What we need now are clothes that can take back the fashion conversation and refocus it on the ritual of getting dressed, writes Santanae Luzige.Illustration by Lauren Tamaki
As a stylist, I spend more time in stores than I do on set. Despite the job’s glamorous image, so much of it is focused on scouring the city to borrow clothing and accessories for clients, endlessly reading and scrolling to stay ahead of trends, and sifting through collections to find that one perfect look. I’m constantly surrounded by fashion, and the more I’m immersed in oversized suits, ballet flats and gold accessories, the more I’m struck by how little of it actually says anything right now.
So much of what I come across is fluff: pieces designed to fill racks, not tell stories. I became a stylist because I believe fashion has the power to signal identity in ways that go beyond words. I grew up flipping through issues of Vogue, captivated by the way clothing could communicate emotion, politics or culture. But lately, with the endless cycle of industry shifts (the cast of creative directors being traded between houses, retail upheaval and even the looming departure of Vogue head Anna Wintour), I feel off-kilter. The ground beneath the industry is shaky, and I’m craving a return to simpler times when the business of fashion didn’t eclipse its ability to charm.
The shifts happening right now used to spark excitement, but many of the more recent designer debuts – Jonathan Anderson’s first men’s wear collection for Dior or Alessandro Michele’s re-emergence at Valentino – were speculated about for so long that I’m almost unfazed. I keep asking myself, what happened to the fantasy? The emotion? The sense of wonder that used to make fashion feel like magic? It might still be there, in Anderson’s Edwardian tailoring or Michele’s retro layers, but it can be hard for it to break through all of the behind-the-scenes chatter. In conversations I’ve had with other stylists recently, there’s a shared sentiment: We’re yearning for stories, not The Devil Wears Prada-style office politics.
This sentiment has been top of mind as I’ve been thinking about how my own wardrobe will evolve this fall. My personal style leans tomboyish, functional, easy and grounded in movement. At work, I need to be in pieces that are both stylish and practical. I’m constantly bending down to hem pants, twisting around to pin garments, lugging trunks of clothing and garment bags up freight elevators. I live in clothes that let me move. But even within that need for utility, I’ve realized how essential it is for the pieces I wear to stir something in me.
When I reach for the items that make me feel most like myself, whether it’s my Dries van Noten sweatshirt with its sculptural bubble hem or a favourite pair of tailored dress pants by Tibi, I’m reminded of how much I gravitate to pieces that evoke emotion. When I first heard van Noten was stepping down from his namesake label in 2024, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased a couple of pieces I’d been eyeing for months. It felt like securing a piece of history, a quiet way of honouring what his work has meant to me.
My closet isn’t big, but it’s deeply intentional. The pieces I hold onto most are anchors. Having designer Phoebe Philo, who launched her namesake label in 2023, back in the mix has been a welcome reprieve from all the noise, a reminder that clothing can still feel thoughtful, intimate and intelligent. Maybe that’s where the magic lives now – not in spectacle, but in the subtle sparkle of clothes that know you.
This season, I’m recommitting to wearing fashion that feels emotionally resonant or deeply functional. Philo’s latest pieces, a butter yellow leather jacket with an exaggerated shawl collar or a peplum top with just the right number of padded ruffles, have so much to say. I’ve also got my eye on Christopher John Rogers’s Look 37 (a chocolate brown suit with masculine tailoring), the Khaite collection’s leopard prints and a Ferragamo leather trench. These aren’t loud statements, but their point of view is clear: What we need now are clothes that can take back the fashion conversation and refocus it on the ritual of getting dressed.
