Chopard presents a watch for every hour of the day at Watches & Wonders 2025
In 1969, when jewellery was beginning to loosen its grip on tradition and flirt with something freer, more sculptural, Chopard introduced L’Heure du Diamant. A collection that dared to dream in diamonds and dared to tell time like it was poetry. More than five decades later, that dream continues – delicately refined and presented anew in The Precious Hours, a 12-piece box set of jewel-like watches, each one a talisman for an hour of the day or a month of the year.
It’s no coincidence that time and beauty are so intrinsically linked at Chopard. This is a house guided by generations of the Scheufele family – guardians of both horological precision and high jewellery savoir-faire. In the early 20th century, Caroline and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s grandfather was already being called a Master of Jewellery Watches. That same reverence echoes through every detail of L’Heure du Diamant, from its diamond-framed dials to the quiet heartbeat of its movement.
Crafted in ethical 18-carat gold, the case is soft and compact, just 26 millimetres in diameter, housing one of the slimmest mechanical manual-winding movements ever created by the Maison. Inside, the Chopard 10.01-C movement ticks with perfect restraint – born in-house, naturally – proving that the most powerful statements are often the quietest.
But it’s the dial that holds your gaze. Each carved from a different ornamental stone – mother-of-pearl, carnelian, jade, onyx, turquoise, tiger eye and more – each face tells its own story. Tiger’s eye gleams with courage. Pink opal hums with intuition. Onyx, in whispered myth, is said to have formed from the clipped nails of Venus. Chopard preserves each stone’s natural irregularities as if to remind us: no two hours are the same. No two lives, either.
Surrounding each dial is a crown of diamonds, set using a technique devised by Karl Scheufele himself. Crown setting – like invisible lacework– lifts each stone to the light, held in place by V-shaped prongs that allow for maximum brilliance. It’s a celebration of radiance without restraint. A masterstroke in letting materials speak.
Some models are finished with satin or alligator leather straps in joyful, dial-matching hues. Two, though, are paired with a bark-textured gold bracelet, crafted entirely by hand using a technique honed in the 1960s. It moves like fabric but breathes like nature – veined and irregular, supple against the skin.
In the end, The Precious Hours is more than a box set. It’s an anthology of moments, hand-cut and hand-set. It’s what happens when a family refuses to choose between form and function, between emotion and exactitude. Time will keep passing, of course. But here, in Chopard’s world, it’s wrapped in gold, crowned in diamonds, and told like a story worth repeating.
Vacheron Constantin's most complex watch is still ultra wearable
There are watches, and then there are worlds. In honour of its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin invites us into two distinct horological universes – each a tribute to time, artistry, and the Maison’s eternal bond with Geneva. One is a celebration of cosmic complexity; the other, a poetic homage to place. Both are reminders that time, in the right hands, becomes art.
Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première
Let’s start with a record-breaker. With 41 complications, 13 patent applications, and 1,521 individual components, the Solaria Ultra Grand Complication is the most complex wristwatch Vacheron Constantin has ever created – and yes, it’s wearable. At 45mm in diameter and just under 15mm thick, this white gold marvel is a study in elegant excess.
But this isn’t just about numbers. The Solaria is designed to read not one, but three kinds of time – civil, solar, and sidereal – reflected across two dials in a visual symphony of polished metals, sapphire discs, and shifting celestial maps. On the front, a glowing Earth dome turns opposite a miniature sun. On the back, sidereal time and constellations move in real time beneath green and red chronograph hands, marking the passage of stars.
Beyond timekeeping, it sings. A Westminster minute repeater, refined to amplify resonance without sacrificing space, fills the air with musical chimes. Meanwhile, a world-first celestial tracking mechanism allows you to time the arrival of your favourite constellation. Astronomical poetry, made mechanical.
Despite its complexity, everything is considered – each dial optimised for clarity, every texture deliberate. From rhodium-plated indexes to sandblasted oceans, the design language is rich, minimal, and unmistakably Vacheron.
Les Cabinotiers Tribute to the Tour de l’Île
In contrast to the Solaria’s technical bravado, the Tribute to the Tour de l’Île collection speaks in the language of stillness. Three single-edition watches, each cased in a slender 40mm frame, showcase Geneva’s iconic Tour de l’Île through the lens of rare handcrafts. These are not complications – they’re contemplations.
One dial is rendered entirely in Grand Feu enamel, a whisper-soft watercolour scene reimagined in fire and pigment. Another marries guilloché engraving with enamel, balancing texture and tone in architectural harmony. The third is pure sculpture: an 18K pink gold dial engraved in bas-relief, its fine details – rooftops, windows, even a rooster – rising like memories from the metal.
The movements beneath are as refined as the artistry above. Self-winding Calibre 2460 movements visible through officer-style casebacks, each certified with the Geneva Seal, a guarantee of origin and excellence.
These are watches as love letters – to craft, to city, to legacy. Quietly powerful, deeply personal, and etched in time.
