Lucinda Chambers, stylist, founder of online lifestyle platform Collagerie and former Vogue fashion director, recommends pants from the French company Baserange, which does a great line of simple, no-frills knickers<\/a>. They\u2019re made from bamboo lyocell in Portugal and don\u2019t come cheap, but they\u2019re high quality.<\/p>\n For a pair of pants with a bit of extra coverage and support, I recommend the high-waisted Beyond Nine ones<\/a>, which have a waiting list for several sizes for good reason \u2013 not cheap, but they last.<\/p>\n Stripe & Stare Tencel high-rise knickers<\/p>\n \u00a318 at Stripe & Stare<\/a>SocksA good sock should be soft, comfortable and stay put without constricting. Photograph: Peter Cade\/Getty<\/p>\n Again, M&S came out on top. Stylist Bay Garnett goes to the men\u2019s department, where she has found her perfect socks that sit higher up the leg: \u201cMultipack. Cotton. Mid-calf\u201d. But she also has an altogether holier recommendation: these amazing socks<\/a> from Gammarelli, which has been in the business of dressing popes since 1798. You have to fill out a form to get them, but you can\u2019t expect to get the pope\u2019s socks without a bit of effort.<\/p>\n Cheaper but less hallowed is Arket<\/a> and its multicoloured sock wall. \u201cThe quality is really nice,\u201d says Chambers. She likes that they\u2019re \u201cPrada length, which is just on the shin\u201d. Meanwhile, Fetto appreciates socks made by Falke<\/a>, which is known for its high-quality designs.<\/p>\n On the Guardian fashion desk, senior style writer Lauren Cochrane loves Nike<\/a> for sports socks and Muji<\/a> for thicker, woolly winter ones. For their fit, Mac Donnell likes Uniqlo\u2019s JW Anderson socks<\/a> because \u201cthey don\u2019t cut off circulation at the ankle\u201d. Although those pairs are out of stock, other Uniqlo styles<\/a> offer a similarly soft fit around the ankle, without digging in or leaving marks. I am yet to find a softer, more comfortable pair of socks than these from the Danish company Dilling<\/a>.<\/p>\n M&S cotton-rich socks, seven pairs<\/p>\n \u00a310 at M&S<\/a><\/p>\n Muji women\u2019s wool-blend room socks<\/p>\n \u00a314.95 at Muji<\/a>Cotton T-shirts<\/p>\n Cos<\/a> is Fetto\u2019s go-to because, she says, they hang really well and aren\u2019t too tight. Guardian writer Morwenna Ferrier, who usually buys everything except undies and socks secondhand, favours Cos\u2019s V-neck<\/a> T-shirts, while Mac Donnell says a crew neck \u201cis a good height for when you want it to peek out from under a jumper\u201d. The quality \u201cis really good\u201d, adds Chambers.<\/p>\n Garnett opts for the more expensive but high-quality Sunspel<\/a>, \u201cbecause the cotton\u2019s really nice\u201d, and if Chambers is after something more fitted, less boxy, she recommends the luxury T-shirts of James Perse<\/a>. \u201cSometimes, with things like that, I think they\u2019re worth the investment,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n I recently took the plunge and replaced all my moth-eaten, grubby old T-shirts with a bulk buy from LA-based Everybody.World<\/a>. I can\u2019t recommend the quality or the colours highly enough, and that\u2019s not to mention that they\u2019re biodegradable and made from cotton waste by a fair-wage workforce.<\/p>\n Cos clean-cut T-shirt<\/p>\n \u00a330 at Cos<\/a>A white shirt<\/p>\n Garnett, a thrifting pioneer, has a lot of love for the men\u2019s rail in charity shops when she\u2019s on the hunt for a good white shirt. But Ferrier has found something she, the Duchess of Sussex and, apparently, Akshata Murty agree on: the shirts of London-based brand With Nothing Underneath. Founded by a former Vogue stylist, the brand makes good-quality shirts in different cuts and silhouettes \u2013 the Oxford one I own is pleasingly crisp and clearly made to last. I also recently scored a shirt from minimalist-leaning womenswear brand Frankie Shop<\/a> on Vinted \u2013 the poplin is lovely, and the secondhand price feels like a steal.<\/p>\n With Nothing Underneath The Boyfriend Oxford shirt<\/p>\n \u00a3100 at With Nothing Underneath<\/a>A simple jumperCashmere works best as a basic when the fit is right. Photograph: Elena Noviello\/Getty<\/p>\n Garnett says the older she gets, the more she likes classics, like the sweaters from N.Peal: \u201cThe cashmere is really good,\u201d she says. Mac Donnell rates the cashmere at Rise & Fall<\/a> and has a lot of love for Cos<\/a>\u2019s \u201cnot too fitted\u201d cashmere jumpers.<\/p>\n Fetto isn\u2019t a jumpers person but rates APC<\/a>\u2019s designs, which aren\u2019t too heavy: \u201c[They\u2019re] fitted but not super tight.\u201d<\/p>\n Chambers will spend more on a good polo neck; on a bad hair day, you can tuck your hair in and forget about it, she says. She rates Soft Goat<\/a>, although at \u00a3400+ for a jumper, it\u2019s definitely an investment: \u201cI\u2019m wearing them every day, so you want them to last and not bobble and do horrible things that you\u2019re constantly getting your cashmere shaver out [for].