada sandals again—I love the idea of a suit with a really chill shoe. When her eldest daughter, Poppy, was a baby, then Brooklyn-based landscape architect Miranda Brooks would stay in London with her friend India Jane Birley at Thurloe Lodge. Among the embarrassment of very beautiful objects in this treasure trove house owned by Birley’s late father Mark, the celebrated maestro of London clubs, were a pair of Wedgwood tureens in the kitchen printed with magic realism designs from 1939 by the artist Eric Ravilious—a pattern called, aptly enough, “Garden.” Noticing how Brooks “coveted them like mad,” as she admits, her hostess told her, “If you ever move back to England, I’m giving those to you.” Sixteen years on finds Brooks and her husband, French-born architect Bastien Halard; and their daughters, Poppy, 16, and Violette Grey, 14; a quartet of horses; Cuckoo the whippet and Toto the Jack Russell; cats Caliban and Tempette; a batch of broody bantams—all named for New York friends the couple miss—and a flotilla of remarkably well-socialized Indian Runner ducks (named for the family’s favorite Van Leeuwen ice cream flavors) all installed at Catswood, a rambling 17th-century farmhouse in England’s picturesque Cotswolds. Those tureens have pride of place on the table in the kitchen that Halard designed.

The journey to this bucolic scene, however, was long and complicated. Halard had, he says, been “visiting houses in England for years and years and years,” but, inspired by his grandparents’ French château, had restricted himself to 18th-century Georgian examples with high ceilings and tall windows, “because,” as he maintains, “that’s all I saw that I could possibly tolerate.” The couple eventually found a superb example in a remote northern county, nestled in its own great estate. They were poised to acquire it when Brooks realized that with Halard traveling so much for ongoing projects in America and elsewhere, she would be alone in this isolated beauty for much of the time—and Halard realized that for all its elegance the possibilities for creative transformation in the house’s rigorously ordered spaces were decidedly limited. A visit to another house where 18th-century rooms were grafted onto others created centuries earlier proved an epiphany. Halard deemed it “fascinating—you were never bored,” and so the possibilities multiplied.

Meanwhile their friend the artist Dan Chadwick, who lives among Gloucestershire’s fabled golden valleys (immortalized by author Laurie Lee in his autobiographical novel Cider with Rosie), knew of a nearby dairy farm with a 17th-century farmhouse that he felt might be worth investigating. The farmer had died and his son had built a more conveniently appointed house next door. Writer Plum Sykes, another neighbor, drove past and took a surreptitious picture for Brooks and Halard back in the States. “It was winter and it was so depressing and really, really gloomy,” recalls Brooks of the resulting snap. “But still, maybe it was something.” The next visit was in person. “Coming across it in the fields,” Brooks remembers, “was just amazing. All ruined buildings and lots of horrible old silos and barbed wire everywhere.” But when she sat in a field admiring the view across the buildings to an ancient woodland and a great dip of valley beyond, “it felt just magic. And so,” she continues, “I went back to New York and I wrote to the farmers. And then we never heard anything and so we carried on looking. And we did it every year, every holiday here, looking.” Nothing, however, was quite right, and the couple were ready to give up on Miranda’s mother country, and contemplated, among other places, Maryland instead.

Before they could explore properties there, however, they went back to England to stay with Sykes. She wanted to know how their house search was going. “I’m really sorry,” Brooks told her, “but we’ve given up. We just can’t find anything.” “Well, what about those farmers?” Sykes asked. “Did they never write back?” Sykes gathered the troops and they drove straight up to the house and knocked on the door. “I do remember your letter,” the farmer’s wife told Brooks, “and actually things are a bit different now. Let me have your number and we will call you back.” Her husband was very straightforward: “Do you like it? Do you want it?” he asked. “It was just like that,” Brooks recalls, “we shook hands in the field.”

Brooks did, however, feel that she should return and see the interior, a visit that was arranged for another day. “Inside was pretty terrifying,” she recalls. “All the downstairs windows were fogged and steamed up because it was so, so, so damp. It was just horrible. But I just felt Bastien would figure it out.” “Miranda looks at me and says, ‘I really can’t see how this can turn into a beautiful house, but I totally trust that you can do it,’ ” Halard recalls. “And my heart falls!” He certainly had his work cut out for him. That damp living room turned out to have a stream running beneath its linoleum floor. A perilous staircase led from a poky sitting room to a row of bedrooms arranged in an enfilade so that you had to walk through one to get to another. The only bathroom was downstairs. There was no logical place for a kitchen. Miranda and Bastien were so disheartened by the baleful look of the place that they felt they couldn’t bring their uprooted daughters to visit. “There was nothing left of true historical value except its bones,” Halard recalls, “and whatever was there we restored, but on the whole we had to start from scratch and make it a blank canvas—which is fantastic for people like Miranda and me.”

Halard’s skills were tested both by the challenges of creating a rational sequence of beautiful rooms and outbuildings, and by the local planning committees. But at the lowest ebb, the serendipities began. Halard, working on a project in New York, received a call from his builders in the U.K. telling him that when they removed a little stove at one end of the sitting room they had unearthed an ancient inglenook fireplace almost as wide as the room itself, a discovery that transformed the atmosphere of the room entirely. Halard laid doughty and waterproof elm floorboards, hewn from a rare example of that imperiled species that had fallen on India Jane Birley’s land in Sussex, but found the beams overhead problematic. Brooks concurred. “I just think it looks like a pub,” she opined crisply, a statement that emboldened Halard to plaster them. Halard was vindicated when he researched local houses of a similar date, and the late-19th and early-20th-century Arts and Crafts houses of such architects as Norman Jewson and Detmar Blow who revived the style for artistic Edwardians in the area, and realized that they too had the same treatment.

