This month AJ, Alison Jane Reid, our editor-in-chief writes about the AW 25 stars of forever slow fashion and eternal style, with nature's fibres taking a bow. At The Luminaries Magazine our focus is always on heirloom artisanal fashion, jewels, shoes and accessories inspired by film goddesses, books and It Girls for thoughtful winter Snow Queens and Kings to invest in, flex the imagination and create tomorrow's vintage treasures. It is also a gentle essay on the merits of craftsmanship, it's value to culture, to beauty and a rejection of fast fashion which continues to cause serious harm to us and our beautiful earth.
Leading the charge for considered organic and slow luxury is Stanley Tucci, the dapper movie star, lover of all things Italian and slow food champion. Stanley has collaborated on his first immaculate slow travel collection with N Peal. Then, to our delight, Maye Musk, the rocket man's model mama, takes to the hills in refined tweeds and icy silks at Skibo Castle in Bonnie Scotland for the Really Wild Clothing company.
The story is a celebration of the artisan, of flights of fantasy in cut and fabric and to wrap up with a dash bold colours, bows and sweeping Zhivago coats as the big chill descends.
The spotlight falls on nature's peerless natural fibres, transformed by fashion alchemy and expert craftsmanship, into covetable pieces, destined to be the highlights in your winter wardrobe in tweed, shearling, leather, silk, cashmere and wool.
Picture the forever snow queen winter cape inspired by Queen Elisabeth the Second and her beloved Balmoral for tramping the hills in style and function - to the perfect go anywhere, made in Britain leather Oxford brogues, magnetic heirloom jewellery charms inspired by hieroglyphs from Pragnell, proudly made in their workshops in England, and an extrovert red, red wool dress to slay hearts from Patou, Paris.
The goal is to delight and surprise you with a celebration of fabled fashion houses and some emerging newcomers, from Patou to Etro, Joseph, N Peal, The Really Wild Clothing and Pragnell. We invite you to support independent fashion houses and artisans where passion, heritage, beauty and rare craftsmanship rule the roost to create wonderful pieces to cherish for many years to come.
This is also a call to action to support slow, time-honoured independent businesses and artisans and the natural fibre products from real regenerative, slow farming (not the supermarket idea of organic) and small businesses wherever you live. I hope you love this handcrafted roundup of inspiring, forever slow luxe fashion, hats, shoes, perfume and accessories to enhance your life and you passion for slow fashion, all tried, tested and loved by yours truly. Love AJ, xxx
Joseph - Sublime Shearling for Modern Snow Queens
Joseph, the timeless fashion house for slow luxe minimalism, founded by Joseph Ettedgui, excels at winter leather and shearling, the epitome of effortless winter dressing. Joseph has always celebrated the beauty and authentic quality of nature's fibres. For AW 2025, the house reimagines shearling in the softest, cocooning coats, jackets and gilets in magnetic hues of blush, deepest blue, black and a covetable colour block jacket in upbeat shades of mink, mustard and winter white with three different textures.
Maye Musk in a Really Wild Balmoral Tweed.
Maye Musk, mother of the rocket man, is the epitome of the slow, considered fashion snow queen for The Really Wild Clothing Company. This slow British luxe fashion marque celebrates heritage , town and country and clothing to make you feel invincible. Maye looks at home as the passing chatelaine of Skibo Castle, (the location for the shoot) with razor cheekbones you could dine off, punk silver hair and an inscrutable air which is perfect as the model muse. Maye's singular elegance compliments the idea of slow fashion rooted in tradition, the grand country pile, tailoring, the colours of the burn and the hills, with inspiration from our late Queen Elisabeth's love for Scotland in a tweed collection which pays homage to her beloved Scottish home, Balmoral. Naturally, Maye wears nature's loveliest fibres including wool and silk because they are the best and designed to last a lifetime of considered use. Here she is dressed for a day of roaming about the beautiful Dornoch Firth in Really Wild's Balmoral chestnut brown tweed cape, paired with matching tweed trousers and ice grey silk pussycat bow shirt. If she is lucky, she might catch a glimpse of dolphins playing in the firth. The tweed is made in Scotland from 100% wool. Cape £895.00, trousers £495 and shirt £445.
Brora and Clodagh McKenna Take A Seventies Style Trip
Brora's collaboration for winter is with the charismatic chef, farmers champion and presenter Clodagh McKenna. Clodagh has been a longstanding fan of Brora's Scottish cashmere knitwear and heritage tweeds and she also adores seventies and eighties style. Pictured here, Clodagh eats her own cake whilst flaunting the high waisted tweed trousers, waffle lambswool cream sweater, which is so soft she describes it as like 'wearable cuddle'. For a final flourish Clodagh has added a vibrant green silk scarf worn jauntily in the hair. I am sure Dianne Keaton would love the masculine meets feminine tailoring and beautiful natural fibres and textures.
Bonsoir Dressing Gown
A capacious decadently long and enveloping dressing gown in wool or cashmere is an absolute essential to throw on, lounge or cocoon in for winter in style from Bonsoir another made in Britain treasure of a fashion house. Create the elegance of the country house, Cary Grant ( in The Grass is Greener) and Lord Byron and you won't notice how cold the draughty wreck is! Bonsoir, the heritage made in Britain brand, loved for its quintessentially British pyjamas makes the most coveted and capacious wool and cashmere dressing gowns for men and women made in Somerset England. The Kepwick check ladies dressing gown, features a midnight blue check in the softest lambswool, with contrast hot pink piping, elegant cuffs and a divine silk lining. The men's version features that all important stripe and a decadent, long flowing silhouette. Price £550.
