Dear Friends,
There’s a lot of pressure in fashion to keep moving on. A new season, a new collection, something else to show. Even running a small label, I feel that pull. But I don’t think everything needs to change just because the season has.
At Studio Ren, I often carry pieces through from one season to the next. I’m reluctant to heavily discount something, especially when it’s a piece I still love and wear. Making in small batches is part of my approach to avoiding overproduction; giving those clothes time to find their people matters too.
Sometimes, fresh photographs or a different way of putting an outfit together are enough to make you look at something again. That was very much the starting point for our autumn shoot: a few new additions alongside familiar favourites, revisited.
The Essential cardigan is probably my most reached-for piece. I wear mine throughout the year, though it comes into its own now. It’s a soft, easy layer, but there’s something about the buttons and the shape that makes me feel a little more put together, even when I’ve given getting dressed very little thought. It’s the sort of piece I’m always glad to have to hand.
The Quinn skirt is another favourite, and this season I’ve given it a small update with extra pintucks, adding a little more detail and texture. There’s a new teal colourway and a lovely white version, which I find surprisingly versatile throughout the year.
I can be quite a lazy dresser in the colder months, reaching for jeans almost automatically. A skirt helps me break that habit. With thermal leggings underneath and boots, it’s still practical and warm, but I feel as though I’ve made a little more effort. White skirts needn’t be packed away at the end of summer, either; I love them with knitwear.
Among the new pieces is the Harlow top. Although I don’t design occasionwear as such, I often find myself thinking about one or two things I’d love to wear for the gatherings that winter brings.
This year, I’ll be hosting Christmas for the first time in our house, and that was in my mind when I designed it. Something romantic, with lovely detail, that I could wear while cooking and getting everything ready, an apron tied over the top, and then sit down in with everyone. That very ordinary, lovely picture of celebrating at home was where it began.
Then there are the Painter shirts, which have become a constant. I return to the shape in different fabrics and colours, and each version feels a little different. The lightweight Indian muslin is particularly lovely for layering beneath other pieces, and there’s also the new Lucky plaid in green.
I’ve added oversized, one-size overshirts too, in slightly heavier fabrics, to wear over another shirt or a light knit as the weather cools. These are pieces to combine with what’s already there, and to wear in whatever way feels like you.
I still love designing something new. But I also get a great deal of satisfaction from coming back to a piece, wearing it differently, and remembering why I liked it in the first place. That’s what I wanted to share this autumn.
With Love,
R