Halard has decorating in his genes—his great-grandfather Adolphe founded the wallpaper and textile company Nobilis, his grandfather the eponymous furniture and decoration store Yves Halard, while his grandmother Michelle and his mother, Florence Chabrieres, are both decorators. Artistic uncle François, meanwhile, took the photographs for this story. Halard’s cue for the sitting room’s restrained color scheme came from James Abbott Whistler’s The Artist in his Studio, with its subtle palette of soft grays, pinks, and ivories—“There’s a sort of slight sweetness to it,” he explains—and he mixed gutsy and dainty furniture from the 17th century to the mid 20th. Those house visits also inspired the furrowed plasterwork in the formal entrance hall that doubles as a dining room, a new oaken staircase, and Halard’s freehand fresco of undulant oak leaves in the library.

Brooks, meanwhile, despaired that they would ever have a kitchen, and for months meals were cooked over a firepit in the farmyard. However, the ancient independent bothy came down in a biblical storm, and Halard was able to create a modern structure in its image that, with careful excavation, now merges with the original building’s un­-even roofline and provides a high-ceilinged kitchen with raised windows that frame painterly views of garden and landscape. Two-hundred-year-old boards from an Amish barn have been recycled to make the walls and floors. Miraculously, this structure was just finished when COVID struck and Britain went into lockdown. For Brooks, this meant that every day she could see the unfurling possibilities of her biodynamic gardens and could focus on transforming them. Fearful of food shortages in those early days of the pandemic, she dug for Britain, remaking a stinking slurry pit into a magnificent vegetable and cutting garden, and planting the path below it with blackberries and raspberries.

The couple have since planted over 300 new trees, oak now combined with beech and limes, beloved of the bees, and created a bathing lake. The utilitarian farm buildings and the concrete yards that surrounded the house have been demolished to make way for gardens, while the ancient stone outbuildings are being restored. One is now the couple’s studio where they work on their individual projects and collaborate on a line of outdoor fabrics. Another will be transformed into a Turkish bath, inspired by the couple’s beloved rough and ready Russian Baths in the East Village where they went on their first date. Outside this barn, Brooks has planted a Ladies Garden with pink blossomed apple trees and roses from India’s grandmother Rhoda Birley’s fabled garden.

With much of the land zoned for agriculture, and horses needing to run free, Brooks claims that there wasn’t much left for gardens. She began by creating different levels around the house and then, as she recalls, “this crazy thing happened” when she went to an Ayurvedic cleanse retreat in Mexico. Brooks had initially dismissed what she calls “that hippie chakra thing,” but after a week’s intense immersion in the practice she found that she could not escape the colors—“the chakra colors wrapped around me.” Back at her house, her dressing room afforded a bird’s-eye view “from the garden walk up the hill to the hedges and fields,” inspiring a plan that mimicked the opening up of chakras. She imagined her design “energetically moving from the base of the spine to the top of the head.”

And so the gardens that she created with gardener Rachel (“my biodynamic witch”), along with colleagues Will, Lorraine, and Louise, do just that. The “grounding” red garden in the newly created terrace outside the kitchen is a riot of phlomis italica, pulsatilla, geum, valerian, darkest red peonies, and the Souvenir du Dr. Jamain rose—a rose that grew outside Brooks’s childhood bedroom. “It was huge and it would grow into my bedroom, which I just found unbelievable.” This leads into the solar plexus, represented by the small yellow garden in front of the house’s entrance façade, a shimmering Impressionist haze of yellow achillea, Benton iris, digitalis lutea, evening primrose, and honeysuckle. Then follows the green heart chakra, with cloudy yews and boxed lindens and a row of mature espaliered pear trees found in Belgium, and a flat lawn created for Poppy and Violette Grey to play badminton. Further up the hill the throat chakra is represented by a palette of soft mauve-blues with pale geraniums, field scabious, and lilacs. This sloping site is crowned with a semicircular tapestry hedge to celebrate the spot where the family used to come and have a picnic when it was a building site. The lilac plantings here represent “your third eye,” as Brooks notes, and froth with the blossoms from an orchard that includes plum and damson trees in the spring.

When the family’s beloved friend Stella Tennant died in late December 2020, an agonized Brooks was inspired to create another garden to celebrate her, centered around a perfectly circular pond cradled in a protecting embrace of a low hill—the heart of the garden. This was envisaged as “a completely still bit of water, a reflecting pool that you could see the stars in at night.” Those Indian Runner ducks, however, soon claimed it as their own, “and now it’s just a duck pond.” Stella, she feels, would be amused. Here, Brooks planted Magnolia stellata, Tennant’s beloved perennial sweet peas, and Rosa complicata, “which seems very fitting,” says Brooks. “But it’s also bright pink, which she loved. I always felt that whenever Stella arrived to stay, it was as if this sort of wind walked into the house, there was something so brisk and breezy about her. And somehow being here, you feel that wind around you and there’s loads of sky, which felt important too. But then you can hunker down and feel safe against these banks. In a way, the nicest thing about this garden is that it means we say her name practically every day.”

Inside her home, recalling visiting all those grandly proportioned 18th-century houses, Brooks has realized that “actually it’s really lovely in England to be in those long, low rooms, especially in the winter.” “You’re just a custodian of a house, right?” adds Halard. “Particularly a house like this one. I really believe in the spirits of a house—a house speaks and has emotions, and she was definitely very cross at the beginning, very ashamed when we started pulling everything out. But now she’s feeling so pretty and proud.”  When looking to cure your end-of-summer blues, a little retail therapy never hurts. Luckily enough, the best labor day sales are already in full swing. You’ve probably been eyeing that Jacquemus mini dress, the trendy thong sandals from The Row, or a pair of menswear-inspired trousers from The Frankie Shop for far too long; now, your time has come to finally hit that buy-now button. Statement autumnal pieces like a timeless trench coat from Christopher Kane, a pair of lug-sole boots from Ganni, a knit dress by Staud, and cashmere from Khaite are a few key fall closet staples that will make the seasonal switch all the easier. Also, what better way to celebrate the end of one season than by shopping for the next?

