Ten strategic updates to make to your wardrobe this year

From the right cropped jacket to a smart tailored denim set, you don’t need to buy a ton of newness to create an exhilarating change

How to sum up this season’s drift? It depends where you look. The delightful truth about fashion in 2024 is that there’s always a label, a look, an aspect that will speak to your personal predilections.
Spring 2024 is no exception. You can go maximalissimo. Or be as pared back as a nun. If that’s frustrating for those who like things to be clear-cut, it’s exhilarating for those who prefer to make their own rules. Monochrome, colour, oversize, tailored, mini, maxi – it’s all there for the taking.  
What’s out?  Logos that don’t try to do anything clever, and same-same proportions. Look for special pieces with oodles of quiet design integrity and style every outfit as if it were your last. 
You don’t need to buy a ton of newness to create a change. Sometimes turning up a cuff, belting a jacket or finding fresh layering permutations is all it takes.  
That whoosh of air you heard the instant the first part of Phoebe Philo’s new collection dropped? That was the sound of Philo-fans hyperventilating as the logo-less bag mounted its triumphant comeback.
Philo’s unadorned bags sold out in moments and you can bet that anyone who considers themselves stylish will not be carrying a monogram for the foreseeable. Mind you, Metier, London has been practising the art of discretion since it launched in 2017. Impeccable leathers, unimpeachable quality and quietly interesting design. If you know, you know.  
Make your sunglasses work hard for their place in your wardrobe. These Roksandas bring colour and major contouring to the table. In a sea of identi-frames, don’t settle for mere logos and bling but seek out creativity and originality. Wear these with no other jewellery or accessories to make a statement. 
The outsize scarf was a quiet winter hit because, as well as being cosy and versatile, it’s a shapeshifter that brings attitude to whatever you’re wearing. Now meet the spring update (a summer one too, if you live in northern climes). There are lots of reasons to fall in love with the knitted bandana, the jolt of colour, warmth and  the multiplicity of styling options. Wear it as a neckerchief, tie it in a bow  (and pair it with the matching cardigan) or  flip it on your head and knot it under your chin. Jackie O would be all over it.   
The British footwear brand Dear Frances champions craft and the slowest of fashion. Small batches may mean a wait, but its designs don’t go out of style: jewelled ballerina flats will see you through to autumn.
The way Alex Jefford’s peridot wibbles in its white gold, south sea pearl-and-diamond setting is gilded poetry in motion. Delicate but impossible to ignore, this is decoration that makes the grade. That’s because it’s beyond fashion of course. This is jewellery that would make this season (and any other) go with a swing. Literally. 
Cropped jackets and blousons are a key feature of the spring catwalks – and an easy way to create some fresh proportions as you switch from long slim coats to something shorter. Wear your abbreviated coat-jacket with wide high-waisted trousers and platforms to maximise the leg lengthening, 70s vibe.  
The twinset has had an update. Straight from the Naomi Pierce playbook. Remember her? She was the sometime girlfriend of Kendall Roy – aka the most stylish player in Succession by some way. No longer prim, the 2024 twinset now has an athletic slant. A stretchy knit vest replaces the bulkier short sleeved jumper and works as well on its own as with the matching cardigan. Streamlined, sporty and glamorous this is stealth luxe at its best.  
Nili Lotan has quietly built a $100 million business designing refined, contemporary takes on classics. This slim midi-maxi skirt sums up 2024’s minimalist simplicity. Velvet adds a whole new level of desirability. Worn with a plain silk or cotton shirt, there isn’t an occasion it won’t work for. Ok, potentially there is. Horse riding. But just get a sidesaddle and you’ll be ok.
No other fabric has the versatility or longevity of denim. If there’s still a part of your brain that thinks of it as rugged workwear, you’re missing out. Treated like an elevated fabric denim can become occasionwear, just not the kind you have to save for best. 
For those who want to show off their legs, a tuxedo dress this precisely cut, in wool crepe with satin lapels is a wow buy. One that can work on its own, with slim trousers or with a long skirt is a long term investment.