Van Cleef & Arpels tells time through poetry at Watches & Wonders 2025
For Van Cleef & Arpels, time has never simply ticked forward – it shimmers, pirouettes, and whispers softly through enamel and gold. At Watches & Wonders 2025, the Maison returns to its Parisian roots with a presentation that reads less like a product showcase and more like an ode to imagination. From celestial choreography to feathered cupids and lovers mid-embrace, this is horology told through the language of dreams.
Pont des Amoureux: A love story in four scenes
First unveiled in 2010, the Pont des Amoureux collection has become emblematic of Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetic Complications. Powered by a double retrograde movement, the scene plays out on a bridge in Paris, where two lovers – she marking the minutes, he the hours – meet for a kiss at noon and midnight.
For 2025, four new models – Matinée, Aube, Soirée, and Clair de Lune – are introduced, each inspired by a moment in the day. Their dials are rendered in soft washes of grisaille enamel, layered with colour to evoke dawn skies or moonlit nights. Sculpted bridges in precious metals add depth and perspective, while on the reverse, enamel decals and engraved backdrops offer hidden details to discover.
Each piece is set on a fully gem-set bracelet, its diamonds and sapphires graded in tone to mirror the scene on the dial. The movement is automatic, and includes both the retrograde indication and an on-demand animation that allows the kiss to be replayed at will – a romantic gesture made mechanical.
Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate: A new rendezvous
A fresh chapter unfolds with the Lady Arpels Bal des Amoureux Automate, where the iconic lovers are reunited in a new setting – a guinguette, the open-air dance cafés of 19th century Paris. Here, the dial becomes a miniature stage, with five separate layers creating a scene alive with detail: hand-enamelled lanterns, cobbled streets in white gold, and chiaroscuro skies.
A newly developed automaton movement – four years in the making – allows the lovers to lean in with lifelike articulation, their arms moving in tandem thanks to a complex mechanism concealed beneath the dial. A double retrograde display, marked by golden stars, tells the time, while the animation may be activated at any moment with the push of a button.
Naissance de l’Amour Automaton: A cupid in ascent for Extraordinary Objects
A continuation of Van Cleef & Arpels’ beloved automaton creations, Naissance de l’Amour introduces Cupid himself, rising from a basket of feathers, wings beating delicately in plique-à-jour enamel. He turns, then disappears – only to return again in his own time.
Standing nearly 30 centimetres tall, the piece is composed of white, rose, and yellow gold, diamonds, and sapphires. A carillon melody accompanies his flight, while the base – carved from iron eye and petrified palmwood – features a rotating ring that indicates the time using lacquered feathers set with diamonds.
Planétarium Automaton: Celestial mechanics in motion
With the Planétarium Automaton, Van Cleef & Arpels scales its watchmaking to the size of a cosmos. Measuring 66.5 centimetres in diameter, the table-top object represents the Sun and seven planets visible from Earth, each orbiting at true astronomical speed – 88 days for Mercury, nearly 30 years for Saturn.
A manual mechanical movement with 11 complications and a 15-day power reserve drives the show. Activate the automaton, and a rose gold shooting star streaks across the heavens to indicate the time. The planets move in poetic counter-rotation, some rising and falling in a celestial ballet accompanied by a 15-bell chime.
Each planet is crafted from ornamental stones – moonstone, jasper, lapis lazuli – and adorned with engraved gold ribbons. The Sun, constructed from more than 500 golden stems set with spessartite garnets and yellow sapphires, quivers on a trembleur setting, catching light with every shift.
Cadenas Watch: A jewel of discretion
A design born in 1935 and reimagined for today, the Cadenas watch returns with its signature angled dial – originally created for discreet glances at time. This year’s version pairs a yellow gold bracelet with a case snow-set in diamonds and finished with rows of princess-cut sapphires.
It’s practical elegance, made poetic: powered by a Swiss quartz movement, but styled like a piece of surrealist jewellery – echoing the readymade spirit of the 1930s.
Ruban Mystérieux: A ribbon wrapped around time
A high jewellery watch that wears like couture, the Ruban Mystérieux curves around the wrist in a bow of white and rose gold. At its centre, a 3.72-carat DIF oval diamond conceals a dial, powered by a hand-wound mechanical movement of delicate dimensions.
The ribbons are adorned with the Maison’s iconic Mystery Set sapphires and emeralds — a patented technique allowing gems to float seamlessly across the surface. Snow-set diamonds finish the look, creating a timepiece that feels less like a watch and more like a secret waiting to be unwrapped.
At Watches & Wonders 2025, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to remind us that time isn’t something to control — it’s something to feel. Whether it’s the tender lean of two gold figures or the weightless turn of a planet, each creation is a quiet celebration of love, artistry, and the poetry that lives in every second.