Navigating the sale sections of your favorite sites can be daunting, to say the least, which is where we come in. We’ve provided an edit from some of our go-to retailers like Net-a-Porter, MatchesFashion, Nordstrom, and more to find the best of the best that’s currently on sale. Prepare to find great pairs of denim that offer both functionality and fashion. Style each pick seamlessly with your footwear of choice, be it a fall boot or a pair of sneakers. One way to savor the final, fleeting moments of summer? An all-white outfit. Test the trend out with a set of white tank tops and white jeans as your starting point. For more closet basics, check out Everlane’s sale, and for workout wardrobe essentials, Bandier will have you covered. Apart from fashion, Sephora’s beauty sale is in full swing with deals on everything from skincare to makeup.

From Christopher Esber comes a nine-to-five knit dress that seamlessly transitions from office hours to a night on the town with little to no effort. Dark wash, straight-leg denim is a fall staple courtesy of Amiri. Style the pair with any shoe, whether a suede Chelsea boot or a platform sandal like these from Isabel Marant, for sartorial success. The designer Christopher John Rogers is best known for popping the color in his collections, and this oversized orange shirt is a prime example. The roomy silhouette is especially welcome in the fall months–wear it all on its own or as a layering piece over a dress or tank top. Another autumnal must-have is Khaite’s V-neck cashmere sweater. Show some skin on a night out in this little black dress from Jacquemus and sling over Wandler’s leather shoulder bag to keep all your essentials close by.

Everyone needs a go-to black dress in their arsenal for dressed-up moments, and this one from Gabriela Hearst could be yours. The off-the-shoulder silhouette is perfect for the current weather when the summer sun still lingers. Pair the look down with The Row’s slip-on trainers. From Christopher Kane comes a timeless trench coat to help ease you into the seasonal shift. Flared trousers from Jacquemus, a sleek pair of runway denim from Victoria Beckham, or even a pleated midi skirt are options for underneath. Accessorize the look with a charm earring set from Timeless Pearly. Great knitwear is a forever fall staple, like this asymmetrical sweater from Proenza Schouler. A shirtdress is one of those all-in-one outfit staples to rely on when tackling transitional dressing. This brown maxi dress from Matteau is perfect for any fall occasion, like a picnic in the park or a weekend spent upstate. Don’t forget to pack a pair of jeans like these from Slvrlake or Isabel Marant, either. For more special occasions like a fall wedding, this midi dress from Paco Rabanne is a winner. Anni Lu’s pearl necklace and earrings from Jennifer Fisher tie the whole look together. For your nine-to-five, slip into Wales Bonner’s wrap skirt; style it with a white T-shirt or tank. Play into Western-inspired fashion this fall in a pair of over-the-knee boots from Khaite.

Nothing says fall quite like fabulous knitwear and this midi dress from Ganni and cashmere sweater from Khaite are winners. Make great pairs of trousers the foundation of your fall wardrobe like these white jeans from Frame for daytime and leather trousers from Magda Butrym for nighttime. We at Vogue are big fans of the white T-shirt and tank, and this set of two from The Frankie Shop is two for the price of one. The fisherman sandal fad isn’t going anywhere either this season and these from Church’s feel daintier than other clunkier versions. Shield your eyes from any fall shadows with these sunnies from The Attico, throw By Far’s Rachel bag over your shoulder, and you’re good to go! A solid selection of crisp shirting in your fall wardrobe is a strong place to start when transitioning between seasons. This brown shirt from Khaite could be tucked into denim or worn over a pair of pleated trousers like these from Veronica Beard. For casual fall days, find a pair of sleek denim shorts from Nili Lotan and elevated sneakers from Tory Burch. A floral blouse from Ulla Johnson matches the romantic aesthetic of fall perfectly. Also, just because we’re approaching Labor Day doesn’t mean you can’t still rock an all-white outfit. For starters, look to this linen blazer from A.L.C for inspiration.

To mirror the changing colors of the leaves, Altuzarra’s tie-dye dress is available to shop now this upcoming Labor Day. Toughen up the look with a pair of lug-sole boots from Ganni. The shoe style is trending amongst some of our favorite celebrities like Bella Hadid and more. Fall denim shorts from Re/Done and white cropped jeans from Mother are also first on our shopping list. Tory Burch’s plaid pleated skirt was a highlight of her fall collection, which showed models walking down the cobblestone streets of Soho with a feminine ease. Pair with a trendy thong sandal from Simon Miller. An oversized button down from The Row and a belted cardigan from Proenza Schouler are other sale stars to shop now.

With the arrival of the fall season also comes an eventual post-summer return to office, prompting the question: what to wear to work? Trousers from The Frankie Shop and MISBHV are your answer. Atop, style the staple with a faux leather blazer from Stand Studio. A Marni satchel tote is also office-appropriate, while The Row’s platform flip-flops are acceptable to wear to any meeting. Better yet, we bet your coworkers will be lining up at your desk for the what’s what. A Jacquemus shirt dress is another go-to for casual daytime wear, especially when done up with a pair of pearl earrings by CompletedWorks or a gold necklace by Laura Lombardi. Midi dresses like Theory’s white lace dress and a drop waist Tory Burch number can easily be taken from your summer wardrobe to your fall-friendly one. Staud’s brown leather heels will dress up the looks slightly. More fall denim is in the works, thanks to a Rag & Bone miniskirt or a high-waist jean from Agolde. Pair your new jeans with a frilly blouse by Ulla Johnson. Victoria Beckham continues to churn out chic workwear like this cut-out striped shirt, which has some edge to it. A Coperni baguette bag is another surefire way to catch your coworkers' eyes.

