Kate Moss rose to prominence at a time when Britpop was at its peak, becoming a poster girl for the glamorous grunge associated with the decade in her ultra-minis, oversized fur coats that almost swallowed her whole and penchant for hanging out of windows smoking cigarettes.
As a result, the London native has become fashion’s equivalent of a rockstar: full-throttle hedonism, late nights, long parties, black leather and pure rebellion. “I would have wanted to be a lead singer, if I wasn't a model,” Moss once said, almost apocryphally. “I'd go touring in a bus with my band. In my next life, that's the plan.”
Dissecting her most iconic fashion moments through this framework helps to understand the sartorial choices she makes, like bringing two Hermès bags to the beach in Formentera, wearing a nearly-naked slip dress to an Elite Model party or trotting through Notting Hill in Vivienne Westwood pirate boots and a Napoleon jacket. Even to this day, Moss is not one to follow rules, nor trends for that matter. Still, she can’t seem to help the fact that she often sets them, with her sleaze-infused dress sense an aspiration for many.
This is especially true as autumn approaches. As the seasons change and the weather shifts gears down into something more morose and crisp, Moss’s ability to layer dark hues, inject texture and style slouchy staples becomes the pinnacle of off-duty chic. The latter point is especially relevant given she does it all without sacrificing her own personality, with every large jacket and skinny jean outfit a reminder that elevated basics do not have to be synonymous with the term boring.
Indeed, Moss’s autumn wardrobe could never be labelled as dull, monotonous or lacking excitement. Her looks seem to be trapped in a time in the noughties when going to a gig in Camden wasn’t ironic. Still, her devotion to this uniform of lace-trimmed camis, towering boots and legions of useless skinny scarves is what makes it so aspirational. And when she does it all in a Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket and Repetto ballet pumps, you can’t help but swoon.
So, if channelling Kate Moss this autumn is your modus operandi, scroll through for the capsule wardrobe staples she always subscribes to.
5 Key Autumn Fashion Trends Kate Moss Always Wears:
1. Ballet Flats
Style Notes: Balancing both twee and coquettish sensibilities, Moss’s adoration for a simple ballet flat and a pair of tights has been well documented. In the 2000s, she paired them with wide-brimmed hats and swallow-printed pussy-bow blouses from Miu Miu’s spring/summer 2010 show, and honestly, not much has changed since then. Though this silhouette could easily lean towards a more English Rose primness, Moss dispels any bourgeois sensibility by grounding it with sensual staples fitting for a night out.
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The strap around the ankle is such an intelligent way of making Mary Jane shapes feel both fresh and mature.
When it comes to coveted ballet flats, the Reformation Inez pumps are certainly one of the most sought after pairs.
A true classic, you'll wear these for years to come. And if the now-viral pair of beat-up ballet flats worn by Amy Winehouse are indication, they'll actually appear more stylish then than they would now.
2. Fur Coats
Style Notes: Where there’s a Kate Moss sighting, there’s bound to be a fur-effect coat trailing somewhere close by. Back in the late '90s, Moss was hardly parted with a specific midnight black and totally shagadelic coat, which she dubbed the gorilla because of the fabric’s similarity to a silverback’s hair. Now, her repertoire has expanded, including some prissy brown pieces that well-heeled socialites might’ve worn out for dinner in the ‘60s. Her love for vintage referencing and statement jackets is something she’s passed onto her daughter, too, with Lila often following in her mother’s footsteps in pieces from emerging designers Charlotte Simone and Conner Ives.
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If money were no object, this Toteme coat would be hanging in my wardrobe.
Nour Hammour has become the pinnacle of opulent outerwear over the last few seasons.
Still boasting that upper-crust, ladies who lunch finish, just not as expensive as the other options available.
3. Stovepipe Jeans
Style Notes: To know Kate Moss is to know she loves denim. Skinny, straight-leg and stovepipe shapes are all shapes within her wheelhouse, and she does an excellent job of making trusty denim staples look incredibly elegant. This is because she often takes after Parisiennes in her styling choices. Letting the rich fabric and clean lines speak for themselves, she’ll often pair her jeans with a tailored shirt before completing the look with a sleek pump, nailing that French-inspired masculin-féminin way of looking effortlessly polished.
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As far as Agolde jeans go, this '90s Pinch style is the brands most desirable pairs.
Available in multiple colour ways, soft-as-butter fabric and a slew of leg lengths, there's a Reformation jean for every woman.
From trousers to tops, COS knows how to deliver lust worthy wardrobe staples.
4. Leather Jackets
Style Notes: Leather jackets have long been linked with supermodel street style, and it’s Moss’s early outfits that have helped maintain this reputation. Given the fact that her wardrobe often leans more monochromatic than vibrant, it should come as no surprise to see her add texture and tone through a classic biker or bomber style. You could even say this is the one trend that she never discriminates on—cropped, long, skin-clad or loose, she’s never met a leather jacket she didn’t like.
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It wouldn't be an edit of Kate Moss-inspired essentials without including Saint Laurent, no would it.
A more contemporary iteration of the biker jackets that had the early 2010s in a chokehold.
This is a part of H&M's new studio collection, which offers more premium pieces at a higher price point.
5. Sheer Dresses
Style Notes: From her breakout into the mainstream as the waif-like face of Calvin Klein’s Obsession fragrance in 1993—a role Love Story will have you believing was decided by Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy—Kate Moss has always defined sexy differently from others. Subversive and chic, you can often find her in sultry silhouettes underpinned by a rock-and-roll nonchalance. Sheer dresses are one category that certainly ticks this box, which is probably why she’s been wearing them for three decades. (Including on her wedding day in bespoke John Galliano!)
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Based near Portobello Road, this West London fashion brand has fashion girls in their clutches.
For that bohemian quality that Moss channels so well, look no further than this maxi dress.
Sexy yet understated, this will be a dress that