IWC Schaffhausen releases smallest Ingenieur ever at Watches & Wonders
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Ingenieur. There’s something about its unapologetic structure – the visible screws, the industrial bezel, the geometric grid of the dial– that feels both deeply considered and effortlessly cool. But for years, I’ve waited (somewhat impatiently) for IWC to offer a size more suitable for every day wear (at least for my small wrist). So, when news came that a 35mm model was finally joining the line-up, I felt the kind of joy only watch lovers and design romantics truly understand. This year at Watches and Wonders, IWC Schaffhausen delivers not just one, but several new interpretations of the Ingenieur – each one refining Gérald Genta’s original blueprint for the here and now. Ceramic, gold, steel. Compact, bold, eternal. It’s the Ingenieur I’ve been waiting for – and maybe, the one you have too.
Meet the Ingenieur Automatic 35: A case for smaller proportions
If you’ve ever wished for the clean-cut silhouette of a luxury sports watch without the bulk, the Ingenieur Automatic 35 might be your answer. Toned down to a neat 35mm, this newest chapter pays homage to Gérald Genta’s iconic design codes—those recognisable five bezel screws, the angular integrated bracelet, and a grid-textured dial – while offering a more wearable, flatter alternative.
In stainless steel, it’s effortless and enduring (choose from black or silver dials). In 18-carat 5N gold, it’s simply luminous – its tone-on-tone gold dial and bracelet catch the light with every wrist flick, whispering quiet luxury.
The bracelet hugs the wrist thanks to reworked proportions and smoothed finishes. Think satin-brushed H-links bordered by polished edges, a tactile dance of textures. Each dial is gridded and intricate, with appliqué indices set by hand, and lume-filled hands to carry you from day to night with clarity and style.
Black Tie, but make it ceramic
In a watch world obsessed with materials, IWC’s all-ceramic Ingenieur Automatic 42 might be the most exciting innovation to emerge this year. Crafted from black zirconium oxide ceramic – a material known for its featherlight feel, insane durability, and resistance to scratches – this model is a masterclass in modern watchmaking.
For the first time, the integrated bracelet silhouette meets a pure ceramic build. And it’s not just a style statement. The three-part case construction uses a titanium ring inside for structure and water resistance (up to 10 bar), while the outer casing maintains the sleek, monolithic presence we expect from a Genta-descended piece.
The dial, in true Ingenieur fashion, is black-on-black with the signature Grid structure and Super-LumiNova® accents. Turn it over, and through a tinted sapphire case back you’ll spot the 82110 calibre, equipped with IWC’s iconic Pellaton winding system – and yes, even those parts are ceramic.
Gold standard: The Ingenieur Automatic 40 in 5N Gold
If you’ve been waiting for a moment of indulgence, it’s arrived. Dressed head-to-toe in 18-carat gold, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 pairs Genta’s bold design with a luxurious twist. The case, bracelet, bezel and even the crown are crafted from warm-toned 5N gold, polished and brushed to perfection.
The black Grid dial gives the gold a sense of grounded cool, while solid gold indices and hands glow with Super-LumiNova®. Flip it over and admire the 32111 calibre, its Geneva stripes and gold-plated rotor visible through sapphire glass. With 120 hours of power reserve, it’s built to go the distance, but let’s be honest – you’ll be wearing it just to see how it catches the light.
A complication for collectors: The Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41
For those who love their timepieces with a side of complexity, IWC presents its first perpetual calendar Ingenieur in stainless steel. Housed in a 41mm case and powered by the 82600 calibre, this one’s all about balance – between function and form, modernity and tradition.
The calendar reads day, date, month and moon phase, all through three counters set against a blue Grid dial. It’s powered by a single crown (no fiddly pushers here), and the moon phase? So precise, it only shifts by a day every 577.5 years.
It’s technical, yes. But it’s also deeply beautiful. Which, really, is the Ingenieur’s entire ethos.
Elegance and precision shine for Baume & Mercier at Watches & Wonders 2025
At Watches & Wonders 2025, Baume & Mercier invites us into its world of beautifully balanced timekeeping. Across three standout collections – Hampton, Riviera, and Clifton – the Maison presents timepieces that speak to life’s many rhythms: soft and slow, bold and driven, or elegantly composed. Whether you’re catching golden hour on the terrace or counting seconds with intention, these watches are designed to meet the moment.
Hampton: Rectangular elegance for everyday rituals
The Hampton collection continues to refine its feminine voice. This year, Baume & Mercier returns to its iconic 1990s rectangular silhouette with a fresh take on 1920s Art Deco style – soft geometry, minimal dials, and materials that echo quiet luxury.
The Hampton M0A10795 feels like modern sculpture: a small 35 x 22.2 mm polished steel case paired with a silvery opaline dial, blue glaive hands, and elegant Arabic numerals at 12 and 6. A cabochon-set crown in blue spinel offers a subtle nod to femininity and symbolism. Driven by a quartz movement with six years of autonomy, it’s easy to wear – and easy to love.
Other highlights include the Hampton M0A10760 in all-black lacquer, channelling the energy of a little black dress, and two gold-accented variations: M0A10752 with an 18k rose gold case and alligator strap, and M0A10751, which pairs stainless steel with bi-colour Milanese mesh links. For those drawn to colour, deep bordeaux (M0A10673) and blue (M0A10674) cases offer a vibrant counterpoint. Diamond-set models shimmer softly against navy dials – wearable glamour with a celestial touch.