For the best workout attire, Bandier has you covered. You’re sure to find all of the latest trends there, too, like this all-in-one workout unitard from Le Ore. A matching pair of Nike sneakers complete the look. You can never have enough bike shorts or leggings either– wear them at your workout or not; we aren’t here to judge! The exercise dress is another top trend, and we especially love this all-white one from All Access. Girlfriend Collective is a Vogue editor athleisure favorite, and this rosy pink bra is a sweet pick. For après play, cozy up in a pair of sweatpants from Bandier’s collaboration with New Balance. Everlane is another go-to for wardrobe essentials, from great knitwear to everyday denim and dresses. If you haven’t heard, this late summer and early fall have officially been deemed the season of the tank top. This tie-dye one is a great pick. A pair of fisherman sandals aren’t privy to the summer either—find them for fall here. A large tote like this one is a great work bag option, roomy enough to carry all of your essentials to and from the office.

Beauty-wise, look no further than Sephora’s sale section. In the makeup genre, we love this neutral eyeshadow palette from Fenty and this Clinique chubby lip balm stick in a mauvy pink. RMS’ cream foundation covers up any unwanted spots with the, while Natasha Denona’s cream shimmer stick keeps your summer glow going. Wash away the day with Mario Badescu’s gentle cleansing wash. It’s important not to forget about hair care either, and Virtue’s line of recovery products is a solid place to start. For the home, freshen up any space with a scented candle from Ouai. No matter how much time we spend perfecting our backhand, it’s unlikely that our tennis skills will ever elevate us to Grand Slam status. Even so, that hard truth comes with a sartorial silver lining: A great tennis-inspired look will always go the distance, both on and off the court. Just ask Brandon Maxwell—while the acclaimed designer is well known for meticulously crafted runway creations that feel right at home on the red carpet, he leapt at the chance to work with sportswear powerhouse FILA on a must-have tennis apparel lineup. “Not only is tennis one of my favorite sports, but I’ve always loved seeing what the athletes wear on the court,” he explains. “Creating this collection allowed me to infuse that fashion perspective into these very classic silhouettes.”

From the collection’s eye-catching color combinations—FILA’s classic navy and green and Maxwell’s playful pink and red—to its innovative detachable elements that let you wear one piece multiple ways, every detail blends FILA’s rich heritage with Maxwell’s forward-thinking flair. “I’m ecstatic about the results,” Brandon says of the collection. We’ve narrowed down our favorite pieces to a shortlist of five sporty separates we can’t wait to wear—with or without a racket in hand. First things first: The stretchy shorts built into this piece add a cute and color-coordinated layer of security for those moments when you need to run, skip, or jump to get from point A to point B. Punchy plaids, a striped waistband, and off-center pleated panel make its A-line mini silhouette feel fresh yet timeless—perfect for post-match pairing with an equally enduring piece like a crisp, oversized white-button-down.

We’re looking forward to pulling on this French terry and chunky rib knit sweatshirt as soon as temperatures take a dip. Stripes along the tall foldover collar, waistband, and cuffs give off a subtle ‘70s varsity vibe, making it a natural fit for high-waisted wide leg jeans and a pair of classic kicks. It’s a polo; it’s a tank; it’s an ingenious combination that offers versatility and airflow when you need it most. A stretch jersey racerback tank with a rib knit waistband is already a perfect base layer for getting in a good volley, but a mesh polo shirt-inspired shrug gives off a classic tennis-club vibe while creating a cool cutout effect that’s too cute to only be worn on the court. Paired with a slouchy white blazer and lightweight chinos, this 2-in-1 top can easily round out a menswear-inspired ensemble that shows off just a sliver of skin.

The sweet pink hue of this dress feels just right for leaping across the court, thanks to its subtly flounced hem and spandex undershort. Still, we can’t help but dream of taking it for a twirl—quite literally—in a variety of other contexts. Whether gliding around on skates, grooving on a dance floor, or just running errands, it’s the kind of dress that’s straightforward yet stylish enough to become a wardrobe staple. This gauzy pink top layer can be worn two ways: as a knee-length over coat or as more of a boxy, cropped jacket. The sem-sheer organza adds a wash of soft color to everything you have on, but also allows bold hues, patterns, and prints to shine through, making it an unexpectedly playful way to let your style shine through while keeping the elements at bay.

FILA by Brandon Maxwell is available now on FILA.com, BrandonMaxwellOnline.com, and BANDIER.com and select BANDIER stores. Amidst the era of social distancing and outdoor activities, tennis proved to be the perfect sport. A net and 78 feet of court stood between you and your opponent. But even as social lives return to close proximity, tennis’ popularity has remained intact—especially as it pertains to fashion.  “Brands traditionally not associated with tennis, from fast fashion to luxury labels, have been brought into today’s mainstream tennis culture,” says Jason Kim, SVP of marketing for Lacoste North America, of the sport’s rise. “Through content creation and true product development, this surge in tenniswear’s popularity has ultimately defined the new trend we see around tenniscore.” Tennis is a sport known for its particularity when it comes to its uniform. At Wimbledon, players can be fined for not wearing all white on the court (as Nick Kyrgios was for putting on his white-and-red Air Jordan 1s this year). In 2018, Serena Williams’s black catsuit at the French Open earned unnecessary backlash from the French Tennis Federation and led to the ban of similar outfits altogether. While this official fussiness around dress code feels old-fashioned, many just getting into the sport are finding that the traditional tennis staples feel particularly fresh off court. 

