That's all, folks!
That was so much fun! Thanks for all the great questions. Love that we covered everything from Oscar Wilde and Andy Burnham to synthetic fibres and the future of the French Tuck. You guys are the best, a pleasure to chat with you so come say hi if you see me in the wild!
Does fashion week matter now?
InJoch asks: Do fashion weeks actually matter anymore? Why do we care what the top designers are saying/doing? Don’t people just wear whatever they want now?
Jess:
Fashion weeks matter as much as ever but for totally different reasons. The power that designers once had to highhandedly dictate a new hemline or a colour of the season doesn’t exist any more. Fashion is a much more fluid ecosystem but fashion week is where all the power players come together. Not just designers and editors but the fashion-leading celebrities sitting in the front row, the models with huge social media followings posting from backstage, the influencers showing off their street style looks. It is still where shifts in style are seen first and articulated most clearly.
Updated
How do you feel about the waste created by the industry?
Louisa9515 asks: Is your line of work now considered to be on a par with encouraging us to buy plastic? I know you include vintage items, but the older I get the more I’m saddened by the waste created by the industry.
lieslwhite asks: Do we really need to constantly push buying more clothes to be fashionable? There are already more than enough excess clothes on the planet. Could we have some articles on how to modify existing clothes, learn to sew, shop sustainably etc?
Jess:
This is a tough problem that we talk about all the time on the fashion desk and the catastrophic climate we have seen this summer has underscored how huge and urgent fashion’s overproduction problem is.
Taking sustainability seriously is expensive for brands, and the ones that do make a real effort with proper supply chain management, responsible textile choice, and designing for circularity find it so hard to compete on price with the brands that churn out cheap product at scale. The industry needs to change at a structural level and that requires legislation and political will.
But I believe it is better to celebrate fashion and style than to disparage them - to encourage thinking about clothes as meaningful rather than disposable. We always try to champion shopping your own wardrobe. I’ve just looked down and realised that the blouse I’m wearing today is one I bought when I was pregnant with my son, who is now 24. I don’t think of it as old, I think of it as a treasure.
How do you rate Burnham's casual look?
CordTrousers asks: Is the Andy Burnham casual look any good? In my opinion it could use some work, he only wears black and navy but I’m pleased he supports British business.
Jess:
He’s a well-dressed man and his style is very intentional. It is Centrist Dad, but with a tilt away from the posh/establishment/smug signifiers of the previous decade of politicians - quarterzip sweaters, gilets - toward a look that is more smart-proletarian than smart-casual. The Harrington jacket is a bit post-punk. It works because it feels authentic. I think it’s brilliant that he’s promoting British-made fashion and taking the industry seriously. Any plan to revive British high streets needs to include fashion.
French tuck ... is it now officially out?
DukeApricot asks: French tuck ... is it now officially out or is it still in?
Jess:
You’ve read my mind. This is the subject of a column I’ve just written for one of the upcoming issues of Saturday. Watch this space!
What are the rules for wearing accessories?
WhyNot23 asks: Accessories but jewellery in particular - I can’t do it, I just don’t understand how long necklaces should be or how many to wear at once, whether they should go under or over clothes, or how people wear bracelets to the office (how can you type without annoying everyone else with the clacking on the desk)? What are the rules please?
Jess:
OK listen up, because there is just one rule here. Look in the mirror. That’s the trick. Quite often I get dressed and I don’t know whether I want to wear a short necklace or a long necklace or earrings (or all of the above) until I hold them up against my outfit in front of a full length mirror. Your eye will tell you what works. Trust yourself! I am with you on the clacking bracelets, so I don’t wear those. I do enjoy wearing rings though, because unlike necklaces and earrings which are out of your eyeline, you get to see them all day.
What would be your perfect uniform for a fashion Groundhog Day?
Blammy asks: If you were a 59-year-old woman, 5ft 7in, size 14 and had to live in fashion Groundhog Day what would your perfect uniform be? Just one complete outfit … It needs to be fashionable, comfortable when sitting, flattering when standing, contemporary without trying too hard, and suitable for real life.
Jess:
This would be my idea of a nightmare … I love getting dressed according to my mood. But if you twisted my arm I’d say - dark trousers with a front pleat, loafers, a good belt, a silk blouse, a wool blazer and some good earrings. Jenna Lyons, ex-creative director of J Crew, is my style icon here.