Riviera: A sport-chic icon, recharged
The Riviera collection embodies the spirit of the French coast – dynamic, sun-drenched, and effortlessly styled. At Watches & Wonders, Baume & Mercier introduces four new chronographs, each one blending vintage design codes with contemporary edge.
The standout is the Riviera M0A10828, a limited-edition flyback chronograph in brushed gold tones with a telemeter and tachymeter scale. It’s bold, technical, and built for precision, with a 41mm dodecagonal case and 42-hour power reserve. The blued steel hands and Phi-logo details elevate its sport functionality to a statement in movement.
In contrast, the Riviera M0A10827 plays with black-and-white balance, offering a 1950s-style dial with sunray finishing and sapphire-backed case. The M0A10825 and M0A10826 – in black and blue respectively – reinterpret the classic Riviera for today’s pace, with day-date chronograph functions, 48-hour power reserves, and tool-free interchangeable straps.
Each model in the Riviera chronograph line speaks to those who embrace life’s tempo – whether it’s a coastal run, a long lunch, or a moment of stillness in the sun.
Clifton: A gentleman’s vintage, redefined
The Clifton Baumatic returns in three new iterations that revisit the grace of 1950s watchmaking. With slimmed-down 39mm cases and domed sapphire crystals, they capture the essence of mid-century elegance, but with thoroughly modern inner workings.
The Clifton M0A10802 in satin-finished rose gold is timeless refinement, pairing a grained off-white dial with gold-plated details and a warm brown alligator strap. The M0A10778, limited to 350 pieces, leans into vintage charm with a salmon-toned opaline dial — soft, radiant, and utterly collectible. And for cooler palettes, the M0A10771 offers a deep blue gradient dial in polished steel, framed by white accents and mounted on a rich navy alligator strap.
Each is powered by the in-house Baumatic movement – anti-magnetic, accurate, and boasting a five-day power reserve. Technically impressive, aesthetically restrained, and built to last.
From slim silhouettes to high-performance flybacks, Baume & Mercier’s 2025 offering reaffirms that time, at its most beautiful, is time well considered. Whether it’s through heritage shape, sport function or timeless craft, each piece is designed not just to tell the time — but to honour it.
Six new Reverso styles debut for Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watches & Wonders
At Watches & Wonders 2025, Jaeger-LeCoultre returns to the heart of what makes the Reverso enduring: heritage reimagined, artistry rediscovered, and form as function – with a twist. Across six new references, the Maison delves deep into its archives, unearthing the radical codes of the original 1931 design and the rare métiers that have long defined its creative language.
This year’s collection offers more than new complications or beautiful finishes (though it delivers both in spades). It is a tribute to the Reverso’s unique ability to evolve – not by erasing the past, but by honouring it. Whether through enamel dials that echo Persian miniatures or the musical resonance of a reinvented minute repeater, each timepiece feels like a love letter to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s design DNA – made modern for a new generation of women who wear their time with intention.
Turn each dial, flip each case – the magic is in the movement.
Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
For the woman who dresses in tactility – silk shirting, sun-warmed chainmail, vintage Italian sunglasses – the Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds is an instant match. In pink gold, its slim Art Deco silhouette is refined by a soft-grained golden dial and Milanese link bracelet, woven like liquid light across the wrist. There’s a quiet authority in its monochrome palette, echoing the original 1931 Reverso in spirit but made thoroughly contemporary by the Calibre 822, a manually wound movement shaped to the case and finished entirely in-house. Proof that simplicity can still surprise.
Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds
International, not in passport stamps but in attitude – which means your watch of choice has to be the Reverso Tribute Duoface Small Seconds. Offering two distinct dials – one black (a first for the Maison) or blue sunray lacquer, the other in silvered sunray with a 24-hour indicator – it’s a lesson in versatility. Powered by Calibre 854, the watch allows for independent time zone adjustment with an invisible slider built into the case. It’s thoughtful engineering wrapped in classic lines, worn with equal ease at a Paris café or on the 9am flight to Milan. It doesn’t shout. It just knows.
Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater
For those who cherish detail – the rustle of silk, the weight of a well-bound book, the pause between notes – the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater resonates deeply. Its teal blue enamel dial glows over barleycorn guilloché, while the reverse reveals the open-worked Calibre 953: a minute repeater movement with seven patents, including silent-interval elimination and crystal gongs. This is not just a watch, it’s a musical performance on the wrist. Produced in a limited edition of 30, it’s a tribute to complexity worn with quiet confidence.
Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Shahnameh’ When literature, craft and beauty entwine
Four limited-edition timepieces, each a miniature masterwork: the Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Shahnameh’ turns the caseback into a gallery of Persian storytelling. Painted by hand, these enamel artworks draw from the 16th-century epic Shahnameh, celebrating horses, myth, and poetic valour. Each is paired with a front dial in grand feu enamel over intricate guilloché – a luminous contrast to the detailed drama behind. Feminine in its reverence for heritage, and powerful in its expression, this Reverso is an heirloom for those who believe storytelling never goes out of style.
Reverso Tribute Geographic
With a new Calibre 834 and a globe subtly spinning beneath the reverse dial, the Reverso Tribute Geographic is a traveller’s poetic companion. It houses a world time complication alongside a grande date, delivered in either steel with a blue dial or pink gold with chocolate tones. On the reverse, a multi-layered display reveals a hand-lacquered world map surrounded by 24-hour time zones – a piece as intellectually satisfying as it is visually rich. Slip it on, and the world feels just a little smaller, and a lot more stylish.
Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179
For connoisseurs of design, mechanics, and art in equal measure, the Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 is pure drama. A 123-component Gyrotourbillon spins with balletic precision inside a white gold case, surrounded by blue lacquer meticulously hand-applied into laser-etched hollows – a technique so exact, only three artisans at the Manufacture have mastered it. It offers two time zones, dual dials, and an elegance that defies its technical density. A limited edition of 10, this is the kind of creation one wears not just for timekeeping, but as a declaration of deep, cultivated taste.
This year at Watches & Wonders, Bulgari makes its long-awaited debut – and as expected, the Maison doesn’t just arrive. It asserts. In a temple-like pavilion carved from creamy marble and Italian imagination, the jeweller-turned-horologist presents two exceptional timepieces that speak not just of heritage, but of forward momentum: the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon and the Serpenti Aeterna.
Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon: A new benchmark in thinness
At just 1.85mm thick, the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon now holds the title of the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch. But what makes it remarkable isn’t only its record-setting profile – it’s how that finesse is achieved without compromising performance or aesthetics.
The movement inside – the BVF 900 calibre – is a manually wound mechanical tourbillon beating at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour), with a 42-hour power reserve. Uniquely, the tungsten carbide main plate doubles as the case back, merging architecture and mechanics into a seamless plane. There is no separation between body and soul here – it’s all one.
Skeletonised to enhance light flow and visibility, the tourbillon seems to float. Rhodium finishes on the bridge and balance wheel catch light like jewellery. The dial, sandblasted brass with an anthracite DLC coating, plays with texture. Titanium lugs and case components offer both strength and featherlight comfort. Even the bracelet – fully integrated and just 1.5mm thick including clasp – mirrors the watch’s ultra-thin aesthetic in microbead-frosted titanium.
This is design as reduction: every detail honed to its purest form, every finish chosen to elevate the sense of restraint. A decade of innovation – 10 world records and counting – distilled into one impossibly elegant complication.
Serpenti Aeterna: A sculptural rebirth
Enter the serpent – not as we’ve known her, but as something distilled. In Serpenti Aeterna, Bulgari strips back the signature motif to its most elemental form. Gone are the scales, the hypnotic eyes – replaced by clean curves, a seamless rose or white gold bangle, and a barely-there quartz movement tucked into a sculptural design.
The bracelet closes via a hidden clasp, wrapping the wrist like a second skin. Inside, archival hexagonal scales are subtly etched along the interior – a tactile nod to legacy. The snow-set diamond dial is a jewellery technique in itself, composed of stones of varying size for a seamless shimmer.
Available in two iterations – rose gold with diamonds, or a fully pavé-set white gold high jewellery piece – the Aeterna bridges past and future. It’s wearable sculpture with precision engineering beneath.
With these debuts, Bvlgari sharpens its stance as a dual force – Italian in spirit, Swiss in execution. Octo Finissimo rewrites the codes of minimalism through mechanical mastery. Serpenti Aeterna reimagines femininity with bold restraint. Together, they form a vision of time where craftsmanship meets creativity.
From the ground up: How to build a capsule wardrobe that screams personal style
As a maximalist, whittling your wardrobe pieces down to the essentials might seem like an impossible feat. A quick Google would have you believe that building a capsule wardrobe (a limited edit of versatile pieces you can mix and match together) is only possible if you favour the quintessential classics – a white T-shirt, a khaki trench coat, and a pair of tailored black pants. So what happens when your ‘staple’ pieces look more like statements?
For Melbourne-based stylist and self-proclaimed maximalist Maddie Assi, it was a process of trial and error. “I’ve put a lot of effort over the past few years in investing in staple pieces that balance versatility with a little joie de vivre,” she explains. Her capsule wardrobe is less refined neutrals, more bold colours and playful texture – but the concept of foundational classics remains the same.
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“I’m a sucker for a great pair of chunky leather shoes,” Maddie says, listing her Dr. Martens as a long-standing essential. “I’ve learnt that what’s important to me is how the clothes I wear make me feel… that my staples are super comfortable, made from high-quality materials and fit me well,” she tells me. “Once you’ve established what’s important to you, you can start to have fun with it!”
