Is it too early to talk about Fall?
An afternoon styling with Róhe in Selfridges' Atrium.
Last Monday I went to see new Róhe base in Selfridges, institution ingrained into Oxford Street shopping landscape so much so, anyone can wander in — being asked in is another thing. Especially since Selfridges was the first high-end department store I visited, shortly after arriving in London 15 years ago, blindsided by the sheer volume of shoes, like candy, it soon became my in-person browsing mecca. The Atrium space is very Róhe now, dark wood, Kokke house F_10 chairs, b&w photography. To my surprise I discovered that some of the new Róhe offering is in-store only, hasn't launched online yet, also — that cheetah print pieces I snoozed on last autumn are back.
Thankfully, temperatures were tamer that day, which let me dress Róhe silk tuxedo shirt in high-low code with Dagmar capris, only two buttons holding it in the middle, cuffs unbuttoned, to allow just enough breeze to feel cool. Finished with The Row Gemma flats from last season — I’d gladly swap them for the Stella slipper (or this Massimo Dutti option) — and Terrasse to-go, painfully sold out and absent on second-hand websites (trust me I’m trying to find it for you!). I’m hopeful The Row will pull it back next season, like it did with silky Cecily, which came back bigger, better, and in more colours.
Styling for fall mid-heatwave sounded insane, at first, but excitement for layering has been resuscitated by modern air-conditioning, which took some self-restraint to leave.
Cheetah pencil skirt made it into the changing room first and passed the sit-down test, affirming the “fits like a glove” narrative — not just looks. I paired it with a minimal statement-shoulder turtleneck (in-store only), which when sized up sits right above my hips, providing a clean and simple silhouette that made me feel like I’m ready to argue the common belief that the 90s did animal prints better.
I was still exploring cheetah print, but in the shape of straight-line coat, which is a definition of why animal prints are classic. Not neutral — that’s the lie we repeat to justify it. We shouldn’t. It’s a universally acceptable statement that’s been around long enough to pass as Lee Radziwill manners. Tailored cigarette leg trousers plus the cheetah coat, classic of the classics!
This fine wool turtleneck comes in the kind of red you want to brag to your minimalist friend about. No-fuss sleeve hems feel like a deliberate invite to a statement cuff — one I’d have taken, if the sculptural balloon trousers weren’t already doing the lifting. The leather blouson jacket if I wanted it casual.
And then there was the black velvet jacket (in-store only) with pankou closure, to my mind best worn buttoned up for a full effect. I started it off with the sculptural trousers — tick, and then — the cheetah skirt — tick, tick, tick. Risky combination taught me if you don’t experiment, you don’t get.
The full-on fall is still a good two months away, I predict warm September, so not until then. But don’t feel sorry for me yet, I walked out with a one-shoulder, silk layered top with mid-length trail at the back (in-store only), which I will be chasing the tail end of summer in and squishing under something loose like this Pankou cape when it’s too cold. What a piece, what a piece!
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