Shouldn't shoes always be comfortable?
Simother asks: Shouldn’t there always be an aspect of comfort and functionality in wearing shoes? It doesn’t make sense to me to wear shoes that hurt your feet and/ or make it impossible to take a walk.
Jess:
Absolutely right there should! Wearing uncomfortable shoes ‘for the look’ backfires anyway, because nobody looks chic when they are hobbling and grumpy. There is definitely an argument for investment in properly made shoes … I have never regretted splashing out on my Gucci loafers. But there are also comfortable shoes to be found on the high street – I always keep an eye on M&S and on Dune.
Why can you only get XL and petite sizes online?
patchwork19 asks: I am a size 22 and forced to buy online. White Stuff, Fat Face, Seasalt and Marks & Spencer no longer stock sizes above 18 or 20 or conversely the petite range in high street shops. How many women are being denied a proper shopping experience?
Indigohippo asks: What would it take for in-person high street shopping to make a comeback? Shop staff seem keen to direct you online instead (‘we don’t have that size/colour in the stockroom, try the website’, ‘sorry that size/length is only online, we don’t carry it in store’). Is the more serendipitous experience of wandering in and seeing what you like dead? How do you think this affects quality and fabrics when you can’t inspect before you press buy?
Jess:
I agree! So demoralising. I was in a high street store recently and the staff looked genuinely startled when I approached to ask them a question. It makes shopping feel so soulless – the rise of self-checkout doesn’t help either! It is not fair that women who wear the smallest or largest sizes often don’t get the opportunity to try things on in a changing room - particularly when we know that returns are a major contributor to fashion’s environmental impact.
Updated
How can a 50 year old man dress to impress?
TeeDubyaBee asks: Is there a surefire sartorial way for a gentleman approaching 50 to impress the world, with minimal effort? Asking for a friend.
Jess:
A straight-leg chino in navy or beige (try Cos or Ralph Lauren Polo); a good quality T-shirt (Sunspel, Arket, or James Perse) and a chore jacket always works.
Updated
How do you make fashion less ‘snobby’?
eamonmcc asks: You are good at ‘de-snobbing’ fashion. Is that because of a conscious effort on your part?
Jess:
Thanks! I appreciate that. I don’t think snobbery has anything whatsoever to do with dressing well. The classiest people I know are those who have beautiful taste but zero snobbery.
Are synthetic fibres always a bad thing?
PetertheGray asks: Why are so many high end items made from synthetic fibres? And are synthetics always bad?
Jess:
The answer to the first part of your question is just, price. As to the second part - as a rule of thumb, natural fibres are a sustainable choice. Virgin polyester - which is made from oil, and doesn’t biodegrade - is to be avoided. But there are also sustainable synthetic fibres. Look out for Tencel, which is the most common brand name for a fabric called lyocell, which is made from wood pulp, and is biodegradable.
Let's talk trousers.
AugieMarch asks: Trousers. My premise is that trousers without side pockets are more flattering. Pockets — even ones sewn very flat — spoil the silhouette, both on slim and rounder figures. Why are they so hard to find?
playheals asks: What’s your view on fly fronts on women’s trousers? It can pull open over the tummy and add bulk. We inherited the fly from men’s trousers but side zips should be standard for women’s wear (apart from actual 5 pocket jeans - nothing against those).
Jess:
I commend both of you for having figured out what you like and what suits you. That’s the hardest part. My personal bugbear front-fastening trousers where the ‘hidden’ hook-and-eye fastening is too close to the edge of the fabric so the metal keeps showing. Drives me insane.
Is there such a thing as ‘mutton-dressed-as lamb’?
FlusteredCustard asks: When I was younger (44 now) I thought older women who stuck to fashion formulas from when they were young looked vaguely silly and thought staying up-to-date, no matter your age, was the key to style. Now I am older, I find the clothing adopted by younger people to be what looks vaguely silly, and tend to dress according to my own, no doubt frozen, formulas. Where does the balance lie? Is there such a thing as mutton-dressed-as lamb?
Jess:
Ha! I am 53 so I’ve been debating this for a while! I do believe that staying current is part of what being chic is about. At the moment, for lots of people in their 40s and 50s, this is about wearing a looser silhouette than we are used to. Your clothes say a lot about you, and I guess one of the things that I want mine to say is that I’m looking at and engaged with the world around me even at my advanced years. I’d probably rather be mutton dressed as lamb than mutton living in the past?