A stylist’s wardrobe staples
In Maddie’s capsule wardrobe, keeping it interesting means playing with proportions, silhouettes and textures. “I have these vintage Roberto Cavalli jeans that never fail me… they’ve got the most perfect loose fit and sit just on my waist,” Maddie says. “I can wear them with a cotton tank and sneakers during the day or dress them up with a pair of Dr. Martens Mattison Sandals and a leather jacket for a night out.
“Another staple is a pair of black capri pants that seem to work no matter what the occasion is! They look great with any basic top, shirt or big jacket. I also have this really good vintage leather jacket that I swear goes with everything,” she explains.
For Maddie, accessories and shoes are arguably the most important part of a well-rounded closet. “I truly believe the key to having good staple pieces in your wardrobe is the ability to dress them up and down with a few key accessories like… a big statement bag and a great pair of sunglasses,” she says. “Any of the Dr. Martens boots styled with a little vintage dress and some big sunglasses would be my go-to look for a day out with my friends.”
How to avoid wardrobe fatigue
The most important element of a capsule wardrobe? Longevity. It’s all about minimising your spending and maximising what you already have without getting bored. “For some people, this could be through playing with colours and prints,” Maddie says.
“I love to clash textures throughout an outfit and keep it interesting by mixing soft and hard elements together… like leather, denim, something tactile like fur or cosy knits, lace, sheer fabrics and something metallic or shiny.
“Experimenting with shapes and dimensions is also a chic way to utilise your everyday essentials,” Maddie continues. “Think oversized pants with tight tops, mini skirts with oversized knits or a really big billowing trench coat with a chunky shoe like the Dr. Martens Buzz.”
The art of outfit repeating
“I know it’s historically a fashion faux pas, but I’m a big believer in outfit repeating – or at least repeating pieces in your collection that evoke a sense of confidence,” Maddie says. Her biggest tip would be to shop with your whole wardrobe in mind, instead of looking for individual pieces. “For example, when I’m shopping for something new to add to my wardrobe, I’m always thinking about how it would work back with my tried-and-true staple pieces. This keeps your staples relevant and means you’ll keep reaching for them to wear in new ways.”
“Another simple way to inject a sense of newness to your essential outfits is to incorporate fun coloured or textured accessories. This could be a studded bag, an oversized belt, a shiny bangle stack or a fluffy hat,” Maddie tells me. “Experimenting with accessories can completely transform your staple pieces into new exciting outfits!”
“I [also] think the Dr. Martens Loafers and Mary-Jane Elphie Shoes are so versatile. I would style them with loose tailored pants, soft knits and a big bag… or if you wanted to show a little skin you could do a stocking sock and a pair of micro shorts with a statement jacket.”
Explore styles for your own maximalist wardrobe here.
Ask a beauty editor: I feel like I need Botox to keep up with my friends, what else can I do?
Sarah Tarca and Sherine Youssef are Australian beauty editors and the founders of Gloss Etc, a weekly newsletter dedicated to the best beauty reviews, news and tips. With 20 years of experience and a wealth of product knowledge, they’re here to answer beauty questions from Fashion Journal readers each fortnight.
Hi Sherine and Sarah. I didn’t think I needed Botox, but now that all my friends are getting it done, I’m worried I’ll start looking much older in comparison. What alternatives can I do that don’t involve needles, or spending hundreds of dollars? – Laurie, 31.
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Sherine: Laurie, I’d like to offer three thoughts: One, you don’t need Botox. No one does. Do you want Botox? That’s fine. Two, you’re not the only one. In my line of work, and among my friends, I’m one of the remaining few who hasn’t had an injectable. It’s a personal choice; I’ve never been that bothered by lines and wrinkles, because as I explained in a previous column, I’m more preoccupied with pigmentation.
Third, we need to be really clear: there is no such thing as a legit Botox ‘alternative’ or ‘Botox in a bottle’. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’d hate to lead you down the garden path because the truth is, there’s nothing that truly compares to the skin-ironing effects of Botox. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, smile politely, turn around and walk away. Still with me? Okay, temper your expectations and let’s have a look at some options that may help keep your skin looking somewhat smooth-ish.
Hyaluronic acid
This would be my first option, you’d be surprised how many fine lines are the result of dehydration. Adequately quenched skin is plumper, dewier and springier, and hyaluronic acid works pretty much instantly (yay!). Even more good news: you don’t have to spend a boatload on one: The Ordinary, Cosrx and Neutrogena all make well-priced options.
Wrinkle patches
Wrinkles Schminkles Forehead Wrinkle Patches are made from medical-grade, reusable silicone, and work by keeping skin taut so that new lines and wrinkles are unable to form. They also help with the hydration thing I mentioned above, as they form an occlusive layer, reducing transepidermal water loss and trapping moisture in the upper layers of skin.
You can wear them for a few hours a day or overnight (you can’t layer your skincare underneath, so I wasn’t a fan of this option). In addition to the forehead patch, there are eye, mouth, décolletage and hand patches, too.