With rising interest comes exciting innovation. Classic tennis brands like Lacoste are finding ways to marry on- and off-court style, partnering with A.P.C. and Awake NY and “mixing traditional technicalwear with aspects of modern streetwear and digital-age influence,” says Kim.   This summer, sportswear brand Wilson released its second collaboration with Kith, a label that’s helped to define the current era of streetwear. “Kith created a modern twist on classic prep,” says Joelle Michaeloff, vice president of design at Wilson Sportswear. “Together, we combined our heritage with their street style to create something unique and special.” The collaboration took traditional tennis silhouettes like the tennis dress and even the visor and reimagined them with a fashion-forward twist. Michaeloff cites the tennis skirt and a classic polo shirt as two key pieces Wilson is seeing customers style just as fervently off the court as on.

A further venture into the space, lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich, founded by Emily Oberg, launched a new co-branded capsule with Prince on July 11. “Sporty & Rich is all about encouraging people to live healthier, happier, and longer, and knowing that an activity like tennis can help to achieve that, it has always been a central part of the brand ethos,” Oberg said in a press release. The collection—a mix of cotton lounge pieces along with preppy staples like tennis skirts and sweater-vests—manages to maintain technical elements of sportswear while introducing a trendy twist. Clearly athletic innovation, while important for those who spend time working on their serves and backhands, isn’t the only appeal for those who are adopting the look for everyday life. “The interpretation of tennis style being expressed with street culture, while also nodding to the vintage history of the traditional sport apparel itself, is really interesting to see—showcasing the cross-generational evolution for both on court and off court,” says Kim.

For centuries, the sport was often associated with luxury and leisure, something taken up at country clubs or sun-drenched beachside hotels. For those looking to bring a touch of escapism into their post-pandemic life, the sport represents a sort of easygoing grandeur. An all-white uniform, worn when playing on a court of dusty clay or fresh-cut grass, not only offers a visual contrast but signifies the wearer’s ability to keep their tennis whites white—a mark of wealth for much of the sport’s history.  Another element of tennis style that’s incredibly luxe is the jewelry. After all, nothing seems quite as flippant as breaking a sweat while draped in a diamond necklace or bracelet. The term tennis bracelet first originated after a 1987 U.S. Open match in which American player Chris Evert paused the game to retrieve her diamond bracelet after the clasp broke, sending it flying. It’s rare for players to wear jewelry in contact sports, but in tennis it’s considered a key element of an on-court look.  

“The tennis bracelet serves as the perfect piece of jewelry to wear while playing the sport or, for that matter, any other athletic activity,” says Kim-Eva Wempe, owner and managing partner of jewelry brand Wempe. “It’s lightweight, usually fits pretty snug to the arm, and isn’t bulky, so you don’t have to worry about it being a distraction or moving around much.” This practical luxury is just as appealing off the court, as many women find themselves dressing with versatility in mind. A simple strand of diamonds can be styled just as easily with jeans and a tee as it can be with a black-tie gown.  On social media, as users continue to develop the way they interact with followers, presentation has evolved from one of millennial-led polished perfection to a more Gen Z–driven unaffectedness by way of super-cropped photos and unaffected poses. There’s a certain flippancy, even when dressed in head-to-toe designer duds. Ultimately, tenniscore serves to be the perfect trend for both generations. It’s preppy and polished, but a sweaty post-play selfie is just as easy to capture as one perfectly posed pregame. When it comes to little white miniskirts and stacked diamonds, it really is love-love.

The Rainmaker spring show opened with the electronic musician and composer Eiko Ishibashi standing in front of a piano inside Kyoto’s Kyocera Museum of Art wearing a navy tunic over a pair of back trousers. Soon after she began playing, the first model emerged from the stairs behind her, wearing a loose jacket and matching trousers in a rich gray tone that felt seconds away from letting its berry undertones overpower it. Underneath, a navy tunic buttoned only half-way down so that the model could put one hand in a right pocket, in the process exposing a leather belt looped onto itself, the excess belt left hanging. The model’s hair was center parted and a single earring dangled from the left ear.

If it seems like that description is perhaps too detailed, it is only because that is the level of attention that Kohichi Watanabe infuses into his garments. The palette was made up primarily of shades of black and navy (a jacket with frog buttons that combined both shades was an absolute standout), as well as green, cream, and red, which layered upon each other to create a sense of depth within the garments that one cannot help but think also reflects the depth of the wearer. “Layering is inspired by classic Japanese outfits,” Watanabe shared via email. “The layering of different colors was used to express the natural scenery of spring and summer.” Expert layering is one of his signature techniques, rooted in the traditional way of wearing a kimono, though his approach is anything but historical. Consider the look that began with an indigo shirt — only the top button was visible — worn underneath a hooded white cotton trench coat, itself worn under a navy blazer with patch pockets, cinched at the waist with a leather belt. Or the way a cream polo and matching trousers were exalted by one printed jacket tied around the waist, with a red leather belt tied around on top of that, creating a modern take on a traditional obi belt.

