This Brand Is Making Me Think About My Autumn Wardrobe Right Now

Sponsor Content Created With Karen Millen

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Karen Millen)

Living in the moment is something we've all had to become accustomed to, which has proven difficult for habitual planners, like me, who like to know precisely what they're doing—and, inevitably, what they'll be wearing—ahead of time. But now, as our lives continue to open back up and we can make plans, we're excited to look to the future once more. What do the following months hold? Autumn. And what does autumn mean? There are glorious new clothing options to consider. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Karen Millen)

Ask most of the Who What Wear team, and they'll tell you that autumn is their favourite season to dress for. It's still warm enough not to require bundling yourself up in ridiculously chunky layers but cold enough to dabble in cosy textures and interesting styling ideas. We also find ourselves consistently drawn to the rich, expensive-looking colour palette most associated with the season—think sublime rust hues, deep burgundy, navy, shocks of teal and, yes, classic black and white. Ordinarily, finding pieces we love for autumn is akin to a treasure hunt—we might find a hint of what we like here and there, but it takes a lot of scrambling to assemble an impressive edit. However, this year, there's one brand we know we're going to uncover the best autumn buys from: Karen Millen.

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Karen Millen)

While it's always been on our style radar, we've become increasingly impressed by Karen Millen over the past few seasons, and right now, the designs are slicker than ever. As such, we check its new-in section daily to ensure we don't miss any gems. In doing so this week, we found its newly launched Pre-Fall 2021 collection, which we reckon is already a contender for the title as the strongest Karen Millen collection in history. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Karen Millen)

With the moniker Taking Back the City, the collection is designed to broaden your style horizons beyond loungewear and staying at home. There's no doubt about it—this is clothing to be seen in. A blend of beautiful dresses splashed in everything from geometric prints and vivid hues to sleek separates in quieter colours but daring silhouettes, this edit has a boldness akin to what we'd expect from a designer runway lineup. Highlights for us include the pintuck blouse with blown-up sleeves, the tangerine-and-oxblood geo minidress with a preppy zip collar and the striking red trouser suit with origami-inspired folds. It's just all so premium-looking. 

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Karen Millen)

While Karen Millen isn't the lowest-priced in the fashion ether, for pieces of this design quality, they're significantly more affordable than you'd expect to pay elsewhere. The saying "you get what you pay for" exists for a reason. Still, perhaps the thing we love most about Karen Millen's Pre-Fall 2021 collection is how inclusive it is. Karen Millen is one of the few brands out there giving its Curve category—which includes sizing up to a UK 26—the same stylish consideration as its mainline collection. And this capsule is no exception. With everything from leather skirts to elegant jumpsuits and some of the best dresses we've seen for a long while, we think Karen Millen Pre-Fall is going to appeal to a lot of women out there. Scroll on to see our favourite pieces from the collection so far, and prepare to have your most fashionable autumn on record. 

SHOP KAREN MILLEN PRE-FALL

Maxine Eggenberger
Deputy Editor

Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s deputy editor and has over twelve years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and elevated style content for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, self-styled shopping stories, and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, works closely with influencer talent on content initiatives, represents the brand at industry events, and regularly contributes to social media. Previously, Maxine appeared on TV in her own fashion segment and has interviewed countless celebrities—everyone from Victoria Beckham to Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o. 


Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine’s career began when, after completing her first-ever internship, she was offered a position on the Look magazine fashion desk. She accepted, leaving university a year early in the process. She went on to become the title's fashion news and commercial content editor, with a stint as InStyle.co.uk’s fashion writer along the way. She later served as Look’s acting Editor in Chief before embarking on a successful freelance career, working with Grazia, The Pool, and Marie Claire amongst others. Maxine works remotely from her countryside home near Edinburgh.