Fraxel laser
I love Fraxel treatments and have raved about it here.
Facial acupuncture
I’ve had facial acupuncture done once and am very keen to do it again. It’s what you’d imagine: super fine, very sharp, smooth and tiny needles are strategically placed in the face, in classic acupuncture points, with the aim of improving circulation, which will then help dislodge excess fluid and dispel puffiness.
In areas that are lined or sagging, the needles are precisely positioned using a threading technique, placed either horizontally or angled close to the skin, to encourage lifting.
But the needles also work a little like they do in micro-needling, triggering the skin’s natural wound-healing response, which kickstarts collagen and elastin production to plump out skin. The whole thing left me looking… not less lined, but less stressed and drawn, more well-rested, relaxed, glowing, and feeling better about my skin, which is half the battle, right?
Sarah, left, and Sherine of Gloss Etc.
Sarah: Ageing is such a complicated beast. Or rather, my (and many others) feelings about ageing are complicated. I think because we’ve lived through a couple of eras where all messaging points to ‘anti-ageing’, first with 10 years of beauty product marketing shoving anti-ageing products down our throats. And then with the Kardashian era of faces that are plumped and unmoving, which made everyone not look necessarily younger, but just… the same? Now we’re moving into an era where people are dissolving fillers and we’re ‘pro-ageing’ except we’re still like, “wow Donatella Versace looks great.” And she does, but let’s be real: that is not untouched skin.
Personally, I swing violently between embracing and hating my face as it ages, and the latter is usually linked to how much I’m on social media at any one time. Before social, the comparison was localised, now it’s global. I’ve always had a very expressive face, and I’m a white caucasian, both of which add to the fact that I was always going to get lines, and that is inherent to who I am.
It didn’t bother me really until after I had kids, when my self-esteem was at a low, and the combined collagen loss and melasma made me start to avoid mirrors. So I got Botox between the brows, and I liked that it made me look less perpetually vexed. It made me feel better about myself.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying I hear you. But doing it because your friends are, or because you’re worried about looking older than them, is a reason that feels like regret.
Let me get off my soapbox now, and tell you what you can do. As Sherine said, there’s no dupe for Botox and I also agree with all her suggestions. What I’m going to add is an alternative POV: while Botox targets wrinkles, these are not the only indicator of youthful skin, so maybe your approach could be more about skin health and clarity (luminosity! glow!) rather than just wrinkle-specific? And that I can help with.
Skin needling and collagen induction therapy
Sherine touched on this earlier, it works by creating micro-injuries in the dermal layer of the skin, which triggers the production of collagen and elastin because it says to the body, ‘hey we need to heal this’. Skin feels a little tight and scratchy after, but just wait five to six days and you’ll be basking in the plumper, more refined skin benefits. In my opinion, this is something best left to the pros, but the good news is, so many places do it now so you should be able to find one within your budget.
LED therapy
My favourite part of every facial is when they pop me under the LED and I can have a little nap. But also, it’s just so great for your skin, especially for texture, glow and softening of lines. An (extremely basic) overview of it works is the light penetrates the skin at specific depths (depending on what colour light and what you’re targeting), and this changes the activity of the skin cells so they essentially, do better.
For what you’re after, you’re looking at red light and near infrared, which stimulates collagen and reduces inflammation. There are so many LED devices on the market now, but the important thing to check is that they have the correct wavelength so the light can accurately reach the cells. I could go into more detail but this piece is so well-researched that I urge you to read it before you invest. Of the ones I’ve tried, my favourite is Omnilux.
Ingestible marine collagen
Yes, it works and yes, there are clinical trials to support this. But a caveat: you have to take it regularly (strangely, it won’t have any effect in your cupboard) and if you stop taking it, the effects will eventually wane. Also, quality matters, so choose a reputable brand and if you’re after skin support, go for marine, not bovine collagen. My favourite, and the brand with the most testing and research, is Vida Glow, which I’ve taken religiously for eight years.
SPF, always
Sunscreen is the cheapest and most reliable ‘anti-ageing’ (uh, I hate that word) product. That’s just a fact. More than any other factor, genetic or environmental, sun exposure is the number one cause of accelerated skin ageing. So SPF daily, stay out of the sun, wear sunglasses and protective clothing, and you’re already ahead of the pack.
Two over-the-counter products we’ve tested and loved:
Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP, $160
A new-to-market product that’s one of the most impressive I’ve tried in a while. The patented Dual MiniProteins target both dynamic lines (those you can see when you make expressions) and static lines (the deeper-set ones that remain when your face is unmoving), and they’ve combined this with peptides and hyaluronic acid, which also helps to plump out some of the smaller lines in 10 minutes (we know, we did before and afters).
Sherine’s older sister trialled this for us and took before and afters, and it was so impressive we bullied her into letting us use them for our official gloss etc channels.
The last thing I want to add is that it’s expensive to have great skin. Botox is a quick fix, which is why I think so many people use it, but the treatments and products we’ve recommended above are an investment in your skin health, and that, in our opinion, has longevity.