The printed fabrics were a collaboration with MILESTONES, itself a collaborative project between the centuries-old Hosoo textile mill (founded in 1688) and the Kyoto University of the Arts, which has been archiving and analyzing over 20,000 kimono and obi designs. Watanabe visited a MILESTONES exhibition and “fell in love at first sight” with the print of a peacock which he remixed. “It had a novel and serene appearance,” Watanabe added. “It was perfect for this season’s image.” A more unexpected collaboration came in the form of a Wrangler “cowboy jacket.” It is based on the label’s “11MJZ” jacket which the designer described as “a masterpiece of clothing.” Watanabe makes clothes for men and women but on the runway the distinction seems completely irrelevant. Here were people wearing incredibly beautiful clothes, walking with poise, carrying themselves with unparalleled ease, hands tucked just-so into a hidden pocket; a half jacket layered here, a tunic vest layered over matching shirt and trousers there — the fabrics gently flowing around their body as they walked around the Kyocera museum. They evoked a sense of utopia. Even through the computer screen, the way the currant-red trench coat that closed the show gently glided behind the model was enough to take one’s breath away.

On TikTok, it’s not unusual for fashion fans to post videos dissecting a celebrity’s personal style. But this summer users on the app have been fascinated with the wardrobe of a more behind-the-scenes personality: J.Crew’s head of womenswear, Olympia Gayot. On TikTok, there are now several videos of those in the Olympia Gayot fan club who are praising her effortless, nonchalant approach to dressing—something that’s come as a total surprise to the designer herself. “I’ve seen a few of [the TikToks],” Gayot laughs of her newfound internet fame. “It’s been really cool to see.” Gayot joined J.Crew as head of women’s and kids’ design in October 2020, but prior to that she worked at the label as its design director for seven years. She says the most exciting challenge at the brand in her new role has been finding new, modern ways to pay homage to its long-standing heritage. “I’ve been really pouring through the archives and looking at our heritage from the 1980s to the 2000s,” says Gayot. “It’s really cool that we have all of that to work with, but you have to find a way to modernize it, because that’s what fashion is—fashion always moves forward.”

Considering that street style star Jenna Lyons oversaw the womenswear collections before her appointment, Gayot also recognizes that being a J.Crew designer demands a unique point of view and a personal style of her very own—both of which Gayot has in spades. For Gayot, her wardrobe is all about combining elements of ease, versatility, and flair. “I’ve always loved classic pieces, but my style has for sure changed over the years,” says Gayot. “For me now, it’s definitely about how many things I have to get done in a day, and my style is dictated by that. I have kids, and I walk to work; there’s a comfort factor to the way I dress now. I want it to be easy and comfortable—but still emotional and powerful.”

Why TikTok is so obsessed with Gayot’s closet is largely thanks to her ability to mix and match. She loves pairing high with low: She’ll style J.Crew basics with vintage Prada, one of her favorite luxury labels. “I’ve always loved Miuccia Prada,” says Gayot. “I think her current work with Raf Simons is really cool.” She also enjoys combining high-octane colors and textures; she’s influenced by the combos she sees in art and design and through her travels. “I’m always inspired by my surroundings,” says Gayot. “I’m in Copenhagen right now. When you think of Copenhagen street style, everyone’s usually wearing tons of color. But it’s interesting, everyone is super classic—everyone’s wearing men’s dress shirts.”

Her main fashion ethos? Allowing personality to shine through in an outfit. “As a designer, that’s what I’m always trying to say—that you are first and foremost most important and the clothes are there to make you feel great,” says Gayot. “You never want to feel like the clothes are wearing you.” Below, Gayot discusses more of her daily style tips plus how she dresses for work, her love of shopping secondhand, and what else inspires her designs. I love traditional menswear tailoring and adding an element of personality into it—whether that’s color or vintage jewelry. When you love fashion, you have to find a way to make it feel like yourself; I layer things to make it feel like me. I’d wear this look to work. The chambray shirt is a collaboration between J.Crew and Marie Marot; she’s a French designer who makes these beautiful, menswear-inspired shirts. I paired it with thick crepe J.Crew trousers and Prada’s Birkenstock-style sandals, which have a padded sole that’s like walking on a cloud. All my jewelry is vintage; I wear this big Agmes cuff every day.

Having kids in New York, I need versatility. I’m not a very scheduled person; I like going to dinner on a whim. I want something I can put on in the morning, drop my kids off in, go to work, then go to dinner or a party in. Going home and changing is not something I’m really interested in doing. This is my school drop-off look. I walk to work (in flats!) from home, and their school is on the way, which is nice. The shirt is Marie Morot for J.Crew, and the pants are Dries Van Noten. I love the idea of monochromatic color. The shoe is a J.Crew fisherman sandal, and the trench coat is Prada. I bought it five years ago, and it’s probably my most used piece in my closet. There’s a confidence that comes with being comfortable.

I love vintage consignment and shopping on The RealReal. I love vintage Prada and YSL. I grew up as a teenager in the ’90s, and thrifting was a huge part of what I did with my friends—finding old men’s trousers and flannel shirts. This is a vintage Prada dress that I got on The RealReal. I was going to a wedding and looking for a dress; I instantly bought it, and it fit like a glove. It’s all chiffon and lace and has these amazing feathers on the sleeve. I paired it with vintage Saint Laurent oxfords that I also got on The RealReal and hosiery socks. I liked the juxtaposition between the more femme dress and tough shoes.  I’m always inspired by my surroundings. I’m aware of colors that are trending on the runways, but I’m really inspired by furniture, design, and art. (I love artists such as Josef Albers and Katherine Bernhardt.) I was a painter before I was a designer, so color is really important to me; I’m always looking at color compositions within paintings—that’s a big reference for me when I design and even when I dress. Here, I’m standing in front of an art gallery in Tribeca. There’s something about the color of the painting in the window that inspired me. I’m wearing all J.Crew: I love the beautiful rib cashmere in electric citron, with a blazer coat and white chinos that are three sizes too big. I love playing with proportion—it can completely change a look. To combat the more oversized fit, I brought in a heel. 