\u201d<\/p>\n Cos cashmere crew-neck jumper<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to The Filter<\/p>\n Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian\u2019s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u00a3169 at Cos<\/a>JeansThe perfect jeans are all about shape \u2013 and finding a fit you\u2019ll keep coming back to. Photograph: Grace Cary\/Getty<\/p>\n Cochrane, \u201clike the rest of the fashion industry\u201d, is forever in thrall to a perfect pair of vintage Levi\u2019s 501s. \u201cBut in the meantime,\u201d she says, \u201cI buy the JW Anderson straight-leg Uniqlo ones. They\u2019re a good price, good denim and have an approximation of the fit I want.\u201d Ferrier agrees: \u201cThe first new thing I\u2019ve bought in years. They have a great shape and a low waist,\u201d she says, \u201cbut they can lose their shape.\u201d So make peace with them doing their thing and enjoy them on wash day. Sadly, though, they are out of stock for now \u2013 watch this space<\/a>. But these from M&S<\/a> are a decent alternative. Ferrier also has a soft spot for \u201cLevi\u2019s Superlow in black<\/a> and CK [Calvin Klein] low-rise baggy (90s from Vinted)\u201d.<\/p>\n For Chambers, if she\u2019s after \u201ca pair of really plain [jeans in] fabulous denim\u201d, she\u2019ll opt for a pair from Los Angeles-based Citizens of Humanity<\/a>. \u201cI just love their shape,\u201d she says. Fetto is loyal to the jeans of Raey, which is out of business but being relaunched this year. In the meantime, they\u2019re still available on secondhand sites, such as Vinted<\/a>.<\/p>\n A few members of the fashion desk are impressed by this pair from Reformation<\/a>. Mac Donnell bought them three years ago, and they\u2019re still a favourite. They\u2019re pricey, but \u201cthey\u2019ve kept their shape and haven\u2019t faded\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n M&S mid-rise straight-leg ankle-length jeans<\/p>\n \u00a326 at M&S<\/a>A basic trainer-y shoeA classic trainer earns its place by being easy to wear with almost anything. Photograph: Edward Berthelot\/Getty<\/p>\n \u201cConverse forever,\u201d says Ferrier. Chambers also wears the brand\u2019s high-tops pretty much every day, in black but also bright red, \u201cwhich go with everything\u201d. Cochrane is all about the Converse One Star<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fetto has about seven pairs of Grace Wales Bonner\u2019s shoes for Adidas<\/a>, which she wears on rotation, and considers them the perfect basic shoes.<\/p>\n For more of a blank slate, I love the arch support of a Superga<\/a>, and, for something with more style chops that is still versatile and incredibly comfy, the Nike Air Rift. But given historical ethical concerns<\/a>, maybe find yours on Vinted, where they are abundant.<\/p>\n Converse One Star Pro<\/p>\n \u00a339.99 at Converse<\/a><\/p>\n Superga 2750 Cotu classic<\/p>\n \u00a335 at Superga<\/a>\u00a352 at M&S<\/a>A useful bag<\/p>\n Garnett is a fan of a classic LL Bean tote bag<\/a>, as well as a straw bag in summer, which she\u2019ll usually pick up wherever she goes on holiday (our own Jess Cartner-Morley swears by S\u00e9zane\u2019s<\/a> straw baskets).<\/p>\n Chambers is \u201ca total tote toter\u201d and a big fan of Radley\u2019s large striped tote<\/a> \u2013 the perfect size and her favourite colour combination: tobacco and black. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard-wearing, you can fling it around, curl it into the back of the car, it\u2019s brilliant.\u201d It\u2019s out of stock, but London brand Osprey has a chocolate suede tote<\/a> that is a good match.<\/p>\n I find a bag stashed into the bag you actually want to wear is a smart idea for any overflow when you buy bananas on the way home. That might be a little Baggu<\/a> or, if you\u2019re worried about your back, a totally packable-down Ticket to the Moon rucksack<\/a> made from waste nylon.<\/p>\n LL Bean boat and tote open-top bag<\/p>\n \u00a337 at Free People<\/a><\/p>\n Baggu pleated bag<\/p>\n \u00a330 at Junior Edition<\/a>Other basics<\/p>\n For Ferrier, it\u2019s \u201csome smart black balloon trousers WITH A CREASE. You can get into any do\/event\/meeting\/A-list gathering if they have a crease\u201d. These, from Maje<\/a>, are \u201cnot cheap, but they\u2019re well made and look like Dior\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n Garnett rarely goes without a belt \u2013 she thinks she caught the habit from time spent with Anita Pallenberg. She tends to find them secondhand, championing Etsy<\/a> as a good place to look.<\/p>\n Garnett is also a sucker for a good blazer \u2013 her collection is the result of many incredible charity shop finds. \u201cI find it hard not to buy them,\u201d she says. If you\u2019re on the hunt, the first thing to look at is size: \u201cIf it\u2019s too big, it looks shit,\u201d she says. \u201cThen look for the print, then how big the lapels are. I like a strong lapel.\u201d But there\u2019s also a bit of intuition involved, she says: \u201cAs soon as you put it on, you know, immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n Mac Donnell sees PJs as a basic. \u201cH&M cotton muslin pyjamas<\/a> are really comfortable,\u201d she says, \u201cand feel and look very fancy.\u201d<\/p>\n Maje balloon suit trousers<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789311253_88_379.jpg\")
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