Stanley Tucci for N Peal
For Stanley Tucci, an appreciation of slow style is as great a passion as his love of slow artisanal food from his beloved Italy. It's exciting to see he has collaborated on a gentleman's essential wardrobe for the sartorial wanderer to roam in style. Tucci has teamed up with N Peal, the artisan and organic British cashmere marque to create a slow travel wardrobe with a nod to Italian style and British heritage with a dash of American sportswear. The collection is fashioned in cashmere, wool, cotton and silk for Autumn/Winter 2025. Tucci's capsule wardrobe is about a marriage of minimalism and practicality in exquisite fibres. It's all about understated refinement, subtle, useful details and quiet masculine elegance which exudes the idea of slow luxury made to last, beyond trends. The collection includes the perfect Field Jacket to a minimalist cashmere top that references sportswear, a jaunty scarf and super luxuriant cashmere rollneck. Here Stanley Tucci wears the Field Jacket, fashioned from superfine merino wool, sourced from the celebrated Italian cloth house of Vitale Barberis Canonico since 1663. The elegant herringbone exterior conceals an ingenious microfibre membrane and cashmere and cotton quilted lining for waterproof endurance and sublime comfort. The jacket has lots of clever pockets to help the wearer travel with ease. Field Jacket, £1,750.
Scent - Vianne's Confession
Vianne's Confession is the extraordinary, intoxicating new perfume redolent of ancient churches, wet stone pavements, incense and chocolate, from the author of Chocolat, Joanne Harris and the artisanal and delightfully original perfume house of 4160 Tuesdays Perfumier, based in Hammersmith London. The opulent perfume is wonderful and lasts and lasts on the skin. Vianne's Confession celebrates Harris's new book, simply called Vianne, the story of her heroine before Chocolat. Only a 1,000 bottles of Vianne's Confession are available as a special limited edition perfume. Price £75.00.
Jennifer Ouelette's Starrry Old Hollywood Style Artisan Headbands, Hats and Fascinators,
Drawing from the heyday of hat wearing, Jennifer Ouelette, NYC milliner handcrafts the absolute best headbands, hats and fascinators including a darling piece inspired by Audrey's character in Sabrina, which frames the face, like a riot of butterflies in flight. If you want the perfect wide headband a la Brigitte or to veil your head in a glittery cosmic wonder, Jennifer is the go to hatter. Her headbands are handmade in the exquisite natural fibres and they are so well made.
Pragnell New Charms Collection
Pragnell, the family-owned heritage English jeweller has added more exquistely crafted charms to its collection of pendant charms, drawing on motifs from ancient history, astrology, religion and talisman charms such as the Ankh Cross. The Ankh cross originates from Egypt 3,000 years BC. The Ankh hierograph is the symbol of life and ancient Egyptians believed it offered protection. It's good to know that the majority of Pragnell's future heirloom jewellery is made by skilled artisans in their own workshops.
Etro Hippie Chic Leather Coat and Silk Print Maxi Dress
Etro is a rare, one of a kind whimsical Italian fashion house for the fashion connoisseur who never follows the herd, they lead it. A house that revels in dreaming up slow fashion as art in refined natural fibres and fabrics that belong to another age of refinement. Etro the perfect go to artisan luxe slow fashion house for Miss Daisy Jones and the rich hippie boho look. To achieve the look clash colour, texture and print in a luminous leather jacket fit for a rock 'n' roll goddess with a riotous silk maxi dress in an arresting botanical print, both from the AW 25/26 collection.
Patou Scarlet Wool Bubble Mini Dress
The sparkling spirit of Jean Patou lives again, with a bold, youthful, fresh new approach to French haute fashion. The playful scarlet bubble mini dress in opulent, recycled wool is the dress to covet for winter this season, and many seasons still come, with a matching jacket. It's exciting to see the house use organic cotton in many of its iconic designs giving this beautiful lustrous cotton the chance to inspire the discerning woman to flaunt haute fashion that looks after us and mother earth. Bravo!
Starry Wool Winter Socks
Every self respecting snow queen needs the perfect thick wool winter socks. Hirsch Natur make the very best winter socks with pretty star shape patterns and bright winter hues. Buy them from Cambridge Baby.
Zhivago Sweeping Winter Coat By Browne and Daughter's
Browne and Daughter's is a best kept secret artisan, slow British fashion house loved by royalty, duchesses and girls that lunch and work as racing pundits. They make the most romantic sweeping Zhivago winter coat in wool, velvet or go bespoke. Expect exquisite detailing from fur collar and cuffs to military buttons and silk linings. They also do sublime suits and day dresses that look back to sixties IT girls in hot pink and other paint box hues.
Joseph Cheaney Brogues
While I shouldn't encourage you to jump in puddles, I do think it is good for the sole, ha, ha! A good pair of well made leather brogues is an essential piece of trusty slow fashion armour for the discerning man or woman. Joseph Cheaney makes beautiful, classical leather shoes in the home of British artisan shoemaking, Northampton, England. I rather like this black leather Oxford style in calf leather with a raised heel. Feel invincible and jump in more puddles, Price £410.
Celtic and Co Classical British Long Sheepskin Coat
The Celtic and Co British sheepskin coat is like a hug. The coat made from 100% natural sheepskin features a neat contrast collar and classical, flattering cut with horn detail buttons. Navigate winter in hero made in Britain sheepskin coat that offers glamour, individuality and sublime comfort and warmth to last through many winters and pass on. Price £1299.
Copyright Alison Jane Reid/The Luminaries Magazine November 2025. All Rights Reserved in all Mediums and Formats including AI.
Press images, courtesy of the fashion and accessory houses featured.
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