Welcome to The Great Try-On. With autumn well and truly in the air, we seized the opportunity to try on some of the best new-in pieces from some of your favourite brands, documenting the process along the way. We believe that the best way to shop online is to see an item IRL and to read candid reviews, so we hope that this leads you to your most successful purchases of the year.
I’ve never had a hard time admitting when I’m wrong. In fact, I believe that owning up to your mistakes is one of the most important things you can do. And I’ve made a mistake I’d like to own up to and set right: I’ve been overlooking Whistles for far, far too long. But before we get into that, let’s begin with the reason we’re here.
One of the biggest perks of my job is getting to try on the latest collections before anyone else and legitimately call it work. That’s not to say being a fashion editor doesn’t come with its own unique set of stresses but, for the most part, it’s generally pretty fun. Still, I take my role seriously, so when I was asked to review the Whistles’ brand-new autumn edit as part of our The Great Try-On series, I was prepared to give my honest review, good or bad. Little did I know that I’d end up with a wish list as long as my arm and a newfound appreciation for the brand.
I’ve bought pieces from Whistles in the past and I’ve always found them to be of a high quality. Still, even we fashion editors are guilty of falling into unhealthy shopping habits. I don’t shop much by any means but, over the past few years, when I have needed to add something new to my wardrobe, I’ve found myself defaulting to the same triad of brands. The reason? Pure laziness. Sure, I’d browse Whistles regularly to keep on top of the latest pieces for my work, but as for the last time I actually took the time to head into a store and try some pieces on? Well, that was before lockdown. However, after heading to the website and selecting items to be delivered to my door, I was excited to see what would arrive. Three huge boxes came and inside, I found my dream autumn capsule.
Below I’ve selected a handful of the ‘fits I assembled and loved. I’ll break down the nuances of each in greater detail as we go but if you take away anything from this feature it’s this: Whistles might just be my new favourite brand. Scroll on.