What has happened to mid-range shops?
Indigohippo asks: What has done for the mid-range shop and will it ever come back? The place that Topshop famously occupied (but see also Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins, Oasis, Warehouse) when I was in my teens/20s is vacant. Now it’s all cheap fast fashion that falls to pieces or rather higher end (& Other Stories, Whistles, Nobody’s Child) which I love in my mid/late 30s but couldn’t have afforded at 20. Shops which sold affordable but decent quality clothes just don’t exist anymore or have been bought up by Boohoo/Sports Direct/Asos and are now shells of their former selves in both style and quality. Why? And will we ever see the likes of Topshop again?
Jess:
I feel about high street shopping the same way I feel about social media: I lived through the bit when it was feel-good and optimistic and now it’s gone a bit nasty and it makes me sad. I miss the old Topshop so bad! Although they do have some good stuff again now, plus you can buy there without the money going to PG which is good. The silver lining of this though is that many of the younger shoppers who, as you rightly say, are priced out of the ‘haute high street’ stuff are shopping from car boot sales or on Vinted instead.
Updated
Tips for post-partum and perimenopausal bodies?
Redstar1000 asks: What brands produce comfortable (and stylish) trousers for post-partum bodies? I’m looking for a pair that fits well over my c-section pouch, still very noticeable one year after birth, sadly.
nardacnardac asks: I’m perimenopausal and suddenly clothes don’t fit round my waistline anymore. Are there any tips and tricks for dressing fashionably that will look sexy despite my thickening waistline? I don’t want to have a whole wardrobe of shift/tent dresses as my only option.
Jess:
You are in luck my friends. Defining, accentuating or narrowing the waist has been such a strong element of women’s fashion for so long (corsets!) that it can be easy to think of it as a non negotiable. But a lot of the best dressed women around right now are wearing generously cut shirts and not tucking them into their trousers at all. It’s very elegant when you get your eye in and it means you can pick a waistband solely on grounds of comfort. Alternatively, look out for trousers which are elasticated on the back half but look smart at the front. Me + Em do great ones.
Updated
A comeback for the suit?
paulrennie asks: Can the proper suit ever come back?
Jess:
I can’t see this happening in the medium term. The overarching trend for decades has been the decline of men’s tailoring as a proportion of menswear sold. Hence why every designer got into sportswear and streetwear. Clothes have got more casual and more comfortable and most of us like it that way. In fact I was at the weekend I was walking through a back-to-school kids’ uniform section in a store and wondering how long it will be till schools ditch the matching trousers and blazers? It seems to me kind of wild that children are dressed more formally for school than their parents are for the office?
Updated
Is fashion a cultural artefact?
pleicetene asks: Yesterday’s article about the history of the weekend was great. Are you interested in fashion as cultural artefact, as a reflection of social and cultural history, and even a shaper of it sometimes?
Jess:
Appreciate you! That’s so nice of you to say. I think all fashion journalists are current affairs journalists at heart. Fashion is a live conversation about how it feels to live in the world at this moment, that’s why I have loved writing about it for so long.
Was Oscar Wilde right about fashion?
Nepthsolem asks: More than a century ago Oscar Wilde wrote that “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” Was he right then? Is he right now?
Jess:
Haha. Wilde was a very snappy dresser! The OG dandy, with his velvet jackets and long hair. He saw style as a way of rebelling against stodgy Victorian values - he hated corsets and top hats and thought clothes should be comfortable and freeing. He was anti-fashion-establishment pro-self-expression, I guess. Also, I guess we have to take him with a pinch of salt, since didn’t he also say “the only thing to do with advice is give it away, it is never any use to oneself” :)
Jess is live
The Guardian’s fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley is now answering your questions about her career on the front row.
Welcome to the Conversation
What’s changed in the industry since 2000, have there been any catwalk disasters, and can you really consume fashion ethically?
As Jess gears up for another round of fashion weeks beginning in New York next month, ask her anything about her years covering fashion.
Jess will be here at 3pm BST/10am ET.
Ask a question: log in or sign up here
In the meantime, read some of Jess’s expert style tips:
