If there's anyone at Who What Wear who knows how to sift through trending items to create the best outfits (that you can actually wear IRL), it's our editor in chief, Kat Collings. Name a trend, and she will tell you if it's worth buying into. I've been chatting with her to talk about the outfits we're most excited to wear when we head back to the office, and when I asked her what she's especially loving right now, she said she's focusing on what she calls "the finer details"—those chic tweaks that elevate her everyday looks. "Wearing a collar pulled outside your blazer is a look I'm really into. I've seen many women in the fashion industry trying it," she said.
With neutral staples and polished basics trending hard this year, I needed to know how Collings is going about mixing of-the-moment trends with her classic wardrobe. She tells me it's all about investing in those mix-and-match "capsule wardrobe" items that stand the test of time and knowing the perfect pieces to pair them with this season (and all the seasons to follow). "If you can picture yourself wearing the piece in several years and can envision a few outfits it can easily be incorporated into, then you probably have a trend-proof item on your hands that'd be a good addition to your closet," she explained. So where exactly does one find these essentials? Start with AG's Collings-approved collection. The five outfits below star her timeless must-haves (plus the perfect pieces to pair each with for an on-trend look).