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Spoiler alert: Peplum is back.
Well, that's according to Joseph Tang, Holt Renfrew's women's and men's fashion director. "I'm kind of over these puffy-sleeve tops that we've been seeing so much of," Tang says. "I think the peplum with a very sophisticated, clean neckline is really great. It's so flattering." For the latest episode of The Who What Wear Podcast, Tang shares how he got his start in fashion, the coat he thinks everyone should own, and more.
For excerpts from the conversation, scroll below.
For those who don't know, you are the fashion director at Holt Renfrew. Everyone should know what Holt Renfrew is, but please give us the lowdown in case people aren't aware.
Holt Renfrew is a luxury retailer here in Canada. It is the epicenter of fashion. It is the store that has everything you want and more if you are intrigued in luxury fashion, if you love beauty, if you love lifestyle. We are situated in all the major cities in Canada. We've got stores in Vancouver, Calgary, three here in Toronto—where I'm based out of—and one in Montreal. Fun fact: Holt Renfrew's legacy and the brand has actually been around longer than Canada's been a country.
Many of us use the new year as a time to clean out our closets, refresh our wardrobes. I'm going to give you a category, and you tell me what style you would recommend investing in for this year. Outerwear.
For outerwear, I am saying to everybody you need to invest in a beautiful wool coat. It could be double-faced cashmere if you're fancy, but a double-breasted wool coat will get you so far in terms of really completing your look as long as it's tailored really well.
New pair of jeans.
I'm really, really into raw-denim jeans. I don't want to say wide leg. It's like a relaxed, looser fit, high-waisted with a cuff. I think the rolled-up cuff detail is an exciting way to wear your jeans and a cost-saving hack for not having to hem them if you need them to be hemmed.
Okay, going-out top.
This one in the office was a little bit of a controversial topic when I mentioned it in one of our meetings, but the peplum is back. I'm kind of over these puffy-sleeve tops that we've been seeing so much of. I think the peplum with a very sophisticated, clean neckline is really great. It's so flattering.
A pair of work pants.
I would go back with the same fit in your jeans, but I have a two-pronged approach. You can do a high-waisted wool trouser. My ready-to-wear buyers always know that I reference that scene in Maid in Manhattan when Jennifer Lopez is trying on that white Dolce [& Gabbana] suit. Those pants are the perfect pair of pants. They are a really great high-waisted, fitted [silhouette], and then they have a bit of a flare at the bottom. Those are the must-have pants. I go back to those pants all the time because they just fit perfectly.
If you want to be a little bit more casual, a kick-flare, cropped ponte pant pull-on is a very nice way to take it from day to night.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.