But real talk: the lines will still eventually come. And just like when/if your friends stop using Botox, the effects will also wear off if you stop using this skincare. The only difference is that maybe your skin will look better for treating it with love?
This Sydney-based label deals in primary colours, deadstock fabrics and matching sets
Emily Savage rarely buys clothing for herself, despite being the director and founder of a fashion label. Instead, she channels her love for fashion into her designs. It’s like that rule when creatives have a strict uniform for their day-to-day, so they can pour their imagination into their work. For Emily, that looks like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, or a sample from her label, First Colours.
Emily first started designing a line of graphic T-shirts back in 2021, but it wasn’t until the following year that she decided to take the plunge and officially launch her own brand. “It was very much just a creative outlet but they did reasonably well, and I was getting frustrated with the lack of sustainable options out there,” she reflects.
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Fabric sourcing is one of her favourite parts of the design process. For the label’s deadstock range, Emily sources materials from Australia and Europe. For natural fabrics, she sends sketches and references to her supplier in China, who will send her back samples. Looking ahead, she’s planning to repurpose First Colours’ old stock into new designs, keeping with her goal of a circular supply chain.
For now, the label has defined itself with primary colours, halter necks, asymmetrical hemlines, matching sets and loud prints, inspired by “the best friend in any 2000s rom-com”.
Fashion Journal: Hi Emily! Tell us about your fashion background.
Emily: I’m based in Sydney and have worked in fashion for the past six or so years. I’ve mainly worked on the marketing and digital side of things, firstly in-house for an Australian designer and then at an agency, where I still work now.
Tell me a little bit about the process and the challenges of building First Colours.
We’ve been up and running officially since the end of 2022. I started with a line of graphic T-shirts in 2021 and at that stage, it was very much just a creative outlet but they did reasonably well, and I was getting frustrated with the lack of sustainable options out there, so I thought I would give it a go designing a proper collection.
The two biggest challenges I’ve faced are cash flow – this has almost brought the business to an end several times and is very much not my skillset. The other thing is consistency. I find it hard to be creative all the time and continually put out new pieces that I’m happy with, especially balancing the business with my other job. There’s something to be said for taking your time but continuing the momentum is so important.
First Colours is actually a term used in croquet. At the time I was playing a lot of tennis and wanted something somewhat related to that, which is funny to me now, but it’s also become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy because I feel like it 100 per cent represents the aesthetic of the brand in its current state.
How has First Colours evolved and what are you trying to achieve now?
I created First Colours to bring more diversity into the sustainability conversations that were starting to happen at the time. I wanted to create sustainable options that were affordable, size-inclusive and also just fun.
I thought, a bit naively, that I could solve all of the challenges of the industry overnight. While we’re taking strides towards those things, we have a really long way to go, especially from a size inclusivity perspective which definitely bothers me. The vision hasn’t changed at all but the way I’m both carrying it out and communicating it has.
Can you tell me a bit about how you source your materials?
Fabric sourcing is one of my favourite parts of the design process! For our deadstock range, these fabrics are sourced from designers in both Australia and Europe. Sometimes I source from the designer directly but mostly through suppliers who buy the fabric from the designer and sell back to us.
For our natural fabrics, I provide sketches and references from vintage pieces, interiors and colour palettes to my supplier in China, and they come back to me with options. The feel of the fabric and the way it drapes is really important to my design process, so having swatches on hand is a must for me. I’m also working on a project at the moment where we repurpose some of our old stock into new pieces.
How would you describe First Colours to someone who’s never seen it before?
Imagine the best friend in any 2000’s rom-com – chaotic but extremely loveable in both her style and personality. In 2025, she would be wearing First Colours.
Project-wise, our Oatly collaboration that we did in September last year. I worked on it with my friend, Dillon, for months and it was one of the first times that I was really happy with the outcome of a collection. It also showed the strength of the community we were starting to build, which was really surreal to me.
Aside from that, holding true the brand’s vision, even when trends like the quiet luxury movement tried to whisper otherwise.
What do you wish you’d known when you first started?
How much money it was going to cost to continue to run a brand and the breadth of output required. I’m still personally funding the business to this day and without another job, it would be completely impossible to keep creating.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
Mode Mischief. Mia, the founder, is an incredible creative and has an amazing vision. Also Reunion! It has the most beautiful curation of secondhand treasures.
What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
For more buyers, creators, press and customers to take bigger risks on emerging labels. That said, the support and encouragement we’ve received from other brands has been amazing. There’s an incredible community of people willing to share their insights and time, for which I’m endlessly grateful.
Who are your dream collaborators?
The Australian Open, Doom Juice and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
It’s probably a bit boring but I hardly ever shop for clothes! I find it overwhelming, so most days I’m just wearing my jeans and a First Colours tee or new samples.
I do have a few amazing pieces from Ganni and Paris Georgia, and about a million pairs of Poppy Lissiman sunglasses that I’ve collected over the years and still love.
