The White Company has always been a high street stalwart for bedding, slippers and baby gros but its clothing has traditionally played second fiddle to homewares. Until now. This autumn, its womenswear has been given something of a glow-up courtesy of its newly-appointed clothing director Sheila McKain, who learned to design for the modern woman who appreciates minimalism at Donna Karen (as well as Oscar de la Renta). And while there’s still plenty of cashmere and cosiness, you’ll find it’s most definitely got a finger on the fashion pulse.
(Image credit: The White Company)
Coinciding with the brand’s 30th anniversary, The White Company is pioneering what it’s calling a “new clothing vision”. As part of the reimagining process, McKain drew on the archives of Chrissie Rucker, The White Company’s founder. “She has some amazing pleated-front black trousers from the 90s, we just updated the shape, and a much-loved silk shirt dress has some pleats added to the back,” says McKain.
Its design tenets remain undiluted, it’s just the ‘fashion’ has been dialled up a notch. McKain’s hope is to appeal to entice fans old and new. “Our loyal customers continue to trust us for timeless, quietly beautiful pieces, and we’ve designed this collection to feel relevant and exciting to them. At the same time, with new silhouettes, layering options, and a touch of sportiness and fluidity, we’re confident this fresh vision will resonate with a younger, wider audience.”
You can see the evidence of this balance in the brand’s cashmere, a signature at The White Company. “Our cashmere will always be our cornerstone – it’s amazing quality at a great price point, using different plys to layer,” says McKain. Its cashmere hoodie has a new fit, flush to the body, so it performs like a second skin if worn alone or an excellent underlayer. Its other standout cashmere jumper, meanwhile, is a crew-neck style with just the right amount of heft that you could pair with barrel-leg jeans for off-duty or a leather maxi skirt for work. The floor-length, funnel-neck maxi is definitive proof that sweater dresses can be an elegant proposition.
(Image credit: The White Company)
The c-word might feel like a way off – that’s coat, FYI! – but autumn is just around the corner, which means it’s closer than you think. The White Company’s outerwear line-up is truly superlative, perhaps its strongest category, with the kind of coats that will have you looking forward to a bleak midwinter (almost).
During autumn, you couldn’t do better than its butter yellow draped trench coatwhich is a fluid blend of LENZING™ ECOVERO™. Elongated to fall between the mid-calf and ankle, it’s truly a multitasker that you could dress up (with summer’s trending lace slip dress) or down (try a white tee, baggy jeans and Birkenstocks).
(Image credit: The White Company)
Its suede batwing jacket is also guaranteed to sell, not just because the fabric has experienced a boom in popularity over the past few seasons that shows little sign of abating but, naturally, because this version does exactly what a suede jacket should do, delivering a slouchy kind of cool that, again, can go both ways.
When it’s truly bundling-up time, its funnel-neck shearling coat would be the ultimate way to spend winter. It’s the collection’s most expensive item, clocking in at £1,800, but it also has the kind of blanketing silhouette that’s not trend-led but timeless, something of a design signature at The White Company. (There’s also a hip-length version that’s £998.)
The best thing is that rather like how the retailer can take care of all your candle-related needs at Christmas, The White Company’s new womenswear collection, largely neutral so that everything can be paired with everything, is a kind of one-stop-shop if you’re looking to build a capsule. “I love how the whole collection works together – every piece can be styled in multiple ways, mixed and matched, elegant and quietly beautiful,” says McKain.
(Image credit: The White Company)
