LAUREN COPPEN - Style Director #3
Something a little different this month, in today's Style Director newsletter we’re introducing our founder Lauren Coppen who will personally tell you about her story and how it led to COPPEN and her vision moving forward. With an additional segment where she leads you through some transitional dressing for autumn.
Hi, I’m Lauren, some of you reading this will already know me and some of you will only be familiar with the clothing I make. I wanted to take the opportunity presented by this newsletter to introduce myself to you. I’m originally a stylist from London and have been working in the industry for 7 years, starting by assisting some very influential and inspiring women in the industry and leading onto working under my own name. COPPEN came about as an idea to create vintage-looking silk slips, I have an incredible archive of them, and I felt I could save people the hassle of searching for the perfect slip by simply making them.
However, as I matured, what I wanted to create matured too. Now I find myself still fascinated by styling, and how the use of styling can give our clothes a new lease of life through what we pair them with. And with this ethos I hope I have created a collection that is made of classic garments, that can be worn for years to come with intelligent pairing, breathing new life to what we already own.
This leads me onto the vision…
My vision for COPPEN is for it to be far more than a brand. I see the clothing we are making as the ‘gift shop’ of the community that we’ve only just started building.
This is where the concept of the COPPEN style director newsletter began. Using my styling knowledge, and with the help of my incredible friends and contributors to create a light-hearted newsletter where we can share insightful styling tips, play fashion-related games and much more.
The focus isn’t selling COPPEN garments, but sharing insider tricks and recommending all brands, vintage stores, resale platforms to help breathe new life into what we already own (our mainline collection sits harmoniously with this concept, but it is a separate part of our community).
STYLING SEGMENT – SKIRTS - and how they are perfect for transitional autumnal dressing
Before the frost kicks in: I’m styling fun outfits you can wear before it becomes horribly freezing and we all start wearing Ugg boots every day.
Firstly a knee high boot under anything midi, with no tights under, summarises the benefits of transitional dressing in a nutshell. It’s pure comfort! If you don’t have a good pair of knee high boots invest in a pair, they look sophisticated, and can be matched with practically any outfit, (all of the looks below could have been worn with a good knee high). I would suggest these babies!
The double tailoring of this outfit feels effortless. I’m wearing my pleated midi Agnes B skirt that I found in Oxfam (skirt suggestion linked in), and I’ve paired it with my COPPEN Sastre top.
I like to wear a lot of black as it’s so timeless, but I do find using a jacket to bring colour is a neat trick. And of course pair your favourite handbag, I like to choose one that isn’t too oversized so I don’t steal the attention from the garments.
In the day I prefer a set to a dress as it feels more casual, here I’m wearing a Vaillant top and COPPEN skirt. Paired with a mens belt you create a ‘cool’ depth to the look. And of course, if we’re doing a day look we need trainers. - I am in love with my new Mexico 66s in bright yellow.
This time of year I love wearing a sexy, comfortable outfit, and then I have a cozy coat to throw over when I start to feel a chill. This new Mango one feels super luxury against my skin and comes with a matching scarf which makes me feel like I’m walking The Row’s runway.
I wouldn’t claim this is the most practical outfit, but it’s fun and perfect for going out.
Here I’ve chosen a knitted t-shirt by Wales Bonner (warmer than a regular cotton), and paired it with my minimal lace COPPEN skirt.
The belt really elevates this, mine is vintage from RELLIK London, but this Bottega one?
And finally, knee high boots, I’m showing lots of skin with the skirt so I used the shoes to cover some leg.
For me it doesn’t get more classic than this outfit. I’m wearing my COPPEN Sastre skirt, which does up like tailored trousers. This way I can wear it with a leather belt and I’ve layered up two of my white vest tops, here and here.
If you get cold you could throw on any knitted jumper - just remember the front tuck. I’ve linked a video I found to show you how, it’s a little cheesy but the girl does a good tuck..
And when the time comes where you hardly want to step outside, I’ll return to this newsletter to show you warm, practical yet adventurous winter wardrobe ideas. I have a bad habit of wearing the same jeans and hoodie when it’s cold, so this is a challenge I'm looking forward to.
If you liked this please forward onto your friends as I’m new and growing.
And finally, before you go, I would love to hear about your favourite items that you wear all winter long and I will think about some outfits around them. Simply reply to this email with your suggestions.
Thanks for tuning in,
Lauren x