For me, it’s always been about a push and pull between masculine and feminine—and balancing high with low. This is my office look; I’m rifling through some of our new products. My double-breasted suit is a take on classic menswear tailoring but done in a more feminine way. If you’re wearing a suit that’s looser and easier, it’s surprisingly more comfortable than a jean. I’m wearing them with my Prada sandals again—I love the idea of a suit with a really chill shoe. When her eldest daughter, Poppy, was a baby, then Brooklyn-based landscape architect Miranda Brooks would stay in London with her friend India Jane Birley at Thurloe Lodge. Among the embarrassment of very beautiful objects in this treasure trove house owned by Birley’s late father Mark, the celebrated maestro of London clubs, were a pair of Wedgwood tureens in the kitchen printed with magic realism designs from 1939 by the artist Eric Ravilious—a pattern called, aptly enough, “Garden.” Noticing how Brooks “coveted them like mad,” as she admits, her hostess told her, “If you ever move back to England, I’m giving those to you.” Sixteen years on finds Brooks and her husband, French-born architect Bastien Halard; and their daughters, Poppy, 16, and Violette Grey, 14; a quartet of horses; Cuckoo the whippet and Toto the Jack Russell; cats Caliban and Tempette; a batch of broody bantams—all named for New York friends the couple miss—and a flotilla of remarkably well-socialized Indian Runner ducks (named for the family’s favorite Van Leeuwen ice cream flavors) all installed at Catswood, a rambling 17th-century farmhouse in England’s picturesque Cotswolds. Those tureens have pride of place on the table in the kitchen that Halard designed.

The journey to this bucolic scene, however, was long and complicated. Halard had, he says, been “visiting houses in England for years and years and years,” but, inspired by his grandparents’ French château, had restricted himself to 18th-century Georgian examples with high ceilings and tall windows, “because,” as he maintains, “that’s all I saw that I could possibly tolerate.” The couple eventually found a superb example in a remote northern county, nestled in its own great estate. They were poised to acquire it when Brooks realized that with Halard traveling so much for ongoing projects in America and elsewhere, she would be alone in this isolated beauty for much of the time—and Halard realized that for all its elegance the possibilities for creative transformation in the house’s rigorously ordered spaces were decidedly limited. A visit to another house where 18th-century rooms were grafted onto others created centuries earlier proved an epiphany. Halard deemed it “fascinating—you were never bored,” and so the possibilities multiplied.

Meanwhile their friend the artist Dan Chadwick, who lives among Gloucestershire’s fabled golden valleys (immortalized by author Laurie Lee in his autobiographical novel Cider with Rosie), knew of a nearby dairy farm with a 17th-century farmhouse that he felt might be worth investigating. The farmer had died and his son had built a more conveniently appointed house next door. Writer Plum Sykes, another neighbor, drove past and took a surreptitious picture for Brooks and Halard back in the States. “It was winter and it was so depressing and really, really gloomy,” recalls Brooks of the resulting snap. “But still, maybe it was something.” The next visit was in person. “Coming across it in the fields,” Brooks remembers, “was just amazing. All ruined buildings and lots of horrible old silos and barbed wire everywhere.” But when she sat in a field admiring the view across the buildings to an ancient woodland and a great dip of valley beyond, “it felt just magic. And so,” she continues, “I went back to New York and I wrote to the farmers. And then we never heard anything and so we carried on looking. And we did it every year, every holiday here, looking.” Nothing, however, was quite right, and the couple were ready to give up on Miranda’s mother country, and contemplated, among other places, Maryland instead.

Before they could explore properties there, however, they went back to England to stay with Sykes. She wanted to know how their house search was going. “I’m really sorry,” Brooks told her, “but we’ve given up. We just can’t find anything.” “Well, what about those farmers?” Sykes asked. “Did they never write back?” Sykes gathered the troops and they drove straight up to the house and knocked on the door. “I do remember your letter,” the farmer’s wife told Brooks, “and actually things are a bit different now. Let me have your number and we will call you back.” Her husband was very straightforward: “Do you like it? Do you want it?” he asked. “It was just like that,” Brooks recalls, “we shook hands in the field.”

Brooks did, however, feel that she should return and see the interior, a visit that was arranged for another day. “Inside was pretty terrifying,” she recalls. “All the downstairs windows were fogged and steamed up because it was so, so, so damp. It was just horrible. But I just felt Bastien would figure it out.” “Miranda looks at me and says, ‘I really can’t see how this can turn into a beautiful house, but I totally trust that you can do it,’ ” Halard recalls. “And my heart falls!” He certainly had his work cut out for him. That damp living room turned out to have a stream running beneath its linoleum floor. A perilous staircase led from a poky sitting room to a row of bedrooms arranged in an enfilade so that you had to walk through one to get to another. The only bathroom was downstairs. There was no logical place for a kitchen. Miranda and Bastien were so disheartened by the baleful look of the place that they felt they couldn’t bring their uprooted daughters to visit. “There was nothing left of true historical value except its bones,” Halard recalls, “and whatever was there we restored, but on the whole we had to start from scratch and make it a blank canvas—which is fantastic for people like Miranda and me.”

Halard’s skills were tested both by the challenges of creating a rational sequence of beautiful rooms and outbuildings, and by the local planning committees. But at the lowest ebb, the serendipities began. Halard, working on a project in New York, received a call from his builders in the U.K. telling him that when they removed a little stove at one end of the sitting room they had unearthed an ancient inglenook fireplace almost as wide as the room itself, a discovery that transformed the atmosphere of the room entirely. Halard laid doughty and waterproof elm floorboards, hewn from a rare example of that imperiled species that had fallen on India Jane Birley’s land in Sussex, but found the beams overhead problematic. Brooks concurred. “I just think it looks like a pub,” she opined crisply, a statement that emboldened Halard to plaster them. Halard was vindicated when he researched local houses of a similar date, and the late-19th and early-20th-century Arts and Crafts houses of such architects as Norman Jewson and Detmar Blow who revived the style for artistic Edwardians in the area, and realized that they too had the same treatment.

