Investment pieces, capsule wardrobes and forever buys have made us very sensible shoppers. But when did every fashion purchase have to last a lifetime? Style director Louise Hilsz questions our obsession with timeless fashion and makes the case for putting a little fun back into getting dressed.
Timeless. It's possibly the hardest-working word in fashion. A black blazer is timeless. A camel coat is timeless. The perfect white shirt, cashmere knit, loafer and beautifully cut pair of trousers? Apparently all timeless. And preferably an investment, too.
Somewhere along the way, simply loving something stopped being enough reason to buy it. Over the past few years, fashion has become increasingly sensible. We've embraced capsule wardrobes, calculated cost per wear and been encouraged to invest in fewer, better pieces. Then quiet luxury arrived and turned restraint into an entire aesthetic. Logos disappeared, colours softened and suddenly looking chic seemed to require an enormous amount of beige. There is plenty to like about this shift. I'm all for buying better, shopping thoughtfully and wearing what we own more often. A wardrobe built entirely around disposable trends isn't particularly stylish — or sustainable. But have we taken it a little too far?
Is anything really timeless?
The irony is that many of the pieces we're told are timeless aren't quite as immune to fashion as we'd like to believe.
Take the blazer. It's a classic, certainly, but look at one from 15 years ago and chances are you'll immediately spot the difference. Shoulders change, lapels widen and narrow, waists disappear and return, and hemlines move up and down. Jeans might be an even better example. Skinny, straight, boyfriend, cropped, barrel, wide-leg — we've called almost every incarnation a wardrobe essential at some point. Even handbags aren't exempt. Hardware, proportions, logos and shapes can place a supposedly forever bag firmly in a particular decade.
Perhaps timeless doesn't actually mean something never dates. Maybe it simply means something you love enough to keep wearing when fashion inevitably moves on. And that's a very different proposition.
When did fashion become so serious?
There is something else that's been lost in our pursuit of the perfect wardrobe: fun. Fashion isn't purely functional. If it were, we'd all own seven identical outfits and getting dressed would take approximately 30 seconds.
The reason many of us love clothes is because of how they make us feel. Fashion can change your mood, give you confidence and allow you to be a slightly different version of yourself for an evening. Yet somewhere between capsule wardrobes, quiet luxury and endless advice about what constitutes a good investment, we've started treating every purchase as though it needs to be presented to a financial adviser for approval. Does it work with at least five things you already own? Will you wear it 30 times? Can it transition from day to night? Will you still love it in ten years?
All perfectly sensible questions. But sometimes another question deserves to be asked: Do I absolutely love it?
Your favourite clothes probably aren't your most sensible ones
Think about the pieces you've owned that you really remember. Chances are, you're not getting emotional about a perfectly respectable navy knit. It's the leopard-print coat you wore until it practically fell apart. The ridiculous earrings you bought on holiday. The red dress that always got compliments. The vintage jacket that shouldn't work with anything but somehow works with everything. Or the completely impractical shoes you still refuse to throw away. These are the pieces that give a wardrobe personality. They may have been bought on impulse. They may only work with three things you own. They may have been very fashionable at the time.
And yet somehow, years later, they're still there. Which raises an interesting point: perhaps the clothes that truly become timeless aren't necessarily the ones designed to be.
Personality is a better investment
This doesn't mean abandoning good basics. Every wardrobe benefits from a beautifully cut blazer, great denim, a white shirt and pieces that make getting dressed easy. But basics should be the supporting cast, not the entire show.
A great wardrobe needs tension. Something polished with something unexpected. An inexpensive find with a beautiful designer bag. Vintage jewellery with a crisp new shirt. Leopard print with tailoring. A ridiculous shoe under a very sensible trouser. It's often the piece that technically shouldn't work that makes an outfit interesting. And as we head into spring, I'm far more interested in clothes that make me feel something than another list of supposedly essential pieces we're all expected to own. Wear the colour. Buy the print. Put on the oversized earrings. Dig out the dress everyone has already seen you wear ten times. And if you fall completely in love with something that fashion might declare over in two years? That's okay too.