Halard has decorating in his genes—his great-grandfather Adolphe founded the wallpaper and textile company Nobilis, his grandfather the eponymous furniture and decoration store Yves Halard, while his grandmother Michelle and his mother, Florence Chabrieres, are both decorators. Artistic uncle François, meanwhile, took the photographs for this story. Halard’s cue for the sitting room’s restrained color scheme came from James Abbott Whistler’s The Artist in his Studio, with its subtle palette of soft grays, pinks, and ivories—“There’s a sort of slight sweetness to it,” he explains—and he mixed gutsy and dainty furniture from the 17th century to the mid 20th. Those house visits also inspired the furrowed plasterwork in the formal entrance hall that doubles as a dining room, a new oaken staircase, and Halard’s freehand fresco of undulant oak leaves in the library.

Brooks, meanwhile, despaired that they would ever have a kitchen, and for months meals were cooked over a firepit in the farmyard. However, the ancient independent bothy came down in a biblical storm, and Halard was able to create a modern structure in its image that, with careful excavation, now merges with the original building’s un­-even roofline and provides a high-ceilinged kitchen with raised windows that frame painterly views of garden and landscape. Two-hundred-year-old boards from an Amish barn have been recycled to make the walls and floors. Miraculously, this structure was just finished when COVID struck and Britain went into lockdown. For Brooks, this meant that every day she could see the unfurling possibilities of her biodynamic gardens and could focus on transforming them. Fearful of food shortages in those early days of the pandemic, she dug for Britain, remaking a stinking slurry pit into a magnificent vegetable and cutting garden, and planting the path below it with blackberries and raspberries.

The couple have since planted over 300 new trees, oak now combined with beech and limes, beloved of the bees, and created a bathing lake. The utilitarian farm buildings and the concrete yards that surrounded the house have been demolished to make way for gardens, while the ancient stone outbuildings are being restored. One is now the couple’s studio where they work on their individual projects and collaborate on a line of outdoor fabrics. Another will be transformed into a Turkish bath, inspired by the couple’s beloved rough and ready Russian Baths in the East Village where they went on their first date. Outside this barn, Brooks has planted a Ladies Garden with pink blossomed apple trees and roses from India’s grandmother Rhoda Birley’s fabled garden.

With much of the land zoned for agriculture, and horses needing to run free, Brooks claims that there wasn’t much left for gardens. She began by creating different levels around the house and then, as she recalls, “this crazy thing happened” when she went to an Ayurvedic cleanse retreat in Mexico. Brooks had initially dismissed what she calls “that hippie chakra thing,” but after a week’s intense immersion in the practice she found that she could not escape the colors—“the chakra colors wrapped around me.” Back at her house, her dressing room afforded a bird’s-eye view “from the garden walk up the hill to the hedges and fields,” inspiring a plan that mimicked the opening up of chakras. She imagined her design “energetically moving from the base of the spine to the top of the head.”

And so the gardens that she created with gardener Rachel (“my biodynamic witch”), along with colleagues Will, Lorraine, and Louise, do just that. The “grounding” red garden in the newly created terrace outside the kitchen is a riot of phlomis italica, pulsatilla, geum, valerian, darkest red peonies, and the Souvenir du Dr. Jamain rose—a rose that grew outside Brooks’s childhood bedroom. “It was huge and it would grow into my bedroom, which I just found unbelievable.” This leads into the solar plexus, represented by the small yellow garden in front of the house’s entrance façade, a shimmering Impressionist haze of yellow achillea, Benton iris, digitalis lutea, evening primrose, and honeysuckle. Then follows the green heart chakra, with cloudy yews and boxed lindens and a row of mature espaliered pear trees found in Belgium, and a flat lawn created for Poppy and Violette Grey to play badminton. Further up the hill the throat chakra is represented by a palette of soft mauve-blues with pale geraniums, field scabious, and lilacs. This sloping site is crowned with a semicircular tapestry hedge to celebrate the spot where the family used to come and have a picnic when it was a building site. The lilac plantings here represent “your third eye,” as Brooks notes, and froth with the blossoms from an orchard that includes plum and damson trees in the spring.

When the family’s beloved friend Stella Tennant died in late December 2020, an agonized Brooks was inspired to create another garden to celebrate her, centered around a perfectly circular pond cradled in a protecting embrace of a low hill—the heart of the garden. This was envisaged as “a completely still bit of water, a reflecting pool that you could see the stars in at night.” Those Indian Runner ducks, however, soon claimed it as their own, “and now it’s just a duck pond.” Stella, she feels, would be amused. Here, Brooks planted Magnolia stellata, Tennant’s beloved perennial sweet peas, and Rosa complicata, “which seems very fitting,” says Brooks. “But it’s also bright pink, which she loved. I always felt that whenever Stella arrived to stay, it was as if this sort of wind walked into the house, there was something so brisk and breezy about her. And somehow being here, you feel that wind around you and there’s loads of sky, which felt important too. But then you can hunker down and feel safe against these banks. In a way, the nicest thing about this garden is that it means we say her name practically every day.”

Inside her home, recalling visiting all those grandly proportioned 18th-century houses, Brooks has realized that “actually it’s really lovely in England to be in those long, low rooms, especially in the winter.” “You’re just a custodian of a house, right?” adds Halard. “Particularly a house like this one. I really believe in the spirits of a house—a house speaks and has emotions, and she was definitely very cross at the beginning, very ashamed when we started pulling everything out. But now she’s feeling so pretty and proud.”