The Spring 2026 Fashion Pieces That Aren't Trying to Be Timeless
Which brings us rather conveniently to spring. After several seasons of restraint, the new collections are giving us plenty of reasons to loosen up. Colour is back, prints are getting bolder and accessories are once again being allowed to do what accessories do best: completely transform an outfit. And these are exactly the pieces I'm interested in buying. Not because they'll necessarily still be trending in 2036, but because they'll make everything already hanging in my wardrobe feel exciting again.
The Statement Sunglasses
If you're going to buy one accessory this spring, make it a great pair of sunglasses. The new mood is bigger, bolder and far less anonymous — the kind of frames that can make jeans and a white shirt look instantly styled.
SHOP THE EDIT: Oversized frames, interesting lenses and sunglasses with a little attitude.
Gucci 2174 004 sunglasses, $995. Bottega Veneta 1345 006 sunglasses, $1145. Anna-Karin Karlsson Rode et le Rêve sunglasses, €1425. Dita Grand Emperik, $1850.
The Colour Hit
After years of beautifully tasteful neutrals, I'm ready for colour. A brilliant knit, unexpected shirt, colourful trouser or fabulous bag can breathe life into all those sensible pieces we've spent the past few years collecting. And no, it doesn't have to “go with everything”. Sometimes going brilliantly with three things is enough.
SHOP THE EDIT: Red, turquoise, yellow and unexpected colour combinations.
Trelise Cooper The Dream Seam dress, $699. LeDoré Rosette Blouse, $369. Aje. Bijou Croc Emboss bag, $499. Ganni Graphic check blazer, $1165.
The Conversation-Starter Accessory
This is where spring gets fun. A sculptural earring, fabulous brooch, oversized belt or beautiful silk scarf doesn't need to be practical. It just needs to make an otherwise simple outfit considerably more interesting. Better still, accessories allow you to experiment without rebuilding your entire wardrobe.
SHOP THE EDIT: Brooches, statement earrings, silk scarves and belts you can actually see.
Shiny & Co. Mythic Gossamer Winged Topaz Brooch, $399. Jennifer Behr Cyrus shell-drop earrings, $990. Pom Amsterdam Shawl scarf, $295. Twinset tassel belt, US$155
The Print You'll Still Love When Everyone Else Has Moved On
Florals, polka dots, stripes, animal print — fashion will continually announce that one is “back” and another is “over”. Ignore it. The print worth buying is the one that makes you want to put it on. A printed dress, blouse or skirt brings something to a wardrobe that another beautifully cut neutral basic simply can't: personality.
SHOP THE EDIT: The prints we're loving for spring.
Never Fully Dressed Blue Deer Poppy Anais dress, $415. Olivia Rubin Isobel Origami Knitted Trousers, $415. Miss Rosier Calista Green Printed Shirt & Wide-Leg Trousers, $301. Celia B Omera dress, $764.
The Completely Unnecessary Thing You Love
And finally, my favourite category. The shoe that's slightly ridiculous. The embellished bag you absolutely don't need. The dress that isn't remotely practical. The earrings that are probably too big. Every wardrobe deserves at least one piece that can't be justified with a cost-per-wear calculation. If you love it, that's justification enough.
SHOP THE EDIT: Style director Louise Hilsz’s purely-for-the-love-of-it spring buys.
Kuboraum E16 mask sunglasses, $1550. AGGI by HALEWSKI Gianna Current Mood Blazer, US$534. Kurt Geiger London Macro Oxford Mascot bag, £369. Grounds Moopie Jaws sneakers, $779.
Because personal style isn't built by successfully avoiding every trend. It's built by knowing which ones feel like you. So perhaps it's time to stop asking whether every fashion purchase will still look relevant in ten years.
Maybe the best investment piece isn't the one you'll theoretically wear forever. It's the one you can't wait to wear tomorrow.